insomnia

[Lynno711]

Does anyone else have trouble sleeping?  I only average 4 hrs. sleep/night.  I'm taking Trazadone 150mg.  Dosen't seem to help.  I'm afraid lack of sleep is affecting my health!  Is this normal?  I'm in week 37 of Interferon and Pegasys.  Every night is a battle, for me.  Maybe I've just psyched myself out.  

[nygirl7]

The Ambien helped me to be able to put my head on the pillow and fall asleep.  Later on I would wake back up after like four hours but after a drink of water I'd lay back down and be able to fall asleep again. Then wake up then fall asleep - but I figured that was WAY better than nothing.

Unfortunately it's a side effect that really compounds the lethargy.  Just try to remember WHY you are treating and the good it is doing for your liver.  Doesn't sound like much at 3am but...............this too shall pass.

[JTRiver]

I've been on Trazadone for about five years now and it's a god send. Before starting tx I decided to go to my doctor and up my dosage from 100mg to 300mg a night because I was unaware of how I would react to treatment. I've been very lucky on tx I will finish next month and haven't suffered one side effect but I know how you feel about not being able to sleep. From 18 to 21 I would only average about two hours of sleep a night so I can only imagine how you feel dealing with sleep deprivation and tx! Go talk to your doctor and ask him about upping your dosage. Another thing that might help you is space your Trazadone out. For instance, right after dinner take one with a full stomach and let it build up then at 8 or 9 pm take another that always seemed to help me. Good Luck.

[JennyPenny]

Bill gave you some great advice. I also want to say that none of the sleeping aids ever helped me. My doc said to take benadryl and that works for me. Some people get hung over the next day but I don't. You may want to ask your doc if that is ok for you to try. It is over-the-counter, liver friendly, and very inexpensive.

[Bill1954]

Hi Lynno, you’re probably at the end of your rope. Many people have problems with insomnia on HCV treatment. Try to get even light exercise during the day, avoid daytime naps, no caffeine after noon, and if none of that helps, maybe you could ask your doctor for something like Ambien of Lunesta maybe; I assume they are available in Canada, although possibly under a different brand name. The generic name for Ambien is ‘Zolpidem’, if that helps.

Good luck, and sleep well :o)

Bill