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Avatar universal

Ambien

I just had a follow up with my regular GP, and we talked about the Levo as well as my other issues.
He asked me how I slept and I told him that to be honest for a year, I have not slept more than 5hours a night. I wake up at 3am like clock work. SO in shot, I do not sleep very well.

He thought I would benefit greatly if I got regualr sleep for two weeks.

He offered me Ambien, but said I could try over the counter stuff too if I didn't want that... In short he said that I needed to figure out a way to get regular sleep.

Seeing as I don't like drugs...

Is ambien worth a try or should I try something else?

I can tuff it out too.
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Avatar universal
thanks ACNSC :)

Helpful - 0
1504101 tn?1299155264
I'm taking Lunesta for insomnia, it has less side effects than Ambien (or so they say). It works well for me, but I have had to re-increase from 2mg to 3mg. I had the sleep issues of not being able to fall asleep ~and~ stay asleep. I use to take benedryl, tyenol pm, melatonin, sleep aids, and vesicare (for I.C. that is suppose to make you sleepy also), to no avail. Lunesta has been a life saver, and hopefully when my Ts get straightened out I can come off of it too. Lunesta is more expensive, but your doctor can give you a discount card from Lunesta; my prescription was $50 before the discount, and $9 after.
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Avatar universal
thanks Barb,

I do have melatonin and experimented a little. I had super vivid dreams which was cool!!!
I thought it helped but was not sure.. then with being on levo am so wigged out about meds! I have not even taken an aspirin... ha.
Helpful - 0
649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Have you ever tried melatonin?  If your body doesn't make enough melatonin, you won't sleep well. You can buy melatonin at your vitamin shop, or pharmacy, in strengths ranging from 1 mg to around 5 mg.  You might try a low dose to start with and see if that helps.

I sometimes have the same issue with sleep; however, mine stems, a lot, from the hours I have to keep.  My work schedule requires me to get up at 3:30 am; that means I must go to bed no later than 7:30 pm.  It's not unusual for me to wake up around midnight or 1:00 am and not be able to go back to sleep.  If I wake up in the night and can't go back to sleep, I really struggle to get through the next day, and am really tired that night, so usually will sleep well.  If I go too many nights without adequate sleep, I'll take 1 mg melatonin, but I don't do it often, as it usually leaves me feeling groggy.  

The more "normal" (for me) and stable my thyroid levels have gotten, the less this bothers me.  Hopefully, once your levels get right for you and you stabilize, your issue will diminish as well.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
yeah, that might be an issue... I try to go to bet at 10... so I can get a good night sleep.
But am using to midnight... so maybe I can try that. HA!

Yeah, I pretty much have not slept a good night for 1 year.
Helpful - 0
1299122 tn?1281040416
I have a prescription for Xanax that I keep on hand for those times I need a little help to get to sleep and stay there. I can pretty much tell when I might have a restless night so I break a .5 mg in half and it is just enough to help me stay asleep.
I think a couplke weeks trial wouldn't hurt if you are feeling the symptoms of sleep deprivation.
As your body continues to get used to the steady amount of thyroid hormone from the Levo, you will probbaly settle into a sleep routine. Do you go to bed relatively early?
I find that I don't seem to need more than 6-7 hrs  a night - not sure why. I try not to go to bed too early but also know 10pm feels "late" to me ha ha!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
thanks for responses :)

I will wait a while and see if I stabilize....

he did say that having the flu could very well have knocked me for a loop. He said when you get the flu your thyroid adjusts to accommodate, but having thyroid issues means that it can not adjust accordingly.. that made sense.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I was prescribed ambien before I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer about 6 weeks ago. It was a miracle pill for 4 days and after that it really didn't help me sleep. It did turn my mind off and slow things down, but sometimes I am still awake hours after taking this. Everyone is different and I sure think that it is worth a try! Good luck with it!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm with you on the avoidance of drugs.  However, I do think waking up in the middle of the night can become habit as it did for me after I was very briefly hyper (overmedicated).  Isn't it annoying when you know what time it is BEFORE you look at the clock?!  It was probably close to a year before I got back to a full night's sleep (most nights).  So, I see his point about using the Ambien briefly to break the cycle.  I toughed it out, but I also am semi-retired, work from home and don't have to get up and go off to work every day.  It took a long time.  All my life, before being hyper, I'd slept like a baby...took a bomb to get me up.  Because of that, I didn't have much in the way of "going back to sleep" skills.  I think I'm finally learning them...  

You're still so new to meds and trying to get stabilized...maybe throwing another factor into the equation should wait a while?
Helpful - 0
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