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OT insomnia is back with avegence I need support

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Posted 11/17/2008 2:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone,My insomnia is back with avegence and im out of ambien and can't fill it til Friday. I need support. I don't know if I can go through this again. All I can fill right now is elavil  please pray for me and the elavil works.
Posted 11/17/2008 5:56 PM (GMT 0)
How about Nyquil?
Pamela
See more info from on another thread
Posted 11/17/2008 7:00 PM (GMT 0)
Kara,

As odd as it sounds, when I can't sleep I "trick" myself my telling myself that I went to be earlier and for some reason I don't feel as nasty the next day. Say I go to bed at 10p and don't fall asleep until 1a. I will just keep telling myself I fell asleep at 11p.

Not sleeping is hard on a person. Another thing I do is try to accept it, I tell myself the next day is going to be hard and I go over what I will need to do to get through it and that helps me fall asleep instead of laying awake stressing about how I cannot sleep.

As for meds, nothing puts me to sleep anymore. I can take my pain meds and my anxiety meds at the same time and be wide awake. I have yet to find a sleeping med that works either.

Have you tried a valarian/meletonin suppliment? My husband takes one when it is his bed time and he swears by it. (make sure tocheck with your doc that it is safe to take though, valarian interacts with many things)
Take care and I hope you sleep well tonight.
Posted 11/17/2008 8:56 PM (GMT 0)
Kara,
Do you have any calm, soothing music you can listen to. Or nature sounds. I'm not saying this is a "cure" but it might help. I think "tricking" yourself by adjusting your thinking can help, too. Try telling yourself that a bad night's sleep won't kill you. Stay up and flip through tv until you're ready to crash. (I am intimately familiar with all late night tv!!)

I'm not saying any of these things are "cures', but I do know that worrying about not sleeping will make it even more difficult to sleep.

PaLady
Posted 11/17/2008 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Kara,
Sorry to hear of your plight. I do feel for you.

Have you tried lavender? I know it sounds silly, but I have a terrible time sleeping & my evil insurance company just made a new rule that you are only allowed 60 sleeping pills every 90 days so I've had to adjust. I've tried absolutely everything else to no avail. The lavender makes a big difference.
I have lavender water spray that I spritz on my pillow about 15 minutes before bed time (mine is from Bath & Body Works, but you can get them other places) or else rub real lavender lotion on my hands (has to actually have lavender in it, not just be scented to smell like lavender). I used to have little lavender sachels to put in my pillow, so I know those work too.
Also, if I still am not sleeping through the whole night (at least 6 hours) then I brew a cup of Passion Flower tea before I go to bed. No sugar or honey or anything. It doesn't taste great (doesn't really taste like anything), but it works better when it's just plain tea. It does work, especially when coupled with the lavender.

If you do decide to go the OTC sleeping meds route, make sure you check with your doc to ensure it won't interact with your pain meds & cause you any problems.

Anyways, here's to hoping you find some rest this week. :)
frances
Posted 11/18/2008 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
Kara,

I'm so sorry that your insomnia is back. I know all too well that not sleeping is a horrible feeling & it certainly doesn't help our pain any. I was also going to suggest lavender. I couple months ago I got an aromatherapy kit & I burn a tea candle over a little pool of lavender essential oil every night. It really helps me to relax. Like Frances, I also have a lavender spray that I spray on my bed just prior to going to sleep. It is called "Soul Support" and you can usually find it at a health food store.

I'm afraid to take OTC sleep meds because I had a bad reaction to tylenol PM once, so I don't have much advice there. I've been on prescription sleep aids on & off, but I haven't found one that works really well for me. Sometimes when I can't sleep I also try "rescue remedy," it is a blend of Bach flower essences, that is supposed to calm you down -- you spray a couple of sprays on your tongue (its nasty though, tastes like brandy). Doing that a few times over the course of a half hour or so usually helps (its also good if you are really upset, we use it with one of my dogs who is TERRIFIED of thunderstorms and has anxiety issues, & I've also used it when I've had break downs & it has helped to calm me down). I believe that they might even have a formula for sleep. You can find that at a health food store as well.

Relaxing music also helps me (at least gives me something to try to keep my mind off the pain while trying to relax as well).

