Guys, looking for comments on the many many drugs & supplemental herbs commonly used for insomnia /relaxation that act are GABA-ergic or GABA agonists (incl honokiol), given that GABA stimulation promotes PCa invasive ability per many references. Also seeing many articles strongly linking sleep aids to cancer in general including PCa. Are all of these unsafe for us?
Jeff
Don't know specifically about sleep aids promoting PC. Recently read a review of sleep aids specifically about older adults. The GABA receptor agonists, including all benzos are discouraged for older adults. The only ones generally thought to be safe are suvorexant (Belsomra), Eszopiclone (Lunesta), and doxepin (no more than 6 mg). Also ramelteon.
empr.com/solving-an-age-old...
I have no first-hand experience with any of these. I'm currently weaning myself from lorazepam, which isn't easy. Try not to start with these benzos.
Thanks. There are a whole bunch of articles like this, ugh: center4research.org/trouble...
Here is something on suvorexant:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Ouch. I think I’m addicted to lunests and bayer PM. Gotta go to sleep aid detox. I saw nothing in these articles about melatonin? Any bad connections with that sleep aid and increased risk of death ?
Schwah
No, not that I could find
Haven't heard anything specifically about this. Back in my pharma class (this is about 45 years ago, so there's got to be fresher info) we were told that antihistamines like diphenhydramine caused a rather "unpleasant" sleep. I do know one person who developed pretty serious liver damage from Tylenol PM--there the problem is acetaminophen, so that doesn't apply to Anacin PM.
Re: melatonin--my now-retired former internist told me that melatonin works, but that he avoided it because the actual dose you got with OTC products was pretty variable.
In the article I linked to, rameltion is listed as a "melatonin receptor agonist", so its effect should be similar to melatonin.
I have read that melatonin exasperates arthritis; for me it does in my right hand, also it always woke me up in 4 hours; 400mg, sometimes 600mg magnesium citrate plus 1Gm taurine helps me get to sleep and stay asleep for about 7 hours or so (73yo male)
Thanks I will try that...
Be careful with retrospective studies. This may have only shown that people who have trouble sleeping are more likely to develop cancer. It's not like they took people with sleep issues and randomly assigned them to either get a sleeping aid or just suffer with insomnia.
That said, I have been on clonazepam for about a decade and I have cancer. I take as little as possible but it's invaluable for helping with stress. It's been great for "quality of life" with or without the cancer. My dose hasn't changed in all that time and I can go weeks without taking any.
Yikes--the half-live of suvorexant!
Hi spaceman210: I have had good luck with cheese. In olden days ate a slice of processed american cheese. But when I checked calories, I switched to thin sliced swiss cheese. Seems to work, and only 60 cal/slice. The trick, as noted when I searched: "The key is tryptophan, an amino acid that can be found in cheese. Tryptophan helps the human body produce serotonin, which helps regulate mood and can assist in making us fall asleep." gnite.
Hi Herb, thank you - I am non-dairy user but am aware of tryptophan
Jeff
Mentioning dairy may get you beat with a stick. I still have a chunk of cheese and crackers sometimes when I wake during the night. Shared with a cat who has developed a craving for cheese. A habit formed during chemo when I was desperate to put on weight. Now, with cancer drugs, and quitting smoking, and not working anymore I weigh 25 to 30 pounds over what I used to. Really disturbed me, until I sat down and looked around the room and realized that now I looked like everyone else. Maybe cheese did help with sleep? Melatonin worked for a day or two. Gabapentin worked for a couple of days. Seems like sleep aid effects can wear off rapidly. Will try a melatonin tonight.
Insomnia seems to be common among those of us taking Xtandi or Zytiga. I use a combination of melatonin and medical marijuana. I can get to sleep and sleep fairly well allowing for waking up to pee. If MMJ is legal where you are, go to a dispensary and see if they can offer you something that will help you calm down and go to sleep. Melatonin is available OTC and is quite inexpensive. Patrick has made several posts about it. See if you can find those posts for detailed information. Good luck and God speed.
Thank you, melatonin does little for me and am familiar
Fred Flintstone: Gabba Gabba Doo
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n Monday 01/28/2019 7:59 PM EST
CBD oil 100 mg takes away my anxiety and relaxes me.
Finally retired so clonazapam again usable. + 20 mg melatonin . good for solid 4-5 hrs.
I am trying trazodone
Trazodone and I don't get along at all. Small dose 50mg gives me complete brain fog. Prescribed dose 100mg-which was small and I sleep through night and wake up late morning in a lake for a bed and really can't think at all and have no balance. . It's no friend of mine. Sister in law half my size uses 400mg a night. go figger?
yes
yes
yeah, I get about 5 hrs sleep and then often hurt so bad I'll take 10mg cyclobenzaprine and a couple of ibuprofen to get another 4 or so. Previous spinal injury with muscle pain radiating through back and ribs. Sleep doesn't come easily.
Seriously considering that now that I am retired....
Worked in 1972 when first crushed my chest and back. Let me move again and feel movement. Other drugs just deadened everything.
Melatonin is a better choice than GABA - GABA is excellent stuff for many conditions but unfortunately a study in Japan concluded that GABA enables the spread of prostate cancer whereas melatonin stops the spread of cancer, prostate cancer included if I remember rightly
