Sleep Aids..OTC? RX? SUGGESTIONS?

[zaggahamma]

I am considering taking sleeping pills as I am averaging only 4-6 hours a night and am tired in the day....i am a light sleeper and even the a/c wakes me at times...i normally don't have a problem getting to sleep unless i slept a lot during the day so i think if i can just stay asleep...problem solved

anyone have any suggestions OTC or RX?

thanks

[SMAN12b]

OTC- Benadryl
RX- Lunesta

[zaggahamma]

thanks sman
yes..i forgot how benadryl would knock my as$ out when taking for hayfeever...which is best?
anyone else....pros cons

[SMAN12b]

well the benadryl is cheaper and OTC,
But I have tried many RX sleep aids and LOVE lunesta so ask your doc for some samples. It starts at 1mg with a max dose of 3 mgs and that is what I take nightly 3mgs

[comradebillyboy]

I am considering taking sleeping pills as I am averaging only 4-6 hours a night and am tired in the day....i am a light sleeper and even the a/c wakes me at times...i normally don't have a problem getting to sleep unless i slept a lot during the day so i think if i can just stay asleep...problem solved

anyone have any suggestions OTC or RX?

thanks

Dramamine works very well. Its for motion sickness not an antihistamine. The cheaper walgreens version is wal-dram. Take 2 an hr before bedtime.

[zaggahamma]

I do have a vivid memory of how benadryl used to make me drowsy even during the day...reason why i wouldn't take it for allergies anymore even though it was good for that too
see the lunesta commericals all the time and you've tried em all and give it the knod....i like the sample ideas
my wife is at the store know and i'm relaying these posts to her now....thanks for the quick replies....i'll need an OTC first til get to the medicine man

[SMAN12b]

I have suggested the Lunesta to a few on here and the ones that tried it seem to like it as much as I do.

It seems to put me out nice and quickly (within 20 minutes) and I don't feel grogy or tired in the morning!!

But yes, for OTC, I use benadryl or you could try Tyenol PM

[elite2kr]

lunesta took along time to kick in for me, i prefer benedryl as it puts me out fast.

[zaggahamma]

lunesta took along time to kick in for me, i prefer benedryl as it puts me out fast.

to be honest...i usually don't have a prob getting to sleep but since i have to hit the hay earlier now due to new job, it won't hurt to get some help there...which are usually better for keeping the lion down for the entire count?
or do they all pose a risk of addiction...should i go 5 days on 2 off? or something like that?

[Mobligator]

I take the Rx "Temazepam". Works very well and no side effects. Since I get my Rx's from the VA they don't have Ambien or Lunesta but I have taken Ambien in the past. It's a 1st cousin to Lunesta & works fast. The new Time Release Ambien sounds like it would work well too. It has two parts; one part works to put you asleep fast and the 2nd part works over a longer period to give you a good nights sleep. I also take an occasional Xanax with the Temazepan along with a shot of Peach Schnapps on the rocks to get a synergistic effect, kinda like a double whammy. They say not to use alcohol with those meds but all it does is enhance their effect.

I am considering taking sleeping pills as I am averaging only 4-6 hours a night and am tired in the day....i am a light sleeper and even the a/c wakes me at times...i normally don't have a problem getting to sleep unless i slept a lot during the day so i think if i can just stay asleep...problem solved

anyone have any suggestions OTC or RX?

thanks

[zaggahamma]

I take the Rx "Temazepam". Works very well and no side effects. Since I get my Rx's from the VA they don't have Ambien or Lunesta but I have taken Ambien in the past. It's a 1st cousin to Lunesta & works fast. The new Time Release Ambien sounds like it would work well too. It has two parts; one part works to put you asleep fast and the 2nd part works over a longer period to give you a good nights sleep. I also take an occasional Xanax with the Temazepan along with a shot of Peach Schnapps on the rocks to get a synergistic effect, kinda like a double whammy. They say not to use alcohol with those meds but all it does is enhance their effect.

Hey Mobs...good to see you back posting...yes, I'm considering that time realease ambien...the last few nights I've been taking 2 or 3 benadryl pills and the first 2 nights they seemed to help a bit but still awakened twice to urinate and was able to go back to bed fairly well but last night I woke about 2 hours b4 alarm and had a hard time getting back to sleep

anyone else try ambien or others?

[Mobligator]

Hey Mobs...good to see you back posting...yes, I'm considering that time realease ambien...the last few nights I've been taking 2 or 3 benadryl pills and the first 2 nights they seemed to help a bit but still awakened twice to urinate and was able to go back to bed fairly well but last night I woke about 2 hours b4 alarm and had a hard time getting back to sleep

anyone else try ambien or others?

