kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
I wondering what you all are taking for sleeping meds. I was taking the generic form of resotril (sp?) and it made a big difference.
But, the last few months I have been waking up in the middle of the night and have not been able to get back to sleep.
So, I started taking the generic of ...not lunesta but the other advertised one.
Sorry, the name has slipped my mind.
Not only am I waking up in the middle of the night and not able to get back to sleep but I am now feeling nauseous too. Struggling more than usual too.
Could be lyme or could be the sleeping pill.
Wondering what has worked for you. I see the primary doc this week.
Insurance will only pay for the generic of restoril so what ever I get will be out of pocket.
The generic pills for ambien (the brain finally kicked in) were reasonable...$7.00 for a weeks worth.
But, not sure I want to take them tonight.
Thanks ahead of time.
[ 09. September 2007, 07:14 PM: Message edited by: kam ]
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
If you have the Ambien that is NOT the time released one, you can take half of it when you go to bed, then half of it when you wake up in the middle of the night ... that's what I've been doing.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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lymebytes
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11830
posted
Don't know if it would work for you, but worth discussing with your LLMD, Trazadone. Nothing worked for my husband until his Md prescribed Trazadone,he has never built a tolerane to it, it is non addictive and it will knock you out. Best of all it is cheap, available in a generic. Take care.
posted
Aniek-what supplements help with high cortisol levels, or where can I get more info? Thanks
Posts: 561 | From eastcoast | Registered: Aug 2006
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
Shoney - My LLMD has me taking Adreset during the day (morning and afternoon). It has lots of different ingredients.
I take Seriphos at bed time. Seriphos is Phosphorylated Serine. I believe the Seriphos is supposed to help lower the Cortisol, which is why I take it at night. My LLMD recently told me that if I wake up in the middle of the night, I should take one.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
My LLMD put me on Flexeril (I take 2 tabs.). ( I do not take "sleeping pills" per se; bad memories.) Usually works well in the beginning, but lately I have been waking up at 1:30, 3:30 and 6 am. My situation might be stress, not sure yet.
Some of my Lymie friends take Flexeril and it works great. Just make sure you are ready to go to sleep within 20-30 minutes, because it will know you out!
Happy sleeping!
-------------------- When you reach your "wits-end" remember this: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 Posts: 397 | From Loudoun County Virginia | Registered: Mar 2007
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
Thanks. I did take half of ambien generic last night and did not fall asleep but did feel drugged...walked like a drunk...but I do that with lyme at times anyway.
Took the other half and went to reccliner and turned TV on.
Think I got a little sleep now sure since I live in the moment with this.
Just know I did not wke up refreshed but that is rare since coming down with this anyway.
I thought the resortal was working better than ambien did last night.
perhpas doc could lower dosage if she doesn't want me taking 60 mg and I could take one pill at bedtime and one when I woke up in the middle of the night.
I will bring the list of the other meds suggested.
I have taken lunesta in the past and suggested taht when I called in.
Don't know why they didn't go with it. Don't know how much it would cost out of pocket.
Also don't know how long ti would last.
restoril was working for a few months at first.
I like the adrenal thing and plan on having a phone consult with lyme doc.
In the past he has not prescribed sleeping meds for me and did not want to do this.
He did prescribe isocort which I think is to help with adrenals. But, i am not taking as much as he suggested due to finances.
Prhaps I should try upping it to help.
Your posts helped this lyme brain think. Two brains are better than one.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
I don't think Flexeril should be used as a sleeping medicine. It's meant as a muscle relaxer.
I was on it for over two years for pain. I never woke up well rested the entire time I was on it. I found it very difficult to wake up during that time. I eventually had to stop it because I was pressing snooze for 2 hours in the last months taking it.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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Julz
Unregistered
posted
After trying all the sleeping pills discussed here plus trying flexeril...nothing worked...my doc suggested elavil and that has worked great ever since(over a year ago) It is (supposedly) not addictive and I can take it several hours before going to bed. SO far it is the only thing that helps me go to sleep and stay asleep all night.
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Julz
Unregistered
posted
After trying all the sleeping pills discussed here plus trying flexeril...nothing worked...my doc suggested elavil and that has worked great ever since(over a year ago) It is (supposedly) not addictive and I can take it several hours before going to bed. SO far it is the only thing that helps me go to sleep and stay asleep all night.
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
Will come back when I am processing things better and can read the posts again.
But, wanted to record that I took the generic ambien around midnight last night and was able to sleep unti sunrise in my bed.
it is a start.
Still trying to figure this out with what little brain I have to trouble shoot things.
Have primary doctor's appt Thursday. Not looking forward to it. Not much help there in the past.
Not sure how well functioning I will be.
Have two more ambien left so need to come up with something in the next two days.
Going to try ambien again tonight and take it late if I can like I did last night.
I usually am a early to be early to rise person but just getting any sleep at all is worth giving it a try if i need to stay up later.
Was up late last night because I had decided not to take any sleeping meds because of how I was feeling.
But, finally decided to give ambien a try around midnight.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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~ ~ Hope is a powerful medicine. ~ ~ Posts: 2775 | From MN | Registered: Apr 2001
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
Took the generic ambien again last night around 10 pm this time.
Tried going to bed. That didn't work. Went back to recliner and turned TV on. Fell asleep sometime.
Woke up in the middle of the night and turned tv off and went to bed.
Woke at sunrise and did not feel drugged as I did last time.
I really dislike it that my brain has such a rough time trying to sort through things and figure out what to do.
Appreciate your posts. Not even sure what next step is at this time so lame brained at this time.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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tailz
Unregistered
posted
I don't think a chemical is the answer to insomnia. I think it is an energy problem more than anything - specifically, manmade electromagnetic fields affect key neurohormones involved in the sleep cycle.
