Timing of Medicine

pacman_789 · Mar 26, 2019 at 09:30 AM

Just curious, do most of you follow the instructions exactly as prescribed by your doctor regarding the timing of your medicine? I am struggling to take mine twice a day, not so much due to the inconvenience, but because I feel a bit groggy when I take it in the morning, which makes it hard to focus at work. The other issue is I tend to over-analyze side effects and behavioral changes when I start a new med, so taking it in the morning is bad for me in that sense b/c I can't stop thinking about it. I'd rather take it at bedtime so I can just go to sleep and forget about it. I plan to ask my pdoc about this, but wast just curious to see how everyone else handles that. For reference, I'm on a trial of Depakote (not the extended release, just the normal one), which has a half life of 9 to 16 hours. My hope is that once it builds up in my system and I reach a steady state, I won't notice it wearing off after 16 hours but will instead be able to survive the whole day and just take it once.

Travelinglady · Mar 26, 2019 at 09:39 AM

I vary a bit from when I take mine. I think we might have to adjust sometimes given our reactions.

Mar 26, 2019 at 09:40 AM

Hi pacman_789, you may have experienced in the past how medication side effects, like sedation, often ease once your body grows accustomed to the medication. I guess you acknowledged that fact in your last couple of sentences above. But I completely understand your struggle, especially considering you have a job to do.

My psychiatrist has scolded me for modifying my dosing in any major way, without first talking to him about it. He would never mind that much if I simply adjusted the time I take it by a few hours or so, though. But if you are thinking about skipping the morning dose, and taking the Depakote only in the evenings, I suggest that you MUST talk to your psychiatrist first. Might he/she suggest switching you to an extended release? Would they mind if you take it only at night for a while? You don't know until you ask, but if you can't work effectively, that is a major problem that must be handled.

fern46 · Mar 26, 2019 at 09:58 AM

I feel your pain. The Geodon I take in the mornings makes me feel sleepy most days. It is an unwelcome side effect, but I stick to the plan my doctor asked me to follow. I set an alarm and take my meds at the same time every day. I feel like the goal is to balance the chemicals in my body and I'll throw that out of whack if I adjust the times I take my meds.

My doc is planning to move my morning Geodon to a night dose soon. I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully yours will do the same.

sarahsweets · Mar 26, 2019 at 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fern46

I feel your pain. The Geodon I take in the mornings makes me feel sleepy most days. It is an unwelcome side effect, but I stick to the plan my doctor asked me to follow. I set an alarm and take my meds at the same time every day. I feel like the goal is to balance the chemicals in my body and I'll throw that out of whack if I adjust the times I take my meds.

My doc is planning to move my morning Geodon to a night dose soon. I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully yours will do the same.

Moving my Geodon to the night time was a life saver and helps me to sleep.

Jester's Rags · Mar 26, 2019 at 12:16 PM

It really depends on the medication too. I tend to take most of mine before bedtime. Zoloft, Lamictal, Lithium at bedtime, and I take Xanax a few times throughout the day. Seroquel as needed (manic, mixed episodes).

BastetsMuse · Mar 26, 2019 at 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pacman_789

Just curious, do most of you follow the instructions exactly as prescribed by your doctor regarding the timing of your medicine? I am struggling to take mine twice a day, not so much due to the inconvenience, but because I feel a bit groggy when I take it in the morning, which makes it hard to focus at work. The other issue is I tend to over-analyze side effects and behavioral changes when I start a new med, so taking it in the morning is bad for me in that sense b/c I can't stop thinking about it. I'd rather take it at bedtime so I can just go to sleep and forget about it. I plan to ask my pdoc about this, but wast just curious to see how everyone else handles that. For reference, I'm on a trial of Depakote (not the extended release, just the normal one), which has a half life of 9 to 16 hours. My hope is that once it builds up in my system and I reach a steady state, I won't notice it wearing off after 16 hours but will instead be able to survive the whole day and just take it once.

When I took Depakote, I took the time release version, and I always took it at night because of the sedating effects.

Now that I take Geodon, I take it at dinner time, which is exactly when my psychiatrist wants me to take it.

Timing of medication is important, though, so you might want to switch to the time release Depakote so you can take it at bedtime and not worry about any side effects -- or your mind, wondering about things.

pacman_789 · Mar 27, 2019 at 11:56 AM

Thanks, all. I am on the delayed release only because I had to start lower than what is manufactured in the extended release version. I went ahead and reached out to my pdoc, and he said the twice daily recommendation is primarily for epilepsy patients and that's it's not clear that you must maintain the same timing for bipolar maintenance.

So, I guess it really does just depend on the individual and their response. Good to know. Hopefully, by gradually increasing, I'll be able to tolerate higher doses than I have in the past so that I can start taking the extended release version.

fern46 · Mar 27, 2019 at 02:49 PM

Do you take it before bed or with dinner? It says to take it with food but I don't want to feel like I need to sleep shortly after I eat. Maybe I'll need go consider a bedtime snack.

kstella95 · Mar 27, 2019 at 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fern46

Do you take it before bed or with dinner? It says to take it with food but I don't want to feel like I need to sleep shortly after I eat. Maybe I'll need go consider a bedtime snack.

It depends. Mine says right before bed, so I take it about an hour before my bed time so when I’m ready to go to sleep for the night, my meds will be kicked in for that. If it says to take with food though, I would take it with your evening meal.

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Travelinglady Legendary Wise Elder Member Since Sep 2010 Location: North Carolina Posts: 47,993 (SuperPoster!) 13 22.9k hugs given	Mar 26, 2019 at 09:39 AM #2 I vary a bit from when I take mine. I think we might have to adjust sometimes given our reactions.
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fern46 Grand Magnate Member Since Mar 2019 Location: USA Posts: 3,021 5 4,300 hugs given	Mar 27, 2019 at 02:49 PM #9 Do you take it before bed or with dinner? It says to take it with food but I don't want to feel like I need to sleep shortly after I eat. Maybe I'll need go consider a bedtime snack.
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