"but still awakened twice to urinate..." Uhmm! Sounds like the ol prostate. BPH to be exact. I heard on a TV commercial recently for One-A-Day Vitamins for men, where they state that 1 out of 2 men will eventually have prostate problems. Of course it's partly hype to promote their product but it might very well be true. I get up on the average of 2-3 times a night, usually about every two hrs. In the morning I'm just about as tired as I was before I went to bed. It really drags you down. Have you asked your Doc about Detrol or Detrol LA for Nocturia? (Waking up several times a night to urinate is called nocturia) You can do a Google search on Nocturia and Detrol for more info. They're of course expensive like anything else thats good for you these days.
BTW, had my six month blood work up on Mon, waiting for the results. I suspect my T. is lower than my I.Q. (of 80)

[zaggahamma]

"but still awakened twice to urinate..." Uhmm! Sounds like the ol prostate. BPH to be exact. I heard on a TV commercial recently for One-A-Day Vitamins for men, where they state that 1 out of 2 men will eventually have prostate problems. Of course it's partly hype to promote their product but it might very well be true. I get up on the average of 2-3 times a night, usually about every two hrs. In the morning I'm just about as tired as I was before I went to bed. It really drags you down. Have you asked your Doc about Detrol or Detrol LA for Nocturia? (Waking up several times a night to urinate is called nocturia) You can do a Google search on Nocturia and Detrol for more info. They're of course expensive like anything else thats good for you these days.
BTW, had my six month blood work up on Mon, waiting for the results. I suspect my T. is lower than my I.Q. (of 80)

always funny mobs....well remember i went thru the prostate cancer scare, right...well he said i had slight bph and i said well do i need any meds....he said NO! so i can't figure this shiat out
the way you describe is prob my normal night as well....i think the first and maybe second night with my new job (manual labor) and the benadryl at the end of the night i only woke once....so...you think the urge is what's awakening me and i need a bph med instead of a sleep med? can't i take a sleep aid and just crank out a good stream in the morning...man i miss those days

[balin]

Melatonin does wonders for me.

[zaggahamma]

Melatonin does wonders for me.

thanks balin

[Mobligator]

always funny mobs....well remember i went thru the prostate cancer scare, right...well he said i had slight bph and i said well do i need any meds....he said NO! so i can't figure this shiat out
the way you describe is prob my normal night as well....i think the first and maybe second night with my new job (manual labor) and the benadryl at the end of the night i only woke once....so...you think the urge is what's awakening me and i need a bph med instead of a sleep med? can't i take a sleep aid and just crank out a good stream in the morning...man i miss those days

I don't know if the urge to urinate is waking you or not but it does with me. I never had this problem before I was 60 or when I was working. Have you heard that new commercial for Avodart; "I thought I had a going problem but my doctor says I have a growing problem". (BPH) Avodart is another 1st cousin to Proscar. One doc tells you one thing and another something else. Same ol sh-t, just a different asshole. Doctors opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. My brother has nocturia too and his doc gave him Detrol. My VA doc gave me Hytrin and my Endo gives me Proscar. What good is Proscar going to do me when I had my prostate charcoaled.
I don't believe it's my prostate that is growing or the cause of my problem, I had the problem before I had my prostate burnt to a crisp and shrunk to the size of a pea. I think it has something to do with the bladder and/or kidneys. I used to go out almost every nite slopping up the brewski's, go home, take a leak and sleep all night long. No problem! I don't know the answer but I miss those good ol nights too.

[zaggahamma]

I don't know if the urge to urinate is waking you or not but it does with me. I never had this problem before I was 60 or when I was working. Have you heard that new commercial for Avodart; "I thought I had a going problem but my doctor says I have a growing problem". (BPH) Avodart is another 1st cousin to Proscar. One doc tells you one thing and another something else. Same ol sh-t, just a different asshole. Doctors opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. My brother has nocturia too and his doc gave him Detrol. My VA doc gave me Hytrin and my Endo gives me Proscar. What good is Proscar going to do me when I had my prostate charcoaled.
I don't believe it's my prostate that is growing or the cause of my problem, I had the problem before I had my prostate burnt to a crisp and shrunk to the size of a pea. I think it has something to do with the bladder and/or kidneys. I used to go out almost every nite slopping up the brewski's, go home, take a leak and sleep all night long. No problem! I don't know the answer but I miss those good ol nights too.

yep i'm not sure either mobs...but i think there is bladder concerns as well with me as there is slight leaking after for a while which was supposed to be checked with the cystoscope the same time as my prostate biopsy...but after the doc said that he had to do another procedure something like filling up the bladder or something i guess like finding a leak in an old tire but that away, i should be able to go right back to bed after and sometimes i cant...thats why i think its a separate issue than the urinating...i'm just too much of a light sleeper...been that way since starting a family and afraid of things happening to my children so i seem to sleep with one eye open...their getting older now so i NEED SOME SLEEP...they'll have to fend off the monsters themselves now

[vermin]

Back to the original, Benadryl is great, may be all you'd need. As to Tyenol PM, it is just Tylenol with Benadryl, so unless you need the painkiller there's no point. The others - Lunesta etc. all have the potential for addiction, which Benadryl evidently does not.

