HELP! My DH isn't sleeping well at all. He's tried Natrol 10mg Melatonin and it wasn't that great. I then got Natrol Melatonin Advance Sleep 10mg Melatonin (it's a 2 layer time release to help fall asleep quickly, then the inner layer helps you sleep through the night), sounded good, but it was worse than the plain 10mg Melatonin!
I just bought Spring Valley Sleep Aid Formula and wanted to get everyone's opinion on the ingredients, before I let him try it! It contains 10mg Melatonin, 25mg Magnesium, 100mg L-theanine, 75mg Valerian root, 75mg Chamomile extract, 50mg Gaba, 50mg Passion Flower extract, 50mg Lemon Balm, and 50mg Hops extract. Seems to have a lot of "natural" sleep type aids, but I'm not sure if any of them are harmful, if he needs to take this 3-4 times a week. He can't keep going on 4-5 hours of sleep several times a week! He's still working full time and has to travel for his job! He's doing so well with his quarterly PSA's staying at <0.01 & Testosterone staying at <1.0 every since his Orchiectomy on 1/11/19! But I'm worried about him not getting the sleep he needs to fight this beast (he used to never have a problem sleeping before ADT and then the surgery), so his body is used to having a full nights sleep! Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Written by
sjc2
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I consulted with a doctor about THC for insomnia. He recommended to start with 3 mg of THC oil , 1 to 1 with CBD oil (to prolong the THC action) at bedtime. The dose could be increased to 6 mg if necessary. I have not tried it yet. People in this forum have recommended THC oil to help with sleeping problems, but I do not have personal experience.
Like Tango, if it is legal in your state, 1:1 CBD:THC is a miracle worker. I don't know how I would cope without it. Reduces pain, relaxes you, definitely helps with sleep.
Are you in a place where you can get medical cannabis? There are some good cannabis options for sleep and pain. It works well, I can speak from experience.
THC does work my Doctor got me registered with the state here in NJ where it is legal and distribution is done in medical facilities and regulated. I'm not a big fan of it but it does work so I use on the occasion of a bad nights sleep. Leo
I presume that the problem is related to anxiety and depression. It's a real problem because it's very difficult to put worries out of mind. Here are some possible suggestions. Maybe one or more of them will help. I doubt if any of them will cure the problem, but even if they only help by a limited amount, they can still do a lot of good.
Suggestions:
Counseling. Sometimes a counselor can help a person to understand that he is really stronger than he thinks he is, and that he can find things to enjoy in life and find ways to deal with problems that seem overwhelming. It's not always easy to find a good counselor, but there are some. Friends may know some, or your local doctor or hospital may have good suggestions.
Support groups. It may help a person to realize that he's not alone in facing problems like this. Talking to others can help in much the same way, perhaps, as counseling. There are online support groups like this one and, if you live in a populous area, in person groups. You may be able to find in person groups by going to the Malecare and similar websites, or by searching Google. Local hospitals may also run support groups for cancer patients. I'm not sure they have to be specific to prostate cancer.
Work. I found that I was so distracted by dealing with cancer that I couldn't concentrate on my job. However if I forced myself to concentrate and do a good job that both took my mind off my own problems and increased my self-confidence.
Interests/hobbies. There's a lot to live for and a lot of things that are fun. Your husband may find some fun and get some release from his pressure and anxiety in things he's always liked.
Exercise! That helps the mind as well as the body and can help him feel sleepy too.
Human contact. Most of us can benefit a lot from human contact. Unfortunately, our depression and anxiety usually leads us in the opposite direction. We withdraw from others. Helping family, friends, and strangers too can do a lot to help a person shift his focus from his own worries to helping others - and to increasing his own self-confidence and self-esteem as well, and to just help him to enjoy life.
Meditation. This works for some people. It takes time to develop the techniques so, if he wants to try it, he shouldn't give up if the first one or few sessions don't seem to help. There are resources on the Internet that may help with this.
Medication. Sleeping pills may be good but also meds for anxiety or depression might work.
What helps can vary a lot from person to person. Maybe two or three or all of the above can help, but if even just one helps it can be a start to better sleep and less anxiety and depression.
I believe that all of us have been through what your husband is going through. I suspect that, for most of us, we never "solve" the problem. What we do is pull ourselves together one day at a time, sometimes even one hour at a time. That's okay. That's life. We live one day at a time and we work at making each day as happy and meaningful as we can. There's still a lot to live for an a lot to enjoy.
