TROUBLE SLEEPING

[jimenez50]

HI EVERYONE.  I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF ANYONE HAS HAD TROUBLE SLEEPING WHILE TAKING ATRIPLA. 

[ndrew]

Hi Jim,

Welcome!  No, it usually knocks me out, however I have trouble sleeping due to stress.

Drew

[Peter6836]

Jim,
The Atripla knocks me out also. I take it around 10:00PM every night and I am asleep at around 10:15. Although I do wake up around 4:30AM and am not able to fall back asleep afterward. So I guess the answer is yes and no!
Peter

[Andy Velez]

Jimenez, when did the trouble sleeping begin?

Anything else different or changed going on along with going on Atripla?

[puertorico2006]

I dont know if you have a lot on your mind...possibly caused by starting meds (im assuming that you just did but i may be wrong)....i know i have HORRIBLE probblems sleeping in general when i have new things going on in my life because an overactive mind. Taking the ATRIPLA migh be making you think....

other suggestions for sleep....

no big meals before bed....especially true i hear with sustiva...no fatty meals if im wrong correct me....

No exercise late in the evening..exercise is important but it raises endorphins which can be helpful during an energetic day, but at night its a drag because you get pumped up even if your tired and sleep is next to impossible (im 100% sure about this one)

dont do anything that interests you before bed...ex talking online...

try to wake up at the same time every day no matter how much sleep you got the night before.....waking up at 1pm and trying to go to bed at 12-1am is difficult (my problem sometimes)

limit caffeine and alcohol intake....no caffeine at least 2-3 hours before bed and in my case i need to make it 5-6 hours before bed because i drink massive amounts....alcohol interferes with sleep also so cut that out if its an issue...smoking is also a problem because nicotine is a stimultant (chainsmokers!!!)


those are just a few things ive learned through reading and experience....hope it helps

[Blixer]

Jim, I'm not on atripla but when I first started with sustiva I had significant insomnia.  We moved my meds to the morning.  I handle the sustiva just fine in the AM and now I'm usually asleep within minutes of going to bed at night.

[RapidRod]

Jim, I've had insomnia due to sustiva and due to the sustiva in the atripla. I was issued sleeping pills to help cope.

[SouthSam7]

I'm going to my doc tomorrow (Friday) to get some good sleeping pills, I hope.  I've wasted so many days because I can't sleep at night.  I don't take Atripla.  I don't know why I can't sleep at night (and then I'm tired all day).

[budndallastx]

Like Peter, I can take my Sustiva at 9pm and I am out 15 minutes later.  My fiirst month of Sustiva was not the same; however, it was causing me to just toss and turn but after I adjusted to the med, it's just a better form of ambien for me.

There was another thread on here about sleeping problems and sustiva and some people were taking melantonin to help.  It's better just to talk to your doc and see what he/she suggests.

How long have you been taking Atripla ?

[SouthSam7]

puertorico I have to say I'm not sure I totally agree about your exercise advise.  I find that I will sleep very well if I work out, say 2-3 hours before bedtime, take a warm/hot shower, relax, unwind, and go to bed.  Perhaps people all react differently to nighttime exercise.  But it definitely works for me.

I think advise about not exercising at night, though I've heard it a million times, is an old wives tale.  It's up there with "shaving makes the hair grow back thicker" - it's not true.  It's an urban legend.  Just don't exercise 10 minutes before you want to go to sleep.  The increased heart rate would wake anyone up - temporarily.

I have found, though, that the caffiene thing is very true.  Don't do it if you have any trouble sleeping.  In fact, I can only drink a few cups of coffee or esspresso a day now, and never later than the afternoon.

[BT65]

It's true that you shouldn't eat high fat food when you take your Sustiva (if you take it at night).  I'm on Sustiva and take it at night.  If I eat something that has a lot of fat in it, I have terrible nightmares.  It doesn't keep me awake, just the nightmares.  I find that I have to mentally "shut my mind off."  Otherwise, I could probably stay up all night (and right now I have no reason to do that! ).

[frenchpat]

Hi,

I am not on the same regimen but have bouts of insomnia due to a hyperactive mind. If, like me, you tend to be averse to taking (too much) medicine/chemicals and want to try a more natural route, try an infusion of orange blossom. In europe you can buy it in bulk (dry petals), usualy from food shops who sell middle eastern food. I find it works well and the taste is nice. You can also mix it with roman chamomille for a different taste. (Chamomille is calming too). Additionaly, go for the hot bath with a few drops of lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia).

hope this helps you sleep

Pat

[MitchMiller]

Yeah... began after about a year on Sustiva and have it on and off ever since (3yr and counting).   Over the last couple years now, the NRTI's are now causing it as well.  Currently I'm setting my alram for 3:15AM to get up and take the Sustiva.  It is the biggest culprit and this seems to help.  Usually I can get back to sleep before it kicks in and then I can sleep OK. 
This week I had it bad, not sure why because this has been my easiest week at work in six months.  I had to resort to sleeping pills 3 out of the last 5 nights.  I use restoril and don't want to take it too often because it's physically addictive... but it's one of the better sleeping pills because you won't have so much of a hangover from it and it seems to work... but it sometimes just isn't strong enough.  Tonight is Friday, so I'll just stay up till I konk out without chemical assistance... probably around 2 or 3.

[YnotinVA]

I started out taking Atripla before going to bed (and at least a couple to 3 hours after I had eaten (around 10:00 or 11:00pm), I slept well, but when I got up in the morning to go to work, I would still be dizzy and still very very sleepy.  So I wasn't getting into work until after 10:00 or 11:00am.  So after about 5 nights of that, I called my MD and he told me to change my dosage time to right before I leave work in the afternoon (around 4:30 or 5:00pm)...that way it would hit after I got home....and I would only have to make sure that 1.5 hrs had passed before I ate any dinner.  This gave the drug plenty of time to wear before the next morning.  Then I ran into the problem where I was having very bad insomnia.....so my doc wrote me a script for Ativan, which has helped me a lot in my sleeping and feeling ready to go the entire next day.  It's just that since I'm taking my med earlier in the day now, my late afternoon/early evening times are somewhat of a waste (as I get tired/dizzy/etc).

YnotinVA

[alisenjafi]

Last November , my doc changed my regimen from Sustiva, Truvada to Atripla.  It was a nightmare.  For 5 months I would wake at 2-3 in the morning raring to go.  I Then would force myself back to sleep and have the worst dreams- even though I have been on Sustiva for over 3 years.  I told the doc I want back and am back to Sustiva, Truvada.

There is obviously something else in the Atripla mix.  Don't be afraid to let your doc know you are unhappy about Atripla.  And ask for other options -it's your health!
Johnny

[antibody]

http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/SustivaTips_7550.shtml


i had to take trazodone but that wore off too quick so the last 3 moths i tried Restoril which worked great but i couldn't handle sustiva anymore and switched. check out the tips on taking sustiva link maybe it will help. good luck.