Author Topic: Insomnia (Read 13596 times)

Johnny Guaylupo · « **on:** December 21, 2006, 09:38:51 pm »

Hey Community

I been going through a serious issue when it's time to go to sleep, I can't go to sleep (Insomnia) after a long day of work and school.

I stay up all night and go to sleep around 3am, does anyone go through the same thing?

Aside from medication, what are some suggestions to help me with this problem?

Eldon · « **Reply #1 on:** December 21, 2006, 09:52:13 pm »

Supporting You

Hey Johnny...

There are a number of causes that can induce Insomnia. One of the major causes is with Stress, Anxiety, and Depression. When your anxiety levels are a bit high, it is often difficult to go to sleep. In the past, I have even experienced this. After I got a hold of the anxiety issue, I began to sleep like a baby.

Medications can, may, or will have a bearing on this just as well as the consumption of Alcohol and others. You may want to review what you are doing during the course of a day and reflect this information back to your Doctor to work on finding a workable solution for you.

BTW -Welcome!

Take care of YOU!

"Don't Give Up, Don't Give In... Cause it is ALL within you to WIN!"

Johnny Guaylupo · « **Reply #2 on:** December 21, 2006, 09:54:01 pm »

Hey

Thank you for the advice and the welcome!

I was actually away from the site for a while..but I'm BACK!

Oceanbeach · « **Reply #3 on:** December 21, 2006, 09:59:41 pm »

I have been experiencing that problem for years. I have been on all the meds invented at the time so, I couldn't nail it down to one of them. I thought for awhile it was one of those "after dead" things like in the movies (vampires, wolfman, etc., etc..

I can go to bed at midnight and still be wide awake at sunrise. I sleep very soundly from about 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM almost every day and sometimes take a nap during the day. Doctor has offered sleeping tablets but Sustiva, Trizivir have warning labels saying "may cause drowsiness" and Requip says not to operate machinery or drive a vehicle while on this medication. Short of sleeping in the car or while operating a jack hammer, I sleep when I can. Have the best day
Michael

Longislander · « **Reply #4 on:** December 21, 2006, 10:00:36 pm »

Hey Johnny, welcome back. My guess is you can't sleep because you're spending too much time thinking about sex.

Johnny Guaylupo · « **Reply #5 on:** December 21, 2006, 10:02:39 pm »

Hey

Well I was thinking to myself if that was the reason why I can't sleep ...

I think about sex all the time..but I shouldn't I get sleepy and just forget the thought of sex..

I'm not sure if it's sex of something else

lydgate · « **Reply #6 on:** December 21, 2006, 11:23:26 pm »

Have you tried yoga or meditation?

I've had insomnia for 20+ years. I need my damn sleep meds.

Jay

allopathicholistic · « **Reply #7 on:** December 21, 2006, 11:27:32 pm »

Here's a holistic trick that works for some people:

Wash your feet then wear socks to bed. In trying this you really have nothing to lose - and clean feet to gain

cubbybear · « **Reply #8 on:** December 21, 2006, 11:35:57 pm »

Hey J.

I'm in the same boat as you. Often in bed at 11pm and still laying there awake at 3am. I've found if I get up, and go sit in front of the computer and surf for about 15 mins and go back to bed, it usually does the trick. Warm milk sometimes (not always) helps also. Warm milk contains chemicals that help induce sleep.

Another thing that works is.. umm.. having a wank, I sleep like a baby after that.

Cheers
Matt

lydgate · « **Reply #9 on:** December 21, 2006, 11:51:21 pm »

I wish the wanking, hot bath, milk solutions worked for me. Alas, they don't.

Johnny Guaylupo · « **Reply #10 on:** December 22, 2006, 12:14:08 am »

A wank?

Eldon · « **Reply #11 on:** December 22, 2006, 08:52:19 pm »

Yes, I AM Supporting You

Hey Johnny...

Wank = Masturbation.

Enjoy your Holiday Season.

