[Louise]

Hi I am new around here. My sleep problems started after my husband was in a car accident and suffered a severe brain injury. My whole life turned upside down and I am the sole care taker of my husband now and our two children and have had to take over the running of my husbands pottery. I fall asleep with ease but wake up every two hours with a racing mind. I find if I take phenergan which is am over the counter anti histamine. Is this harmful to use long term ?

[Daf]

It is a mild sleep inducer, not knock out pills.

It worked well for a few weeks for me, then stopped working. Thought it may be different for you.

Best to take it at least 45 mins before you want to sleep.

Don’t use it every night for weeks – or if you are like me, it may stop working.

Can have side effects – look it up online or it should be listed with the tabs on the notes.

Good luck.

[Martin Reed]

Hello Louise. I am so sorry to hear about your husband’s accident. It is no surprise that your sleep has suffered as a result of this trauma and upheaval.

When you wake during the night with a racing mind, what kind of thoughts are putting your mind into overdrive? Are they about sleep, or something else?

According to the FDA (PDF), Phenergan can be useful for “the production of light sleep from which the patient can be easily aroused”. So, it might not be very helpful if your problem is waking during the night (and there is no evidence that antihistamines are an effective treatment for chronic insomnia).

How long have you been experiencing sleep difficulties?

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[Louise]

Hi Martin

Thank you for your response.

I have no problem falling asleep I wake up around midnight and my mind is racing with thoughts of all I have to do and planning for the pottery and suddenly remembering things I have forgotten etc.

Since my husband’s accident I am now running the home alone and the pottery business which includes making the pottery and managing our pottery shop and I am now the only one parenting our 17 year old and 8 year old, and I have no family near by for support. At night it’s as if my mind is trying to process it all.

I sleep well on the phenergan but it does make me drowsy the next day and I don’t like taking it long term.

I so appreciate the wonderful support you offer and have been enjoying your e mails.

Kind regards

Louise

[Author]

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