Goschi Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 A new neuro doc suggested a dose of 15mg of Mianserine in the evening to help me with my insomnia. I just read Mianserine will raise norepinephrine levels in first place - maybe not so good for us...? Anyone took Mianserine and had good/bad reactions while on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeGenesis Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 It's sister drug, mirtazapine, which has similar pharmacological properties, was the thing that finally sent my POTS into overdrive and landed me in the hospital. After a single dose.It has a very long half-life, which will make you drowsy for much of the next day.There are much better sleep aids, IMO. It's a very good antidepressant though. Too dirty in its pharmacological properties for sleep. What country do you live in? I can suggest some drugs or supplements that you can suggest to your doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mermaid Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 I can't comment on Mianserine but I did take Mirtazapine before diagnosis (when symptoms were said to be 'psychological'). I wouldn't take this again personally. For me it lowered my already very low blood pressure and gave me extremely vivid nightmares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goschi Posted June 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 Thanks a lot, DeGenesis and barb10!! I was quite skeptical from the beginning. Problem is, I don't tolerate SSRIs, thus my doc thought about an alternative.I live in Austria (not to be confused with Australia, no kangaroos here! ;-)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeGenesis Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 An SSRI would not be helpful for sleep, unless your sleep issues were due to anxiety.Do you want something to help with mood and sleep, or just sleep?For sleep, I really like low-dose tricyclic antidepressants. The key is low-dose. At their recommended doses for depression they have loads of side-effects and would make POTS worse. At low-doses, they act mainly as histamine receptor antagonists, kind of like Benadryl without all the side-effects.I really like low-dose doxepin, but doctors are more familiar with amitriptyline (Elavil).I mean like really low-dose. Amitriptyline is (was) used at doses of 100-150 mg for depression. 5-10 mg can suffice for sleep.Might be worth bringing up with your doctor.Doctors are using low-dose quetiapine (Seroquel) often for sleep these days. I don't like it for POTS because even at low-doses it affects alpha receptors, which can worsen POTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goschi Posted June 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 Thanks again, DeGenesis, for this detailed expertise!!I have no problem with anxiety, it's just insomnia. I guess, I will ask my doc for a low dose of doxepine or Elavil. Btw, you are so right about quetiapine - a psych doc gave me this one year before I finally got my pots diagnosis. She was sure I had a panic disorder... (and even in that case, quetiapin would be a malpractice....) However, this med really worsened my pots - and in addition, it was rather hard to come off quetiapin!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitt Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goschi Posted June 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Hi kitt,thanks so much for your Infos - good to know that I may not really need meds for my insomnia, I will ask my docs about these non-pharmaceutical methods!Interesting to hear about a possible connection between dysautonomia and body type, I never read about that. (I am a tall, slim male).And yes, Innsbruck is a very nice place! Though I do like my home city Vienna much more! ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelloz Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Question for kittI have a question about your post on insomnia. When I first developed autonomic issues I was unable to sleep at all. It was one of my earliest issues as I had always been a person that needed a solid 8 hours every night. I felt constantly alert. If I started to drift of I would jolt awake. Sleep aids ( medication ) made me feel worse and I really didn't want to go that route. Four years in things are a bit better but still have issues getting to sleep, frequent waking etc.. I was wondering if you could share some of the tips you picked up that worked for you. You said the instructions were long and detailed so probably more than just the, don't nap, hang out in your bedroom, watch TV before bed....the usual.Any advise would be appreciated!Hope you are having a wonderful day!angelloz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docradmd Posted June 29, 2014 Report Share Posted June 29, 2014 Kitt,Would you mind sharing some of those sleep instructions or tips with us?Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.