to sleep or not to sleep..

[meg321]

that is my question !!

I am so tired of not sleeping, I am taking trazodone and one more might help because two is not working.  I do take OTC meds to help and sometimes it helps but not always.  And even other meds I take at night that make me drowsy during the day does not help at night.  I always wake up with a med hangover when I use so many all at once.

My other problem is that if I go anywhere and stay the night, I just don't sleep at all.  This is not a new issue, I have not slept well for many years.  I can't do that because it wrecks a good time I could have otherwise.  I am going away for two days tomorrow and I have a friend who had ambien and she gave me one.  Yeah, yeah, I know this is not something I should do, but I did.

This is what happens sometimes when your Dr. refuses to help you.  And actually I had 12 ambien that was prescribed last year in July , I just used the last one when I was gone overnight last month.  I do not take them unless it is necessary.

And I keep saying that I will be 70 in 4 years, why can't I have a  good quality of life while I can.  Not sleeping makes me sick now, I go to bed all day.

I do see my MS Doc in June or July and will put in a call this week.  But I would rather talk to her face to face.  Thats the only time I can talk to her.

Does anyone else have anything to say about this subject?  

Thanks, meg

[cainer]

yeh   its  awful       its like  the  switch  wont  shut off!!      and  me  to  take 2  many  pills  to  try  to  sleep-  
with  me  provigil helped  i  guess  i  was  morew  alert  during  the day-   so  i  slept  better at night-
now  they switched to  nuvigil  and  ins.  doesnt  want to  pay-  urgg!   try  2  have  sweet  dreams!!      tick

[supermum_ms]

I know i'm so weird but i'm feeling so energetic and i'm not sleeping, not even napping. I love 'MY' insomnia, sheesh i've even got my periods and i usually sleep a lot during that time but for some strange reason i'm full of beans. All i need now is to stop doing the wobble and chucking things, i feel great sorry but i really really do, so much so that its freaking out DH.

Well I dont blame him, i was cooking dinner with all the energy of yester year, wobbling all over the place and throwing the large chopping knife around and trying not to jerk my hand into its path, oh i was dangerous and loving it lol. Thought i should go shopping tomorrow, which would mean getting in my lovely car and driving it, actually driving it. Scared him silly, he loved the fact i'm energetic and not the blob of goo he's had to get use too but the idea of me being out and about on my own after only 2 days of my old energy but not my old controlled body, mind and eye sight. Hmmm maybe i'll see how long it lasts before i start getting all cocky lol.

Sorry i know you probably dont want to hear but surely i cant be the only one who is brighter and more energetic. Its 1am and i'm still not feeling sleepy at all, its probably more to do with the consistent fatigue i've had for months on end, summer is over, its raining and getting colder which might have a lot more to do with it but i'm not one to quibble. So is that called hyper-allert or just loopy weird?

Cheers........JJ

[sllowe]

Hi Meg,

Oh, how I can relate! I've had so many problems, myself.

I did not find the Ambien to be such a lifesaver, if anything it's too sensitive to food and doesn't always work (for me). When you are not walking around looking and feeling like a zombie from no sleep, if your lucky to get some from the med, the side affects make you feel like a zombie.

All I can say is get as much fresh air as you can during the day.  Get up early no matter how much you didn't sleep that night and work through (if you can) all the tired moments during the day - in other words, try not to nap.  

Hopefully you'll be so exhausted, you'll crash. For me, I needed several of those crashes every so often - to slowly start getting off the meds and sleeping about 6 hours.

No sleep is horrible  - I know your probably in the I'll try anything mode, so hoping you can add on this or a variation to see if it helps...

-shell

[Erin0313]

Meg,

  I am so sorry that you are not sleeping and that it is ruining your time away!

  I take ambien when I just can't stand it anymore and it is great. All of my neuros and even my PCP will rx it for me.

  My hubby was sick for over 3 months earlier this year and I asked his gastro doctor to give him ambien for sleep because he was waking up from the pain and exhausted and depressed. The other doctors kept giving him Codeine or Vicoden but he hates the way they make him feel and he wouldn't take them.

A few good nights sleep on Ambien CR lessened his pain and improved his attitude. When the body and brain are sleep deprived everything is harder.

Stick that post note on and get yourself some Ambien!

Good luck and sleep well
Hugs,
Erin :)

[rendean]

I'm sorry you are having such a difficult time sleeping. Definitely ask about this with your doc. Lack of sleep only compounds the simple issues in life and makes them bigger issues than they really are.  Not to mention the physical side effects of no energy.

Wishing you luck when you talk to your doc and until then blissful sleep.......

Ren

[meg321]

I think I will talk to my MS doc, I forgot last time I was in to see her..this time I will call and make a note to ask when I see her and paste it to my forehead.

I am way so tired of it...

hugs , meg

[HVAC]

I used to have a terrible insomnia problem. Pain is my real issue. I have learned self hypnosis and it helps a lot. I usually fall asleep in my elevator up to my hot air balloon which floats over water falls. I usually fall asleep by the the third floor. I do not like the sedating drugs because I tend to fall if I get up to go to the bathroom and I do not like the hung over feeling.

Plus I use the hypnosis for pain as well. It gives me a great feeling of control. To me insomnia is the opposite, the utmost in loss of control.

Alex

[essdipity]

Hi, Meg. I'm not clear on whether your doctor will give you Ambien. You don't want to become dependent on them, of course, but if they help you you should ask for them. Ambien is not related to benzos, thank heavens.

My own doctor will prescribe Ambien or Lunesta freely, though my insurance will cover only 15 for any thirty days. That's okay with me, and I take far fewer than that, usually just once a week when I do my Avonex shot. If I took them often they would stop working, as has happened to me, but otherwise they've done me no harm.

In recent months I've been the other way around--very tired and sleeping too much. I slept 10 solid hours last night and have just awakened from a 2 1/2 hour nap, still tired. MS can really mess with sleep, and if you can't sleep enough your entire quality of life is ruined. So please call your doctor about this.

Good sleeping,
ess

[Celery47]

I'm sorry you're having trouble sleeping! :(  And that the drug situation is not going well...  I agree about trazadone, btw, that stuff was just not working for me!  

And - I'm really surprised about your doctor's take re: ambien.  I'd recommend going to a different PCP on this particular issue (or seeing your MS doc - that sounds smart).  I know doctors can have greatly varying takes on benzodiazepines and benzo-like drugs like ambien; I know my doctor is WAY more lenient than yours, by the sound of it!  Also, from what I've read, it seems like your age should work FOR you, not against you, in this case... humph :(

If Ambien is working, I'd advocate finding a different doctor who will prescribe them for you!  I mean, I know there are drawbacks, but it sounds like the current plan (trazadone hangover and not enough sleep!) is just not working.  I'm wishing you luck!!!