In 'Cross Currents' by Dr. Robert Becker, the author explains how manmade electromagnetic fields affect the pineal gland. Here's what he says about the pineal gland's role on pages 76-77:
"It has been only during the past decade that scientists have discovered how important this structure is.
The pineal produces a veritable pharmacopoeia of active chemical substances. Some regulate the operations of all other glands in the body (including the pituitary, the former "master gland");
others are major neurohormones (such as melatonin, serotonin, and dopamine), which regulate the level of operations of the brain itself.
The pineal is the "clock" that the mechanists postulated was the source of biological cycles. The cyclic pattern of sleep-wakefulness is dependent upon the level of melatonin secretion by the pineal.
It was first determined that a part of the output of the retina was diverted to the pineal, where it was sensed as the day-night cycle, and melatonin secretion was adjusted accordingly.
More recently, it has been shown that the pineal is also sensitive to the daily cyclic pattern in the Earth's electromagnetic field.
Melatonin secretion in human subjects may be changed at will by exposure to steady magnetic fields of the same strength as the geomagnetic field.
Apparently, nature determined that biological cycle activity was too important to be left to one environmental signal alone.
At the present time there is great interest in the psychiatric community about the probability that abnormal secretion of neurohormones by the pineal is linked to many behavorial abnormalities.
Medicine, in general, has become aware of the fact that disturbances in the biocycle pattern are of considerable clinical importance.
For example, the primary effect of a chronically abnormal biocycle is the production of chronic stress syndrome, a condition that produces a wide variety of clinical problems, including a marked decline in competency of the immune system."
I'm guessing the effects of manmade electromagnetic fields on the pineal gland could also alter thyroid and adrenal hormone levels indirectly, too.
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quote:Originally posted by lymebytes: Don't know if it would work for you, but worth discussing with your LLMD, Trazadone. Nothing worked for my husband until his Md prescribed Trazadone,he has never built a tolerane to it, it is non addictive and it will knock you out. Best of all it is cheap, available in a generic. Take care.
works for me!!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
I just started taking Seroquel; it is working well. The doctor said take 1 - 4 as needed; and two are definitely putting me to sleep. I wake up extremely alert; not at all groggy. I have tried Ristoril and Ativian, which help but not if I take them every day. I tried Trazedone which gave me awful heart palpitations. Also over the counter stuff; Benadryl, Simply Sleep, Valerian Root, Melatonin...all helped but wouldn't work for me after a while. Ambien made me feel unconscious and I hated that feeling. So far of everything I've tried I would say the Seroquel and Ristoril have definitely worked the best.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
My sleep study showed initiation and duration insomnia but no apnea. I've had sleep issues since 2nd grade or 1967.
What works for me is 300 mg. 5-HTP, 6 mg. Melatonin, and two capsules of NSI Valerian Root taken 2 hours before bed. When I'm actually in bed I take 12.5 mg of Ambien CR. Had quite a few Ambien eating episodes so now I only take it while in bed.
If I wake up in the middle of the night I take 100 mg. more of 5-HTP. I've got a very high tolerance for meds. All of this was prescribed by a doctor.
Have you had any endocrine testing done? Cut out caffeine? Quit alcohol? Sugar? Tobacco? Exercise helps me a great deal.
When my low thyroid & adrenal issues were treated my mind stop racing when given adequate amounts of Bio-HRT. (125 mcg. T3, 50 mg. Synthroid, 10 mg. hydrocortisone, 25 mg DHEA, estriol, estradiol, testosterone and progesterone days 17-27.)
I'm also on .3 mg HGH before bed for adult growth hormone deficiency. Since I've been on HGH, I am dreaming for the first time in years. I stopped growing not long after the sleep problems began. I'm only 4'10.25" so there has to be a connection; no sleep = no HGH.
A very dark room helps me. Sleep games are essential. My favorite one is running through the alphabet thinking of categories of things. Fruit or veggies seem to work. I'm out by the time I get to K or M.
Delta Sleep System CD is also very relaxing. I like Belleruth Naparstek's series of guided imagery CDs too. Her voice is hypnotizing.
Posts: 192 | From Dwight, IL USA | Registered: Mar 2007
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posted
Munch... what is 5-HTP and where do you get the .3 mg HGH? I will be having a sleep study done at the end of this month, I have had insomnia forever and right now i take Lunesta and melatonin. Thanks, Helen Posts: 145 | From Grant,MI,USA | Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
Sleep has been hard for me. Tried lunesta and it did not really work that well and it also made me feel crazy.
Tried Trazadone. This worked for a while, and then it started giving me headaches. I tried taking only 1/2 pill, but then that started giving me headaches, so I stopped it.
Tried Sustained release melatonin (1mg from Yarrow, I think) along with 1 benadryl. It worked for a little while, but now it is not.
Last night I tried Rozerem (8mg) for the first time. This, you need to watch what other prescriptions you take with it, but I did sleep. Only problem is that I didn't want to get up this AM! I feel groggy today. Then, again I am probably in a sleep deficit and could use more sleep, so I will keep taking this for now, but perhaps take it sooner in the evening. My LLMD said not to take the melatonin with the Rozerem as Rozerem works to enhance the melatonin already in your body.
I already take a bit of Zoloft at night as my LLMD thought I may be depressed, but I don't know for sure if I am depressed. Many Lymies are. Depression can make sleep bad, too.
I also make sure my room at night is very dark and I do think the electromagnet issue is real. I work on a computer all day at work. I like to "detox" the EMT's if I can when I get home. Sit on the earth, burn sage, whatever.
Robin
Posts: 276 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2006
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