Sleeping Pills

I've been a CPAP user for 2 days and have had 2 fairly good nights considering getting used to the mask and air pressure.

I have a prescription for sleeping pills (non-addictive) 5 mg. but I only take half a pill a night.

Is this ok? I've heard it is ok and I've heard it's not ok.

My problem is I have trouble falling to sleep, sometimes takes me 2 hours without the meds.

Thanks!

If your doctor felt it was OK...believe him.

If my pills were asleep, I probably wake them up tell them to get back in the medicine cabinet.

I do my best to avoid prescription drugs and OTC medications.

I do use supplements. A good Calcium and Magnesium supplement may help you to relax and fall asleep. Many folks are deficient in Magnesium anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to take some extra at bed time.
You could eat a pound of spinach or nuts to get your magnesium at bed time, but I find supplement a little easier to swallow.

I do take a Magnesium Supplement. Does nothing for relaxing but does help my heart.

If you have no other reasons not to take a sleeping pill & you need it, I see no reason not to. Depending on the drug, they can be addictive, so that is something to consider.

If you drive for a living & hold a CDL, do not take them. Many Drs. don't know that sleeping pills are disqualifying drugs, so they wrongly prescribe them. Don't get caught in that trap.

Jen

bwexler wrote: A good Calcium and Magnesium a combo supplement may help you to relax and fall asleep. Many folks are deficient in Magnesium anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to take some extra at bed time.

I agree with this but for the same price you can get Magnesium/Potassium combo supplements which enhance each others absorption into the body, plus they help prevent cramps in the body extremities (I like NOW supplements). On the various holistic sites, magnesium is often referred to as 'magic magnesium'... it's really good stuff at the right dosage. I also add SeriPhos (google it) which will add phosphorus to your system... this can help calm the adrenal glands, meaning less jitters at night and fewer trips to the bathroom. Magnesium is also good for the nervous system in general and helps calm one down for a good night's sleep. Too much magnesium however can give you diarrhea, so keep an eye out for that and duly adjust your dosage. Lots of people on CPAPtalk tend to use D3 supplements which are cheap and easily available. I've tried them and haven't noticed a big improvement but I still try to keep my dosage over the fifty percent blood serum level (according to blood tests). It's supposed to help the immunological and neurological systems.

I'm fairly certain I know which pill you are talking about, and I would be quite unconcerned at the dosage you are taking. The rule for that pill is 10 consecutive days, then you have to take a break, any more than that and you can run into trouble with it, the big ones being tolerance and with that comes rebound, and that can really bite people in the butt if they decide to flaunt that rule. The time limit for that class of drugs exists for a good reason, it's not arbitrary as some people seem to think, it's grounded in good science. As long as you follow that rule and don't use a higher dose than is recommended, there is nothing to worry about, enjoy the relief it provides.