# Interesting Reading On Sleep Meds



## Lon (Oct 24, 2015)

It seems that all the different kinds of Prescription Sleep Meds  are also used to treat depression and yet one of the possible negative side effects of taking them are thoughts of suicide which you are to report to your doctor if you have such thoughts. GIVE ME A BREAK WILL YA . I am not depressed, all I want is a good nights sleep. I could get depressed though just reading up on all of these drugs.


----------



## Vivjen (Oct 24, 2015)

That isn't true; but the medicines like zopiclone, and especially remake pan; are addictive, and many doctors here are advised not to use them.


----------



## tnthomas (Oct 24, 2015)

Yes, alot of the sleep meds(like trazodone , which is what I use)  were originally approved by the FDA for various depression and other disorders, but are prescribed *off label* for their sleep-inducing effects.


----------



## fureverywhere (Oct 24, 2015)

Seroquel is used to treat bipolar disorder. But off label it can be prescribed for mild sedation. I feel that warning with some meds " Contact your physician if you have suicidal thoughts" is irresponsible of the manufacturer. The way most doctors offices work a person in a bad way might just get a receptionist or worse an answering service. If you are taking a medication and have suicidal thoughts get to a hospital or call 911. Don't waste time trying to get through to your doctor.


----------



## Vivjen (Oct 24, 2015)

You have said it..off label.
these drugs were designed for specific illnesses; using their side effects for something completely different is against the licence.
if used properly, for the right illness...then the side -effects, even suicidal thoughts, can be managed properly.


----------



## Don M. (Oct 24, 2015)

Lon said:


> , all I want is a good nights sleep. I could get depressed though just reading up on all of these drugs.



I used to toss and turn, and wake up a couple of times a night...then I found a little routine that works great for me.  About an hour before bedtime, I have a shot of flavored Vodka...usually Chocolate or Whipped Cream flavor.  About an hour later, my eyes are starting to droop, and I hit the sack, settle in, and the next thing I know, it's about 7AM.  That's the Only alcohol I drink...maybe a beer once or twice a year.  A quart bottle lasts me about a month, and costs less than $10.  I'm a firm believer in the theory that a little daily alcohol can be beneficial...a shot of liquor, a small glass of wine, a beer, etc., can do a good job of helping a person relax.  There are far better ways to induce a good nights sleep than getting hooked on expensive drugs....IMO.


----------



## fureverywhere (Oct 24, 2015)

I read that one time, there was a doctor who experienced some dreadful things in her practice. Each night her spouse would pour her one shot of scotch and that was what got her through many years.


----------



## Ken N Tx (Oct 25, 2015)

Lon said:


> It seems that all the different kinds of Prescription Sleep Meds  are also used to treat depression and yet one of the possible negative side effects of taking them are thoughts of suicide which you are to report to your doctor if you have such thoughts. GIVE ME A BREAK WILL YA . I am not depressed, all I want is a good nights sleep. I could get depressed though just reading up on all of these drugs.



Although I have a sleeping problem I will not and ever had to take meds for it!!


----------



## Vivjen (Oct 25, 2015)

Don M, I am with you all the way there!


----------



## Ken N Tx (Oct 25, 2015)

Don M. said:


> I used to toss and turn, and wake up a couple of times a night...then I found a little routine that works great for me.  About an hour before bedtime, I have a shot of flavored Vodka...usually Chocolate or Whipped Cream flavor.  About an hour later, my eyes are starting to droop, and I hit the sack, settle in, and the next thing I know, it's about 7AM.  That's the Only alcohol I drink...maybe a beer once or twice a year.  A quart bottle lasts me about a month, and costs less than $10.  I'm a firm believer in the theory that a little daily alcohol can be beneficial...a shot of liquor, a small glass of wine, a beer, etc., can do a good job of helping a person relax.  There are far better ways to induce a good nights sleep than getting hooked on expensive drugs....IMO.



Just remember DO NOT TAKE A LAXATIVE prior to bedtime..


----------



## hollydolly (Oct 25, 2015)

I have a sleeping problem too...it's not that I can't get off to sleep I have no problem with that, so all the milky drinks, and relaxing baths in the world won't help...my problem is that I only get about 4 or maximum 5  hours very restless  sleep..and then I'm awake, mind going over recent scenarios, until I have to get up. I can't take sleeping pills because I have to be alert in the morning to drive to work.

