Sleeping pills

[StacyHayward]

My neuro prescribed a sleeping pill today to see if it will help me get better rest. Anyone else take one? I'm a bit nervous.

[cheshcat]

My neuro gave me Trazodone. It works well and really no side effects to speak of. What did they give you?

[erash]

StacyHayward

I currently take Lunesta --works fairly well. Still don't get 8hrs. Awaken too early.

I'm familiar with most other sleepers from both personal and professional experience. What concerns do u have?

[StacyHayward in reply to erash]

I just don't want to be over sleepy. I'm a pretty small person so getting the right dose may be tricky.

[erash in reply to StacyHayward]

StacyHayward I weigh less than 100 pounds. Everybody response to medications differently. None seem to keep me asleep very long. If you want you can let me know even via private message which drug it is I can at least tell you the duration that it is expected to work for , but everybody will respond differently so you never know until you try it

[StacyHayward in reply to erash]

You are tinier than me, but not by much! I'm five feet tall and 110 lbs. I was prescribed restoril or temazepam. I'll try it tomorrow night.

[erash in reply to StacyHayward]

StacyHayward im 5-1 if I stand up very tall 😉

Restoril worked ok for me for a few weeks at 30mg (7.5 and 15mg didn't work for me)

Its a drug that's been around for awhile and does have a long half-life (8+ hrs.) meaning you might have morning grogginess.

Much will depend on other meds u take too.

Try early enough in eve (expect to feel sleepy within 20min) or on a night that you don't have to be fully functional the next morning until u know how it affects u.

U develop tolerance to most of these meds within 2 weeks.

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador]

Hi StacyHayward l hope it works for you. I take enough anxiety meds at night that l don't need meds ugh. 😑

Jes🌠

[WAshingtongirl]

I have a prescription for Ambien, and take it on those nights I can't sleep. Thankfully, that isn't too often. I don't suffer from chronic insomnia as many here do. But I have no problems/side effects from the Ambien.

[Hidden in reply to WAshingtongirl]

As a caregiver, I thought I hadn't been sleeping well at night. I have sleep apnea and wear a CPAP machine religiously. Sleep doc prescribed Ambien for me, too. After a few days, I thought I was sleeping better... but I was really feeling crappy during the day. Then, and only then, did I look up the side effects of the medication. Check! Check! Check! Even the rare ones, like rapid heart beat, etc. Twenty-four hours after discontinuing Ambien I felt great... and, I guess, I am getting the good night's sleep that I need to be a good caregiver to my warrior. Sometimes, in the afternoon, when she might take a nap, I do, too. I know I'm not supposed to, but at 75, I guess I can if I want to!!!

[WAshingtongirl in reply to Hidden]

Hidden , I haven't experienced the side effects that you did with the Ambien. It's good you were able to determine it was the cause of your daytime problems.

Yes, you need to care for yourself so you can care for your lovely wife. What a blessing you and all of our caretakers here are. 💕

[ugotme2babe in reply to Hidden]

I had Ambien after a stetiod treatment..never again! Nasty stuff there.

[Pbailz]

Obviously there are a bunch of u on sleeping pills and I definitely am not professing to be an expert, but are you on provigil for circadian rhythm regulation? Idk? It's what is helped me thus far which prevents me from needing a sleeping pill

[StacyHayward in reply to Pbailz]

I tried provigil but it made me nauseous. I take amantadine to help with fatigue instead.

I can fall asleep just fine but toss all night so I'm never very rested.

[Pbailz in reply to StacyHayward]

I understand that... I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place at times ..... there are times when I will kick at night and my muscles will randomly move me and my husband even knows when I will wake up the next morning tired even if I think ive slept well, but I'll feel it later in the day. medication is sometimes stronger on me than other ppl so I have to be very careful and watch any of my reactions to them....idk??? At Least for now I don't have to cross this bridge since I just started LTD, I can deal with it & tired days every once in awhile

[CalfeeChick CommunityAmbassador]

I have taken lorazepam for sleep for about 30 yrs. yes, very addicting, but I don't abuse. As a suggestion, there are OTC sleep aids Names- Melatonin and Midnight. When I have a really rough night I will take a lose dose melatonin in addition to the lorazepam. Dr doesn't have a problem with this. I won't say weight, but I am 5'5" and have a very drug resistant body. I can take a 10mg Vicodin and function just fine. I have lived with very agressive erosive osteoarthritis for over 30 yrs, and pain in my spine.

[greaterexp]

I hope it works for you and that you let us know about it. We are all so different and respond differently to meds, but it's always good to hear about others' experiences.

[CherieMSCN]

StacyHayward , I have had chronic insomnia for more than 5 years and have tried a number of things to help that. Meditation, mindfulness work nicely most nights to get me calm and settled and asleep. My real problem is staying asleep. Over the years I have been on Ambien (HIGHLY addictive) and Halcion (much better for me as an as needed help to fall asleep). Both of these pills are pretty much out of your system within 8 hours. Also what works well for me is taking a small dose of Ativan (Lorazepam) just before bedtime. It kicks in after I am asleep and keeps me asleep for several hours. It, too, can be very addictive over time.

Melatonin has never worked for me nor has Valerian (both herbal preparations). Lunesta and Trazodone both had a lot of side effects and sleep quality was poor. I say this not to promote one medication over another, but so that you understand that you may have to find what works best for you.

Also if you are taking Provigil or Amantadine for fatigue, they can have an impact on sleep quality so you might want to take them only on days where you need to be really alert and see if sleep is not better on the nights when you don't take it.

[CalfeeChick CommunityAmbassador in reply to CherieMSCN]

I don't know much about all the other sleep that you took, the doctor tried me on Ambien to see if I could get off the lorazepam, and I had nightmares and was sleepwalking with the Ambien all the classic side effects on the warning label. So we decided just stay with the lorazepam. I take it about 30 minutes before I want to go to sleep and I get right to sleep and stay asleep. Quality sleep is so important to our well-being, handling our daily pressures and stresses.

[CherieMSCN in reply to CalfeeChick]

Ambien, over time, caused next day amnesia. I just could not remember what I had fixed for dinner or done for the evening. Halcion does not seem to do that to me but I am taking it maybe once a month.

[RobertCalifornia]

I don't have trouble falling asleep, but I would wake up one hour later and be awake for three or four hours. My neurologist prescribed Clonazepam. I take 1/2 mg 20 minutes before going to bed. I sleep about 6 hrs and wake up to go to the bathroom. I have no trouble going back to sleep. I do sleep 8-9 hours a night. Slow to wake up, but after my stretching exercises I am pretty alert. No ill side affects during the day. I am retired on disability so sleeping extra does not affect work.