"Don't You Dare Give Up, Don't You Dare Give In... Cause it is ALL within you to WIN!"

marco23 · « **Reply #12 on:** December 22, 2006, 08:58:52 pm »

Yeah,
have more sex....that'll wear you out.

joyluckclub · « **Reply #13 on:** December 22, 2006, 10:16:35 pm »

I used to take a dose of trazadone, 2 sleep aids off the supermarket shelf, and then chase it down with a glass of wine.

Hmmmmm.....I did sleep but I had a dam hard time getting up in the morning! LOL

Johnny Guaylupo · « **Reply #14 on:** December 28, 2006, 12:41:26 am »

Yea well I tried the tylenol PM and some wine and it works but it's not good for you health and YES it's hard to get up.

Queen Tokelove · « **Reply #15 on:** December 28, 2006, 01:06:50 am »

I wish I could go to bed at a decent hour. I am up every night til about 3 am, sometimes later then I sleep til around 2 pm. I told my doctor about it and he prescribed me a week's worth of Ambien which helped for the week but am back to the nocturnal schedule. I thought about over the counter stuff because I don't want anything too strong. The Elavil for my neuropathy was working at first but not now. I'm open for suggestions too.

Johnny Guaylupo · « **Reply #16 on:** January 05, 2007, 12:56:45 am »

Commnity,

This is affecting my job, coming to work late.

I can't continue this!!!!!!!!!

newt · « **Reply #17 on:** January 05, 2007, 05:59:36 am »

I have this on and off, mainly on just now

You should get a physical, especially thyroid function, to see if anything's upsetting your sleep pattern. However, often, often, mysterious in cause.

What worked for me: a swim every evening, even a short one, er, yes, hot milk with honey in. Sometimes I hit the valerian tea (a kinda herbal valium).

Re: medication, a short course to kick you into a normal sleeping pattern may help (but then again, can be difficult to wake up in time for work on these...).

A friend of mine swears by melatonin for his non-sleeping, but then he flies a lot, professionally, in the skies, and recreationally, on the ground. Hmm.

- matt

Now playing: Co-Deez, Between the Lines

J.R.E. · « **Reply #18 on:** January 05, 2007, 08:16:07 am »

Quote from: newt on January 05, 2007, 05:59:36 am

A friend of mine swears by melatonin for his non-sleeping, but then he flies a lot, professionally, in the skies, and recreationally, on the ground. Hmm.

- matt

Now playing: Co-Deez, Between the Lines

I have also used melatonin, and found that it works very well. That was before I had started on meds though.

Melotonin worked very fast, usually within 30 minutes of taking it. I don't believe HIV meds and melotonin would be a problem. But I have never had to use it again.

Ray

rick21007 · « **Reply #19 on:** January 05, 2007, 09:49:05 am »

You might see a doctor about this but I'd be leary about taking something that is habit forming which a lot of sleep meds are and a lot of docs are pretty nonchalant about prescribing them unfortunately. Somebody mentioned trazadone which is safe in that regard, although it was prescribed to me once and it just wired me.

Going to bed horny definitely does not help falling to sleep. Wanking used to help me for about 30" but if i didn't fall asleep in that time it didn't help.

What's your caffeine intake--U use energy drinks during the day, much coffee or soda's? That could definitely be a problem if U do.

Anyway, good luck. Rick

Gary85741 · « **Reply #20 on:** January 06, 2007, 08:13:19 am »

For occasional insomnia (which I define for myself as an hour of not being able to fall asleep) I take 2.5 mg. Valium (Diazepam) which will allow me to fall asleep in about thirty minutes.

I realize some people have a hang-up or bias against taking such medications. But to me...heck...if it works...what's the problem? Taking a Valium two or three times a week isn't going to be addictive to most people.

Gary

rick21007 · « **Reply #21 on:** January 06, 2007, 11:24:10 am »

Hi Gary---only problem with valium and other meds in it's category is that over time you will build a tolerance to them so it takes more to get the same effect. They work best as a short term solution. If you don't take it on a regular basis you may not experience this effect or it is delayed. I was on clozapepam (same medication family) for over a year for sleep. Worked great for me and never had a drug hangover in the morning, but experienced a rebound effect when I decided to go off it. Valium especially you need to taper if you have been on it for a while otherwise the withdrawal ain't pleasant. My biggest issue was that I found I didn't _believe_ I could get a good night's sleep without _something_. But then I can be very clever about mind-fucking myself at times.

