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Suggestions for Insomnia??

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Posted 10/6/2019 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor prescribed this for my insomnia. At first I was taking 25mg, but then increased it to 50mg.

The problem is that Trazodone has no impact on my insomnia; it does absolutely nothing, and I really need to establish a normal sleep schedule. My appointment with the doctor is next month and I don't know what to do until then.

If anyone has any suggestions, I would be great-full.
Posted 10/6/2019 3:08 PM (GMT 0)
FP, I think it's good that you're concerned about your insomnia. A serious lack of sleep can effect your mental health.
Posted 10/6/2019 7:13 PM (GMT 0)
Have you tried melatonin? My husband takes it. I meditate, it helps me fall asleep most nights. You need to turn off your mind. With meditation you can do that.

Best wishes for a good night sleep. I hope you get some...

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 10/6/2019 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
FP, how long have you been on 50 mg of the Trazodone for sleep purposes?
Posted 10/7/2019 1:56 AM (GMT 0)
Depending on your size and how you react to medications, you may simply need a higher dosage. I am female, 170 lbs, and it takes 300 mg of Trazodone to keep my insomnia in check. Been on this same dosage for several years now....

I tried everything under the sun before, this is the first and only thing that's ever worked for me!
Posted 10/7/2019 12:15 PM (GMT 0)
I've been taking it for a few days now.

Last night I took it on an empty stomach. Although I fell asleep, I don't know if I can attribute my sleep to the medication or being tired from a sleepless night before.

Either way, I emailed my doctor.

I've also tried melatonin, 3mg I believe, it did nothing for me.
Posted 10/7/2019 1:00 PM (GMT 0)
My husband takes 10 mg of melatonin. Three didn't work for him either.

Trazadone is also an antidepressant I think. I hope your doctor has some answers for you. If nothing else try the 10mg of melatonin. They make a time release too.

I wish you the best Forever...

Hugs, Karen...

Hi Lynnwood!
Posted 10/7/2019 3:46 PM (GMT 0)
My mental health is always at its worst when insomnia is part of the mix... I take Vistaril (generic version) at night and it does help. Maybe ask your doctor about it?

I tried everything under the sun for insomnia, even ambien, which did nothing for me. It really sucks when you're already struggling and can't sleep on top of it all.

I hope you're able to get some sleep soon!
Posted 10/7/2019 4:39 PM (GMT 0)
FP, maybe being on the 50 mg of the Trazodone for a few days isn't long enough to help you with your lack of sleep yet. Your doctor should know.
Posted 10/17/2019 1:34 AM (GMT 0)
Have you tried Remeron? Trazadone did not help me (in fact, it kept me up all night), but Remeron works great to knock me out. It can make me need 10 hours of sleep though and it can make you a bit groggy in the morning. It helped me a ton though when I was having horrible insomnia. I only take half of a 15 mg pill. Melatonin did not help me either.
Posted 10/17/2019 11:28 PM (GMT 0)
This might not be entirely healthy, but one "solution" to reset my sleep schedule has been to stay up a night, going off on a tough hike lasting the night and subsequent day. The exertion seems to work well to make the day seem "normal" despite not having slept. This combination of getting worn out and lacking sleep has been effective. However, I'm sure no doctor would recommend this, as even one sleepless night may have long-lasting or lifetime effects (which I would personally doubt, but that's the claims I've seen).
Posted 12/22/2020 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
Sleep deprivation is one of the worst possible solutions for people having to endure chronic insomnia as these patients are already quite sleep deprived as is. And yes there are plenty of doctors (sleep specialists) who do recommend it to insomniacs (facepalm).

@ForeverPositive do you still have chronic insomnia? Do you have any other symptoms besides your depression? Often times chronic infections (with pathogens such as lyme, bartonella, babesia and many others) can cause chronic insomnia.
Have you tried acupuncture? There's a couple of acupuncture points on the body that can relax you and help you sleep.

Post Edited (insomniaaa) : 12/23/2020 7:17:48 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/22/2020 7:14 PM (GMT 0)
ForeverPositive:

Since you've already got the Melatonin, why don't you try increasing it from 3 mg. that you've already tried?

Also, why don't you try taking it an hour before bedtime?

I take 4 mg of Melatonin, one hour before bedtime. An hour after I've taken it, I'm starting to get sleepy so I know it's working.

OK, at bedtime, an hour after I took the first 4 mgs. of Melatonin, I take a 5th Melatonin. Sort of like time release. They may even sell time release Melatonin, I don't know.

If I go to bed at midnight, and wake up at say 5 a.m., I can take a 6th Melatonin. For sometimes, I can't go back to sleep and it's 7 a.m. before I realize that, and maybe too late for me to take a 6th Melatonin.

Also, Melatonin alone wouldn't work for me. I have to already be on some psychiatrist medicine to begin with, for me, it's Lithium and Mirtazapine anti-depressant for my bipolar.
Posted 12/22/2020 8:26 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Insomniaa,

I don't have chronic insomnia now, but I don't get quality sleep either due to loud noises which started recently. I've tried acupuncture, but it wasn't for insomnia; I might give it another go.

