TheCrimeOfLyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4019
posted
I've had insomnia all summer. I can't take it anymore. Im not falling asleep until 3-4 am, sometimes 5, and having to wake right back up at 7 or 8 every day.
I'm not taking anything that can cause insomnia as I have checked everything out, but this insomnia is to the point Im snapping at everyone including my boss because Im just that tired.
If you use something- does it give you side effects? I dont mind if it makes me groggy in the morning as I already am not sleeping.
To top it off I have sleep apnea.
Any suggestions?
Crime
-------------------- You want your life back? Take it. Posts: 3169 | From Greensburg, Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun 2003
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Andie333
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7370
posted
I use three things:
1 mg melatonin (that's the weakest you can find) and an essential oil called peace and calming. I find that by rubbing it on my pulse points it really relaxes me.
Finally, I drink a cup of Tea for Sleep (it's an herbal tea; I can't remember the name of the manufacturer. The tea contains valerian.
Hope this helps and I hope you get some sleep soon!
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Have you tried Tylenol PM? I take two every night and aside from getting up to go the bathroom, I sleep right through till 8am. Try it. tic
-------------------- Adversity is the diamond dust heaven polishes it's jewels with. � Robert Leighton
Daily world-wide prayers welcome for the Lyme Community - every day at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time and 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time � all faiths welcome! Posts: 309 | From S.E. Mass | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
I can relate to the agony of insomnia. I have had relentless insomnia for a couple of years now.
I take melatonin (comes in dosages from .5mg to 20mg, so you can figure out easily with some trial and error what the right dose is for you). I also take 2 different herbal supplements called CalmEz (by Allergy Research Group) and Sedalin (by Xymogen), and then finally Ambien by prescription which is guaranteed to knock you out. Maybe try out an gentle herbal sleep supplement at a low dose and see how it works before ramping up to anything else.
Good luck and sleep well!
Posts: 393 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Jun 2005
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treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
posted
Benadryl cheaper than Nyquil both work for me also magnesium works i sleep pretty good now though.
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
posted
Mangosteen and melatonin. Not even sure I still need the melatonin....just have taken it for years now.
I found great help with the gluten free diet. Sleep got even deeper!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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groovy2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6304
posted
Hi All
I have been taking Seroquel-- its a perscription med--
Its some kind of brain med-- not sure what it is used for--
It Knocks me out--6 hours But I get Dinged out real bad for at least a day or 2--
It dose work tho--Jay--
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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TheCrimeOfLyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4019
posted
Thank you all for your suggestions. I will be trying all or some of them. I havent tried Tylenol PM, but I will at this point, Nyquil has a really bad ( and strange) reaction in me, so I can't try that.
I have tried benadryl- it doesnt make me sleep. So im probably going to be doing herbals or rx to get through this.
I used to sleep 16 hours a day. Now I cant sleep at all.
-------------------- You want your life back? Take it. Posts: 3169 | From Greensburg, Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
I have good success with mg and salt. I take about a tablespoon of real salt in water a day and it really helps w- sleep and cardiac issues.
Posts: 184 | From CT | Registered: Aug 2006
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5dana8
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7935
posted
benadrly, melatonin, klonopin(1 mg but klonopin is very addictive in long term use)
make sure to talk over everything first with your LLMD
-------------------- 5dana8 Posts: 4432 | From some where over the rainbow | Registered: Sep 2005
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SForsgren
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7686
posted
I would be interested in hearing people trying this:
100mg P5P increasing by one capsule daily until you start to have very vivid dreams
I heard on a conference DVD that this can be very effective for sleep.
-------------------- Be well, Scott Posts: 4617 | From San Jose, CA | Registered: Jul 2005
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I have the same problem, i can`t sleep until 6 A.M. someitmes because of the leg pain and other pains
Posts: 641 | From Wroclaw, Poland | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
I tried a lot of sleep meds that didn't help much. I would also add Flexeril to them which helped some.
Then my doctor put me on Xyrem which literally knocks you out for 4 hours. (Its the date rape drug.) You take a second dose for the second 4 hours of sleep.
The only thing I didn't like was the fact that you couldn't wake up if you needed to. If my husband was out-of-town and my teens were out late, I just didn't like that combination.
Then 3 months ago I started taking Xango (Mangosteen juice). One night I decided to not use the Xyrem as both my teens were out and I slept like a baby without it. I was so surprised!