I had a bad reaction to Ambien. My MO prescribed some Lorazepam that I’ve been using for about a year and a half. It’s not perfect but it helps a lot. I use 1 to 1.5 MG per night along with some melatonin.
You are very lucky to get that prescription. I took lorazepam for years for occasional insomnia. My new primary care physician refuses to prescribe it. It requires him to sign off on DEA paperwork for a controlled substance and he is afraid of losing his license. It is crazy. He prescribed trazodone instead. I don't like it -- gives me dry mouth and too much could cause priapism, with dire results. I take a 10mg Indica (cannabis) gummy and divide it down to 2.5 mg doses. That seems to do the trick. I'm happy to have a medical marijuana card that allows me to partake.
Thanks for all the info, very kind of you to take the time to post such a detailed answer! But believe it or not, he's not dealing with anxiety and depression (we both were at the beginning)! We've been fighting this beast for 5 years now and we have come to terms with it and are doing everything to fight it! We live life to the fullest with friends, family and each other, we have a very happy, strong marriage, always have... we are blessed to be best friends, as well as partners in marriage! We are both very positive about our future and believe in the healing hands of God and prayer. That said, we are also realistic about his cancer, but we choose to stay positive and we get such great help and info from everyone on this site!!
It sounds like you are both doing all the right things. That's excellent.
If anxiety and depression about cancer aren't the problem, it may be valuable to find out what it really is that's keeping him awake. Ask him what he thinks about at night when he's trying to fall asleep and can't. When he wakes up at night, he's going from a sleepy condition to a sleepless condition. Ask him what comes into his mind and makes him jittery or restless at that time. If he can tell you something, think about it and come up with ideas for him that help, if you can. Maybe you can reassure him about something or show him that whatever is bothering him is something that the two of you can discuss and work through together.
One of the hallmarks of anxiety is that we don't always understand the cause. We get upset but don't know why. Understanding it can make it easier to overcome.
If this doesn't work, consider seeing a professional. Maybe a counselor or psychologist can figure out what's eating your husband and give advice on what to do.
I was under the impression that this is a common side effect of ADT (same as if you have surgery), due to the depletion of hormones. The sleep problem started with that, not 5 years ago when he started this battle. That's why I'm looking for something natural to help with this side effect.
I’ve been on adt for 11months and I’m asleep all the time. exhausted , weak and nearly always sleepy. Adt doesn’t keep me awake. Pain will tho.
If you haven’t already checked, maybe have a sleep apnea test done. Besides all the great info already here, knowing if he has apnea is important as well. If he needs a cpap, it can make dramatic improvements in the quality of his life by using one. He can add a light O2 enrichment while sleeping for a small bit of benefit too.
sjc2, you are absolutely correct...he needs good sleep to be able to effectively fight.
Back in April this year I suddenly went from sleeping like a baby to not being able to sleep at all. It wasn't gradual...I could sleep 8 or 9 hours one day to not being able to sleep period the next day.
My entire life...I've always been able to sleep so this was something new for me. I was diagnosed with my cancer in January 2016 and had not had any problems with sleep until last April. I have no idea what changed to cause my insomnia.
I found it (not being able to sleep) to be beyond miserable. It was quickly dragging me down. I already had the fatigue so many of us experience from the cancer and the cancer fighting meds we take, but until the insomnia hit, I was able to get good sleep every night which helped in the fight. After my insomnia hit, I was in a fog every day with each day foggier than the day before due to not sleeping.
I had not been depressed before, but I began to dread/hate night time as I knew I would not sleep and knew tomorrow would be worse than today.
Not only was my insomnia dragging me down, it was stressing my caregiver, the best caregiver to be found. She is my wife, is a RN, and is an angel. She would try to stay awake with me, but she couldn't.
She had me try melatonin and benadryl. I don't remember the dosage she had me taking but I started at a low dose and stepped it up to an amount she thought would unquestionably help me sleep. I would dose with the large amount of melatonin and three hours later she would check on me and she would find me wide awake in bed. After a couple days I gave up on melatonin and benadryl.
I live in Florida and have a medical cannabis card, so I decided to try some medical cannabis products to help me sleep. The first product I tried was named "Sleep". The Wellness Advisor at the dispensary described their product "Sleep" as a THC-focused formula in an 8:1 THC-to-CBD ratio supported by key terpenes, designed to help you sleep soundly. He told me this product worked for everybody to help them sleep.