Tim Tam, I increased the melatonin and take it one hour before bed. Strangely, I wake up in the middle of the night, at a certain time, when I take it. I don't think this is normal. I also still feel groggy in the morning.
Posted 12/22/2020 8:29 PM (GMT 0)
My husband takes 10mg of melatonin at 6:00 pm. Goes to bed later. I do meditation. The meditation takes practice.

I hope you can get some sleep.

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 12/23/2020 2:10 AM (GMT 0)
I take 25mg quetiapine. It does work, although some nights it takes longer to kick in than others. Downside is it can leave you groggy the next day, although I think all sleeping pills which actually work do that to some extent.
Posted 12/23/2020 3:39 AM (GMT 0)
ForeverPositive:

You say, you have increased the Melatonin, and you do take it one hour before bed. That's good.

One, what did you increase it to. From 3 (1mg) tablet to what? Maybe you did not increase it enough.

Two, you go to bed at 11 p.m., is a guess. You wake up at 3 a.m. First, maybe you didn't take enough when you went to bed. Second, why not take another 1 or 2 mgs. of Melatonin when you wake up in the middle of the night?

Three, groggy? Yeah, I am too. I'm glad I'm groggy. That's what put me to sleep. Most of the time when I wake up in the morning, I'm so groggy I don't get out of bed. I just lay there for 30 minutes or an hour or more. I don't have to get up. If I do, I get up. I'm not that groggy.

These are all my opinions based on what has worked for me.
Posted 12/23/2020 10:03 AM (GMT 0)
3 milligrams (mg) of melatonin and above is way too much and it's not even guaranteed to work depending on your exact issues.
200 micrograms (mcg) of time released melatonin is the sweet spot.
Posted 12/23/2020 12:51 PM (GMT 0)
Well, nothing worked for me (insomnia since 1976) until I started taking a rather high dose of Trazodone - 300 mg about 2 hours before bedtime. I awaken refreshed and ready to go, no grogginess, after about 9 hours of deep, restorative sleep. (Some people may think that's too long to sleep, but I have other issues and that's the exact number that works for me.)

Different things work for different people!
Posted 12/24/2020 12:34 AM (GMT 0)
Tim Tam,

I increased the Melatonin from 3mg to 6. This dosage helps me to dose off.

I do go to bed around 10 or 11 pm. I don't take Melatonin when I wake up. I guess I just don't want to take too much.

Insomniaaa,

I never knew about the time release Melotonin. I'm going look into it.
Posted 12/24/2020 10:45 PM (GMT 0)
That is very good. OK 6 mg.

OK, I take 4 at one hour before bedtime. I take one at bedtime.

I take a 6th at 4 or 5 a.m. when I wake up. So we're the same thing.

You dossed off with 6 mg. That is very good.

You said, "I guess I just don't want to take too much."

That's good, you're taking care of yourself. I was the same way, I kept it at 2 or 3 mg. for a long time, as I recall.

But we have to be practical. I think we have to see how well we're doing at whatever dosage we're on.

Again, one person on this thread, her husband takes 10 mg of Melatonin. Our sleep patterns and the medicines we're on are different. I think we just need to find out what our level is.

Not getting enough sleep is not good either. Sometime doctor medicine for sleeping is not good either. My psychiatrist suggested 2 medicines (antidepressants) that she had already given me that I knew were horrible. So we're caught in the middle. It's a judgement call.

I think we have a good tool to work with in Melatonin.

I try to stay positive at times like this that I am strong enough and smart enough to solve this. So our brain is also a good tool. You're smart to reach out for help.
Posted 1/3/2021 3:53 PM (GMT 0)
How is the sleep coming along?
Posted 1/3/2021 10:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hi TimTam,

My sleep is not better, but it is now mostly due to the loud noises that I hear. I've gotten earplugs, but they don't help much.
Posted 1/3/2021 11:56 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, gosh. I'm sorry to hear that. I've used sound machines to help lower noise. They can be ordered over the net.

What kind of noise is it?

You can also use a fan to help reduce outside or inside noise. You may already own a fan.

I've found that a box fan does a good job of that. I've found that a swival fan has a higher pitch and doesn't reduce sound as much. Drug stores have those in stock in the summer but you can order them over the net in the winter. You might want to get 2 while you're ordering.

They say you can put a radio in between FM stations and it will make a hiss sound. My radio picks up different radio stations instead of making a hiss sound. You might have some CD type player that plays various sounds that might help.

Post Edited (Tim Tam) : 1/3/2021 5:18:07 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/4/2021 5:07 PM (GMT 0)
I live in a building and unfortunately there is something wrong with the radiator. The building's management is aware and are trying to see what is causing the noise, but are unable to find the source.

The noise is so loud that I can't get any sleep.
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