[alpass]

Dex Crash

by alpass on Mon Jan 28, 2013 9:37 am

i take .5 ativan to sleep,no problem.
3 days later i start to crash and get very tired.
has anyone come up with something to help with this?
Al

[terryl1]

Re: Dex Crash

by terryl1 on Mon Jan 28, 2013 2:50 pm

Hi, low dose alprazolam (Xanax) worked wonders for me with regards to dex. It also pretty much eliminated my anxiety in general and gives one no "high. I would highly recommend you talk to your doctor about it and give it a whirl.

[tpt]

Re: Dex Crash

by tpt on Mon Jan 28, 2013 6:40 pm

Yes, dex does make you crash. My dad has subq Velcade every tue and 25mg dex every tue and wed. He crashes every sat. He describes it similar to waking up in the morning after taking nyquil. Ater 8 cycles or so, the crash rarely occurs.

[Eric Hofacket]

Re: Dex Crash

by Eric Hofacket on Mon Jan 28, 2013 11:32 pm

When I started on Dex I would not sleep for two days after Mondays when I took 40mg then I would crash hard on Wednesday. In time I was able to eventually get a few hours sleep on Mondays and Tuesdays. During this time I was prescribed pills to help mitigate the effects of the Dex but many of those pills also had their own particular side effects. I found was worked best for me was to not fight the effects of Dex with more pills, which was a lost cause, and just live with the effects and not try to force myself into a normal day night sleep pattern. I slept when I could and felt tired when I couldn’t I found things to keep busy. At this time I was working part time or not all and just worked around my new normal sleep patterns when I could.

[LibbyC]

Re: Dex Crash

by LibbyC on Wed Jan 30, 2013 7:05 am

Hi Al,
When I used to take 40mg Dex once a week (as opposed to 40 mg 4 X Week - alternate weeks) I found it helpful to get up at 3 in the morning, have a hot milk drink take my dex and then go back to bed. I found this made me wake up absolutely starving but it helped with the next nights sleep. The other thing I tried to do was to cut down on the amount of carbohydrates (rice, pasta, bread, potatoes etc.) in the evening of my dex day as I found I "buzzed" and found it harder to get to sleep.

Hope you find something to help with your dex days.
Libby

[alpass]

Re: Dex Crash

by alpass on Wed Jan 30, 2013 1:47 pm

it`s not the sleeping the first couple of days i have a problem with.i take 1 mg. ativan and sleep through.
it`s the 4th day until i take the the dex again.the crash to me is nasty.no strength.
i heard adderall helps on those days.
anyone taking anything that helps
thanks
Al

[Dan D]

Re: Dex Crash

by Dan D on Fri Feb 01, 2013 3:03 pm

I think I know what Alpass is referring to - but correct me if I am wrong Alpass -- as I posted about the same thing: namely about three days after taking a 40 mg dose, feeling slightly dizzy, foggy, and wiped out. This feeling takes me about two days to resolve. So coupled with the hyper-state when one first takes dex, it means that 5 out of 7 days, one is not "normal." Yeah I know a cancer patient is not "normal" in the first place - but as I otherwise have no symptoms, I don't like feeling like a zombie.

As for countering this effect, if I lower the dose to 20-24 mg, the crash is much less severe, kicking in a day earlier and lasting only one day. But that may be not be a alternative for many patients -- although I think it should be, as I have seen NO definitive studies suggesting that 20 mg would not be just as effective as 40 mg. To the contrary, we do know that too much dex increases death in combination with Revlimid. So this is a nasty drug that should be viewed cautiously - despite the somewhat breezy way it is dispensed and prescribed.

As for adderal, I did, in fact, take a small amount (~5 mg) on the fourth day after a 40 mg dose, and it definitely helped in terms of maintaining my mental acumen and keeping me alert; I had a huge presentation. But.... it still leaves you with that druggy feeling . . .

What I have not tried yet - but I think it might help -- is intense xercising and drinking lots of water - to flush out any toxic metabolites more quickly.

But it would be nice to know if there is anything else that can counter the "crash."

[Trhose]

Re: Dex Crash

by Trhose on Mon Feb 25, 2013 1:03 pm

Today was my first day taking dex. I was actually looking forward to having all of the energy they told me I would have, even though I knew there would be a crash. However, 4 hours later and I am still very sleepy. Has anyone else experienced this? Should I wait a little while for a burst of energy? I wasn't sure what to expect anyway but from what they told me, my dex days should be one of my best days.

[terryl1]

Re: Dex Crash

by terryl1 on Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:06 pm

It hits people differently. For some, it seems to be a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation. However, I think most of us deal with it ok and we are able to work, function, etc. For me, the intravenous dex. caused problems sleeping. Alprazolam (xanax) worked in that regard. The oral dex didn't seem to have an effect on me. All in all, it was tolerable.