Insomnia - can't take it any more!

So for about 3 different reasons, I am not getting any sleep. Or only about 3 -4 hours a night, and not all at once. I really don't think I can take it any more; I'm at a loss as to what to do!

I can sometimes fall asleep, but I have a lot of pain in one of my hips, and that wakes me up almost right away. Then I'm having a lot of anxiety and my mind starts racing and I can't fall back asleep. Finally, when I fall back asleep, Tigger wakes me up at 3:30 to be fed. Then I can't get back to sleep for the other 2 reasons.

Has anyone else here had insomnia like this? What did you do? I'm going to see the "nurse practitioner" tomorrow, but my doctor's not open until September 9th. I seriously cannot wait that long! I haven't slept for most of August.

Is your nurse practitioner allowed to prescribe for you? I so ask her about maybe a low dosage of Ativan. I was having a really issue with insomnia not to long ago, mine was caused because of a change in my medications.

My doctor prescribed Ativan for me for about a week and it really helped to regulate my sleep patterns. Sometimes when you are overtired it is hard to relax enough to actually rest. I found that the Ativan helped me relax enough to sleep and after a few days I was no longer overtired and begin to relax normally again.

I've never suffered from such severe insomnia, but I know people who have, and it sounds nightmarish.

I hope your NP will be able to help!

Can you lock Tigger out of the bedroom for a few nights? I'm sure he'd be happy enough if you left him a new toy or two and a bowl of dry food (if you feed that).

Originally Posted by MonaxLisa

Can you lock Tigger out of the bedroom for a few nights? I'm sure he'd be happy enough if you left him a new toy or two and a bowl of dry food (if you feed that).

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I've thought about it, but she's 20 years old, and I'd feel horrible. Maybe if I could sleep through it for a couple nights she'd postpone her habit. (We do free feed dry; I kind of think she's just lonely.)

And, LOL, I wasn't the one who trained her to do that; she came that way!

I had a bad August, as well, as my new cat Brillo thinks it's such fun to be the "town crier" several times through the night, as well as bring bugs and moths to the bed and chase them all over at any hour of the night, AND beg for food all night as well. I would just want to cry sometimes, as I was soooo tired.

I finally locked her out 3 nights ago. Amazingly, she now sleeps. Even more amazing---I sleep! I am missing my "soulcat" Ziggy as he frequently will slip in and sleep on my belly--very quietly--which I love, and now he can't do that as the door is closed. However, we will figure a solution to that problem later. Right now I'm sleeping!

I hope you find some sweet relief!!!!

Cally

I am going through the same thing right now. I just moved to Denver in March.

I now have an appointment at the Insomnia clinic at UCH on September 16th. I am not sure what to expect. I already take Klonopin and I still don't sleep.

I have chronic pain as well and my "herd" who think 3 am is breakfast time. Lately I am only sleeping between 6 and 9 am. Like you it is not working.

I agree with asking for a short term prescription of something, trazadone sometimes helps especially short term. It is safe, non narcotic, and taken at a really low dose, and inexpensive.

PM if you would like, I will be more than happy to share my experiences at the Insomnia clinic once I visit.

Originally Posted by kittymonsters

I am going through the same thing right now. I just moved to Denver in March.

I now have an appointment at the Insomnia clinic at UCH on September 16th. I am not sure what to expect. I already take Klonopin and I still don't sleep.

I have chronic pain as well and my "herd" who think 3 am is breakfast time. Lately I am only sleeping between 6 and 9 am. Like you it is not working.

I agree with asking for a short term prescription of something, trazadone sometimes helps especially short term. It is safe, non narcotic, and taken at a really low dose, and inexpensive.

PM if you would like, I will be more than happy to share my experiences at the Insomnia clinic once I visit.

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Wow, I'm glad I'm not the only one, but sorry to hear so many people have the same problem. I'm thinking the pain is mostly the problem. But I don't want to ask for pain pills, you know what I mean?

I've had a hip resurfacing (like a replacement) a couple years ago, on the other side, and the pain I'm having now feels somewhat like bursitis (sharp pain right in a certain place) but also it feels like the other hip before it went (where it radiates to the knee.) Sometimes the pain in my knee is much worse than the hip, just like before, with the other hip. I have an appointment with my surgeon...October 21. That seems like forever to me now.

Try some ice on the hip (I know...I know...sounds cruel) before bedtime to help settle down the inflammation. Heat is not so good as it will increase blood flow to the area and actually cause rebound pain an hour or so later.

