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My understanding is that there will be an actual session to start (90 minutes for 1st session). Hope it helps. I tried 8 sessions of acupuncture to treat insomnia but it didn't help.
Thanks for the info on mellodyn. I also found info about this product on the web and it seems similar to a lot of other concoctions with lots of herbs such as Somnapure, Zen Lite, Somulin etc. Recently I purchased MidNite which is 1.5 mg. of melatonin and 3 herbs that help with sleep. This product claims that you can take it if you wake during the night and get a few more hours sleep and not feel groggy the next day. So I spent $13 for a box in the drugstore and took one and found it did absolutely nothing. So I wonder if it is worth trying other herbal concoctions now.
I also have never heard of Mellodyn. Mau, If I read your post correctly, you are saying it really helped with your insomnia. If that's true, where online can you get it and what dosage do you use? Thanks.
I'm in my 60s also so I know what you mean about getting in certain habits. I would like to see my insomnia go away, but so far I've only learned to control it to an extent. I don't know what the solution is, so I just get along day by day. I feel like I've looked up just about everything on insomnia on the web, so I don't know what more I can do. Hope decreasing your Z helps with your insomnia.
Sounds strange that your Dr. initially wanted to increase the Z after you complained it was causing insomnia. At least she agreed to decrease the dosage for a two week trial, so I guess you should see if that helps. The problem with her sleeping pill suggestion is that sooner or later you develop a tolerance for them and they don't help anymore. It might take several weeks to happen or even several months or years depending on the individual and the type of sleeping pill. I assume your Dr. would know this so maybe she thinks your insomnia problem is temporary. I don't know all the facts of your situation, or why your Dr. is giving you this advice, but if your Dr. brings up sleeping pills again, you might ask her about the tolerance issue.
Yes, when I don't get enough sleep I become depressed and wonder what is going to happen to me. When I have a good night (4-6 hours of sleep) then I feel better the next day but don't look forward to bed time. I try not to think about it, but easier said then done. I usually can fall asleep quickly, but my problem is getting back to sleep after waking up. So you are not alone with your problem. I have no easy answer except to keep trying and hoping for the best. I suspect there are many like us.
I think the drug Latuda is used for bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions. The sleep benefit you are getting from it seems to be great and if there are no major bad side effects and you don't develop tolerance quickly then it sounds like a gift from heaven. However, I think you will have to take it for awhile to see if problems develop. In any event, I don't think the drug is something that people who just have insomnia and not a mental health problem are usually given a prescription for, unless you know otherwise.
With regard to magnesium citrate, i question how effective it can be unless you are deficient in magnesium because of your diet. If you take a multi-vitamin and eat a balanced diet you should be getting enough magnesium.
I have tried getting melatonin from foods that contain a lot but it doesn't seem to have much effect. In particular I have tried capsules with tart cherry powder as well as dried tart cherries and it doesn't seem to have much effect. I also try to eat plain Greek Yogurt and almonds later at night, but again I don't see much effect.
I can sympathize with you as functioning on 2-3 hours sleep is not enough – it can make you withdrawn and limit you to going through the day by rote. What type of sleeping pill are you using and what dosage? To get off a pill is hard and some people try by gradually decreasing the dosage rather than totally stoping cold turkey all at once. I try to limit use of sleeping pills to when I see no other choice than being up all night. So far most of the time I don't use the sleeping pill and on “good” nights get 4 to 5 hours sleep, which I can live with. However, when I get just 2-3 hours sleep it is awful. You might want to talk to your doctor about how to get off the sleeping pill. CBT has helped me to some extent but not completely. I am currently trying acupuncture – too early to say if it is helping.
You are right. Like you I can't accept the limited sleep I get because it is not normal and I feel awful with little sleep. I am also an anxious person. Some people can adjust to it but I can't. I see you are going for CBT Sleep Training. Let us know how you make out. I have used some CBT techniques so that I can usually get to sleep at a set time. The main drawback I have is after 2-3 hours of sleep I wake up and can't get back to sleep. Getting up and doing something, like reading, usually doesn't help. Hope you have better luck.
I agree that long term dependency on a sleeping pill is not a good idea. However, it still is intersting to know to what extent some people can use Lunesta for years with no problem, as some people on Drugs.com claim they are doing. The predominant side effect appears to be a bad taste in the mouth. Of course, what we don't know is the percentage of people who have used Lunesta who have been able to use it long term without it losing it's effectiveness. It is clear from the comments on Drugs.com that Lunesta does not work for everyone. So are we talking about only 5% of users being able to use it long term or are we talking about 30-40%? That is why I hope people who have used it or have some knowledge of it will comment. When claims are made about a sleeping pill's effectiveness you want to know how true it is in reality.
