Your take on Sleep Medications

[Enchanter]

Some people need to take sleep medicine for sleep. I usually do sleep. But I don't know if I have insomnia or if my clock is just off. I cannot just lie in bed and fall asleep. I fall asleep once I'm really exhausted and can't stay awake anymore. Then I just fall asleep cuz I really feel I need it. My body tells me to go to sleep. I cannot just go to sleep at will, much in the same way I cannot take a nap at will.

One of my friends dad said that I have no problem, I just need to adjust my clock. But here is the problem. Many times I try to go to sleep at a more appropriate hour. But it just doesn't work. The best I can hope for is something such as sleeping around 3 and waking up around 8. Now when I say sleep, I'm not talking about thinking I'm awake but being technically asleep according to the ''tests.'' So I feel that this isn't something I can just decide to do. I have already tried many times. It's pretty much out of my control. I can settle for less sleep and wake myself up, that's hard but not impossible for me. But I cannot just decided to fall asleep at an appropriate hour.

Now as far as sleep meds, here is what I'm gonna say. First of all, I've tried over the counter sleep products and I've tried benadryl, camomile, etc.. The thing about these products is that they sorta work, but only for less than a week. After that they have no effect on me, my body adjusts to the normal dosage. Another thing to is that waking up feeling sedated only worsens my problem, because I'm trying to wake up feeling better. I'm already waking up feeling bad as it is and these sedation products only make things exponentially worse.

I used to take Seroquel. I took that for several of years, back in the day. That medicine knocked me out within 15 minutes. And it caused me to sleep way too much, 10-12 hours or more. On top of that, I was sleepy for most of the day. But with all the side effects it gave me and the little to no benefit, I had to buckle down and get off of the drug. I worked with a Detox program, and it took me 6 months to go from a low dose to none. Even after getting off the drug, it took me about a year to really adjust without the drug. That's why I always tell all of you, I cannot ever go back on a drug again. They have made me suicidal and the other side effect is that coming off these drugs is even harder than staying on them. I cannot ever go back on them again. I'm still much better off right now than I was several of years ago, as crazy as that seems.

So that's my issue. I do have insomnia problems. But taking something that makes me get knocked out only sedates me worse the next day, and that defeats the whole purpose. So it's a tricky scenario. A lot of you don't know all the pain I have endured and the hurdles I've had to overcome. I'm just a guy that wants nothing more than to function more normal. I won't ever give up.

[Julie]

You know, if you DO have OSA, and you take meds, you won't know if the meds (i.e. Seroquel) made you sleepy during the day or the OSA did... though I guess if you honestly weren't sleepy beforehand and not after getting off them, you might just have had the experience of a drug that made you sleepy, but that doesn't rule out your having OSA either before or after either, just that the Seroquel made you extra sleepy. I'm not sure I made any useful point there but will leave it for you to ponder. That's the problem with meds... especially if you're on them a long time - you lose track of what's normal, what was normal previously and whether where you are now is normal or not, and/or what else might be going on now (that wasn't pre-meds) that your post med, but also a few yrs older - age does make a difference, as do who knows what else might be going on medically. Never mind!

[zoocrewphoto]

Some people need to take sleep medicine for sleep. I usually do sleep. But I don't know if I have insomnia or if my clock is just off. I cannot just lie in bed and fall asleep. I fall asleep once I'm really exhausted and can't stay awake anymore. Then I just fall asleep cuz I really feel I need it. My body tells me to go to sleep. I cannot just go to sleep at will, much in the same way I cannot take a nap at will.

One of my friends dad said that I have no problem, I just need to adjust my clock. But here is the problem. Many times I try to go to sleep at a more appropriate hour. But it just doesn't work. The best I can hope for is something such as sleeping around 3 and waking up around 8. Now when I say sleep, I'm not talking about thinking I'm awake but being technically asleep according to the ''tests.'' So I feel that this isn't something I can just decide to do. I have already tried many times. It's pretty much out of my control. I can settle for less sleep and wake myself up, that's hard but not impossible for me. But I cannot just decided to fall asleep at an appropriate hour.

If you wait until 3 or 4am, do you fall asleep fairly easily and sleep well? If so, that says like delayed sleep phase syndrome. I have this and typically go to bed between 4 and 6am. When I feel ready, I go to bed. Before cpap, I would fall asleep in about 20-30 minutes. With cpap, I am usually out in 5-10 minutes.