I had been on the Xango for maybe a month or more. So I don't use any sleep meds now and have no trouble whatsoever falling asleep. I just can't believe it.
lymednva
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9098
posted
Over the years I tried everything from herbals to Tylenol PM (active ingredient is Benadryl) to Ambien, to adding Xanax after the Ambien wore off, to Xyrem.
None of it was working for me. I also cannot use Nyquil because the decongestant in it makes me wired.
After I got a few other symptoms under control, like my severe orthostatic intolerance and pain we got to work on the sleep problems. I now use a combo of gabapentin, cyclobenzaprine, clonazepam, and trazodone. It works and has for the past four + years.
I've tired changing and reducing dosages, but they don't work. After I came off the Xyrem, which didn't help me the way it does some, my doc tried me on lower doses of some and more of others, but I ended up back where I started.
Since it works, I don't plan to change until I am noticing significant improvement in my other health. I've only been treating for Lyme four months.
-------------------- Lymednva Posts: 2407 | From over the river and through the woods | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
I was on ambien for years and it just kinda stopped working. I tried sonata, nothing happened.
So, i had been taking lunesta for around a year, but, i had to take melatonin with it to fall asleep. However, when i woke up, i never felt like i got "good" sleep.
So, i just started using xyrem. I feel so rested in the mornings. I havent felt like this since i was a kid. I forgot what it was like to wake up and actually feel like i slept!
I dont like the fact that i wake up after 3-4 hours and have to take another dose. But, i guess thats not such a big deal.
I feel that its so important to get good sleep so your body can heal itself.
I had a cold for two weeks and 2 days after starting the xyrem, my cold went away. My immune system kicked in.
Hopefully, i wont have to take xyrem for too long. They say its not physcially addictive, but, i still worry.
Hope everyone gets a good nights sleep!
Jordan
Posts: 593 | From Miami, Florida | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
You might want to consider rotating sleep aids. I find that if use the same sleep remedy too many times in a row, then it loses its effectiveness, or I wak eup groggy.
So I rotate between 3 sleep aids: night 1: Melatonin night 2: Excedrin PM night3: Sominex.
If I wake up in the middle of the night usually around 2 or 3 am), I usually take some Mg, asprin or a dramamine.
Don't forget daily exercise!!!
Hope this helps, Ernie
Posts: 546 | From Cascadia subduction zone | Registered: Mar 2002
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treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
posted
Melatonin and we lymies usually dont produce enough of this Jodie
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
lymemomtooo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5396
posted
Crime, good luck..My daughter now uses Melatonin.
Also why not give that mask a try? I rarely use mine anymore but once I got used to it, I slept much better..
Posts: 2360 | From SE PA | Registered: Mar 2004
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TheCrimeOfLyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4019
posted
Wow, thanks for all of the suggestions.
I'm actually scared to take sleep aids for the insomnia because I have sleep apnea. I dno't want something that crashes me so bad that I end up dying in the mid of the night during an apnea.
I have tried that sleep apnea machine, but the mask is too big. I have to go back to my doc this week and talk to him about both of these- I definately need a new mask and I definately just need to sleep!
It seems everytime I DO fall asleep, Im jerked awake by sleep apnea- and the nights I have insomnia and can't sleep, Im begging to fall asleep and just settle for sleep apnea!
Ugh!
Alot mentioned melatonin. I am interested in trying this. Is that the stuff that can cause depression at too high a dose or is used for it? I will google it too.
-------------------- You want your life back? Take it. Posts: 3169 | From Greensburg, Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun 2003
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minoucat
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5175
posted
Crime, me too. I feel like I've tried everything OTC (that's not too spendy). Benedryl helps but I don't like the grogginess afterwards. I love temazepam, I sleep wonderfully and dream on it, but my doc hates prescribing it (additiction, upset of sleep patterns)
I'm considering Serenite. Here are 2 links to OTC natural sleep aid reviews that might help:
Just a couple of things -- for the jerking awake jsut as you go to sleep, B12 helped a lot. Also adrenal support.
Also -- well, I just worry. I've been doing well, but now both the insomnia and headache are back and I'm concerned I might be dealing with a bug comeback. Anyways, just make sure this isn't part of a constellation of sx that you're looking at singly when you need to be considering them as a whole (headaches, insomnia, irritability, etc.)
Best of luck.
-------------------- ********************* RECIDITE, PLEBES! Gero rem imperialem! (Stand aside plebians! I am on imperial business.)
treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
posted
Start at lowest dose 1mg and work up?check with sleep Dr.
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
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