On 9/10/96 Gilbert Doroff <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
<<<<<Anyone out there- other than me- suffering from sleep
deprivation? Prior to onset of PD- 18 months ago- I slept fitfully, and not
well, but did manage about 5 hours nightly. Now, 2 or 2 1/2 hours is more like
it. Current medication is amantadine (1x100 mg) and Eldepryl (1x5 mg.). I have
tried Melatonin, and it seems to make things worse, if anything.>>>>>>>
Welcome Brother Doroff: you've come to the right tent tonight. You'll find
near as many insomniacs here as in any dozen hospital sleep disorder centers.
While neither this group nor the hospitals have a miracle cure for you we
understand your malady better (many of us have it), we're not as pricey and you
can hone your keyboard skills here while you're up all hours of the night. If
that's not enough, with the money you save here vs. the sleep disorder center
you can afford that new 4000 MHZ Pentium Porche you've been wanting. Not a bad
deal when all you expected was empathy!
Your situation sounds similar to others in the Listserv with the exception that
an average of 2-2 1/2 hours nightly puts you near the bottom. A number of us
have tried Melatonin and several believe it interferes with PD meds. I used it
a few nights a year or so ago and quit because I experienced no noticeable
change in sleep duration but was off more than on each day following its use.
You might consider asking your neurologist about using Sinemet for sleep. It's
the one medication that helps me some. I've tried a number of sleeping pills,
both OTC and prescription and don't care for any of them. Sinemet doesn't help
everyone and I notice it's not in you current drug regimen. If insomnia is a
major problem for you (and at 2 1/2 hours nightly I suspect it is) it can't hurt
to try Sinemet.
Regards,
Bob Bowling
Overland Park, KS
