Sleeping Pills?

LauraLeigh

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#1
Anyone use them?

I have had a nasty couple of weeks (A lot of personal and work issues I am not ready to get into) and though I don't normally complain of anxiety things are getting bad in the coping department... I am having anxiety far too often... Constantly dealing with the fluttering chest and racing heart feeling... And sleep, forget it... If I manage to get to sleep I wake easily and often and can't get back to sleep for hours, usually just in time for the alarm to go off...

Long story short, my Dr recommends sleeping pills to try for starters, he said coping will be much easier on a good nights sleep, for some reason I am insanely nervous of them...

Experiences anyone?
 

CharlieDog

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#2
I usually take them if I've had a long day and I'm over tired and know I wont be able to fall asleep. They get me in the bed in around an hour, I fall asleep and stay asleep for the most part.

My only complaint is that if you don't or can't sleep eight hours don't take them. They will leave you groggy. And they can definitely be habit forming for sure.
 

Zoom

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#3
I try to stick with melatonin, Benedryl or Advil PM, as neither arre narcotic and don't have quite the "hangover" as some of the stronger stuff does.
 

LauraLeigh

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#4
I am a bit worried about the habit forming part....

I am also ashamed to admit that my family, including my normally wonderful hubby are the type that feel anxiety is something you can just "buck up and deal with" and make you feel a bit like its a sign of weakness that you need help dealing with "stress"
 

Miakoda

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#5
Hydroxyzine (Atarax). Not under the sleep-aid label as it's an antihistamine, but is used off-label for both anxiety and to help with sleep.

I've used it now for a year. I take 25 mg at night, but on really bad nights (where I'm super-anxious), I can take 50 mg. It still works great after a year. It's not addictive, and there's no withdrawal effect if you stop taking it.

I'm on Wellbutrin XL 300 mg in the morning, and the Atarax at night. In the past, I've been prescribed Buspar, Xanax, and Lunesta to help combat my anxiety and sleep issues. All made me feel drugged, gave me horrid headaches, and really did nothing for the anxiety. Buspar actually made me have quite vivid and disturbing dreams....I was literally hallucinating, and I'd wake up in a panic (& that's if I could even wake up. I would get "caught" in that level where your brain is alert to what's going on around you, but you can't get yourself to "wake up" and you can't move...you talk about a panic attack!).
 
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#6
Yeah, I use Benedryl. One makes me really tired and two will knock me out for two days and half. Most OTC nighttime/pm medications use Benedryl to give it the pm part.

I don't tend to do well with drugs, their effects seem to be magnified so I keep away when I can. But I do know a lot of people take Ambien, well Zolpidem actually but it's the generic but I've never really asked them about it (I'm a pharmacy tech). My mom takes it sometimes but she has a freakishly high resistance to most drugs and so it doesn't do much.

That was kinda a ramble that doesn't help you at all. So...you're welcome!
 

BostonBanker

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#7
I used to take Unisom a lot when I house-sat. I never sleep well when there is any light or noise, and not everyone has their rooms as secured as mine at home. I had no issues for a really long time with it (not like I was taking it daily, but maybe five or six nights a month). I did finally have a reaction when I took it 3 nights in a row (golden retriever who panted and clicked around on the hardwood all night long), and woke up the third night with such bad restless leg syndrome that I was laying on the floor of the tub with hot water running on them trying to make it stop. I didn't take any for a really long time after that.

I take one maybe every couple of months now, and haven't had further issues.
 

Saeleofu

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#8
I use melatonin, and if I really need it or am taking a break from melatonin (as is recommended every 2-3 months to prevent building up tolerance to it) I take chlorpheniramine. If I'm desperate I'll take Benadryl but only if I can sleep for 6+ hours because it knocks me the **** out lol.
 
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#9
Benadryl doesn't make me sleepy, but I will take Dramamine sometimes to help me sleep. Oddly, the "less drowsy" formula makes me sleepier than the regular formula. Also, when I was having a lot of problems with anxiety I would take a xanax before bed.
 

Zoom

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#10
I am a bit worried about the habit forming part....

I am also ashamed to admit that my family, including my normally wonderful hubby are the type that feel anxiety is something you can just "buck up and deal with" and make you feel a bit like its a sign of weakness that you need help dealing with "stress"
There's always Jack Daniels... :rofl1:
 

LauraLeigh

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#11
Thanks for sharing everyone, don't have to work Fri morning so going to try one Tomorrow night...

There's always Jack Daniels... :rofl1:
That may be just the answer!! I mean I have Jack Russell's to snuggle with already why not try some Jack Daniels for sleeping? Seems a match made in heaven!! LOL
 

GipsyQueen

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#13
Have you tried going the the homiopathic route? When I can't sleep and have anxciety about something I take valerium drops or avena sativa drops - or if its really bad a combination of the two. ;) They work really well for me. Avena Sativa also really helps when Im worked about something during the day time. :)
 

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