silenor
 

it definitely helps with depression. today i am almost high. I didn't sleep that well but i did sleep on and off. I looked for my card case for over an hour so that might have interfered with sleep.. I couldn't rest til i found it

Bobby,
Do you think the 6mg's caused the "high"? I know you mentioned it came 3mg's and 6 mg's. Is this a capsule? Or is it a tablet where you might cut the 6mg's to more than 2/3's of the tablet. That might give you more like a 4 - 5 mg's rather than 6mg's? Just a thought...


Gerry

i don't want to monkey around and i like the good feeling is so rare and am not manic. i am tired

I am glad that you feel good!
enjoy that feeling:)
((((HUGS))))
bizi

This is a med I have not heard of before. Hope it continues to be of benefit, my morgy! :yahoo:

i just love the pill. i got another good night sleep. i went to bed early and woke up at five thirty. I didn't get a refill yet. something about the insurance co wants to speak oi the psychiatrist. I hope it works out. I would be so frustrated if i finally found a drug that solves my sleeping problem and helps my depression and some thing gets in the way.
bobby

wow this is such a good report. Hoping it continues to work for you and that the insurance company can get approval from your pdoc or what ever they need.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

Sleep meds.
 

Drugs approved for sleep:


Common Sleeping Pills: Ambien, Lunesta, Rozerem, and More

Ambien,
Lunesta
Rozerem
Sonata
Silenor (Doxipine)
Benzos: Triazolam, Tempazepam (Restoril), . . .
Antidepressants such as Trazodon, Mirtazapine (Remeron), . . . .

=-=-=-
Doxepin/ Silenor is also called Sinequan. I was on Sinequan for a while decades ago.
There is even a cream formulation of it:
Doxepin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

=-=-=-
List of Tricyclics --- same class of drug as the Silenor (Doxipine)
They were first marketed in the 1950s.
Tricyclic antidepressant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


M

thank you. it didn't work last night. I was too upset. I don;t thin the insurance company will give it to me.

I have a Medicare HMO plan and looked up Silenor. It has a quantity limit, so that is the probably the issue. Your doc may still be able to resolve that issue with the insurance company though.

that isn't the issue. it isn't on the formulary(sp) drug.

I hope you can get an exception, and your copay isn't high :hug::hug::hug:

i doubt that i will get it but i get help with the price. i might make an appt early with the pdoc to see if we could try another one in that class. it made me so happy. screw the sleep

I'm sorry Bobby, I don't blame you for being frustrated :hug::hug::hug:

Maybe trying a different drug in that class will wind up working out even better for you :hug:

i was thinking of that. there were negative comments on the internet. I might make an early appointment with the pdoc to see waat he suggests. I felt so good. oops i already wrote that
bobby

I wouldn't rely too heavily on what people say on the internet. People with negative experiences are far more likely to post than people with positive ones. The same is true about experiences at restaurants, etc… I think the numbers there are something like for every 9 negative reviews there is only 1 positive one. When people get ****** off there is more of a drive to get on the computer and write something negative.

That doesn't mean the drug is necessarily great though. If there are tons of negative reviews, there are obviously tons of ****** off people… makes you wonder how many people take/have taken the drug to figure out the real percentage of unsatisfied patients.

You can find info on the percentage of people who stopped the med, and why, during clinical trials in the full patient drug guide from the manufacturer. It should be available on the internet if you search for "Silenor," or a different drug's brand name.

Also, meds work differently for different people. The people who posted negative comments about possible drug options for you, may have ended up having positive experiences with some of the meds that you haven't.

