Insomnia

Falling asleep is not the problem. Staying asleep is.

I wish I hadn't had such a strong reaction to Doxepin. I slept so well!

What do others of you do?

I take Gravol on occasion, but then I don't really suffer from insomnia - yet...
Others swear by melatonin, I haven't tried it yet myself, though.

Risa

I haven't found the solution to my insomnia either. I don't respond to just about anything out there. For a time, before I was on methadone, my headache neurologist teamed up with my sleep neurologist (I have him because I have restless leg syndrome and it got too bad for my headache specialist to treat by herself) and put me on xyrem, which is probably the most regulated prescription drug out there because it is, in essence, GHB, the date rape drug. You have to get it directly from the manufacturers, and only you can sign for it from FedEx at your home. No one else can, and it can't be outside your permanent residence, for safety precautions. It also tastes really horrific, to make sure that someone doesn't use it as a date rape drug.

It has been approved by the FDA for treatment of narcolepsy to force a deep sleep, but it has also been experimented on pain patients whose pain has kept them from sleeping. But you can't take anything that might suppress your breathing at all if you take this because it suppresses your breathing itself, so now that I'm on methadone, I can't take it. And I was getting tolerant to it pretty fast. Plus, it had some pretty nasty side effects. But that was the only thing that has ever really successfully put me to sleep.

That's why I'm on Ronda's now. My head isn't letting me sleep. Once I fall asleep, I generally do o.k. and sleep long hours. But it is really hard for me to get into a real sleep.

Me, I use extended release Melatonin, a small dose. Some times, it works, some times it does not.

Last night it worked, 6 and a half of sleep.

Martin

Ambien.

My neuro told me that narcotics interrupt sleep.

Figures!

I use melatonin (3 mg) taken two hrs before I want to be asleep. But there are so many different causes of insomnia that it may not work for some. But it's cheap and readily available w/o prescription. It's also a very powerful antioxidant. As we age our body makes less of it so I don't view it as a med, just putting back into my body what should already be there.

I was taking Lunesta, it didn't work that great, plus too expensive now that I don't have insurance.

Now taking Ami. Works great for sleeping, believe it's the best I've had to date. I actually don't wake up during the night like I did with Lunesta. Of course, there are side effects, mine are only minimal. Haven't noticed much difference though with it working for my migraines/CDH.