Can't sleep for more than 3 hours

[theRMan]

Hey all,

I'm new here. I read many of the posts regarding this subject. I'm 35/m and have been treated unsuccessfully for depression (SSRI's, Wellbutrin, Desipramine) over last three years. Also have had problems w/ Anxiety but am taking Xanax for that.

My pdoc suggested Provigil after I told him that the only time I feel normal is if I eat a diet pill with ephedra. Although I was not formally diagnosed with adult ADD, I began to suspect it, and I think he did too.

After the first days of Provigil I thought it was a miracle drug. I could focus on my work, my productivity was great, I could wake up in the morning, and for the first time in my life I woke up feeling refreshed. The sad part is that it pretty much lost it's effect after two weeks, and with the price being nearly $7 per pill I could no longer justify it.

I wanted to try stimulants considering the short term positive response with Provigil but the doc didn't want to do it because I used to binge drink and that indicates addictive personality. I didn't feel like arguing, and he had a suggestion.

He instead gave me Strattera and I've been on 40mg in morning for last three days. It seems to be helping a little with my productivity and focus at work, but the side-effects are getting annoying and worse.

The worst side effect is that I can't sleep for more than 2-3 hours without waking up. I was wide awake at 2:30a.m. one night, then 4:30 the next. I had terrible, extremely vivid, and night long dreams. I am not looking forward to sleeping tonight because it drains me so much with the nightmares and I wake up exhausted. I tried taking a .5 Xanax at bedtime, but it didn't help.

All the other side-effects are manageable: dry mouth, pain in testicles, tingling in my head when urinating (stange!), agitated in the evening, and sexual problems.

Sorry this is so damn wordy. I can't ever make a post that is short and to the point. I'm looking for advice on how to get some sleep. I am would like to tough it out and see if the side-effects go away.. did anyone have similar experiences?

[tiggwin]

Almost all my side effects went away at 40mgs per day EXCEPT the sleepless one. (More s/e came back when we upped the dose.) That doesn't mean the sleep problems won't go away for you with time, however. I hope they do. Good luck.

[rogerj1]

That doesn't sound like very much fun, I've been there. Are you combining the Strattera with any other drugs? Once I quit taking wellbutrin with Strattera I actually started sleeping better than I'd ever slept.

[Wheel1975]

I dropped to 10 mg for quite a while. then i slowly bult up. i'm off it now. Too many stories elsewhere. It was valuable to try. i learned things while on it. follow our own guide.

[theRMan]

I quit taking it for a while. I slept better tonight. the Strattera was working though, especially in the mornings. I was focused. The Provigil keeps me feeling awake, but wish I had the straterra less the problems. Just not the right mix for my chemistry. damn, but i can't keep one line of thought if it kills me. *sigh*