Another solution to the sleep problem in addition to the over-the-counter naturopathic ones already mentioned would be to make an appt. with a naturopathic physician. I swear by mine (I went to her when I was really suffering with acute hep.b last year and I not only got symptom relief but I ended up kicking it and not going chronic, even though I later found out I was hiv at the same time.)

Rick

Boo Radley · « **Reply #22 on:** January 06, 2007, 02:54:58 pm »

Johnny,

I harp on this more than Carrie Nation did about liquor but many studies have shown HIV by itself can disrupt normal sleep patterns. People with HIV-affected sleep problems have trouble getting to sleep and the types of sleep (there are 4 - 5 types depending on whose definition) they cycle through are not normal. The bottom line is each of us needs a certain amount of "deep sleep" to feel refreshed after waking up. You can sleep for 12 hours but if you didn't get enough deep sleep you'd still feel tired. It's so ironic that HIV has this effect since long term sleep-deprivation decreases immune strength, almost as if HIV was deliberately trying to make its job easier.

Although rick is right that many prescription sleep aids are habit-forming I say it's better to be a well-rested addict than sleep-deprived. I've been taking klonopin for over 10 years and take 4 - 6 mg. a night. I have become quite tolerant of this dose and may ask my doc about increasing it. I also formerly took Triavil, a tranquilizer and mood elevator, but had to stop because of long-term side effects. I currently take Elavil instead of Triavil but it doesn't have the calming effects of the latter. My doc has prescribed Trazadone but it made me feel like shit and recently I tried Tegretol with similar unpleasant effects.

You can surely try some of the other suggestions offered but if you still have problems sleeping talk to your doctor about pharmaceutical options. I recently read that benzodiazapenes (valium, klonopin, xanax, etc.) interfere with deep sleep but if that's the case I must be immune to the problem...

Good luck, sleep well!

Boo

lydgate · « **Reply #23 on:** January 06, 2007, 07:32:13 pm »

Boo, wow, 4 to 6 mg of clonazepam is quite a lot; that would knock me out for 36 hours at least. That having been said, I always get angry with doctors who are myopically benzo-phobic. (I've posted about that on the forums.)

What I currently take is a very low dose of Seroquel. In doses of 600 mg and above it's used as an antipsychotic.

But my dose is 25 mg. A lot of shrinks are baffled that the company hasn't marketed it at a low-dose as a rival to Ambien and Lunesta. Works like a charm.

Stopped taling Ambien for two reasons: the 30-minute memory wipeout side-effect, and the fact that I developed tolerance and needed higher and higher doses.

I've had insomnia for a LONG time. I'm resigned to better living (and sleeping) through chemistry.

Jay

mrtallguy · « **Reply #24 on:** January 06, 2007, 08:05:57 pm »

JOHNNY....
YOU DID NOT MENTION WHAT MEDS (IF ANY) YOU ARE TAKING.....IF YOU ARE TAKING SUSTIVA AT NIGHT IT COULD BE THE CAUSE OF YOUR INSOMNIA. SUSTIVA DID NOT BOTHER ME FOR 6 MONTHS BUT THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED AND I COULD NOT SLEEP WELL AT ALL. INSTEAD OF TAKING 1 DOSE OF SUSTIVA (600mg) IN THE MORNING I TAKE 3 DOSES OF 200mg....ONE WHEN I GET UP (5-6AM), THE NEXT ONE AROUND 9AM AND THE FINAL ONE BY NOON. THIS WAY IT GETS INTO MY SYSTEM AND DOES NOT AFFECT MY SLEEP AT NIGHT. JUST A THOUGHT....

BY THE WAY....GREAT MYSPACE WEBSITE!.....YOU DO AMAZING THINGS!! THANK YOU!!

