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[Treatment] Sleeping Supplements
#1
Sleeping Supplements
Hi all, anyone out there currently on CPAP taking any form of sleeping supplements including both herbal and prescription ones? Just curious as to what people have been taking.

Before I wanted to admit that I had sleep apnea a couple of years ago, I started taking these Suisse sleep supplements (herbal). They got me relaxed alright and sleepy, but still woke up in the middle of the night (obviously).
AHI of <5 since starting CPAP. Lowest recorded AHI is 0.9!!!


Sleep-well
Sleep apnea, we will beat you!!!
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#2
RE: Sleeping Supplements
That Suisse product probably contains valarian root which I find mildly effective and cheaper than proprietary products, but as you say, I'm awake a few hours later.
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#3
RE: Sleeping Supplements
Stilnox. It has a pretty short half life, though, and a lot of doctors won't prescribe it any more. I think they all watch Today Tonight Sad
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#4
RE: Sleeping Supplements
I tried a variety of stuff to help with my insomnia. I've tried some herbal, homeopathic, and medications. None of the herbal or homeopathic really worked for me. Probably because of all the other medications I take. Benedryl didn't put me to sleep but made it extremely hard to wake up. Melatonin is more for resetting the clock and not as a true sleeping aid. It can be used for that but has to first build up in the system then taken at the right time. I tried it but it didn't work for me and I'm not that dedicated.

What I now use is Ambien. LOVE the stuff. I take it as needed. Since I take the one that is not time released, my doc said I could even cut one in half. If I take it more than 4 nights in a row, I get really tired. But I still can't sleep so the doc said I could cut it in half when I know I am in the throes of an insomnia streak.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#5
RE: Sleeping Supplements
(07-19-2015, 05:16 AM)DeepBreathing Wrote: Stilnox. It has a pretty short half life, though, and a lot of doctors won't prescribe it any more. I think they all watch Today Tonight Sad

(07-19-2015, 10:24 AM)PaulaO2 Wrote: What I now use is Ambien. LOVE the stuff. I take it as needed. Since I take the one that is not time released, my doc said I could even cut one in half. If I take it more than 4 nights in a row, I get really tired. But I still can't sleep so the doc said I could cut it in half when I know I am in the throes of an insomnia streak.

I'm also taking 10mg of "zolpidem tartrate" as a middle-of-the-night, knock-me-out-again for the 2nd shift, sleep aid. Usually, that's about 2am. Why do you say they "don't prescribe it anymore"? I do know I have to go in every 3 months with a long story and a prayer to keep getting it. For me, it's that, or all the other dangerous effects of sleep deprivation.

I have to take a good hard look at the time when I awake. Anytime after about 2:30am for me wrecks the whole thing. It's not enough time for that 4.5 hour knock-out. I can't take 1/2 a pill (1/2 of 5mg) or that just does nothing.

After a year with them, I really wonder why I don't just set the alarm for 1:45am and take the pill. I wish there was another solution, but after more than a year, it's either that or a be in a sleep-deprived state the next day.

I'm getting some abdominal pains after ever few weeks of use that seem to go away after going off for several days, back into that no sleep state. I read it's one of the side effects, further down the list. I know it's probably not good to be on it for years, and possibly the rest of my life. But terminal sleep deprivation, thank goodness i's not with oxygen deprivation, is a pretty awful existence too.
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#6
RE: Sleeping Supplements
(07-19-2015, 05:37 PM)WakeUpTime Wrote: I wish there was another solution, but after more than a year, it's either that or a be in a sleep-deprived state the next day.

Yes, I know what you mean! I tried Ambien for awhile which was prescribed by my sleep doc. My internist, someone I've seen for years, took me off of it and prescribed Tranzodone (50mg) instead. Said it was safer, not addicting and an all around better drug for seniors. Of course, he'd rather I take nothing, but that's another thread.

