Melatonin question??

[grumpygirl]

Hello All-- I have been having trouble for quite some time with staying asleep at night and waking early. I have tried Melatonin many years ago but it left me feeling groggy the next day. I don't remember how much I took but I have purchased a bottle of 1 mg. tablets. I wonder if it would be okay to cut them in half for a while until I see how I respond to it. I always have difficulty with sedatives on any kind- excessive daytime sleepiness etc. But now I am suffering from excessive daytime sleepiness because my sleep is so poor. Any thoughts on this.

I am currently using my APAP in CPAP mode with a pressure of 11 with the EPR at 1. I have issues with GERD and aerophagia so the EPR seems to be helping that. I was titrated almost 3 yrs. ago at 12 cm but that is just WAY too much pressure for my poor hiatal hernia etc. I tried straight 10cm for a while but also had "gas" issues so I am now trying the EPR to see if it continues to help. At my original titration I was taking Prozac and Xanax so I think my pressure needed to be higher due to those influences.

ANy help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks-GG

[Hospiceangel]

I know this is probably not what you wanted to hear but are you working with a doc? Could your daytime sleepiness have some other cause like Narcolepsy? What's your leak rate and is your mask fitting well? I think there may be some other things you need to think about as well, IMHO. I'm sure some other posters will be along to offer help.
Shar:)

[Julie]

Take a look at my post to "At Home Methods" note...

[rubymom]

I don't use Melatonin personally but have given it to my kids to help them fall asleep. My understanding is that melatonin really doesn't help you stay asleep, just to fall asleep.

[LSAT]

I've been taking 3mg Melatonin for 2 years without a problem. As rubymom indicated...it helps me fall asleep, but doesn't help keeping me asleep. I still wake up after about 5-6 hours and eventually fall back asleep.

[grumpygirl]

Thanks to you all for your responses!! I have an excellent leak rate of usually somewhere around .12 or lower sometimes. I tape my mouth so I am not mouth breathing although before cpap I was a horrible mouth breather(all my life). My stats are very good with a AHI of around 1.3 with an AI often of 0.0. So, I think much of my problem is related to menopause and stress( I am now taking care of my 2 grandsons most days) but nonetheless I still need to sleep. I hate antidepressants because I often cannot sleep when taking them. I used Xanax for many years and found that I slept pretty consistantly through the night but had some daytime grogginess. I only used a 1/2 a .25 pill about 6:00 every evening and by 10 pm I usually fell asleep quite easily and stayed asleep most of the night. However I cannot get any docs to prescribe Xanax for me any more- I guess they are more strict about it now.

So you see, I think there is no easy answer to my problem. I may try the melatonin tonight but hesitate to because I do NOT want to feel too sleepy when taking care of the kids.

Thanks for any other suggestions- GG

[Spark11]

I have the same sleeping problem and chose not to take the Ambien prescribed by my doctor. I read a lot about Melatonin through an internet search and found out that most dosages are way too much. I started on 300 Mcg (micrograms not milligrams) which worked well at helping me fall asleep, waking 4 or 5 hours later when I take another 300 Mcg. I wake up just fine and have no daytime grogginess. I am a small woman, so if larger or a male you might try 600 Mcg (the bottle recommends 300 -600 Mcg).

[M.D.Hosehead]

GG, have you explained to the Docs what a miniscule dose it takes to help you, and that you did not need to increase the dose over X number of years? It seems like there would be some doc who would prescribe 15 pills a month--a doc who believes that sometimes patients do know what they need.

[grumpygirl]

Well, you would think that might be the case, however, I have yet to find any doc who will prescribe Xanax for me. I think it must be that they think I am going to get addicted to it or that I should use an antidepressant(which they often say) instead. Antidepressants don't solve my problem of sleep deprivation-they often make it worse. They make my apneas worse and give me less sleep than if I hadn't even taken them.
My GI doc who I recently saw for routine colonoscopy and endo used to give me a prescrip for Xanax to help with my mild IBS symptoms that creep up several times a year-usually when I am OVER tired and stressed-but this time he wanted me to come for another office visit to see the PA to discuss using Xanax. Sounds like a way to get more $$$$ from a patient who is unemployed and financially stressed already!!! I said I'd call back when I could afford to pay for another office visit. BTW, my health insurance premium went up another $200 this month. WHEN is it all going to end?? Thanks for all the help guys, let me know if any of you can come up with some other suggestions-GG

[grumpygirl]

Spark11- Where do you purchase your Melatonin in mcgs?? I cannot find any sold in mcgs!! Thanks- GG

[Spark11]

Hi,
I bought my first bottle at Ralph's (Southern California) with the brand name of Sundown Naturals. The second bottle I found at CVS (their own brand). It's hard to find, but worth it. You may want to Google where you might find it online if you can't find it in your area.

[echo]

Try taking the melatonin 12 hours before your wake-up time, rather than just before bed.

[grumpygirl]

Echo- What's the deal with taking the melatonin 12 hrs. before wake up time?? How does that work?? Never heard of that since all the bottles say take it 30 min. before bedtime. Have you tried taking it 12 hrs. before wake up time, how did that work for you?? Sounds interesting- Thanks-GG

[echo]

Hi gg, it works very well for me. I read about the 12 hour offset in relation to advancing or delaying the sleep phase (as in DSPS or ASPS). I could conjecture why this makes sense (eg our melatonin concentrations start rising at dusk/evening rather than right before bed) but don't know the exact mechanism or reasoning. However I don't know if any amount of melatonin will help you if the problem is staying asleep rather than getting to sleep. Melatonin is not a sleep medication, rather a hormone that controls the circadian rhythm. I take a 3mg pill.

I wish i could help further... one thing I think I remember reading is that the PurSleep scents might help one stay asleep. Other than that, I don't have any more ideas! 'Tis a bugger of a problem! Can you figure out what's waking you up? I wonder if you wouldn't do better on APAP?

[grumpygirl]

Thanks echo- I have tried APAP but I seem to wake up even more during the night. I guess the mild pressure changes are just enough to wake me up. What's a gal to do????? GG