BE WELL...
CRAIG

PS....IF TYLENOL PM WORKED FOR YOU THEN LOOK AT THE ACTIVE SLEEP INGREDIENT IN THAT...MIGHT BE DIPHENHYDRAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE (HCL).....AND FIND AN OVER-THE-COUNTER SLEEP MED WITH THE SAME ACTIVE INGREDIENT.....THAT WAY YOU ONLY TAKE THE MEDICATION THAT WORKS AND NO TYLENOL ITSELF.

Webbie · « **Reply #25 on:** January 06, 2007, 08:54:14 pm »

Saturday, 06 January, 2007
19:44:17
I to have this problem and have had for a very long time, more then 2 years.

I tried many different things with no results at all. So the way I handle it now is to just make the best of it.

I schedule myself for 20 hour days and use self hypnosis every night to get 3 hours sleep most nights. I know it is not a solution but it works for me.

Every 10 days or so I do hit a crash point and do sleep for 5 to 8 hours.

I strongly recommend hypnosis as with out it I end up going days with out sleep.

Regards,

Webbie

Johnny Guaylupo · « **Reply #26 on:** January 30, 2007, 04:07:07 am »

Quote from: mrtallguy on January 06, 2007, 08:05:57 pm

JOHNNY....
YOU DID NOT MENTION WHAT MEDS (IF ANY) YOU ARE TAKING.....IF YOU ARE TAKING SUSTIVA AT NIGHT IT COULD BE THE CAUSE OF YOUR INSOMNIA. SUSTIVA DID NOT BOTHER ME FOR 6 MONTHS BUT THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED AND I COULD NOT SLEEP WELL AT ALL. INSTEAD OF TAKING 1 DOSE OF SUSTIVA (600mg) IN THE MORNING I TAKE 3 DOSES OF 200mg....ONE WHEN I GET UP (5-6AM), THE NEXT ONE AROUND 9AM AND THE FINAL ONE BY NOON. THIS WAY IT GETS INTO MY SYSTEM AND DOES NOT AFFECT MY SLEEP AT NIGHT. JUST A THOUGHT....

BY THE WAY....GREAT MYSPACE WEBSITE!.....YOU DO AMAZING THINGS!! THANK YOU!!

BE WELL...
CRAIG

PS....IF TYLENOL PM WORKED FOR YOU THEN LOOK AT THE ACTIVE SLEEP INGREDIENT IN THAT...MIGHT BE DIPHENHYDRAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE (HCL).....AND FIND AN OVER-THE-COUNTER SLEEP MED WITH THE SAME ACTIVE INGREDIENT.....THAT WAY YOU ONLY TAKE THE MEDICATION THAT WORKS AND NO TYLENOL ITSELF.

I'm taking Truvada, Reyataz and Norvir

AIDS2HIV · « **Reply #27 on:** January 30, 2007, 07:29:13 pm »

one factor that all chronic diseases share, is they all upset the body's sleep pattern, I'm not talking about medications, im talking any disease that chronically progresses. Once the sleep pattern is jumbled, ya find yourself, fatigued, when normally ya wouldnt be, and awake,when normally you'd be asleep. Pile medications on this, it becomes a crap shoot.

They got me on amitriptyline, and it does me good...i still wake up often, and sometimes dont sleep long, however, when i sleep now, i actually rest.

mrtallguy · « **Reply #28 on:** January 31, 2007, 12:19:37 am »

Amitriptyline (aka Elavil) works great for me...it made me quite groggy in the AM but now that I take my Sustiva in the AM it gets rid of the groggy effects of the Elavil.

Jay...I made notes when you made the intitial post about the seroquel and my doc is going to sub that for the ambien....so we'll see how that works!

