ROZEREM

jomac30 · Post by **jomac30** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:40 pm

I've had a prescription filled for Rozerem for about 6 months now and I'm afraid to take it. I heard it was just melatonin but I'm afraid if I take something to make me sleep, it might relax my throat so much that the cpap won't be able to open the airway and I would suffocate.
Am I just being too overly cautious or can this happen? I live alone so no one would hear me if I suffocate.

RipVW · Post by **RipVW** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:05 pm

Don't know anything about that drug, but I DO KNOW it is NOT Melatonin. Melatonin is an OTC product, Rozerem is a prescription sleep medication. Better check with your doc to see if it's safe for those with sleep apnea.

Liam1965 · Post by **Liam1965** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:13 pm

My doctor also said it was melatonin. It is (if I recall correctly) a chemical that binds to melatonin receptors.

It also doesn't work at all for me, but that's another story.

Liam, poster child for those for whom medical treatments don't work.

Liam1965 · Post by **Liam1965** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:18 pm

Rozerem's site is less than helpful, but I found this:

http://sleepdoctor.blogspot.com/2005/12 ... pdate.html

Quoted below:

I have prescribed Rozerem several times, but so far only one of the patients has come back for follow-up. She is taking it for primary insomnia, and seems to be doing well on it. She thinks it is comparable in efficacy to Ambien, which she has taken in the past.
Rozerem acts on 2 of the melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) while sparing the peripheral melatonin receptor MT3. Melatonin, which hits all 3 receptors, has the theroetical possibility of interfering with puberty/reproductive functioning because of its effect on MT3. MT1 and MT2 are located mainly in the brain, at the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
Melatonin itself is useful for shifting the biogical clock if given at the proper time. However, it is not a good drug for pure insomnia- it has only about 25 % effectiveness for primary insomnia. Why is Rozerem, a melatonin agonist, effective for insomnia while melatonin isn't?? Nobody knows for sure, but it may be because of increased bioavailabilty or because of its ratio of action at the 2 main melatonin receptors.
From what I've heard, Rozerem is a little less effective for insomnia than the benzodiazepines and the benzo agonists (Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata). But it has a good side effect profile and no risk of addiction. Psychiatrists need to be aware that Luvox (fluvoxamine) raises its levels to 50-70x's normal, and therefore Rozerem and luvox should not be prescribed together.
For more about Rozerem, see this site.

(When he quotes "this site" at the end, he's just sending you to the official site, http://www.rozerem.com)

Liam, spending more time researching treatments that never worked for him.

TerryB · Post by **TerryB** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:05 am

You are being overly cautious in my humble opinion. CPAP overcomes/prevents airway closures. After you are diagnosed, but before you get the treatment working you are properly advised not to use sleep aids as they can produce events which you are not equipped to prevent/overcome. If you are getting good treatment but it is "bugging" you, using sleep aids might be the answer. I tried Roserem but I found the commercial was pretty accurate dreams didn't feature Abe and beavers but they were pretty vivid. Now I just use Aleve and Benadryl to help me sleep.

TerryB

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