I have a very good bed, the mattress is extremely comfortable , the room is not too hot, I have blackout blinds, I have no TV or computer in my room . and there's no outside noise...so I'm totally at a loss to know how to get a much more restful quality sleep..regardless of the length


----------



## Ken N Tx (Oct 25, 2015)

hollydolly said:


> I have a sleeping problem too...it's not that I can't get off to sleep I have no problem with that, so all the milky drinks, and relaxing baths in the world won't help...my problem is that I only get about 4 or maximum 5  hours very restless  sleep..and then I'm awake, mind going over recent scenarios, until I have to get up. I can't take sleeping pills because I have to be alert in the morning to drive to work.
> 
> I have a very good bed, the mattress is extremely comfortable , the room is not too hot, I have blackout blinds, I have no TV or computer in my room . and there's no outside noise...so I'm totally at a loss to know how to get a much more restful quality sleep..regardless of the length



..all the same here..I do take a nap during the day, even if I did not nap and stay awake all day I can not get more than 5 hours!!


----------



## Vivjen (Oct 25, 2015)

I hesitated to suggest a nap to Holly, because she is still working!
i have the opposite problem, i can't get to sleep; so I now I just get up for an hour or so.
A nap is wonderful..


----------



## hollydolly (Oct 25, 2015)

Well I usually don't nap of course, because I'm usually either out at the  workplace or working from home !! It's very frustrating not to mention tiring ken isn't it?


----------



## The Inspector (Oct 25, 2015)

I sometimes take Valerian root it a Herb


----------



## imp (Oct 25, 2015)

Jiminy Jehosaphat! How come everybody has a sleep problem? Comes with the territory of "old age"?  Perhaps it's genetic. For me, I can kick back any time of day, close my eyes, and be asleep within minutes. EXCEPT, when it's time to go to sleep. No wonder, my wife refers to me as "half-witted"! 

My folks were very pragmatic. You get tired enough, you go to sleep. Meds are B.S. They tend to "rebound", early on they work, later they are counterproductive.

Try a few hits of tasty, alcoholic drinks.  Satisfaction guaranteed!   imp

Edit:   Gotta give it up for tonight. Need sleep, may not get it............


----------



## Linda (Oct 26, 2015)

I've had trouble sleeping for many years.  My neighbor suggested Melatonin for sleep so I asked my dr and she said it's a natural hormone and it's fine.  I'm not sure why, I seldom use it.  I have used the herbs Valerian or Hops to help me sleep.  I usually just say, to heck with it , and pull out my flashlight and read at night.  Or I listen to a meditation on my ipod.  I think a lot of my problem is we have a computer, 2 phones, TV, printer and the wifi router in our bedroom.  I think they are keeping me awake.  My husband sleeps like a baby though.  Sometimes I wake him up at night and ask him what he's doing and he says "Oh, just sleeping".  So far he's never gotten mad at me for that.   There is only one thing that will help me sleep for sure and that is if I take 2 Xanax (they are .25 mg per tablet) but I don't like to mess with drugs so I only do that every month or two.  Today I took 2 Xanax in the heavy traffic coming home from LA.  I took the first one when I saw a dude standing up on a motorcycle in heavy traffic going over the grapevine.  He didn't appear to be doing any trick riding so we never did figure out what his trip was!  Finally after about 30 miles he sat his behind down on the seat and continued on that way.  I took a second Xanax 30 mins after the first one.  Then at some point, I fell asleep, I didn't even know when my husband stopped to buy gas.  So anyway, I have no idea how people should get their sleep but I wouldn't  try any sleeping drugs.  I have no idea why Dr's prescribe them.  My neighbor who is 2 months younger than I am takes all sorts of things to sleep, drugs from the Dr and also OTC stuff.  One night she woke up down at the mail box in her car and she was sound asleep!!  So she was out driving at night while asleep.  It's a community mail box about 1/4 miles from her house.  It's 12:20 AM now and I"m sleepy so maybe I"ll head to bed.  Good night all.


----------



## Pookie (Oct 26, 2015)

Lon said:


> It seems that all the different kinds of Prescription Sleep Meds  are also used to treat depression and yet one of the possible negative side effects of taking them are thoughts of suicide which you are to report to your doctor if you have such thoughts. GIVE ME A BREAK WILL YA . I am not depressed, all I want is a good nights sleep. I could get depressed though just reading up on all of these drugs.



I have PTSD a little, and I don't do meds except for a very small dose of Ativan when I feel super-anxious and upset.

I found the ten hours' worth of sea and breaking waves and wind thing on YouTube relaxes me and knocks me out quickly. Do you have a laptop or tablet?