Oh, and I drink a blend of chamomile tea w/ lavender as well.

Good luck! I hope you get some sleep!

Skeye

Post Edited (skeye) : 11/17/2008 7:09:05 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/18/2008 11:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone,Im so tired .I only got an hour of sleep last night . Thank you for your advice.
Posted 11/18/2008 12:08 PM (GMT 0)
OOOH we CP'ers are inamous for insomnia. I was up & down 5 times since 2 am. I have to say I was like that even as a child. I take restoril, I like it a lot better than the other sleeping pills. Works great. You don't feel funy or in a fog as your going to sleep or when you wake up. Even if just a few hours, I feel pretty rested. I also stand by the old classic.... hot tea or hot chocolate. Something soothing about that. I also like to read a lot. Or come on here & post. Most people don't believe me when I go as much as 72 hours without sleep. It happens. Very common for us. Maybe talk to your dr about trying something different if Ambien is no longer working as well as it used to. See if he/she has any samples to try something different. Hang in there!
Posted 11/18/2008 7:59 PM (GMT 0)
Kttn,ambien is working its that Im all out of ambien and can't refill til friday.Thanks for the advice. Tonight I am going to try chamomille tea to see if that relaxs me,
Posted 11/20/2008 10:45 AM (GMT 0)
I called in my ambien and hoping they will fill it today because I am so tired. thanks everyone for the advice. My next step is to see a sleep doctor. Please pray I can get ambien tonight.
Posted 11/20/2008 10:53 AM (GMT 0)
kara,
what are your duties in the morning?
i don't worry too much because i don't have to go to work.
i'd rather nap than sleep at night.
an hour's nap is worth three hours at night.
you MUST look at the link From You To Me.
I left my prayers for you there.
Pamela :-)
Posted 11/20/2008 1:21 PM (GMT 0)
Kara, as I stated in another post I am all too familiar with insomnia. Going on 6 years and counting. A few years ago, it got so bad that I only had maybe 2 hours of sleep in a weeks time. That is when I finally went to the doc for Ambien. Because the lack of sleep was causing me to have hallucinations! I know that insomnia is super rough! Can you take naps during the day? Do you avoid caffeine after 3pm?
Posted 11/20/2008 2:25 PM (GMT 0)
The pharmacist said I can fill my ambien after 2 pm today. I am happy I will get some sleep tonight.
Posted 11/20/2008 8:44 PM (GMT 0)
Woot! smilewinkgrin
Posted 11/21/2008 12:51 PM (GMT 0)
Thank Pamela,I got a good night of sleep last night.
Posted 11/22/2008 2:43 AM (GMT 0)
Kara,

So glad you finally got some sleep last night! I am jealous!

Skeye
Posted 11/24/2008 2:34 PM (GMT 0)
 

 

I never thought too much about my lack of sleeping until now.  I read the posts from everyone that has insomnia and realized that I have it too.  For the past few years I have slept maybe 2-3 hours each night....and not all at once.  I just assumed it was something I had to deal with because of CP...I have never tried any sleep aids, unless you count Advil PM, and that only helps a little.  Now, because of the info. I got here, I am going to talk to my Dr. about getting something to help.  My last Doc gave me Provigil to take during the day to help me stay awake...I loved that stuff.  It never raised my BP or gave me the jitters, but I can't afford it and it's hard to get it prescribed anymore....WAAAAHHHH

 

 

Me.

Posted 12/5/2008 5:58 PM (GMT 0)
I am amazed to see that there are so many people with the same issues as me. My insomnia began at age 4, I am now 40. It runs in cycles as it probably does for most of you, night after night without sleep or waking every 30-60 minutes until your body just can't take it anymore and crashes for 2-3 hours. I always think back to a wonderful vacation I took with my husband to Costa Rica... We checked into our suite, had a bite to eat, took a walk and decided to return to the room for a nap at about 4pm because of jet lag... I woke up the NEXT DAY!!! Never in my life have I slept so well (or since) but I think the best part of all was my husband telling me he just didn't have the heart to wake me for dinner because he was just so happy that I was finally peacefully sleeping. It's a fond memory.
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