Re: Night sweats help

Originally Posted by
Needhelpguy
Hi firstly happy new year,
Happy New Year, David and
back,
Last few month I have been having night sweets, vivid dreams I understand that this is common side effects but want to ask if anyone have had similar or advice on how to stop the night sweats and sleep better ?
Night sweats are a common side-effect of serotonergic antidepressants (ADs) and sertraline is the most likely SSRI to cause them. Small 1mg doses of the blood pressure medication terazosin (Hytrin) have been shown to significantly reduce SSRI induced sweating, as has oxybutynin (Ditropan) which is prescribed for overactive bladders, and gabapentin and pregabalin both of which are prescribed for menopausal hot flashes/flushes, but your GP is probably not going to prescribe them though it wouldn't hurt to ask. However, I suggest you first discuss this with your pharmacist as there may be effective topical preparations that reduce sweating.
In additional I thought of taking herbal sleeping pill (nytol) but wasn't sure if they would interact with the sertraline.
The active ingredients seem to be hops, valerian and passion flower which are unlikely to cause significant issues though sertraline may increase the sedative effects of valerian a little. As with most sleeping aids tolerance can build fairly quickly if taken daily so only use it if you need to or consider swapping between it and Nytol Original every 3-4 days. The Original formulation contains diphenhydramine a sedating antihistamine which is often effective for mild SSRI induced insomnia. I suggest trying them on a weekend or a night when you can sleep-in the next day to test how sedating they may still be in the morning.
Ian
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The opinions expressed above are based on my observations and, where applicable, interpretation of cited data and are general in nature. Consult your physician before acting on anything stated.