Taking my sustiva in the morning helps mysleep much better....I now take 400mg when I get up and 200mg a few nours later....sleeping much better now...
Be Well

Craig

edfu · « **Reply #29 on:** January 31, 2007, 02:03:35 am »

Jay and Craig,

I, too, have an extreme sleep disorder. When the Ambien stopped working after 3 years, my psychiatrist put me on Seroquel as well. It takes a lot of these drugs to work for me, and I'm on 100 mg. Amazing stuff. If I don't set alarms, it lets me sleep for 12 hours at a time.

lydgate · « **Reply #30 on:** January 31, 2007, 02:28:04 am »

Craig and edfu... glad there are other psychiatrists willing to prescribe Seroquel for insomnia; mine seemed to indicate that she was pretty "advanced." Apparently not. But it's all good if it works, and without those dreadful hangover effects. Occasionally I'll go up to 37.5 but not higher than that. I'm afraid of a dose-escalation "war" in my body again.

Jay

antibody · « **Reply #31 on:** January 31, 2007, 03:29:02 pm »

i see my doctor in about 2 hours to see what can be done with my Atripla induced sleep problems. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that ADAP will cover something but at this point if they don't i'd glady pay outta pocket. well any who
wish me luck!

Boo Radley · « **Reply #32 on:** January 31, 2007, 04:00:15 pm »

I tried Ambien and all it did was give me a headache each night. My psych gave me .50 mg triazolam (i.e., two .25 tabs, the highest dose recommended) and I might as well have eaten a Necco wafer (chocolate!). I tried Seroquel several years ago but it's somniferous effects lasted only a few months. I also experienced a "negative side effect" for a while in that each day I was a swishing dervish of energy. I didn't consider it a negative effect at all so didn't tell my doc. Maybe I'll give Seroquel another try. I could use the sleep and the energy.

My sleep patterns now alternate every few months from daytime to nighttime and it's driving me mad. I'll either go to sleep between 11PM - 1AM and wake up after 8 - 9 hours or I'll be up until dawn and sleep intermittently until 1 or 2 PM. If I do not get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep my brain is in 2nd gear all day and my joints and lower back ache. I attribute the former to contracting chronic hep B in 2001 (even though the 3TC in Trizivir wiped out the infection in early 2006 I don't feel much different) and the latter to old age.

Boo

PJC0510 · « **Reply #33 on:** February 01, 2007, 09:41:12 pm »

I sometimes take Valerian Root before bed and it works really well!

koi1 · « **Reply #34 on:** February 02, 2007, 01:53:17 am »

I am on a mild (yet addictive) anti anxiety med, called ativan. I take one .5mg tab each night with my meds. It worked for the first month, but lately it has been more difficult to feel rested. I wake up tired, and wish I could stay in bed. Could I be developing resistance to this med?

rob

marc11864 · « **Reply #35 on:** February 02, 2007, 02:07:43 am »

Quote from: koi1 on February 02, 2007, 01:53:17 am

...Could I be developing resistance to this med?
rob

It's quite possible. I have some friends who've gone on it and then wound up poppin 'em like candy to get the effect. My personal experience with tranqs is limited. I have almost two bottles of temazepam that my doc gave me for jet lag when i flew to Thailand and back and I've had at most one or two.

ndrew · « **Reply #36 on:** February 02, 2007, 02:17:11 am »

I have insomnia due to work. My brain never shuts down... which just leads to more stress... zucks...

Drew

antibody · « **Reply #37 on:** February 02, 2007, 12:53:11 pm »

welp! i saw the doctor about my sleeping problems and got Restoril and dropped the Trazodone. first let me tell you it was a fight. he wanted to give me Seroquel and i was like NO WAY! i've never heard of it and i'm not adding it to my already toxic Atripla. i will not! i had to hear the lecture that Restoril is in the benzodiazapine family and highly addictive. IT"S A SLEEPING PILL FOR PETE'S SAKES!!! so after he understood i wasn't going to party with these i got the script with 1 refill. it's only been 2 nights on the stuff and i've sleep so much better. the Sustiva hangover in the morning is not as bad. i don't feel as good as before the Sustiva but only 2 days into it and i'm a hellava lot better!!

mrtallguy · « **Reply #38 on:** February 02, 2007, 11:14:12 pm »

I tried Restoril and had a bad hangover effect....I was using Elavil only on weekends but it takes several hours to climb out of the haze in the morning....now that I take my Sustiva in the morning it brings me out of the Elavil haze very nicely! The diminished memory from Ambien is becoming a real issue so my doc gave me a scrip for the Seroquel....tonite will be the trial run on that! I read a posting where someone said it works just as well as Ambien without a hangover or memory issues so we'll see! I'll report back...

