# Sleep issues



## angelpixie (Mar 2, 2012)

After STBXH told me about his not having any feelings of any kind for me (not even finding me sexually attractive at all) for years -- essentially saying he'd lied continually all those years because we'd had sex countless times, he'd told me I was beautiful, yada, yada, I've been dealing with a lot of PTSD-type symptoms. I thought after everything that came before, I was doing better. But this really hit me very hard. 

I'd been able to go cold turkey on Ambien CR in October, sleeping without any kind of sleep med for the first time in 12 years. My depression had been steadily improving since I moved out, allowing me to lower some of my AD doses, and some side effects also went away. Since he told me, I had to give in and go back on Ambien just to get some sleep at all, but it's not working as well as it used to. I'm going to have to call my doc tomorrow to ask if I need to up my meds again. Really is bringing me down. I feel like it's all a step backwards. I'm trying to deal with it using the things I've worked on in IC, but it's like my body is doing its own thing.

Yesterday, on a whim, I bought a melatonin drug that also had chamomile, valerian, and GABA. I took it and my Ambien, which from what I saw, should be OK to do. I actually overslept, and had really bizarre dreams. I usually don't remember any dreams when I'm on Ambien. Some were about STBXH, and one featured a guy who was a friend in high school, and an unrequited crush. I hadn't thought about him in years and years. 

Has anyone else taken any of these chemicals and had a reaction? I can't think what else would have caused it last night.


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## AloneInMontana (Mar 11, 2012)

I have taken Ambien in the past and hated the way it made me feel the next day, like I had a really bad hangover.
My doc told me to take Benadryl to help me sleep, that there were no known side effects for taking it long term. 
I was taking 75mg at night in the beginning and now I take 50mg and it is inexpensive, I got a 600ct bottle of generic for $4


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## KNIFE IN THE HEART (Oct 20, 2011)

I'm not familiar with Ambien but I take amitryptillin. When I first started taking it I would have really scary, freaky dreams. That has gone away now.

Be really careful about mixing "natural" drugs with prescription or OTC meds. There can be dangerous interactions.


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## Jellybeans (Mar 8, 2011)

I'm not sure what caused you to over sleep but I will tell ya what works for me to sleep: a good workout and hot chamomile tea.


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## Beowulf (Dec 7, 2011)

My wife uses melatonin and she swears by it. She tried Ambien and other sleep aids but they all made her groggy in the morning. Jelly's right. Chamomile tea helps too.


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## yellowsubmarine (Feb 3, 2012)

Truth is I have not slept well in over a year... more like a year and a half.

I'm afraid of taking any prescribed meds. I tried benadryl, but 25mg will have me feeling like I have a hangover for 3 days.

I work out, try to decompress, relax... but it doesn't work.

I seem to be functioning just fine during the day. I try not to think about it, so that it doesn't bother me as much. Nonetheless, whereas I could easily sleep 8-10 hours a day, now I'm lucky if I make it to 7.

But... I make up for it on the weekends by sleeping in, and then come Monday I have to start all over again! Monday mornings are brutal. I wonder if I should just get up at the same time on the weekends, but I just never get around to it.

I am one of those people that sets the alarm clock and hits the snooze button for a while. I should just set the alarm for when I should really get up, but... there are some things I just can't explain!


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## angelpixie (Mar 2, 2012)

My p doc didn't want me to go back on Ambien, so he has me on temazepam, with the melatonin if that doesn't do the trick. I'm still not happy with it. I have to take the temazepam about 1 hour before bed, but I don't always know what time that will be. I tried it without the melatonin, and i still had weird dreams. Tried Remeron years ago, and that didn't help. Truly, Ambien CR was the first and only drug that worked for my two-pronged sleep disorder. I never had grogginess, the munchies, or the hornies, or any of the other reported side effects. My memory sucks most of the time anymore anyway, so I'd never know if was Ambien doing it, LOL. 

I find that lately I'm still in dream sleep when my alarm goes off, so I have a he11 of a time getting up -- maybe it's throwing off the timing of the sleep cycle, too. I wish I could just get back to sleeping without anything. That's what I'm working toward. Maybe after the D. (fingers crossed)


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## LaxUF (Feb 13, 2012)

angelpixie said:


> After STBXH told me about his not having any feelings of any kind for me (not even finding me sexually attractive at all) for years -- essentially saying he'd lied continually all those years because we'd had sex countless times, he'd told me I was beautiful, yada, yada, I've been dealing with a lot of PTSD-type symptoms. I thought after everything that came before, I was doing better. But this really hit me very hard.
> 
> I'd been able to go cold turkey on Ambien CR in October, sleeping without any kind of sleep med for the first time in 12 years. My depression had been steadily improving since I moved out, allowing me to lower some of my AD doses, and some side effects also went away. Since he told me, I had to give in and go back on Ambien just to get some sleep at all, but it's not working as well as it used to. I'm going to have to call my doc tomorrow to ask if I need to up my meds again. Really is bringing me down. I feel like it's all a step backwards. I'm trying to deal with it using the things I've worked on in IC, but it's like my body is doing its own thing.
> 
> ...


