Insomnia ongoing and I go back to work soon!

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

I had insomnia for many, many years and it has been pretty much gone for about 16 years. Now back and it seems whatever medications I take, sometimes they work and sometimes I'm still lying awake 4 hours after going to bed. The doctor gave me samples of Lunesta, again, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I had tried Ambien and it worked OK for a few hours in the middle of the night. Does anyone have experience with these meds or Ambien CR or something else?
Thanks,
Liz

 

[Dave M]

I lived with insomnia for almost fifty years and thought it was normal. A few years ago I mentioned my sleep patterns to my doc during the Q&A part of my annual physical. He suggested I try a prescription for Trazadone. He started me on two 50 mg pills a night and I have cut it back to one.

Wow! What a difference a good night's sleep makes!

Trazadone is designed to relieve depression - not something that's in my vocabulary - so I had some initial concerns about taking it. No problems at all with it. No hangover or other after affects, even on a short night's sleep.

 

[3kids4me]

My daughter has significant sleep problems which are likely related to her illness. We recently saw Dr. Ferber (the big sleep specialist) in Boston. We thought we had tried melatonin with no effect, but we hadn't been administering it to her correctly or at the correct time. He advised 6 mg (which is two of the 3 mg strength pills...it doesn't even come in a 6 mg strength) at dinnertime, since it often takes as much as three hours to kick in.

For her, it has been extremely helpful where nothing else has worked. It would have been the last step before more serious medications, and you might want to buy a bottle and just try it. It certainly can't hurt...melatonin is produced by our bodies...and it may help. Just make sure to buy the 3 mg strength (not to be confused with the 300 mcg strength which is tiny) and buy it at a pharmacy rather than at, say, WalMart. And remember, take two of them at dinner and see what happens!

Good luck!

Sharon

P.S. He also advised us to buy a light box, which you can find online. We started using that before we tried the melatonin, and I'm not sure that it really help, but you could give it a try. Supposedly, exposure to bright light of a certain wavelength in the morning can help you fall asleep earlier at night. (And this is also why people who are on the computer at night sometimes have trouble falling asleep.)

P.P.S. Hey Dave...are you feeling extra happy now?

 

[SallyMagoo]

I have serious problems with insomnia and sleep as I was diagnosed last fall with sleep apnea. The cpap has mainly served to make my insomnia worse -it's a long story, but my equipment was malfunctioning at first and was very noisy, so sensitized me to using it. I've had insomnia way before the apnea diagnosis. I don't believe apnea is the whole story.

I have to use Lunesta every night; however, I am not pleased with the side effects. Even on Lunesta, I get a maximum of 5-5 1/2 hours sleep. I get a very tight feeling in my chest the next evening. I am now using 1/2 tablet of the Lunesta 3 mg when I can get away with it, and that lessens the side effects. But last night I had to take the whole tablet when I wasn't asleep by 2 a.m. I have found that taking two 500 mg. tablets of calcium with the Lunesta seems to help. Last night I had forgotten to take my calcium.

I want to talk to the doc about other meds and Trazodone sounds good. My sleep doctor dismissed the side effects of Lunesta, saying it wasn't a published side effect. I have also tried Sonata; it got me to sleep fast, but didn't keep me asleep for a long time.

I've gone all through sleep clinic behavior suggestions; i.e., keeping a sleep diary, sleep hygiene, etc, and it does help a little. Going to bed later and only using bed for sleep are good habits to develp; i.e., for an insomniac it's not good to try to go to bed too early. One of my sleep docs was a huge believer in using meditation and relaxation techniques. I bought a program designed to teach meditation (Healing Rhythms) but so far I haven't found it a big help. I need to use it more. Massage may also help some people; I tried it once; the effects aren't long lasting. The sleep doc also suggested hypnotherapy which I haven't tried, and acupuncture.

I think some of my other meds (i.e., blood pressure meds) might be interfering; I am planning to go to an endrocronologist to check out my thryoid blood levels (I have hypothyroidism) and am hoping he can analyze my meds. Other medications taken may have the side effect of insomnia.

Another aspect I may explore in the future is chronic fatigue syndrome. My mother had the related diagnosis of fibromyalgia. There are chronic fatigue syndrome clinics.