"Good Night"

Craig

jyngfilm · « **Reply #39 on:** February 02, 2007, 11:35:22 pm »

i'll drink myself to death just to sleep. " sleep is death without the responsibillty"

Johnny Guaylupo · « **Reply #40 on:** February 04, 2007, 04:32:46 am »

So I guess I'm not the only one going through this.

mrtallguy · « **Reply #41 on:** February 04, 2007, 11:29:17 am »

Hey Johnny....you are in good company with this problem!

I tried Seroquel (25mg) Friday night and last night...WOW! That stuff sure does work! Last night I went out to dinner with friends and usually by 10pm I am ready to crash...since I slept SO well Friday night I had plenty of energy to go out to the bar afterwards and then I went to the bathouse (gasp) and came home at 1am. I took the Seroquel and slept until 11am!! I have not done that in YEARS!! Amazing!!

AM Forum....please meet my new friend Seroquel....isn't she wonderful?

Be Well....
Craig

dtwpuck · « **Reply #42 on:** February 04, 2007, 11:42:15 am »

I invented insomnia. (and anxiety attacks) However, i learned that I only make it worse if I fight it and get upset about it. So, I turn the TV on, usually the weather channel or something else monotonous and watch it until I fall asleep. I have come to rely on the TV as a palliative as a result, but it's better than stressing myself out about not sleeping.

To top that off, I have found that I sleep much much better if I work out regularly. Just a thought.

lydgate · « **Reply #43 on:** February 04, 2007, 12:10:09 pm »

Echoing puck on the regular exercise thing.

I love Seroquel too.

But: I also rely on dead German philosphers. A page or two of Hegel has me dozing off in no time.

antibody · « **Reply #44 on:** February 05, 2007, 09:21:51 am »

i'm too scared to try the Seroquel. i was given samples but cant bring myself to take it.

edfu · « **Reply #45 on:** February 06, 2007, 03:04:10 am »

Hey, Anti, why exactly are you so afraid of the Seroquel? A number of us here have reported excellent results with no serious side effects. I don't understand your fear. I'd gladly take your samples.

mrtallguy · « **Reply #46 on:** February 06, 2007, 05:38:32 am »

Hey antibody....cut your Seroquel tabs in half and try that dose....a full 25mg can be a heavy dose so I cut mine in half and that was "just right"....

Be Well...
Craig

antibody · « **Reply #47 on:** February 06, 2007, 12:57:47 pm »

i guess what i am really afraid of the Seroquel changing my mood. i understand it's original intent was to have anti-physcotic effects i know the dose is lower when suggested for insomnia. i don't see what's so wrong with a traditional sleeping pill like Restoril? we know what it does. it puts you so sleep so i have a hard time wanting to take something that was intended for something else just because it makes you drowsy. the doctor didn't want to give me Restoril because it may be habit forming. i already have a habit of not sleeping well and once i researched Seroquel a little more they warn not to discontinue Seroquel due to withdrawls so all in all i'm glad i held out for the Restoril. i have been sleeping better this week.

mrtallguy · « **Reply #48 on:** February 06, 2007, 10:14:49 pm »

Hey Anti...
Great to hear that you have found a solution that WORKS for you....as with all medications, each one affects everyone differently so what works for me may not work for you, etc. I have found that if I use any one sleep medication for too long then it stops working as well....that is why I switch off between Elavil, Seroquel, Ambien, and Lunesta...oh my god....I sound like a druggie store!! Hey it works!! (Since starting the seroquel I am going to stop the ambien since it creates memory loss issues)

Sleep well...
Craig

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Author Topic: Insomnia (Read 13596 times)