I took several doses of it...overdosed with it...4x recommended dose...and still I was not able to sleep at all.
I then tried "9 pound hammer" and Rick Simpson Oil (RSO). I overdosed with both of these and finally I was able to get 3 to 5 hours of fitful sleep.
In April I had appointments with my MO at MD Anderson. During this visit I was able to meet with a doctor on my Supportive Care team there. Supportive Care doctors there focus on helping patients with physical symptoms and psychological distress which could be caused by their cancer and/or the treatments patients receive. They focus on improving the quality of life for patients and their families.
The Supportive Care doctor prescribed Melatonin 5mg and Remerone (Mirtazapine) 15 mg. It worked quickly. I was immediately able to sleep 8 or 9 hours at night...good sleep.
He also prescribed Ritalin (methyphenidate) 2.5 mg morning and afternoon for my fatigue and fog. It also worked quickly. I still have fatigue, but it's not nearly as bad as it was before the Ritalin.
I hope you find something that works for your DH and soon to help him get a full nights sleep.
The 5mg Melatonin and 15mg Remeron worked immediately for me after a lot of stuff did not work, but we all are different so these may or may not help him.
If you don't have any luck with the natural supplements and are interested in pursuing serious drugs I have a suggestion. I too am still working full time and had serious insomnia issues. About 6 years ago I saw leading sleep specialist. I went through a battery of tests, including an overnight "sleep study." No sleep apnea. After trying Ambien and Lunesta we tried something fairly new: a designer (top tier) drug called Belsomra. No luck.
Finally, temazepam, a generic Schedule 1 (controlled) drug works for me. On it 4 years now. I am blessed with a fairly good night's sleep. It is a real knock-out pill. I too don't like taking meds but the difference in my quality of life with this drug is amazing.
28 years ago, an old doctor friend of mine suggested that I take Temazepam (which worked great for years) for my insomnia. I was finally able to kick the habit two years ago by shifting mind gears...trying not to allow tomorrow's problems spoil the peace of today. It did take some time and now I am drug free. I would buy 90, 30 mg capsules from Costco for less than $30 and remove the larger half of the capsule and take only about 1/3 of the powder every night. I normally got about six to seven hours of sound sleep without any hangover in the morning. I read many articles about how bad it is to take a prescription sleeping pill for extended periods; however, after 26 years I wasn't aware any side effects. The 'good doctor' always maintained that sleep deprivation was far more harmful than taking a little Temazepam. I would not hesitate to resume taking this med if my insomnia returned.
Thank you for your detailed reply!! As usual, this site has wonderful, caring people on it!
I'm so happy you found something to help you sleep! We are both on the same page about taking drugs (that's a major reason he wanted to have the Orchiectomy, instead of continued ADT shots). I just looked at Remeron and it seemed a little more than we'd be comfortable with him taking. Since your problem was nightly, I can see the benefits. But DH's is usually just 2 maybe up to 4 times a week and not every week... and he does sleep, just not the 8-9 hours we'd like him to. Most of the time he's fine, but I'm concerned about the nightly sleep I know he needs to fight this beast! We might have to give your routine a try, but it's a little soon to start on an actual medication I think.
Can't do CBD oil in our state. May I ask which brand of melatonin finally worked for you (I know everyone is different, but worth a try). He tried 3 different formulas, but they were by Natrol, because it was rated very high on reviews and articles. I didn't know that all melatonin wasn't the same, I just thought the differences were the dosage (he's tried 5mg, 10mg and double coated time release 10mg). Thanks!!
We live in Alabama and CBD is legal so I’m pretty sure it’s legal where you are. I got some CBD OIL for my husband. He said it’s the best night sleep he’s had in years.
Please make him to soak his feet in luke warm water with little sea salt added to it for 10 mins. Then Flush the water away. Apply a natural oil to the foot sole and a little to the forehead.
Put on some meditative sleep music or some sleep talkdown meditations ( search on youtube- the ones he seems to resonate with- do a little prior homework during the day).
If possible give him some bit of turmeric milk a few minutes before he wants to sleep.