Oh, and also I tried a homeopathic remedy which was a sleep aid; I thought it helped me sleep, but I had the scary symptoms of hand and foot tingling from it and even foot pain, so I won't use it again.

Also, I have drastically cut my alcohol intake. I find that alcohol makes my insomnia worse -- especially wine. There is something in wine that bothers me more than beer. I can only tolerate about 1 glass of wine now, and I may get by without it affecting my sleep too much. Many days I'm having no alcohol. Too bad, because wine is my favorite drink.

Hope these thoughts help.

Sally

 

[ricoba]

Trazadone does the trick for me. I fall asleep and stay asleep.

Before I went on it I would wake up regularly after a couple of hours asleep and I couldn't get back to sleep. Thankfully, that is no longer a problem.

 

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

I just started trazadone, as I had been taking various anti-depressants for years to help with fibromyalgia. The first night I slept well, but had also been able to both walk and swim that day. The next night, same old lying awake, so I'll see if it helps. I have melatonin so I will try doubling the dosage and taking it earlier.
Thanks everyone. When I start teaching again I really need to be asleep by 10 or 10:30. I used to have this kind of insomnia (along with chronic fatigue) and I don't know how I did it, teaching, single mom and getting a master's. I remember very little of my son's childhood as a result of the memory problems associated with CFS. I guess I just did it because I had to.
Liz

 

[Courts]

Maybe my symptoms are not as big a problem, but I have sleep apnia and use a Bi-Pap. I still need to use a nose spray to make sure the sinus is clear for breathing and for good measure eat a slice or two of cheese (calcium) before bedtime. I was surprised how good the cheese worked.

.

 

[donnaval]

Sally Magoo--My DH can't drink wine anymore, either. In his case we were able to narrow it down to the added sulfites in the wine. This was quite a blow to him--no wine, and he's an Italian!

Liz, I hope you find some relief. I have watched my DH suffer from chronic insomnia for many years now and can sympathize with the toll it takes.

 

[mamiecarter]

Look for a sleep specialist

If you can find a sleep specialist and your insurance will cover it you should do it. A good psychiatrist or internist might also do the job and you need a prescription.

Flexaril is an old drug that originated as a muscle relaxer. Cheap, safe,not addictive, ussually prescribed for back pain I find it helpful for insomnia and sore muscles too. It is often used to help people with chronic fatigue syndrome sleep.

 

[ricoba]

Flexaril is an old drug that originated as a muscle relaxer. Cheap, safe,not addictive, ussually prescribed for back pain I find it helpful for insomnia and sore muscles too. It is often used to help people with chronic fatigue syndrome sleep.

I know for myself, when I have taken Flexaril, for muscle spasms in my back, I am very groggy a long time after I wake up. I don't know if it affects everyone that way, but it sure does me. But it does relieve the pain and put me to sleep.

 

[caribbean]

I have a minor problem with sleep, so may not relate. But I would at least try the Melatonin. I use a 5 mg tablet, take it about 30 minutes before bedtime, and then try to snuggle down in the bed and get very relaxed. Cut off all of the lights in the room, TV on low. It has worked very well for me and no groggy effects at all in the morning. Other prescritions I tried in the past all left me groggy. And it is natural, a cheap alternative, and non-addictive.

 

[grest]

Liz, I've got the same problem...and I have to be back to school on the 13th...it's been great not worrying about sleep all summer. Certainly 4 (or less) hours of sleep for 3 or 4 nights in a row is a killer! I hate to take any sleep aid on a sustained basis, but when it's really bad, I turn to Ambien, though I hate feeling logy in the morning, which sometimes happens.
Someone said something about wine...I've found that to be a no-no for me too...keeps me awake, darn it all.
connie

 

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

Well, I don't know how predictive this is, as I was well beyond exhausted yesterday, but I took 6 mg. of melatonin (mine are only 1 mg) and the trazadone along with temezapan, which I've taken for years, and I slept very well, but actually slept most of the day and am still exhausted. (yesterday, I worked in my room for about 7 hours and put off lunch for way too many hours). I think I have flexeril and will give it a try if the melatonin and trazadone aren't enough on their own. I can tell when I am well, because I go to sleep about 10 and wake up at 6 cheerful and ready to go. (The kids come on the 16th and I start back officially on the 13th).
Thanks,
Liz