----------



## oldman (Oct 26, 2015)

When I was still flying for United, I would have the first flight out at 5:50 a.m., which meant that I would be awake at 3:30 a.m. After a 6-hour flight and arriving on the west coast, I would have a 2 or 3 hour rest followed by a short flight to Denver, San Diego, etc. and then a stay over and then repeat the next day, only in reverse. Do that for two days, take a day off and then repeat for the next two days and have weekends off "most" of the time. My sleep habit was all over the place, but never had any issues with being able to fall asleep. I think some people, like me, are like cats. We can lay down and doze anywhere anytime off with no problems. I also believe that it's called fatigue. Problem was that I had insomnia after I retired. I would not do drugs or alcohol, but I would read or play on my tablet until sleep would finally come. 

If a flight would become available to Hawaii on the weekend, I would give up my weekend to fly there occasionally.


----------



## Ken N Tx (Oct 26, 2015)

oldman said:


> When I was still flying for United, I would have the first flight out at 5:50 a.m., which meant that I would be awake at 3:30 a.m. After a 6-hour flight and arriving on the west coast, I would have a 2 or 3 hour rest followed by a short flight to Denver, San Diego, etc. and then a stay over and then repeat the next day, only in reverse. Do that for two days, take a day off and then repeat for the next two days and have weekends off "most" of the time. My sleep habit was all over the place, but never had any issues with being able to fall asleep. I think some people, like me, are like cats. We can lay down and doze anywhere anytime off with no problems. I also believe that it's called fatigue. Problem was that I had insomnia after I retired. I would not do drugs or alcohol, but I would read or play on my tablet until sleep would finally come.
> 
> If a flight would become available to Hawaii on the weekend, I would give up my weekend to fly there occasionally.



..When working, I would be the first one on schedule, mostly 3AM or 4AM..My sleep problems came after retirement!!!


----------



## Pappy (Oct 26, 2015)

I worked nights for so many years that I think it permanently affected my sleep habits. That and old age. Hardly ever sleep more than 5 hours a night. Sometimes up real early and go on my IPad until it's time for my morning walk.


----------



## oldman (Oct 26, 2015)

As a pilot in my early career, I would get to the hotel at 11:30 p.m. and sometimes have to be back at the airport for a flight at 5:30 a.m. Now, you know how sometimes "pilot error" occurs. Sometimes, we would fly as many as 8 legs in one day, not to total 12-14 hours of flying time in 24 hours and how the 24 hours were accumulated, depending on what rules we were flying under. Think about it; days overlap and so do flight schedules, so a pilot could actually fly more hours than allowed, depending on how the hours were counted. Sounds confusing, but it was a way of circumventing the rules by the cheap airlines or small airlines like Air Wisconsin.


----------



## fishfulthinking (Oct 30, 2015)

I have been a chronic horrible sleeper since the age of 7.  I am a painfully light sleeper, I am one who needs a lot of sleep, I am a quiet freak, I am a stress case about lack of sleep, I am just a mass of angst when it comes to sleep.  I have tried white noise, over the counter sleep aids, black out blinds, no TV in the bedroom, ear plugs, prescription meds, herbal ingredients, alcohol, and any combo you can possibly imagine of the aforementioned.
I have learned quite a lot over the past half century... like too much alcohol makes for a horrible sleep, a full dose of perscrip. sleep aids makes for a horrid sleep but half makes for a blissful coma.  (but I can't keep going to the doc asking for more.)  I have learned that ear plugs and white noise make for a not bad sleep but one tends to miss the alarm in the morning.  I have learned that perscrip drugs have to be taken 1 hour before bed time to avoid the nasty morning hang over.  I have learned that Valarian does not work for me period.  Nor does over the counter meds.  Then one day in discussion 2 friends told me about Melatonin.  I thought yeah sure, I just bet it works.  WELL I tried it and it worked ok, I tried 2 tablets and it's a wonder aid.  I sleep soundly, yes I still wake in the night but can easily fall back to sleep and sleep well.... bad news (of course) I think I am taking too much based on what the internet tells us (and isn't that always right)  So I have to ask the pharmacist or my Dr.


----------



## Bobw235 (Oct 30, 2015)

Interesting thread that resonated with me.  For several years I had sleep problems, especially when I was drinking too much alcohol.  Combine that with the stress that came with my job (which was likely one reason I drank more than I should have) and it was a recipe for poor sleep.  I'd wake up at 1:00 full of thoughts.  Well, I stopped the alcohol several years ago, but that led to other issues including poor sleep due to anxiety.  Doctor prescribed Ambien, which worked well, but almost too well.  I'd take a pill and be ready to sleep 30 minutes later.  Problem was I would sometimes take it and not remember entire conversations with my wife or fall asleep sitting at my desk.  I would take it a few nights a week, but finally stopped taking it last year at my wife's insistence.  Now I take a 5 mg Melatonin about 30 minutes before bed and get a good night's sleep most evenings.  That combined with less stress at work and more exercise have worked wonders.  I do well on 6-7 hours of sleep.


----------