The Sleep Valley Sleep Aid has a number of "natural" ingredients that do help. Apart from melatonin they are: valerian, passionflower and hops. Chamomile tea is good before bed. Lemon balm and theanine are also OK. I don't know what Gaba is. I take melatonin nightly and most times that's enough. When not sleeping I take valerian (2g equivalent) and a tablet containing lavender, hops, passionflower, oats. Blackmores Valerian Forte and Tranquil Night. Australian firm. Probably not sold in US. Those are the types of things to look for. In my opinion, order of priority is melatonin then valerian then passion flower, hops etc. The problem with the pharma sleep aids is dependence. There are non addictive drugs that induce sleepiness very effectively but they cannot be prescribed for that purpose. My doc reasoned that since I was depressed and anxious it wasn't a huge leap to a touch of bipolar, allowing the use of quetapine. Very effective but not "natural" in any sense.
I'd always been able to fall asleep immediately and sleep the whole night with no problem. After the PCa diagnosis, it got so I'd wake up at 2-3am with I'm-gonna-die thoughts, EEDD (Extreme Existential Dread and Doom), the very worst kind of fear and hopelessness, and be unable to get back to sleep. My regular doctor prescribed mirtazapine (Remeron) - a tetracyclic antidepressant, but also a sleep aid because of its strong antihistamine effect. It worked instantly. I found the usual 15mg made me kind of loopy (not that anybody noticed any difference) so I settled on half a tab - 7.5mg. It's been working for almost 10 years now. No hangover, though I've read there can be withdrawal symptoms. I don't notice any antidepressant effect, but then I take buproprion for that - doesn't sound like your guy needs that at all since it has amphetamine-like action (frankly I don't notice that either, been taking it so long, but it saved my life). I still get The Dread sometimes, but I can always get back to sleep because of mirtazapine. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirta...
Ambien made me walk in my sleep - my wife caught me once getting into the car, naked with the car keys (she hid the keys after that but couldn't get me to wear pajamas or even boxers - luckily we lived in the country so there was nobody to see me walking around in the middle of the night). It didn't work for more than a few months, and it can be addictive - felt like an opiate to me. I also gained weight because I raided the fridge in my sleep.
Another possibility is 5-HTP, an amino acid (tryptophan) used as a sleep aid, antidepressant (it's a step in the formation of seratonin) and appetite supressant. It made me feel very weird indeed, gave me nightmares, but then so did melatonin. But it might work for your husband - everybody is unique. You have my best wishes.
Sleep and maintaining an appropriate circadian rhythm is very important for health and cancer care, so good to work on this as much as possible. I am not a fan of using Ambien or other drugs for sleep as they do not typically provide sleep that is entirely restorative (i.e. interferes with REM). Natural products and attention to sleep hygiene are often better approaches. Happy to help with this if needed, and with dealing with the ADT side effects in general. Lets us know if we can be of assistance - DrFabio.com
Does your husband get hot flashes? They can also wake you up in the night. We keep the bedroom cool and I turn on a fan when I wake up in the wee hours. My wife is under a thick comforter, and I alternate between that and just a sheet as needed.
Hot flashes are closely related to panic attacks in that they both involve poorly timed releases of adrenaline. Anxiety meds can help with that and improve sleep, even if "anxiety" isn't a problem.
Don't get too caught up on "natural" remedies. Prescription pills are frequently based on naturally occurring chemicals, and are much better regulated. For example, valerian root works similarly to the -zepam medicines, and I can personally say 0.5 mg clonazepam works much better than 500 mg valerian extract.
I have used 10 - 20 mg melatonin and found that it can help - it is very mild. After awhile its effectiveness seems to taper off if used daily. Avoiding TV, computers and any bright light with blue wavelengths should be avoided a couple of hours before bedtime.
The most effective "natural" drug for me has been THC in oil. 1 - 3 mg. I leave the dose in my mouth for 2 - 3 minutes, occasionally swishing it around like a mouth wash. Initially, you may wake up with a dry mouth but that decreases with time.
My husband also has difficulty sleeping, but because he is on an anti seizure medication for nerve pain from his spine, we are reluctant to add anything. I haven't been sleeping well either, and I tried ativan, melatonin, and other over the counter products which I hate to use. None of them worked. Then I found something called U-Dream which works amazingly well and is all natural. I found it at my local health food store and they believe the main ingredient that is working is Lion's Mane, a mushroom that grows on hardwood trees. The ingredients are: passionflower, hesperidin, loquat, jujube, l-typtophan, Lions Mane, Fo-ti, Rehmannia, Shisabdra. Curcumin. It comes in a light formula for people who wake up in the middle of the night, and regular for those having difficulyt falling asleep.
I'm in Canada, and I believe it is made here but I think it is available in the States as well. The health food store can't keep in in stock as people are discovering it.