:hug::hug::hug: Bobby :hug::hug::hug:

you are right. silenor is still not out of the picture. i called the e=insurance company and they faxed a form to th e pdoc which he hasn;t answered. i called the pdoc and the receptionist gave me the story about the dates of when i took the meds. i told her i calledc the insurance co and explained the dilemna. then she took information.today i was told they faxed a form to the pdoc. I am confused. anyways . the receptionist is sopposed to call me back if they got the fax.it is in his office. still waiting

i called the pdoc's office again and the receptionist said he hasn't gotten back to her. I am so disgusted with my antidepressants zoloft and butropion now that i know that i know what it feels like to be happy I feel like dropping the garbage. at least i am not paralyzed and my handwriting is coming back.
I just signed up for four Jewish classes. The prior ones probably helped me get through my hospital experiences so easily

Doxepin is the generic name for your drug. It is available as the lowest dose in 10mg capsules, from several manufacturers.

I suggest you find out if it is eligible at your insurance. In the old days it was very inexpensive, but who knows if that is still true today with the greedy Big Pharma gouging everyone lately.

I used this drug in 20mg doses at night for sciatica when I used to work midnights. It was very effective for me. I haven't used it since then . In the very low dose range it is not strong as an antidepressant. It is in the tricyclic family, and often used for nerve pain. In cream form it is used for severe itching, but cost often limits that use too.

It is thought that doxepin has fewer side effects than other tricyclics... like blurred vision and dry mouth.

thank you.it is not on their list, I already looked.why do they remove the good stuff? I just called cvs and for a month of 6 mg silenor is over 400 dollars.
there is a discount plan but it doesn't say what the discount is.
I looked up all the tricyclics in the Wiki article and none were in aaarp united healthcare-my plan ugh
bobby

I can't see doxepin 10mg generic being 400 dollars a month...

Check out this Walgreen's listing... much much lower, if you pay cash for it. Doxepin 10mg shows as Tier 2 under the "mental" category.

21 dollars and some cents for the cash price. thank you. maybe i will ask my pdoc..a far cry from 424 dollars
Doxepin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

i don't understand https://stevebmd.files.wordpress.com...sdoxepin10.pdf
Sinequan (Doxepin) Drug Information: Indications, Dosage and How ...
www.rxlist.com › ... › drugs az list › sinequan (doxepin) side effects drug center
RxList
Clinical experience has shown that SINEQUAN is safe and well tolerated even in the elderly patient. Owing to lack of clinical experience in the pediatric ...

Doxepin has been the main drug dispensed for over 20 yrs.

Doctors only get detailed by drug reps for BRAND name items like your Silenor. I would bet they don't know what doxepin even is, how it works, etc.(unless they are old timers).

Pharmacies cannot substitute doxepin 10mg for Silenor 6. The milligrams have to match. This is why the brand name is so expensive as there is "no generic" for it in 6mg. Your doctor has to write the RX as "doxepin 10mg" for you to get it that way. These loopholes are in place to make sure Big Pharma gets its $$$$.

thank you so much. I hope my pdoc goes along. have a nice weekend
bobby

I found coupons for 60 pills of 10mg caps of doxepin for as low as $12.68 at one retailer on GoodRX.com. You can't go through your insurance company if you use the coupons though. Silenor hovers around $400 even with coupons.

The dosages of Silenor, and the generic doxepin come in very different doses. Silenor is only available in 3 or 6 mg tablets, and doxepin is available in 10, 25, 50, 75, 100, and 150mg capsules. The generic is much cheaper, but the cost depends on the dosage and quantity of pills you are prescribed.

I've found that most patient assistance programs exclude Medicare patients, which sucks :hug:

I hope you catch a break here Bobby and can get the med and a decent copay. The generic is definitely cheap enough!!! :hug::hug::hug:

i didn't know about goodrx.com- i didn't see the 60 pills. I wonder if my doctor will go along.. Yesterday or last night i had three hours of sleep. I will be tired all day. Most pills dont work on me. I am serious about stopping zoloft and the other one. I felt so different with silenor. besides its helping me to get extra sleep. My pdoc never contacted me yesterday about the form for silenor from the insurance company. rats

Doxepin 10mg is the very low end of action for any antidepressant that runs on serotonin effects (like your Zoloft)

Every drug has a low end in dose for any effectiveness.

