Anybody else use medication to sleep?

trainhater · Post by **trainhater** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 8:26 pm

The sleep Doc changed my medication to trazodone from amitriptyline. My problem is from chronic pain. If I can fall asleep, I wake up after a couple hours and can't fall back to sleep. The amitriptyline works but I keep taking off my mask for some reason. I really do not find it uncomfortable. He suggested changing to the trazodone.

Anyone else use sleep aids?

Thanks,
Tim

Severeena · Post by **Severeena** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 8:32 pm

My doctor gave me Ambien and I cut my pills in half, even though the prescription says one tablet at bed time.

quilterB · Post by **quilterB** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 7:09 am

I also cut my ambien pills in half. Doctor gave them to me because I had a very difficult time getting used to the mask. Made the beginning of the night easier. The mask doesn't bother me so much any more so I am not using the ambien as much, but now I seem to have difficulty falling asleep. Mind races. Don't think I had this much difficulty falling asleep before CPAP.

krousseau · Post by **krousseau** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:20 am

Longstanding insomnia-rarely used sleeping pills until the sleep apnea was dx'd. After talking to the docs at the sleep clinic I decided the insomnia alone affecting my general health more as I aged and it was time to do something effective for it. So besides treating the OSA-I now treat the insomnia much more aggressively.
I use all the usual sleep hygiene & environmental measures as well as meditation at bedtime. If I'm not asleep by a set time I take an Ambien or 1/2 an Ambien. The night or two before driving more than 1 hour-I always take Ambien so I'm sure I get enough sleep so I won't be tired driving. I follow the "rules" when I take it. No alcohol with supper or after supper when taking Ambien. Don't use it with other sedating drugs. Take it after I'm in bed-once absorbed the onset of action can be quite rapid. Give it plenty of time in the AM to eat-shower-dress-walk around-do some chores etc-before getting into the car to drive.
Never used Elavil or Trazodone myself but the sleep docs said Ambien would be better. ANYTHING that you take for a long period can produce rebound insomnia-even Benadryl. Read unbiased info on Ambien before you decide. If you hear it is like valium/addicting/a narcotic/depresses respirationss etc-it is & does none of these things. But it may have drawbacks for you so get informed.

dave103069 · Post by **dave103069** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:57 am

I use Lunesta which helped me get use to the mask. The one downfall is that it leaves a metalic taste in your mouth as a side effect. Once you use it though for a couple weeks you do get use to it. I now only take it a couple times a week when I am stressed out to help sleep. I'm actually to the point now that I feel like I can't sleep unless I am using the cpap machine which is a good thing. Must be the sound of the air flowing. I have also tried lunest and rozerem and found both of these to make me groggy in the morning so I stopped and went back to lunesta.

Hope this helps and good luck

dave103069 · Post by **dave103069** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:03 am

Sorry I meant ambiem & rozerem I tried.. Lunesta works great and is the mildest on the side effects and is not habit forming

krousseau · Post by **krousseau** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:26 am

If you decide to give sleeping medication a trial-see if you can get samples from your doc or sleep clinic. See what side effects you have-they can have differing side effects for different people. I couldn't get past the taste in my mouth with lunesta-someone else said it went away after a day or two. Some are groggy in the AM with ambien-I'm not. So if you can get sample packs before getting a full rx filled it helps.

GoofyUT · Post by **GoofyUT** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:00 pm

I use 0.5mg of alprazolam (generic for Xanax) at hour of sleep and it works like a charm!!! Began sleeping through the night for the first time with xPAP treatment when I started the alprazolam. And NO....I'm NOT addicted, NOT having withdrawals or cravings, NOT breaking into people's homes to steal their TVs to sell them so that I get get my next fix.

I tried Ambien CR 12.5mg at hour of sleep for a couple of nights. I found that it would induce sleep quickly (almost abruptly), but that I still awakened several times throughout the night (and stayed awake), though I did have some retrograde amnesia in the morning. I didn't like it.

Hope this helps.

Chuck

Malibu · Post by **Malibu** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:12 pm

Chuck,

Did you by chance try Lunesta and if you did, how did that compare to the Xanax??

Marc

GoofyUT · Post by **GoofyUT** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:22 pm

I haven't tried Lunesta. But, I believe that it is just another non-benzopdiazepine BZD-3 receptor agonist, and so, it should work pretty much like Ambien or Sonata.

Alprazolam is a benzodiazepine BZD-1 receptor agonist and so it works in a somewhat different fashion, and it works GREAT for me!

Hope this helps.

Chuck

TXKajun · Post by **TXKajun** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 1:13 pm

On the OTC side, I've found 1/2 of a Tylenol PM occassionally works great for me. It's cheap, non-prescription and if not used more than a couple of nights in a row, not a problem.

Kajun

This therapy WORKS! But sometimes it's hard to fall asleep, even if I'm tired.

snoozeandlose · Post by **snoozeandlose** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:15 pm

I have been taking Ambien for a couple months since I have been extremely fatigued during the day despite using cpap every night. I also have chronic depression and been under extreme stress from life situations. My shrink who I have trusted and thought was very good with meds suggested trying it because he thought poor sleep was increasing depression. Now with another sleep study scheduled in a few weeks I am wondering if the Ambien is making me more tired during the day. Seems like I can't get to sleep without it and have been taking 1 tablet (12.5) and cutting another in half. Maybe I should try to go to sleep without anythging. Of course then I toss and turn all night and don't get any sleep and feel just as bad. Thanks Chris

trainhater · Post by **trainhater** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:19 pm

Ambien seems to be popular here, I have tried it and it worked ok for me, I read up on the Trazodone, it is also for chronic pain, so I guess he went with that over Ambien. I also take 50-100mg of Morphine (Kadian) a day for pain. Maybe I will be able to decrease the Morphine now. I guess time will tell.

Thanks everyone,
Tim

Jere · Post by **Jere** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 9:10 pm

GoofyUT wrote:NO....I'm NOT addicted, NOT having withdrawals or cravings, NOT breaking into people's homes to steal their TVs to sell them so that I get get my next fix.

I love that (as I sit here waiting for the meds to take effect). Why is there such guilt connected with taking sleep meds? We can solve that issue - right after the Middle East bruhaha is fixed.

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:15 am

I have used Ambien off and on for years as I travel so much (will be retiring soon and that will go away). It is so popular because it works. And it is not physically addicting though some will argue this. it is mentally addicting though as we don't go right down like we do on it when we are trying to abstain.. YOu guys on a half pill will notice ove time that you will have to go back up and increase the doses as we can get immune to it. It takes two to three to really get me doen and then only for four hours. I have been trying to taper off and just am living with less sleep (which is why I am sitting here typing at 1:15 AM

Anybody else use medication to sleep?

Anybody else use medication to sleep?

Anybody else use medication to sleep?

Alprazolam

Re: Alprazolam

Lunesta

Re: Alprazolam

Mask

Mask

Mask