I've had insomnia off and on for DECADES and have found the homeopathic sleeping tablets "Calms Forte" to be useful. Don't know if it's the placebo effect or not...I just know they help and that's good enough for me. Sometimes I'll do Benadryl, but usually not more than twice a month as it will no longer have the "sleep making effect" with continued use. I've tried the Ambien and others, but I'm one of those who does weird things when on them so that's a no go---didn't really keep me asleep either.

Kitty Monster---please do a thread on what you find out at the insomnia clinic (if it's postable--heheh!) when you get some answers. I'm sure many are interested in what you learn.

Good luck!

C

I have insomnia and I think mine is caused by menopause. I take ambien and they work really well. I am not groggy in the morning like some sleeping pills make you.

As I've gotten older, and my back pain has become the focus of my whole exsistance....I experience insomnia more often than not.

OTC Benedryl (diphenhydramine), 50 mg at bedtime helps. My mom tried it, and she experienced the paradoxical effect of anxiety and agitation. It usually makes me feel kind of groggy in the morning.

Another over-the-counter sleep aid I've found helpful is called "Sleep MD". It's a mix of melatonin, valerian, white willow, lavender and other herbs to promote sleep. This on worked for my mom too, without any agitation, as it is Benedryl free.

I have prescriptions for muscle relaxers for my back pain, (Skelaxin, Soma & Flexeril) which knock me out for about 4 hours (enough to make me feel a bit rested, but not groggy.)

When the above mentioned treatments fail, I do have a script for Ambien CR. That stuff works every time. It can be kind of scary. I have to be laying in bed AS I take it, so I can roll over and fall asleep. If I'm vertical when I take it....who knows what I'm going to do, who I'm going to call, what I'm going to bid on through eBay. And I'm here to tell ya....you don't remember ANY of it when you wake up in the morning. You don't remember it until the packages start arriving in your mail box, or your friend calls and says, "Where are you? We were supposed to meet an hour ago!"

Obviously, I just that sh it as a last resort!!!

I know what you are going thru because I've been there myself. You need to treat the pain. Get that under control and the rest will take care of itself.

I've been on two different sleep medicines, neither worked for more than a day or two, and three different anti depressants The only thing that worked was finally getting some control over the pain.

I can also second the statement "You don't remember it until the packages start arriving in your mail box". Shopping on line or from TV is just too easy!

In between lower back pain, coughing fits, having to pee two or three times a night, nightmares and stress are cats wanting to cuddle or play. It's been about two years now, and I'm a wreck.
They prescribed me Trazadone at first, but I got suicidal, then reading up on it saw that it wasn't to be used for peple with depression or bi polar disorder. Tried Ambien, but that only made me stupid when I woke up, I reached for the bath tissue and my entire body followed my hand, I wound up on my head on the floor! Go ahead and snicker, I find it funny myself a year later.
Now I just sleep when I can. A couple 10 or 15 minute naps during the day, and a few 2 hour naps during the night. Every few weeks I'm so tired that I sleep for about 5 hours non stop. It's been great for weight loss though, I've dropped over twenty pounds without dieting.

Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

As I've gotten older, and my back pain has become the focus of my whole exsistance....I experience insomnia more often than not.

OTC Benedryl (diphenhydramine), 50 mg at bedtime helps. My mom tried it, and she experienced the paradoxical effect of anxiety and agitation. It usually makes me feel kind of groggy in the morning.

Another over-the-counter sleep aid I've found helpful is called "Sleep MD". It's a mix of melatonin, valerian, white willow, lavender and other herbs to promote sleep. This on worked for my mom too, without any agitation, as it is Benedryl free.

I have prescriptions for muscle relaxers for my back pain, (Skelaxin, Soma & Flexeril) which knock me out for about 4 hours (enough to make me feel a bit rested, but not groggy.)

When the above mentioned treatments fail, I do have a script for Ambien CR. That stuff works every time. It can be kind of scary. I have to be laying in bed AS I take it, so I can roll over and fall asleep. If I'm vertical when I take it....who knows what I'm going to do, who I'm going to call, what I'm going to bid on through eBay. And I'm here to tell ya....you don't remember ANY of it when you wake up in the morning. You don't remember it until the packages start arriving in your mail box, or your friend calls and says, "Where are you? We were supposed to meet an hour ago!"

Obviously, I just that sh

it as a last resort!!!

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I do take benedryl and melatonin at night. That's how I get to sleep in the first place. But of course the pain isn't helped much by that.

Once, when i was having trouble sleeping right after my mom died, my doctor gave me something for about a week, but it wasn't Ambien, because my doctor heard those stories about people eating the entire fridge when asleep on Ambien! (how sad, you wouldn't even taste it, LOL)

Originally Posted by kluchetta

I do take benedryl and melatonin at night. That's how I get to sleep in the first place. But of course the pain isn't helped much by that.

