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Cant sleep because of anti-depressants?

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  • 22-10-2010 1:17pm
    #1
    LegacyUser
    Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭


    Hi,

    I was prescribed anti-d's(Sertraline 100mg a day) last week and have been taking them every morning.Was only prescribed a weeks worth of pills last week just to see how I'd get on with them and the chemist gave me Serlan.Had no side effects at all taking those.Shrink gave me another prescription for the same thing on Wednesday and this time the chemist gave me Lustral instead of Serlan.I know they're both basically just generic brands of the same thing but I haven't been able to sleep for 2 days now,ever since I've been taking the Lustral.Does anybody know if theres actually a difference between the 2 brands or are the side effects of Sertraline finally catching up with me now?


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    #2
    Novella
    Registered Users Posts: 13,713 ✭✭✭✭Novella


    I take Lustral 100mg too and never noticed any difference when it came to my sleeping patterns. I've also always been given Lustral by the pharmacist, and never any other brand of Sertraline. However, if you read the leaflet in the Lustral box it does say that taking the medication can cause difficulties with sleeping so perhaps this is what you're experiencing.

    It seems strange to me that two tablets which are effectively the same, simply named differently would not elicit similar side effects. Although the fact that you've only been taking Sertraline for such a short time could be the reason.

    Sorry I can't be more helpful, but really it's important to discuss these kind of things with whoever is prescribing the medication for you. Best of luck.


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    #3
    LegacyUser
    Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    The switch from one brand to the other is the only thing I can think of really.I would usually discuss it with my psychologist but he's away now for three weeks so I'm kind of stuck.Hopefully it's just a temporary thing because I've never had trouble sleeping before and I feel awful and have a long night ahead of me in work.Thanks for the reply btw.


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    #4
    Novella
    Registered Users Posts: 13,713 ✭✭✭✭Novella


    I understand how frustrating it is, honestly. Before Lustral, I tried a few other anti-d's and suffered some pretty bad side effects so I get where you're coming from. Hopefully it'll settle down. Maybe you could try something like lavender on your pillow to help you relax and sleep, or Valerian tea.


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    #5
    mathepac
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 4,991 ✭✭✭mathepac


    None of what I am going to type here is a substitute for consulting with your own health-care professionals and it is not medical advice.
    DFB87 wrote: »
    The switch from one brand to the other is the only thing I can think of really...
    A quick look at the Irish Medicines Board's website shows a number of licensed manufacturers for the drug branded Lustral and only one for the drug branded Serlan.

    These products, Serlan and Lustral, while ostensibly the same with an identical "active ingredient", show different excipients in their film-coating formulations. If you need to you can look up "excipient" here on Wikipedia.

    The film-coatings on a medicine are, perhaps with fulfilling other needs, designed to effect the biopharmaceutics of the active ingredient(s) and deal with how the body processes medicines in a simplified 4-step activity; how they get
    • absorbed
    • distributed
    • metabolised (used, changed, stopped)
    • and then excreted.
    Differences in film-coatings, other excipients, etc. may effect how an individual reacts to a particular medicine. The Derek Mooney radio show during the summer featured a piece on extraordinary adverse reactions to a generic drug taken previously in its original form with no side-effects.
    DFB87 wrote: »
    ... I would usually discuss it with my psychologist but he's away now for three weeks so I'm kind of stuck. ...
    I think you mean psychiatrist as generally speaking only medics in Ireland write prescriptions. I also suggest you talk to your pharmacist who should be able to provide further insight.


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    #6
    SparrowTown
    Closed Accounts Posts: 202 ✭✭SparrowTown


    mathepac wrote: »
    The Derek Mooney radio show during the summer featured a piece on extraordinary adverse reactions to a generic drug taken previously in its original form with no side-effects.
    .
    Do you remember what month?

    To my knowledge you are correct in that different inactive ingredients can affect people differently.

    Also the chemist is not allowed substitute a generic without checking with the doctor. If prescribed the generic they can give the branded one but if prescribed the branded one they have to check with doctor before giving generic. That might change or have changed already as there is talk of being allowed dispense generic. not medical advice


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    #7
    mathepac
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 4,991 ✭✭✭mathepac


    SparrowTown wrote: »
    Do you remember what month? ...
    unfortunately not; sorry.


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    #8
    SparrowTown
    Closed Accounts Posts: 202 ✭✭SparrowTown


    mathepac wrote: »
    unfortunately not; sorry.
    ok think it was July 8 but won't play for me...smil file


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    #9
    sam34
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,073 ✭✭✭sam34


    OP, speak to your doctor or pharmacist


This discussion has been closed.
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