nyquil

does anyone know if nyquil effects rem sleep? or in broader terms is sleep on nyquil poorer than sleep without?

oh, btw i am just talking about the recommended one time dose....not like weird amounts....

I can't comment for others, but for me, I sleep harder on Nyquil, but my machine shows I have more events and the machine works harder.

As far as rem sleep, I really don't know.

John

The benadryl and alcohol can cause centrals according to my Sleep Doc. Which she stated can disrupt rem sleep. I was taking benadryl for night I had trouble sleeping and was just recently changed to sonata. As Sonata will not disrupt the sleep architecture.

Dave

i dont think there is benadryl in nyquil....

it does not seem to increase any of my events based on my readings..

but i dont want to be causing ill effects if i use it long term....

I stand corrected a quick web search produced this - pulled from http://www.wired.com/science/discoverie ... /st_nyquil

Acetaminophen
One of the many wonder-pharmaceuticals that can be derived from coal tar, acetaminophen was used for nearly a century as a painkiller and fever reducer before anyone figured out how it worked. We now know that as the drug breaks down in the body, it turns into a cannabinoid: yes, stoners, the same type of compound that makes marijuana so irresistible. Doctors also once thought acetaminophen made users more talkative and outgoing. Current research suggests this idea was half-baked.

Dextromethorphan HBr
A cough suppressant. Well, actually, in the body it becomes dextrorphan, a cough suppressant, and levorphanol, a painkiller five times as powerful as morphine. Like PCP and ketamine, DXM is also an NMDA receptor antagonist, so the National Institute on Drug Abuse lists it as a "dissociative" drug. Twelve times the recommended dose of NyQuil leads to distorted perceptions of sight and sound and produces feelings of detachment — dissociation — from the environment and oneself. For people whose bodies are unusually slow at metabolizing the drug, even low doses of DXM trigger full-blown "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" psychedelic trips.

Doxylamine succinate
Officially, this ingredient is on the label as an antihistamine. But it is equally useful as a sleep aid, providing a nice, convenient one-two... Zzzz.

Citric acid
Citric acid has proven somewhat effective as a flu killer, but only if you spray it into your nose. Because NyQuil is meant to be swallowed, not snorted, its presence here is probably to add a little tang, and possibly to act as a low-level preservative.

Alcohol
Hooch has been used as a folk remedy for the common cold for centuries (despite the fact that it doesn't work). But according to Procter & Gamble, alcohol's sole purpose in NyQuil is to serve as a solvent, keeping the top three ingredients in solution.

Polyethylene glycol and propylene glycol
Chemical cousins used as thickeners. NyQuil's consistency is somewhere between water and honey, but not because it needs to be. Drug marketers know many people prefer medicines in syrup form.

Sodium citrate
In other contexts sodium citrate is an anticoagulant; most likely it is used here as a buffer to maintain the acid-base balance of all the other ingredients.

Flavor
P&G isn't talking, but we suspect the cloyingly repulsive taste of NyQuil is to ensure that you can swallow a tablespoon or two but can't drink enough of the stuff to start seeing Jesus.

High fructose corn syrup
A dash of sugar helps that tablespoon or two go down.

Dave

drdrew wrote:does anyone know if nyquil effects rem sleep or in broader terms is sleep on nyquil poorer than sleep without?

I'm assuming an oncoming cold is leading to this question. Hope you feel better soon!

I know Nyquil knocks me out hard. From everything I've heard about CPAP, being knocked out hard on top of Sleep Apnea is NOT a good thing.

Having said that, if that is what it takes a couple of times a year I wouldn't stress over it. Along similar lines, I've heard people say if you are having that worst day of the year where you just can't sleep due to a horrible cold or flu, don't beat yourself up if you wake and find you took your mask off. Do the right thing 99% of the time and don't sweat the rare exceptions and life will still go on.

By the way, I'm not trying to encourage sleeping without a mask, just saying keep things in perspective if you don't always do everything perfect.

retrodave15 wrote:Flavor
P&G isn't talking, but we suspect the cloyingly repulsive taste of NyQuil is to ensure that you can swallow a tablespoon or two but can't drink enough of the stuff to start seeing Jesus.

Dave,
That is funny! Personally, I've grown to like the taste. Not sure what that says about me! I haven't taken it since I've been on CPAP, just haven't needed it (knock on wood).

thanks for the input.

i have insomnia, not helped by cpap often. so far, nyquil seems to be the only thing that consistently works...i also have allergies etc so it helps there....i have the ace inhibitor cough...and it helps there.... i just dont want to be doing anything bad to my sleep if i take it fairly regularly.... again only the recommended dose, only at night...

drdrew wrote:...nyquil... consistently works (for insomnia)... i just dont want to be doing anything bad to my sleep if i take it fairly regularly.... again only the recommended dose, only at night...

If I was you, I'd run that past your Primary Care doctor. I don't think anyone is supposed to take Nyquil very often, much less people with sleep apnea.

If you are using it for insomnia, not cold symptoms, that doesn't seem like a good idea. The doctor may have something that will work better and is intended for "consistent" treatment of insomnia.

Good luck

My doctor actually suggested melatonin as a sleep aid. It works for me and I don't awake groggy or airheaded.

NyQuil contains acetaminophen (APAP). So does Tylenol and a number of other meds. Be careful when taking any of these to be sure you're not accidentally overdosing on APAP by combining different meds.

A relatively small overdose of APAP can shut down or even permanently damage your liver. This can damage other organs as well. The ratio of dangerous to therapeutic dose is much smaller for APAP than for most other OTC drugs. The seriousness of the side effects is also much higher for APAP.

APAP overdose is one of the most common forms of poisoning in the US. It's often combining drugs or simply going overboard with cough syrup or pain pills.

Yes, I know no one was recommending large doses. So many people accidentally OD, that I felt it was worth mentioning.

@Javatime

Dave,
That is funny! Personally, I've grown to like the taste. Not sure what that says about me! I haven't taken it since I've been on CPAP, just haven't needed it (knock on wood).

Several years ago I was a contractor for the pharma division / consumer products division, I used to produce the annual R&D training events, there is a lot of stuff in P&G products that they are not talking about.

The internal slogan for P&G when I was there was: "We start you in Pampers and you die in Depends and we sell you everything in between"


Serious Note

As a paramedic, watch the amount of acetaminophen you take, as little as 1000mg a day can damage you liver and it hides in lots of products. Don't self medicate see your doctor and talk about EVERYTHING you take including supplements an OTC products. My wife learned that the hard way.

Dave

I guess I'm the only one that likes the taste. Take a couple shots of tequila and chase it nyquil and im out for a solid 10hrs.

brick wrote:I guess I'm the only one that likes the taste. Take a couple shots of tequila and chase it nyquil and im out for a solid 10hrs.

Alcohol makes the problems with acetaminophen/APAP/NyQuil/liver damage even worse.

I can always get a new liver thanks to stem cell research.