[zaggahamma]

Back to the original, Benadryl is great, may be all you'd need. As to Tyenol PM, it is just Tylenol with Benadryl, so unless you need the painkiller there's no point. The others - Lunesta etc. all have the potential for addiction, which Benadryl evidently does not.

thanks vermin...addiction is definately a concern....so if benadryl is not addictive then cool...already got it....been working fairly well....thanks to all again....maybe one more thing....those that use benadryl, a dosing question mainly but is the liquid type only for kids? I got the mini tabs (25mg) (target brand generic) and the directions say 1-2 tabs every 4-6 hours (i guess their not thinking it's for sleep so does the weight of the individual come into play when dosing or how long you want to sleep?
I'm 'round 235....how many do you guys take?

[Mobligator]

jpkman,

I have also used the OTC sleep aid "Unisom" but I'm kinda reluctant to recomment it. It does work in so far as getting you to sleep but it makes me drowsy for a good part of the AM after I get up. Don't know if it would affect you the same way or not. It also stops me up a bit, i.e. makes it more difficult for me to urinate when I wake up during the night. The chemical name is "doxylamine succinate" and is sold under other brand names besides Unisom. Just thought I'd mention it since its cheap and it does work.

[zaggahamma]

thanks mobs...i remember that one...been around for a long time...kind a like us....LOL....what do you think about the benadryl?

[vermin]

4 (100mg) if I can sleep as long as I want, 2 or 3 if I need to get up.

[zaggahamma]

4 (100mg) if I can sleep as long as I want, 2 or 3 if I need to get up.

so i pretty much never sleep til whenever so most of the time i dream of just a solid 7 1/2-8 hours so prolly 3 (75mg) be good?

[Mobligator]

thanks mobs...i remember that one...been around for a long time...kind a like us....LOL....what do you think about the benadryl?

Benadryl is a antihistamine and all antihistamines tend to stop me up, i.e. to say, they make it harder for me to urinate. Only tried it once and when I made my first nightly trip to the john I had a hard time getting my pee wee to work. The Rx temazepam (Restoril) doesn't affect my pee thing.
I always thought someday my dick would get me into trouble and I suppose it did, with my first wife. I kept sticking it in the wrong places if ya know what I mean. She accused me of fu-kin every whore in town. I told her our town wasn't so big but she didn't find that very funny. Divored me, so I moved to a bigger city. Now I have all these problems with my prostate and come to find out it's connected to my dick. All one big unit. They're all integral parts of one unit, the prostate, seminal vesicles, ejaculation duct, testicals and the dick, all put there to cause us trouble. When I was young I thought they were there for us to have fun. Well as they say in german, "too soon Vee get alt, too late vee get smart".

[zaggahamma]

Benadryl is a antihistamine and all antihistamines tend to stop me up, i.e. to say, they make it harder for me to urinate. Only tried it once and when I made my first nightly trip to the john I had a hard time getting my pee wee to work. The Rx temazepam (Restoril) doesn't affect my pee thing.
I always thought someday my dick would get me into trouble and I suppose it did, with my first wife. I kept sticking it in the wrong places if ya know what I mean. She accused me of fu-kin every whore in town. I told her our town wasn't so big but she didn't find that very funny. Divored me, so I moved to a bigger city. Now I have all these problems with my prostate and come to find out it's connected to my dick. All one big unit. They're all integral parts of one unit, the prostate, seminal vesicles, ejaculation duct, testicals and the dick, all put there to cause us trouble. When I was young I thought they were there for us to have fun. Well as they say in german, "too soon Vee get alt, too late vee get smart".

good stuff.....i knew it was my fault, too, but still got to keep on keepin on

[anaBROLIC]

i have lunesta but i prefer ambien. lunesta i take 1mg and wake up feeling like crap the next day even after 7-9 hours of sleep. ambien i get up fine and do well.

[zaggahamma]

i have lunesta but i prefer ambien. lunesta i take 1mg and wake up feeling like crap the next day even after 7-9 hours of sleep. ambien i get up fine and do well.

thanks man....does the doc mention a risk of dependancy or is there a way to avoid addiction like using every other night or a few nights then off kinda like HGH?

[anaBROLIC]

well i didnt really get to into it with my doc when she gave me the lunesta. but she knows i was taking tylenol pm for years. she said it was best to switch it up every month or 2 so you dont get to used to it.. but ultimately i should work on switching up habbits to help me to sleep.

[vermin]

so i pretty much never sleep til whenever so most of the time i dream of just a solid 7 1/2-8 hours so prolly 3 (75mg) be good?

I would personally start with 2 and go from there.

[zaggahamma]

I would personally start with 2 and go from there.

advice takin....just dosed............................................. .................................................. ......................................ZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZