My sleepless nights seem to be catching up on me. I am dragging myself around throughout the day and I look like hell. My sleeping habits have never been good but this last few years since dxs is getting worse all the time. I feel so tired but I don't go to sleep and when I do I only sleep for about 2 or 3 hours and then I'm up again. Since visiting my MDS last week I have reduced my Requip to 12 mgs a day from 14 mgs.( I was feeling very restless and not able to sit still) and I take Sinemet 100/25 3 x a day, my Dr. has now added Sinemet CR at bedtime in hopes of some symptom relief which will in turn allow me to sleep. Its been 3 nights since I started the bedtime dose and I am not sleeping any better. Granted it has taken care of my night time dystonia. She says if I still am having trouble sleeping in 2 weeks she will prescribe a low dose of Seroquel. Have any of you tried Seroquel for sleep and how much is considered a low dose.

I should have been in bed when I wrote the message. I reply was not even relevent to the question.

i have lomng since stopped trying to wrestle with the PD induced sleep disoder which finds you sleeping very mixed up amounts and times of restful sleep. Melatonin didn't help adjust to "normal hours". IF i "must sleep" i take 2 mg of Clonazepam, that usually deos the trick and it's not very habit forming if you don't use it every night(imho). Clonopin (or Klonopin) is a benzodiazepine , so just be careful.
I think that Seroquel is a mild dopamine antagonist, but has been used successfully by many here over the years. I still think it's a rather "big gun", and that there are perhaps better sleep inducing agents out there, however, most of these things cause some form of dependancy if used on a regular basis.

In no way can I disagree with ol' cs because I haven't his knowledge of pharmaceuticals (for which I am ever grateful), but I have taken a bit of Seroquel for sleep. One of my docs gave me a couple of sample packets of the smallest dose--I believe it was 25mg. I tried one at most and slept extremely well all night and then off and on through the next day, with, indeed, some extra PD stiffness. Next time I was desperate for sleep I tried a half, which allowed me to do a few productive things the next afternoon. Waiting until I was really, really desperate for sleep, I then tried a quarter of a tablet, no more than 5-6mg, and that worked Thpretty well.

Then I discovered Benadryl.

I can take a couple of Benadryl--one dose, like for a stuffy nose (and it usually is, due to Sinemet), and sleep rather well for about six hours, then take some PD meds and go back to sleep for a couple of hours. Ah, blissful relief!

I haven't taken a dose of anything for sleep more often than every three months or so. Like cs says, who cares if I sleep at odd hours? I'm retired, I don't have kids at home, and I never schedule anything before 10:00am.

It also helps that a hip replacement has relieved almost all nighttime pain, and I take KW6002 (istradefylline) in a clinical study, which helps spread out the PD drugs for more hours. Sinemet CR gives me myoclonic jerks, for whatever that's worth.

Jaye

P.S. Oops. Grateful that cs has the knowledge, not that I don't.

Thanks for your replies Carolyn, Ol'cs and Jaye. I am trying to stay away from addictive drugs. Ha Ha Seems that I am popping pills all day long why would another one make any difference. I have been taking Lorazepam on an occasional basis and it does work but I was under the impression that it is addictive and shouldn't be used for too long and there is always the withdrawal symptoms when stopping any of these drugs. I will try the Benadryl and hopefully it will help. It really has a huge effect on my day when I don't get that much needed rest at night.

Evon, while I take Ativan before bed now, along with 150mg of Effexor, I have had occassion to take other sleep aids. The only other times I took a sleep aid was twice after an auto accident when I was forced to sleep in an odd positions, so when I was able to finally sleep in normal position I couldn't sleep at all.

I took Ambien for 30 days each time, to readjust my sleep pattern, and with worked wonderfully. What a difference it made for me.

My husband was taking Benedrly for a rash and itching, however our Neuro said it interacts with PD meds and never take it again. He takes a 25mg Seroquil at bedtime, with a Neurontin 300mg.

Hope you get some rest...when you don't.....well you know, that's why your question.

Adelle, I'm sure your husband's doc has his reasons, since some people should NOT take it due to other conditioins, like being over 60, which I am. I'm pretty sure, however, that it's okay--AFTER CHECKING WITH OUR OWN DOCTORS--for many with PD, because it's listed in the rxlist.com monograph as being useful in some cases of PD, and especially because my neuropsychiatrist, neurologist, and internist all know I take it on an OCCASIONAL basis and approve of it for sleep. My neuropsychiatrist does like me to avoid drugs with anticholinergic effects because of their possible negative effects on memory.

Everyone remember, my experience is applicable to me. We are not doctors. We can read pretty good, but we're not doctors.

Jaye

Hubby is finally taking seroquel (25mg) at bedtime and sleeping well for the first time in years (consequently so am I). Seroquel is used in very high doses for bipolar problems. I do not believe it is a dopomine agonist.
We are very happy with it!!