If I try to sleep at normal times, like midnight, without being sick or extremely exhausted, I just lay there, toss and turn, get upset, etc. For HOURS. Some people would call this insomnia, but if I go to bed at MY time, then I am fine. So, I just call it DSPS or extreme night owl. I found that it works for me to sleep at MY time most of the time and only alter my sleep schedule when I need to for hobbies that require earlier wake times. I always allow an extra day afterward to catch up sleep.

[Enchanter]

If you wait until 3 or 4am, do you fall asleep fairly easily and sleep well? If so, that says like delayed sleep phase syndrome. I have this and typically go to bed between 4 and 6am. When I feel ready, I go to bed. Before cpap, I would fall asleep in about 20-30 minutes. With cpap, I am usually out in 5-10 minutes.

If I try to sleep at normal times, like midnight, without being sick or extremely exhausted, I just lay there, toss and turn, get upset, etc. For HOURS. Some people would call this insomnia, but if I go to bed at MY time, then I am fine. So, I just call it DSPS or extreme night owl. I found that it works for me to sleep at MY time most of the time and only alter my sleep schedule when I need to for hobbies that require earlier wake times. I always allow an extra day afterward to catch up sleep.

Interesting Zoocrewphoto. Then it sounds like I may have delayed sleep phase syndrome. But the thing is, I don't know what to believe anymore because the tech said I napped when I remember being awake moment by moment. So nowdays, everything is so confusing. But it seems like I have what you have. I can get tired at a certain time, but I won't actually sleep until much later. I have to sleep on my own time, unfortunately. As far as sleeping between 3 and 4 am, that's actually more like a best case scenario. If I fall asleep at midnight ( I have rarely) I wake up in 3 hours and think it's 8 and look at my clock and am like wtf? I thought 8 hours would have passed. But normally, I am like you and sleep between 4-6 am.

[Enchanter]

You know, if you DO have OSA, and you take meds, you won't know if the meds (i.e. Seroquel) made you sleepy during the day or the OSA did... though I guess if you honestly weren't sleepy beforehand and not after getting off them, you might just have had the experience of a drug that made you sleepy, but that doesn't rule out your having OSA either before or after either, just that the Seroquel made you extra sleepy. I'm not sure I made any useful point there but will leave it for you to ponder. That's the problem with meds... especially if you're on them a long time - you lose track of what's normal, what was normal previously and whether where you are now is normal or not, and/or what else might be going on now (that wasn't pre-meds) that your post med, but also a few yrs older - age does make a difference, as do who knows what else might be going on medically. Never mind!

I know exactly what you're talking about. So I don't know everything. I could have had OSA then, but never really considered it. I remember the exact day when things started to happen to me physically. But maybe they were already starting to unfold before that, and it ended up catching up to me. So I don't know.

[Malibu]

You still haven't mentioned your age.....and I assume male...

[tedburnsIII]

Does OP nap at all during the day?

[Tatooed Lady]

I don't know.

That's the most intelligent thing I've seen this one post. unfortunately, that doesn't stop him from trying to ferret out "the truth" that he wants...and from all the wacky posts, it looks like it has to be;
He has some horrid disease, the sleep techs are conspiring against him, we know more than we admit, and there is a magical fairy fart type cure for his issues, once someone recognizes whatever they are, that require no discomfort on his part, and will justify every bad feeling he has ever had, plus polish his belly button lint.

[49er]

You know, if you DO have OSA, and you take meds, you won't know if the meds (i.e. Seroquel) made you sleepy during the day or the OSA did... though I guess if you honestly weren't sleepy beforehand and not after getting off them, you might just have had the experience of a drug that made you sleepy, but that doesn't rule out your having OSA either before or after either, just that the Seroquel made you extra sleepy. I'm not sure I made any useful point there but will leave it for you to ponder. That's the problem with meds... especially if you're on them a long time - you lose track of what's normal, what was normal previously and whether where you are now is normal or not, and/or what else might be going on now (that wasn't pre-meds) that your post med, but also a few yrs older - age does make a difference, as do who knows what else might be going on medically. Never mind!

Julie,

Not to hijack this thread but as one who took psych meds long term, your points make perfect sense. You are right on track in saying you lose track of what is normal. That is exactly what my experience was.

Back to regularly scheduled programming.