We know that for some, insomnia medication is a necessity – although many complain about the side-effects; from unusual behavior to grogginess the next day.
Silenor, which has recently been approved by the FDA (after two previous rejections) works differently to medications such as Ambien and Lunesta – they work by essentially shutting down the nervous system, whereas this new drug works by decreasing histamine levels.
Clinical trials showed that there was, ‘no meaningful evidence of next-day residual effects’. It’s also the first sleep maintenance therapy that isn’t considered a controlled substance – which may be of interest to those worried about dependency.
You can read more about this new drug over at BioWorld. As always, you should talk to your doctor before considering or taking any form of medication.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
This one’s not for me–I’m hypothyroid, and at risk for stroke.
Drat.
I need something to get me deeper-leveled sleep, anyway.
Have you been prescribed any sleep medications that worked for you, or tried any over the counter drugs?
Most sleep medications (esp. benzodiazepenes) do the reverse for me–they might work ONCE, but after that, they either don’t work or keep me up more. No, we haven’t tried getting me a wakeup pill, but my reaction to NoDoz in college was to fall asleep 30 min. later for about 5 hrs & woke up iwht the caffeine shakes.
OTC drugs & methods & folk remedies do nothing, esp. if I’ve got a cold, where not being able to breathe, or not cough, interferes with sleep. I’m allergic to codeine/vicodin, and that’s the strongest cough meds my drs have ever prescribed for me.
Thanks for your suggestions–I’ve tried a lot of methods & meds over the years. Topomax, as a mood stabilizer, got me restful sleep, but it interfered with word-choice & other executive functions, and I was very stupid & frustrated while taking it. It stopped working after 2 yrs, which is why I’m not still on it.
When I have a cold, I need to be able to breathe better at the very least, in order to *get* to sleep even lightly. Don’t know about the staying asleep part.
Ordinarily, I need to stop the restless leg (I take requip, but I have breakthroughs), not notice tactile input (sometimes), and shut my brain up, which is the usual reason I can’t sleep. I don’t have manias, so that’s not the reason, esp. since I have this problem during a depressive phase.
Your story sounds familiar – many members of our community for insomniacs have tried drugs and don’t like the side effects.
We need far more research into insomnia and far more studies. We don’t need drug companies to just come up with more drugs. We need to get to the bottom of the insomnia epidemic.
We can’t keep ignoring it.
I completely agree!
This drug is a high-priced version of doxepin, which I have been studying up on on other sites after seeing an ad for Silenor. I plan to ask my doctor about it, from what I’ve read, it is good in small doses but for some reason the liquid version is hard to find (it generally comes in 10mg caps). I’ve read that a good dosage for use as a sleep aid is about 3-6 mg. My main problem is staying asleep through the night, it sounds like this might be something to try.
Thanks for sharing your research, Jay. I was under the impression that Silenor was a completely new drug. Can you point me to the resource that states it’s just another version of doxepin?
If you do talk to your doctor and try this drug, please let us know how you get on.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/211686-the-problem-with-somaxon-s-silenor
Sorry I don’t have access to my email during the day…
Thanks for sharing your source, Jay – it’s much appreciated.