Beth's Keeping Track Post

10mg melatonin definitely helping to fall asleep. Such a relief. Also improves my sleep, overall. I do have a hangover effect, however. I also have to watch for depression from the melatonin.

It's great to hear the melatonin is improving your sleep

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Originally Posted by Fuzzybear It's great to hear the melatonin is improving your sleep

Thank you so much, Fuzzy dear

Nice.

Glad to hear your sleep has improved overall. How did you sleep last night?

My pdoc told me to do two weeks on, one week off to avoid the depression. I would taper the dose halfway through the second week so as not to have problems sleeping.

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Originally Posted by Zeroid My pdoc told me to do two weeks on, one week off to avoid the depression. I would taper the dose halfway through the second week so as not to have problems sleeping.

Good advice - thank you!

Hugs and peaceful gentle thoughts to you

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Originally Posted by bluebicycle Nice. Glad to hear your sleep has improved overall. How did you sleep last night?

Falling asleep is much improved. Staying asleep is easier. My only concern is that I feel rather depressed when I awaken. Many, many years ago I tried melatonin; it caused me to be quite depressed, so I stopped it. I have been reluctant to give it another chance.


I'm thinking that I will take it tonight and maybe tomorrow night, see where I am at that point..

So the melatonin helped me fall asleep more quickly for about a week, then the effect seemed to wear off. My pdoc says I should keep taking it, but I don't understand why. I'm thinking that stopping it for a week, then restarting it might give me another few days of improved sleep, until it wears off again.

Years ago I took valerian root to help sleep, but I cannot recall if it worked or not. I've heard some people say that a combination of melatonin/valerian root is a good sleep aid.


The Trilafon continues to keep my anxiety to a tolerable level. YYYYAAAAYYY!!!!

I think that perphenazine (Trilafon) is the most effective medication I've ever taken...and that's out of at least 30+ different meds and countless med combinations.

I've raised the dose to 10mg/day (6mg a.m., 4mg p.m.). The great news is that I have no additional tremor than I had at 8mg. Yay! That would be the deal breaker.

As for melatonin...eh. Sometimes helps me fall asleep, but it doesn't seem to do too much as far as staying asleep. Melatonin and valerian together is a possible option.

Had achilles tendon surgery 5/28. It went very well. I have a cast on for 3 more weeks, then I'll transition to a "boot." I admit that I am exhausted, the cast is heavy, but it's okay...the goal is to be able to walk normally eventually. I'm excited about that.

I did venture out to get my hair cut. Our numbers in NorCal are decently stable (unlike SoCal, 500 miles down south). Getting my hair cut really lifted my spirits, plus it was terrific to see my stylist after all these months. Besides that venture I am staying entirely in my apartment. Living upstairs makes going out mostly impossibly with cast/crutches (stairs). But it's okay; going out is very tiring.

I was on an opiate pain med for 2 weeks. When it was time to stop it I had no problem with doing so (except that of course, the pain is slightly worse).

Having a rough time with teletherapy (as I've been ranting all over the forum about ). I absolutely know that it's better than no therapy, but wow- do I miss having appointments in her office. I miss being with her in the same space. I just wish there was a set time for when we'll meet IRL again, but there isn't one, at all. I doubt it will happen for many months.

Trilafon has been a big game-changer for me, too. I was headed straight for Clozaril, but that Trilafon has just nipped my badass 8 months of psychosis right in the bud. Hooray!

Hope your leg heals quickly, Beth. What a pain being up the stairs. Be careful getting down those...

I have my next telemedicine pdoc thing in a week. I do not like not being able to see well, but, we are still not really open in this state and our numbers were a record-high on Thursday. People here are mainly very pro-mask, pro-distancing in the city. Out of town, in the rural areas, they have been having close gatherings with no masks in protest of whatever civil right you call it when you try to save thousands and thousands of lives by not being a complete freaking moron.. 22nd amendment or something? Dunno.

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Currently on 12mg Trilafon (perphenazine) and still finding it excellent for keeping extreme anxiety down. Hand tremor is pretty bad, though, especially left hand. So pdoc has prescribed Amantadine 50mg/day. I'm starting it today.

I've taken the Melatonin only occasionally; it helps sometimes, but it's not amazing. I'm going to start taking Lamictal in the a.m., see if I have less insomnia and feel less "flat" (which could be from lack of good sleep).

California is having a substantial spike in covid cases, so bars and indoor dining has been closed again. Many ocean beaches closed, especially in SoCal. A cap on number of people allowed at lake and river beaches, no alcohol (wish they'd close all beaches, period).

Masks mandatory and people had better cooperate or all non-essential business will be shutting down again.

Cast on for full month on Wednesday, when I'll be getting it removed . It sure will be nice to have my regular leg back.

The Amantadine is helping to control my hand tremor. I am amazed. The only side effect I might notice is feeling spaced-out. It's annoying, but I'm giving it time. Besides, I'm not even sure it's from the Amantadine.

Have you had any weight gain with the trilafon?

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Originally Posted by Pookyl Have you had any weight gain with the trilafon?

Well, I gained well over 100lbs. on Seroquel, so honestly, it's hard to tell if I've gained any weight. I don't think I have, though. I might have lost a bit, actually. (I don't own a scale & haven't been on one since telemedicine.)


From what I've heard, and from my own experience, Seroquel is the major weight-gainer. The older AP's (such as Trilafon) didn't cause as much weight gain.

Thanks. I’ll discuss swapping out Seroquel for an older AP when I see my pdoc next week.

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Originally Posted by Pookyl Thanks. I’ll discuss swapping out Seroquel for an older AP when I see my pdoc next week.

Let me know what your pdoc says. I'm curious to know what she'll suggest. It seems to me that the older AP's are being used more than they were a few years ago. The newer ones cause so much weight gain and the concurrent health problems that come with weight gain. It's understandable why many people are discouraged with them.

My anxiety has been higher the past few days and I've wondered why. Well, last night I realized I've been taking only 8mg of Trilafon for the past week instead of 12mg. I felt like screaming. In past years I never screwed up my med doses, but this year I've done so several times.

(((((((((((((( BethRags )))))))))))))))