There is not much difference between 6mg and 10 with Doxepin.
But I would not suggest you take another serotonin type drug like Zoloft with it.

thank you. I wonder what my psychiatrist will say. I stopped today taking zoloft since i don't think it was doing any good. same with the other antidepressant butropion. I didn't know what it was like to feel happy until i took the silenor.
bobby

That is amazing, Bobby. It is good news that a drug exists for you,
I hope that your pdoc can get you what you need.


M

Keep this thought in your mind when you see your shrink...

Sinequan (doxepin) hasn't been used for depression for over 2 DECADES. I would not expect that any current shrink would understand this drug.

It originally came out as a "me-too" to compete with Elavil and Pamelor. That was long before SSRIs came out or the SNRIs which were later.

Today, Elavil (amitriptyline) and Pamelor (nortriptyline) and Doxepin (Sinequan) are now used for pain management, nerve damage in those with neuropathies ( in low subtherapeutic doses). Shrinks as a rule do not treat PNs so they are not aware of these drugs for the most part anymore.
The new Silenor is being detailed to them now for sleeping. Its dose is way below the doses shrinks used for depression treatments.

You will have to be calm and clever and ask for what you want based on your net research so far. If you leave this totally in the lap of your shrink, you may get NOTHING, because they are narrow and protective of their liability. If they don't know this drug and how it works, they will not give you what you are asking for. The bottom line is Sinequan brand = doxepin=Silenor. The only factor here is 4 measly milligrams which is below the therapeutic index for doxepin as an antidepressant.

And as an antidepressant, and a member of the tricyclic family of drugs, it may just cause a tolerance after a couple of months.
Keep that in mind too.

Good luck.

And.... there is no difference between tablets and capsules. This is just another factor for Silenor to ensure $$$$ and use of their product. There are no tablets in the generic listings, and so pharmacies cannot exchange the order to the affordable product because none of the generics are "identical" to the tablet form of Silenor. Doxepin has historically been a capsule because the SINEQUAN brand was a capsule. Once swallowed there is no difference. If Silenor tablets were extended release, then there would be a difference, but from what I see on RXlist.com they are just regular tablet immediate release formulation.

I know this is a bunch of details, and difficult to grasp, but just try to learn it all before your doctor's appointment. The patient (consumer) is always the last to know, and therefore gets fleeced in some way in the end. Loses, most often and does not get affordable treatment.

I am really appreciative. thank you so much. "And as an antidepressant, and a member of the tricyclic family of drugs, it may just cause a tolerance after a couple of months.
Keep that in mind too. " I don't understand this part. also silenor made me happy. I was shocked at how good I felt for no reason. I have been going through an especially hard time with the stroke,its after affects and the surgery and procedure. My neck still hurts from the cutting.
"
bobby

Tolerance
 

Tolerance affects some people. It did not happen to me.
Especially the sleep part: Sinequan made me sleepy and probably helped with my depression for all the
years I was on it (1980s and very early 1990s). Eventually, I begged my pdoc to take me off it
because I was tired of the sleepy brain fog during the day.

Tolerance and Resistance to Drugs - Drugs - Merck Manuals Consumer Version

I wish you were getting more help.
You need a team. :heartthrob:

M

thanks. I am coming out of the shock of the stroke and the hospitalizations and growing more and more depressed.Knowing what it was like to be happy while on silenor was a punctuation mark.I am afraid my pdoc won't go along with me. I had broken sleep last night but got about six hours. I am finally reading a junky novel. Last night Cecilia and i went out to dinner and i had a great hamburger and delicious french fries. no diet but so good. doesn't sound like living a depressed life.
bobby

Dear Bobby,

You can let your pdoc know that you think it's time to change your meds. You have been on some of them for a long time, and you haven't been getting great results. You're also dealing with new challenges now, so I think he will be understanding :hug::hug::hug:

The best advice, and options for a workable med plan you can get, is from your pdoc. But all decisions are ultimately up to you. You can always say no, and ask for other options.

Give him the chance to work with you.

Love,

Kay