It is the only product that has ever worked for me.
Here is an article on Lion's Mane about its potential neurological benefits as well
Thank you so much for the info. He is going to try the Spring Valley Sleep Aid Formula I bought, next week. If it doesn't help I will look into getting him the U-Dream and see if it works for him! Thanks again for the help!!
Yeah, but it causes dry mouth for me. Hard to sleep when you have to sip water every 5 minutes.
Do you have a Costco where you live. They have a product called "Sleep Aid" that works wonders for me. I am on Lupron. It is not habit forming.
I take 1 pill 15 minutes before bedtime and then 1/4 of a melatonin tablet each time I get up to use the restroom - 3 time a night. Helps me sleep great even with HOT flashes. Good luck.
Yes we do have a Costco, but aren't members, we're members at Sams. Is it made by Costco? Could you give me the brand and full name of the product and maybe I can find it somewhere else? Thanks!!
I'm overwhelmed with all the wonderful people who have taken the time to reply to my need of help for my DH need of sleep!! Thank you to everyone for your help! A lot of great advise and products to maybe try! I'm praying the Sleep Aid I bought and was asking advice on, will be the one to finally work for him... we'll know soon! Thanks and blessings to everyone!! Keep fighting this beast!!
Benadryl has been my miracle drug. Start with 25 mg. If that doesn't work take 50 mg. Sleep like a baby.
Dear sjc2 , I can relate completely to where he’s at now . I was the same . I’ve always needed 8 hours or I don’t function well . My naturalpathic oncologist prescribed me with 20 mgs of Mel and 4.5 mg of naltrexone prior to bedtime .. some guys do 40 mgs of mel per night . I still pop up every hour and a half to pee . But I get back to sleep quickly after the unavoidable night sweat session . Lack of sleep or interrupted sleep is most common for us, and it’s detrimental to healing ..I also do high THC canabis oil .. Keep exploring until he finds what will help . Many take sleep aids or antidepressants . Any thing to get him more sleep . Best of luck in finding his fix . 🙏
They prescribed Ambien for me 2 1/2 years ago during my most recent 10 day ‘holiday’ in the hospital. Once I got home I took it for 2 more days and really didn’t like it at all . I would feel like I had a hang-over if I woke too soon. Then I was prescribed Xanax .5 to 1.0 mg at bedtime with 2 melatonin chewable gummies and that has worked quite well ever since.
I'm going to add one more CBD option to the mix for you. The CBD comes from hemp and contains no THC, so it should be legal in your state. My Dad found this to be wonderfully helpful. He uses 8-10 drops at night, about and hour to an hour and a half before bed.
I also do a lot with essential oils and find them helpful for calming the mind and relaxing. My two favorite for sleep would be Lavender and German Chamomile. My favorite company (and best pricing on the somewhat pricey Chamomile) is here:
You can diffuse the oils, or just put one drop on a kleenex and leave it in the room where he sleeps - the scent will fill the room through the night.
Hopefully, one of the recommendations in the many replies all these wonderful people have offered will work for your husband! I always feel comforted knowing there are still options to try
I have a playlist on Spotify of old soft classic rock. Very low volume. Auto set to go off in 20 to 30 minutes. Since I'm listening to the same old songs every night, I essentially bore myself to sleep.
This is brilliant, and accessible to those of us too shallow to meditate properly!
I have been pondering what songs and artists might be on that list, and how "classic".... 1960s Beatles' "Let it Be"....or "Long and Winding Road"....? 1970s Fleetwood Mac's "Sara" or Boston's "More Than a Feeling".... or Stephen Bishop's "On and On"....? 1980s Spandau Ballet's "True".... or Howard Jones' "No One is to Blame"...?
I won't be able to sleep unless you give me some hints...!
I take 10mg of Ambien before bed every other night and it works like a charm for me. Being metastatic I find that a good 7-8 hours a sleep is crucial for me. It lessens the ADT related fatigue and allows me to exercise which as we all know is critical in fighting the beast. However with that said, Ambien is very habit forming and for me at least works best when I take it every other night...Another thing to be aware of when taking Ambien is that YOU MUST go to bed a few minutes after taking it. Otherwise you may do weird things like sleepwalking etc. Has not happened to me yet but a few times that I took a dose and didn't go to sleep I felt weird
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Has anyone dealt with a broken bone from a lesion? 
Help with side effects 
Sleep issues on Taxotere?? 
Experiences with bone pain