Apparently the 6 month effectiveness study of Lunesta was sponsored by the drug company, although that does not necessarily mean the findings are not true. I looked at user comments for this sleeping pill on Drugs,com and found quite a few who claimed it was effective after 6 months. I t seemed either it worked well for a long period or it didn't do much at all. One user did say it started to lose effectiveness after 7 months, but even that is good compared to most other sleeping pills.
Also on a related topic the FDA has gone along with it's advisory panel and approved the new sleeping pill suvorexant for use at a 10 milligram level (can be raised to 15-20 milligrams when needed) in early July. This drug is different in that it blocks the action of orexins, which keep people awake. The manufacturer said no additional clinical studies were needed but a manufacturing study would be needed for production at the lower 10 milligram level. The company indicated it would work “expeditiously” with the FDA to get the drug into production
I also have had insomnia for a little over 2 months and there is no easy solution. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has some techniques that can help improve your sleep environment and sleep techniques but it is not a cure all for insomnia (that is my experience). You might also want to look into foods, vitamins that help sleep,increase exercise, get adequate sunlight (melatonin cycle). I have started acupuncture but it is too early to tell if it will have an effect.
It is hard to give you more tips without knowing more about what you tried. As Martin asks, what sleeping pills have you used and how long did you take them? Have you tried other things to help sleep? Do you have any idea what may have caused your insomnia? People can provide more info for you when they have a better idea as to what your insomnia experience has been to date. Remember we know the awful exhaustion you feel from this malady like no one else – we have had to live with it.
Good luck on your week sleep study. I did an overnight sleep study where I was told I had sleep apnea and I tried a CPAP device to treat it but quicky found I couldn't tolerrate the device. Other than that they didn't find anything wrong with me; in any event I think my sleep problem of not getting enough sleep is not sleep apnea caused. I know 2 people with sleep apnea who get plenty of sleep; sleep apnea mainly effects the quality of your sleep not whether you can sleep or not in my opinion.
After my first acupuncture session I didn't feel particularly sleepy like you. I signed up for 5 more sessions, so let's see if it increases my sleep time at night, which is what I really want. I hope for the best and that my “chi” gets in balance but I have my doubts.
The problem with antihistamines is that they leave me very groggy the next day until the early afternoon. That's why I don't like taking a Unisom unless I feel there is no other choice (you also can't take them frequently because they can cause constipation). I guess you don't have those kind of bad effects with Benadryl.
As your friend found CBT can help but is not a cure all for insomnia. For example, it is a good idea to get up and do something if you can't sleep, but what if you do something for a while but still can't sleep? CBT doesn't have an answer for that (at least that I've ever seen).
Thank you for sharing information about your sleep regimen- I think it helps greatly to see how others cope with insomnia. Since I use some CBT techniques, I hold off going to sleep to around 1AM even though I can start feeling very drowsy before that time (this is not easy). I go into a cool dark bedroom. I often fall asleep right away but can wake up after 2 or 3 hours and that's it for sleep on many nights. Yes I do get up and try to do something but it doesn't seem to help much in terms of getting to sleep again.
It is interesting that you use Benadryl since it is similar to OTC sleeping pill Unasom which I have used (Unasom is antihistamine based). I used Unasom about 14 times over 2 months (never 2 days in a row) but found it lost it's effectiveness pretty quickly (now only gives between 1 1/2 – 2 hours sleep compared to 4-6 hours at the start). Rarely use it now. I guess Benadryl is more effective for you.
I'm also surprised that the glass of wine doesn't interact negatively with some of your meds since we often hear don't drink and use sleeping meds. Maybe the fact that it is only one glass of wine limits the amount of dangerous interaction.
Don't know much about your other meds but they seem to work for you. Yet we are continually told pills are no good. So in your case you seem to have found a way with sleeping pills, at least so far.
Sleeptracks CDS haven't done much for me. I have tried “sleep friendly foods” as well as Tart Cherry capsules but it hasn't had much effect so far. I just started my first acupuncture session yesterday but so far it hasn't done much for me. Will continue sessions to see if it eventually helps but not optimistic. I am desperate for help. CBT has good aspects but is not a cure-all. You have found a way but I am still looking for a way to cope in the long term with insomnia.
Thanks again for sharing about coping with insomnia. I hope others will do so.
Sleepless in Chicago your first paragraph sums up the bleak feelings I also have when i don't get adequate sleep – you got it just right. You coninually have to fight to push off the negative feelings, because what we really want is good sleep, not death. In fact, on days I get 4 or 5 hours sleep (good for me) I don't get these feelings. One thing I am not clear on – are you still taking medication to curtail sleeplessness and if so what are you currently taking? The problem with sleep medications is that they tend to lose effectiveness over time, although some people seem to come across sleep meds that last for awhile.
