Guest guest Posted November 1, 2000 Report Share Posted November 1, 2000 Thanks Cindi and to all - Here's what I found out so far. Please someone who does doxepin elixer let me know if I have the approx dose right (2 - 3 drops?) Doxepin is the generic name for Sinequan. Sinequan has some kind of Quinine properties and bc of that an EKG is recommended. Ok, now. Cheney seems to prescribe like 2 -3 three drops of doxepin elixir. My med shrink never heard of this but pharmacist says he can get it. 10 ml per ml. Usually one drop = 20 ml. If my math (god help me) is right then 2 drops of doxepin elixir = 1 mg. (Steve, I am getting better at this?!) The going theraputic dose for Doxepin/Sinequan is 125 - 150 mg. Woaw. So, he is prescribing a really small amount (gee, like alot of things we seem to be able to tolerate/need very little) Since doxepin is indicated in urticaria per the PDR (the grown up name for hives). I am thinking maybe I can improve sleep and also s top taking the zrytec/zantac combo I have to take now or else get really bad hives. I read on another list - old transcript of Cheney's that he said it is one of the strongest antihistamines known. Ok, wait. I'll find the quote. Here- from Nutritionadvisor.com A Transcript of Cheney from Feb 5 - 7 1999. " Doxepin elixir. An antidepressant with POTENT anti-histaminic properties. I suspect that this is the most powerful antihistamine known to man and it gets into the central nervous system. We use very small amounts of this. I think it's adjusting the histamine receptors, which are the grand maestro of the central nervous system, and downregulates it, which is beneficial. Small doses at night. " The weight gain? Shoot. That is one of the " side effects " of Neurontin too. I'll just have to see how bad it gets. Such a trade off. I got all this info from all over the place today - the pharmacist, the PDR in the bookstore, the nurse at my docs. Please someone let me know as soon as possible if I am wrong about how much Cheney's usual prescription is of doxepin elixir since I am flying blind here just asking the med shrink to fill it the way I ask. Thanks and I'll let you all know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2000 Report Share Posted November 1, 2000 Hi , I'm a new Cheney patient. He put me on 2 drops of Doxepin elixir (Sinequan trade name) about a month ago along with Klonopin, Magnesium shots and Neurontin (which we have since dropped). Anyway, you are right about the dosages Dr. Cheney recommends to start with - 2 - 3 drops - of the Doxepin Elixir (10mg / ml). He says this can be increased to 1/2 to 1 cc (5mg - 10 mg) as needed to keep you asleep all night. However, I am having problems adjusting the dosages of all the drugs. He says if you're too " hung-over " you are taking too much, but he also says that you must take enough to make you sleep all night without waking up (which I do). I personally haven't been able to find the right combination to keep me asleep all night without significant hang-over the next day. My heart rate has increased significantly when I increase the Doxepin dosages to the 4 mg and above levels, also. I don't mean to discourage anyone. Lots of people seem to be able to get these drugs to work. I'm still working with Dr. Cheney to try to get the right combination for me. Anyway, you are right about the Elixir being 10 mg/ml. There are about 20 drops per ml (or cc - the same thing). So 2 drops is about 1 mg. His recommended maximum dose (at least for me, was 1cc = 10 mg) > Doxepin is the generic name for Sinequan. Sinequan has some kind of Quinine > properties and bc of that an EKG is recommended. > > Ok, now. Cheney seems to prescribe like 2 -3 three drops of doxepin elixir. > My med shrink never heard of this but pharmacist says he can get it. 10 ml > per ml. Usually one drop = 20 ml. If my math (god help me) is right then 2 > drops of doxepin elixir = 1 mg. (Steve, I am getting better at this?!) > > The going theraputic dose for Doxepin/Sinequan is 125 - 150 mg. Woaw. So, > he is prescribing a really small amount (gee, like alot of things we seem to > be able to tolerate/need very little) > > Since doxepin is indicated in urticaria per the PDR (the grown up name for > hives). I am thinking maybe I can improve sleep and also s top taking the > zrytec/zantac combo I have to take now or else get really bad hives. I read > on another list - old transcript of Cheney's that he said it is one of the > strongest antihistamines known. Ok, wait. I'll find the quote. Here- from > Nutritionadvisor.com A Transcript of Cheney from Feb 5 - 7 1999. > > " Doxepin elixir. An antidepressant with POTENT anti-histaminic properties. I > suspect that this is the most powerful antihistamine known to man and it > gets into the central nervous system. We use very small amounts of this. I > think it's adjusting the histamine receptors, which are the grand maestro of > the central nervous system, and downregulates it, which is beneficial. Small > doses at night. " > > The weight gain? Shoot. That is one of the " side effects " of Neurontin > too. I'll just have to see how bad it gets. Such a trade off. > > I got all this info from all over the place today - the pharmacist, the PDR > in the bookstore, the nurse at my docs. > > Please someone let me know as soon as possible if I am wrong about how much > Cheney's usual prescription is of doxepin elixir since I am flying blind > here just asking the med shrink to fill it the way I ask. Thanks and I'll > let you all know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2000 Report Share Posted November 1, 2000 > Hi , > > I'm a new Cheney patient. He put me on 2 drops of Doxepin elixir > (Sinequan trade name) about a month ago along with Klonopin, > Magnesium shots and Neurontin (which we have since dropped). > Anyway, you are right about the dosages Dr. Cheney recommends to > start with - 2 - 3 drops - of the Doxepin Elixir (10mg / ml). He > says this can be increased to 1/2 to 1 cc (5mg - 10 mg) as needed to > keep you asleep all night. > > However, I am having problems adjusting the dosages of all the > drugs. He says if you're too " hung-over " you are taking too much, > but he also says that you must take enough to make you sleep all > night without waking up (which I do). I personally haven't been > able to find the right combination to keep me asleep all night > without significant hang-over the next day. My heart rate has > increased significantly when I increase the Doxepin dosages to the 4 > mg and above levels, also. I don't mean to discourage anyone. > Lots of people seem to be able to get these drugs to work Klonopin w/ doxepin for me was great for sleep. I took 25mg. doxepin in capsule form with 1mg. K. But, as Steve mentioned, due to slight genetic differences in us, what works for one may not work for another. It doesn't mean you don't have CFS/FM, it is just a 'gene thing'. There was a real good article in U.S. News and World Report a few weeks ago that explained the genetic reason why some meds work for some and not for others. It was a very technical article, and even tho I'm not cognitivel impaired, I can't explain it. It is a difference in gene (or chromosome?) arrangement. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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