Blahblah Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 I rarely take Valium or Xanax as PRN before bed (I took 5mg Valium last night for restlessness/worry in order to sleep.) I've noticed that everytime I do, I feel more depressed & more weepy the next day. Is this related/common? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 That was also my experience with benzos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 (edited) This happens to me too, and I also feel groggier and in a fog. Could you try cutting your dose (if pdoc ok) of xanax in half to see if things improve with your mood? I found that if I take it during the day, I need to sleep more often than usual, and it still affects my mood then too (weepy/depressed). Also makes me really out of it. So I take xanax rarely. The dose I take is 0.5 mg at a time, but sometimes I split the dose so the effects are not as bad. Edited March 28, 2017 by melissaw72 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notloki Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Valium becomes temazepam (Restoril) so more than just being sedating it is a hypnotic. Likely to cause hangover if taken in the PM. A very long half life. Xanax is less likely to cause morning hangover due to its' short half life. It was advertised or touted as having antidepressant properties but really all the benzos can cause depression in some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blahblah Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 (edited) 5 hours ago, notloki said: Valium becomes temazepam (Restoril) so more than just being sedating it is a hypnotic. Likely to cause hangover if taken in the PM. A very long half life. Xanax is less likely to cause morning hangover due to its' short half life. It was advertised or touted as having antidepressant properties but really all the benzos can cause depression in some. Interesting. I'm just not sure what the best option is for bedtime restlessness. I'm beginning to think OTC herb combos are better for this issue before sleeping sometimes than benzos. I have this problem maybe once per week, and don't like anything heavy duty. Sometimes a Melatonin/Valerian/Gaba-type herb combo can be effective for me and sometimes not. (It's probably not good to combine that with Xanax I'm assuming.) There were a few times I tried the Xanax, but then woke up early in the morning and couldn't go back to sleep - but that certainly is better than feeling more depressed the next day! Edited March 28, 2017 by Blahblah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notloki Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Valerian does not contain GABA, does not work with GABA and stinks like hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blahblah Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 (edited) 10 hours ago, Dphxa said: I highly recommend against valerian when taking psychoactive medicine. Why? In the supplement below it works for me.... 2 softgels contains: L-Tryptophan (200mg), GABA-Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (90mg), Valerian root (40mg), Chamomile (20mg), and Melatonin (4mg). I don't make a habit of taking this, but it has been working better than benzo for me. (And yes, I told my pdoc who said it's OK to take.) Thing is, the above doesn't always work everytime, so I don't know if there is a similar med that works better? A non-addictive, non-hangover inducing one that helps you relax before bed and get a restful sleep. Edited March 28, 2017 by Blahblah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blahblah Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 (edited) I wanted to add that I have been taking meds before bed more recently/frequently now since starting Wellbutrin. It is disturbing my sleep. Yet, I don't want to add a medication that will give me a sedated hangover feeling the next day or make me more depressed. Edited March 28, 2017 by Blahblah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notloki Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 You do take the Wellbutrin first thing in the AM ? It took me a week or so to get over this (insomnia) when I first started. I required benzo's at night to sleep for that time. Still, I take Wellbutrin first thing. For me the Z drugs had the least hangover but only Lunesta acted long enough to give me 7 hours of sleep. Halcion is one of the shortest acting sleep benzos, it will shut the brain off but often will not give you enough sleep, due to its' short action. The other sleep benzo is ProSom, it is not long acting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notloki Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 31 minutes ago, Blahblah said: Why? In the supplement below it works for me.... 2 softgels contains: L-Tryptophan (200mg), GABA-Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (90mg), Valerian root (40mg), Chamomile (20mg), and Melatonin (4mg). I don't make a habit of taking this, but it has been working better than benzo for me. (And yes, I told my pdoc who said it's OK to take.) Thing is, the above doesn't always work everytime, so I don't know if there is a similar med that works better? A non-addictive, non-hangover inducing one that helps you relax before bed and get a restful sleep. L-Tryptophan increases the possibility of Serotonin Syndrome in the presence of some other meds, mainly AD's. GABA does not cross the blood/brain barrier, blocked from doing any good. Have you ever smelled Valerian ? Very stinky. I know little of Chamomile other than it is generally sedating. I'm opposed to taking hormones w/o proven deficiency. Your 2 soft gels are not regulated (USA) by the FDA and could contain anything, there are no regulations on supplements actually containing 1) what they say they have in them and 2) That it is of a consistent amount in every pill. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blahblah Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 12 minutes ago, notloki said: You do take the Wellbutrin first thing in the AM ? It took me a week or so to get over this (insomnia) when I first started. I required benzo's at night to sleep for that time. Still, I take Wellbutrin first thing. For me the Z drugs had the least hangover but only Lunesta acted long enough to give me 7 hours of sleep. Halcion is one of the shortest acting sleep benzos, it will shut the brain off but often will not give you enough sleep, due to its' short action. The other sleep benzo is ProSom, it is not long acting. I do..I'm on the IR temporarily until my pdoc can give me the XL (I'm not in the US, long story) I take it at 8am. Just started 150mg at 3pm. I don't notice anything at all except dry mouth and this sleep "disturbance" (not insomnia, but broken sleep, trouble initially falling asleep) By Z drugs, assuming you mean all the generic sleep meds that start with Z? Lunesta is common - is it an OTC drug? I've tried Ambien and it did not agree with me - morning hangover, depression, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceberg Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 (edited) I think halcion might be worth a look if it really is a hangover...depending on your type of insomnia Edited March 28, 2017 by Iceberg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 5 hours ago, Blahblah said: I wanted to add that I have been taking meds before bed more recently/frequently now since starting Wellbutrin. It is disturbing my sleep. Yet, I don't want to add a medication that will give me a sedated hangover feeling the next day or make me more depressed. Have you tried lowering the dose? (if ok with pdoc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blahblah Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 3 minutes ago, melissaw72 said: Have you tried lowering the dose? (if ok with pdoc) I'm sure it's the start-up effects that will go away, so I'm trying to ride them out the best i can. If it continues or becomes more severe, of course I will let my pdoc know and go down on it. I am getting a reasonable amount of sleep (6-7 versus 9-10) it's just unusual for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 I hope the effects go away. Glad you are getting at least some sleep. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianOCD Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 That's happened to me as well. However, usually when I take Ativan, it's following a very stressful situation, so I usually ask is it the Ativan, or the stress that caused me to get depressed? But ontop of that, benzos do make you kinda lethargic which would most likely feel depressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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