Insomnia

[FrancescaO]

My dad is 93..Terminal Prostate Cancer with Bone Mets. He has been on pain management only..Morphine, Steroids and Norco when needed. He has been doing extremely well. He had a couple of other setbacks not cancer related that required a couple of hospitalizations but is home now. For the past couple of weeks he is waking up almost every hour. He almost seems like he is walking in his sleep because he doesn't remember waking up or he says things that don’t make sense. He is mobile but needs assistance walking so this has become a safety concern. We have a monitor in his room but our concern is that he doesn’t sleep well at night and doesn’t nap during the day. We have tried Melatonin but that has not worked. He has a doctor appointment in 2 days, but just wanted to know of any suggestions before we go in.

Thank You!

[NPfisherman]

If he is not eating, you could try the antidepressant Remeron, also known as Mirtazapine--shown to help with sleep, appetite, and depression. You could also try Restoril--also known as Temazepam--just for sleep--start at 7.5 mg....if not working--can take 2....Hope he can get some rest.....

Fish

[FrancescaO in reply to NPfisherman]

His appetite is great...just not able to sleep. Thank you for responding!

[MontyB in reply to FrancescaO]

I have bone Mets also, am on morphine, and for some reason a few weeks ago I went from sleeping very good to not being able to sleep at all. It was absolutely miserable. I was dreading nightime/bedtime.

I was prescribed 15 mg Remeron and given 5 mg melatonin (at a MD Anderson visit) and this combo worked for me. I've dropped the melatonin to 3mg and still sleep very good.

Also my cortisol level was found to be very, very low and hydrocortisone was prescribed for me to help with that at the same time.

Take Care,

Monty

[FrancescaO in reply to MontyB]

Thank you for the reply. Doctor prescribed Restoril and 2 two days in seems to be helping!

[MontyB in reply to FrancescaO]

That is great news... that the Restroril is helping him! I found it to be beyond "miserable" to not be able to sleep. It was really dragging me down... I was fatigued all day and then I couldn't sleep which seemed to make me more fatigued each day. In addition to the stress on me, it was stressing my caregiver and I hated to be doing that.

I did try some varieties of cannabis before I was able to get the Remeron, but have found the Remeron and melatonin to be more effective. With the cannabis I would get 4 or 5 hours of sleep and with the Remeron/Melatonin I get 9+ hours.

Again...this is great news that you have found something that is working for your dad! Very happy for you and him.

Take Care,

Monty

[Tall_Allen]

You might want to visit with a geriatric physician. Sleeping pills may give him a restful night's sleep but doses have to be adjusted for the elderly.

[FrancescaO in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thank you!

[LearnAll]

.He needs anti anxiety and antidepressant medicines. If you can not prolong his life much atleast let him have anxietyfree good nights sleep.

Letting him suffer with anxiety, fear and poor sleep is not fair to him...tell his doctor.

[FrancescaO in reply to LearnAll]

My dad was on Ativan and it was helping ...but stopped working for him. He doesn’t suffer from anxiety, just lack of sleep.

[LearnAll in reply to FrancescaO]

Ativan stops working because brain gets tolerant to it after prolonged use. The simple solution is to increase the dose and it will work again. its a very safe medicine and has no effect on heart or kidneys.

[HOPEFULSPOUSE]

Are you in a state where medical marijuana is available? Works like a charm for pain and sleep.

[FrancescaO in reply to HOPEFULSPOUSE]

We are actually looking into that! In what form do you find most effective? Thanks!

[HOPEFULSPOUSE]

Indica works for my husband for both pain and sleep. He has a medical marijuana license in NY but at that dispensary they don't tell you what type you're getting. A friend's son makes weed butter for him out of the indica strain and that helps him sleep - uninterrupted. He takes a full spectrum CBD oil during the day so he can stay awake. If you live in a state with less marijuana laws you can get a topical cream which works wonders for pain - and without the "high". In NY you can only get the oil, capsule or vape form.

[FrancescaO]

I definitely agree with you that the drugs are the cause. I’m very interested in Medical Marijuana now doing research on what I need to do. We live in California.

[FrancescaO]

Thank you!!!

[Hidden]

My mother in law under similar circumstances was given Ambien to take. She had both 5 mg and 10 mg. Usually 5 mg did the trick. I’ll pray a Prayer for him.

GD

[FrancescaO in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for the prayers.