I have insomnia and have tried Ambien (10mg) and Ambien CR (12mg). Both types gave me horrible nightmares and neither kept me asleep. 

For the past 3 years I've taken between 5mg - 15mg of Melatonin along with my low dose anxiety med each night and it works perfectly... for me. I especially like Natrol fast dissolving strawberry flavored Melatonin. I don't have to wait the usual 2 hours before bedtime to take it - I'm tired enough to go to sleep within 30 minutes.

Everyone's chemistry is different. Finding the right medication & dosage for yours - through your MD & pharmacist is the best way to go.


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## 2nd_t!me iz_best (Feb 28, 2011)

angelpixie said:


> or the hornies


 lol, this made me laugh.

i dont sleep much either lately, but i refuse to take anything.
i dont like taking drugs...
cept for codeine.


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## angelpixie (Mar 2, 2012)

LaxUF said:


> I especially like Natrol fast dissolving strawberry flavored Melatonin. I don't have to wait the usual 2 hours before bedtime to take it - I'm tired enough to go to sleep within 30 minutes.


Thanks for the tip -- I'll look for this!


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## bandit.45 (Feb 8, 2012)

Sleep? What's that?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## sd212 (Feb 24, 2012)

bandit.45 said:


> Sleep? What's that?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yea, for real. I wake up at 4 am every single friggin night. No reason, not horror dreams or movies, just wake up. It is to the point where I roll my eyes and laugh at myself. I used to be a person who sleeps in and now I can't wait for time to get up for work. Pathetic.


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## allisterfiend (Sep 29, 2011)

Thank someone I am not alone. Every morning 4:30. I sleep in shifts. 2 hours here, 1 hour there. They tried to put me on lunexa which one dose put me down for a week. Then they tried (crap, I cant remember which anti-depressant) but that made me suicidal/homicidal.
I never have liked taking pills. If I cant have it in a shot, I prefer not to have it.
Im off everything now and have never felt better!! Im back to sleeping in shifts but at least this way, nobody gets hurt.



It was Wellbutrin XR.


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## CantePe (Oct 5, 2011)

angelpixie said:


> After STBXH told me about his not having any feelings of any kind for me (not even finding me sexually attractive at all) for years -- essentially saying he'd lied continually all those years because we'd had sex countless times, he'd told me I was beautiful, yada, yada, I've been dealing with a lot of PTSD-type symptoms. I thought after everything that came before, I was doing better. But this really hit me very hard.
> 
> I'd been able to go cold turkey on Ambien CR in October, sleeping without any kind of sleep med for the first time in 12 years. My depression had been steadily improving since I moved out, allowing me to lower some of my AD doses, and some side effects also went away. Since he told me, I had to give in and go back on Ambien just to get some sleep at all, but it's not working as well as it used to. I'm going to have to call my doc tomorrow to ask if I need to up my meds again. Really is bringing me down. I feel like it's all a step backwards. I'm trying to deal with it using the things I've worked on in IC, but it's like my body is doing its own thing.
> 
> ...


First, the bold is NOT chemicals. Don't mix with Ambien with several herbs. If you want to use melatonin (our bodies make this naturally for sleep cycles) use ONLY the melatonin. I hate when manufacturers mix a bunch of herbs together like that.

Second, take too much melatonin and you can cause nightmares. Take too little and it wires you. You need to play with dosage under doc supervision to find the right amount.

The 3mg bottles are for jet lag, the 5 mg bottles are for sleep aid.

Never exceed 12 to 15 mg in a 24 hour period. Never exceed 10 mg for a child under 12 in a 24 hour period.

Our 6 yr old (under doc supervision) uses melatonin for something called circadian cycle disorder or sleep cycle disorder. It's part of her SMS symptoms (smith marginsen syndrome, genetic disease).

Talk to your doc about circadian cycle disorder, it might be something to look into. It can be co-morbid to depression and PTSD.


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## angelpixie (Mar 2, 2012)

Thanks CantePe. I have thought for a long time that my circadian rhythm is off -- I'd be a great 3-11 or 4-12 shift worker, but the rest of the world doesn't go on that schedule, esp. once you have kids, LOL. I tried an Rx for melatonin for that years ago, but it didn't seem to do a thing. 
I wondered about the other things in that 'blend,' too. My p doc said there wasn't anything wrong with the melatonin per se (w/ either the Ambien or the temazepam), but I don't honestly remember if I mentioned the other things like the valerian, etc. I'll take a look at the pure melatonin and see if that makes a difference.
Thanks!


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