Actually, I feel much better on the T. Relaxes me just enough to fall asleep and stay asleep, and I feel fine in the morning. As with anything else, YMMV.

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#7
RE: Sleeping Supplements

Quote: Why do you say they "don't prescribe it anymore"?

Here is Oz the PBS rules limit it to 14 pills with no repeat. My GP (who has been helping me with fibromyalgia for years) has somehow got permission to prescribe 20 pills with 2 repeats. On two occasions in the past year or so I've had to see another doc because my guy was away. In both instances they refused to prescribe Stilnox. One because it is contra-indicated for people with apnea, and the other simply stated "I don't prescribe it. It should be taken off the market". That's two out of three in that practice.

There's a lot of media sensationalism about this drug, based on rare cases of weird nocturnal behaviour and some deliberate mis-use by members the Australian swimming team at the London Olympics. My doc takes the view that if my apnea is controlled by the machine, and the drug is giving me sleep which I don't get otherwise, that is OK. Truth to tell, I'm probably addicted by now but I don't care much.

To the OP- sorry, I've taken this away from your original question which was about (non-drug) supplements.
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#8
RE: Sleeping Supplements
I have suffered from insomnia for probably 10 years. I don't know to what extent sleep apnea caused or contributed to insomnia or the other way around. I still suffer now. It is usually manifested in an ability to easily go to sleep, waking after a few short hours and then an inabiliity to go back to sleep.

I farted around sporadically with melatonin for a while, probably not consistent enough or dosed highly enough. I finally got my old Dr. to write a script for Ambien when I was trying to go through the exercise of getting a sleep study done. He was resistent, but after a failed study with ZERO sleep, he consented. It really was not what I needed though. I needed the CR version to KEEP me asleep. We got that dialed in and I took it for a year or so. No side effects like sleep walking and crashing my car into the US Capitol steps, but I got very dependent on it. It was to the point where if I ate anything for dinner, it would slow the absorption to the point where I would not go to sleep. At least I am guessing. Big dinner = no sleep. Light dinner = trouble going to sleep. No dinner = greatly improved ability to go to sleep. But along with the dependency, came reduced effectiveness. I was starting to wake up early again. So I bit the bullet and just stopped cold turkey. That meant no sleep what so ever for about 3-4 days, but then blessedly, returned to a normal sleep pattern - well at least a pattern where I would go to sleep and get 5-6 hours. Distrubances would come and go occasionally, and sometimes, after a couple nights of fitful turning I would go back to the pill for a night to "reset" the system and that seemed to work for a while. Then I started dabbling with melatonin on a more regular basis, at a higher dosage (5mg) and that seemed to help some, but eventually, I got to the point where I went back on the Ambien full time for several months. Same pattern developed. Same cold turkey quit. Went with nothing for several more months and then tried the melatonin again at 6mg nightly. Weekends, I will sometimes bump to 9 or 10 mg and it seems I can sleep a little longer, maybe 7=8 hours on a really good night. And it is doing OK. With the melatonin, evening meals do not seem to impact ability to go to sleep, except for the occasional really greasy or heavily spiced meal which with GERD can cause some discomfort - pizza grease mixed with hydrochloric acid washing up the back of your throat at 2 AM is no fun.

OMMOHY
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#9
RE: Sleeping Supplements
I'm using a liquid melatonin and it seems to work very well for me. I swish it around in my mouth for about a minute and then mask up and am sleepy in about 1/2 hour. No doubt there are side effects but if I read about them will probably ruin my sleep Too-funny
I set an alarm to wake me at 6AM to a take Vyvanse for ADD/HD and so I am kinda in a trap. The Vyvanse helps me get things done during the day but tends to keep me awake until later in the evening than I would like.
I use my PAP machine nightly and I feel great!
Updated: Philips Respironics System One (60 Series)
RemStar BiPAP Auto with Bi-FlexModel 760P -
Rise Time x3 Fixed Bi-Level EPAP 9.0 IPAP 11.5 (cmH2O)
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