Once, when i was having trouble sleeping right after my mom died, my doctor gave me something for about a week, but it wasn't Ambien, because my doctor heard those stories about people eating the entire fridge when asleep on Ambien! (how sad, you wouldn't even taste it, LOL)

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Hey hon,I am on Ambien.I have been on it on and off for 4 years now.The most recent, I have been taking it for a year straight.
I have NO ill effects in the am....nor do I in the pm after taking it.
I am one of those that COULD actually drive--though I would NEVER do that--after taking it.
It is the ONLY thing that helps me get any sleep at all.
Recently, I was hospitalized for a migrane that I have had for over a month now.My Dr added Elivil to my meds at night.It helps the Ambien by relaxing me even more--so I can sleep better.
I was on the trazadone,and it made me SICK! I got the worst headaches from taking that med.
I have suffered from insomnia for YEARS now.I hope you are able to find something that works for you.Getting no or little sleep,only makes your health and all go downhill.
for you!!

Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

I have prescriptions for muscle relaxers for my back pain, (Skelaxin, Soma & Flexeril) which knock me out for about 4 hours (enough to make me feel a bit rested, but not groggy.)

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Skelaxin has never done anything for me. I can take them and still have bad muscle spasms. DH had no luck with them for his back, either. I still have some flexeril, but rarely take them. How can you not be groggy? The drug has an 18 hour half life. If, say, I took one right now at 9pm I'll still feel the side effects of it (that grogginess and effect on blood pressure) till tomorrow afternoon! - A bit of caution to any who consider taking it and don't want to be completely knocked on their butt from it. But I'm sure it's effect on norepinephrine could be what causes a more exaggerated effect on me now as I used to be able to take it without it hitting me quite so strongly.
No idea about Soma, never tried that one and don't feel like bothering with muscle relaxers anymore (too much trouble for too little benefit).




I'm not sure if this would help you at all, and it won't help pain issues. But could you possibly research circadian rhythm and how light affects that? I could go into detail, but it would probably be best if you read something more complete as I always tend to leave little bits out assuming people know more than they do.
Basically, set your routine and be careful how much and what type of lighting you get during the day as it can affect your circadian rhythm. Try resetting yourself and see if that helps sleep any.

Unfortunately, nothing I do helps mine as it's delayed. I can't go to sleep early, though I'm usually able to stay asleep and get 7-8 hours. A new bed did help my back issues, and maybe that could help some with pain problems.

Good luck with the doctors appointments. I hope you can get some answers and some relief soon.

Originally Posted by tierre0

Is your nurse practitioner allowed to prescribe for you? I so ask her about maybe a low dosage of Ativan. I was having a really issue with insomnia not to long ago, mine was caused because of a change in my medications.

My doctor prescribed Ativan for me for about a week and it really helped to regulate my sleep patterns. Sometimes when you are overtired it is hard to relax enough to actually rest. I found that the Ativan helped me relax enough to sleep and after a few days I was no longer overtired and begin to relax normally again.

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I also use ativan. I've been an insomniac for years. Ativan works really well but can be addictive (although I've never found it to be) As the previous poster mentioned I take it once or twice a week and sometimes this gets me in a pattern that i'll sleep for a couple days without ativan, and if it doesn't atleast i get two nights of good sleep.............

I am glad you are seeking medical attention and wish you good luck with this. Some people take a supplement called Melatonin. But read the label before taking it and don't take it straight for months.

Originally Posted by cococat

I am glad you are seeking medical attention and wish you good luck with this.

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absolutely Kim....at least you can count with all good wishes from TCS for you can Rest soon!.-.

..............

I, too have chronic insomnia, partly due to physical pain (arthritis and fibromyalgia) I do take some pain medications (prescription strength ibuprofen) but the insomnia was affecting my entire life.

I am afraid of sleeping pills so my doc had me trying melatonin, chamomile, warm milk, benadryl. None of it was helping me, and I did give each method at least 6 months to work.

Finally he told me about a couple of old antidepressants that are being prescribed now for sleep aid. there were two, and I opted for the Elavil (amitriptyline) as the other one, doc said, had more of an incidence of hang over. (I think it was trezadone)

the amitriptyline has been a miracle to me. I now sleep six or seven hours a night. I am still waking up at 3:30 every morning to feed Ootay (though she has been gone almost 4 months), but other than that, I am sleeping in a way that I never believed possible.

Amitriptyline, being an antidepressant, also helps with pain.

Make sure you've got a comfortable bed. A bad bed can ruin sleep like nothing else.