are there pills that a doctor can prescribe to me for insomnia? i can't seem to go to bed until 5 or 6 or 8 in the morning, and then i sleep late into the evening. Usually I can stay up all night and all day, and then be tired that night and get myself back into a normal schedule, but it's just not happening. Unisom doesn't help.
Yes, Ive gotten some perscription ones before. THey didnt do jack shit. They didnt help me fall asleep, but when I fell asleep I would sleep for artound 16 hours. It was horrible. That may just be me though, I have horrible insomnia as you can see the majority of my postings on here are in the 1 am - 10 am area. I suggest going and trying to get some over the counter at your local pharmacy. They have good ones there. They made me drowsier than the perscription ones. I had to get the strongest ones for any effects though.
there are prescriptions that help along with over the counter medicines. Sometimes certain 'scripts just don't work in your body so if that hapeens, try something else. I would also recommend non-drug methods. Try some lavender- the scent is very relaxing. Try meditation and deep breathing exercises. Or work out or do some physical activity about an hour before you want to go to bed so your body is tired.
try some 5-htp. it naturally ups the seritonin levels in your brain. just take one at bedtime. you never feel sleepy still in the morning. they're non-addictive. and you can still sleep natually without them once you get a normal sleep cycle going.
Guess if ya need prescribed pills its "Ambien" but most of the elderly I've seen take it don't sleep all that great and it has side-effects that ya might not want. Course the over-the-counter stuff like unisom or Tylenol PM aren't good for ya either. I have to take more then is recommended and I still only sleep 6 hrs at the most...unfortunately I ran out last night which means I'm on the computer all night now.
How long has this been going on loveflower? I had temporary insommnia for about 6 weeks after I first began taking anti-depressants in April this year, I was giving sleepiing pills to help with this but I never took them and I found that eventually my insommnia went away. Sleeping pills can be bad news, they are very powerfull and addictive and should only be used as a last resort.
i was on presecribed pills - they worked for like a month, and then i found myself taking them when they weren't working. then my doctors put me on tranqs and i couldn't move, all i could do was sleep. wiccan witch is right about addiction. i got addicted to mine, i was in withdrawal for 3 months. it was hell.
I don't know if you do this already, but force yourself to get up early and start exercising more. The more active I am, the less problems I have with insomnia. Though I still have problems getting to sleep at night at times - I stay away from the sleeping pills - they pretty well ruin me the next day.
Have you tried Melatonin? It's over the counter and inexpensive. Can be purchased at local drug stores.
i was also going to suggest that you look into melantonin. my husband has had problems with insomnia for years, and has tried out lots of pHarmaceuticals and otc meds, and the only thing that's actually worked for him was melantonin. also, make sure that you're sleeping in cave-like darkness. you dont want to be able to see your hand in front of your face. artificial light sources turn off your own body's natural melantonin production.... oh and here... read this: http://www.***********/article/sleep.htm
Since nobody's said it yet... if you can't fall asleep; get up. What you don't want to do is have your brain programmed to associate "bed" with "awake". Computers, TV, and reading are all bad before going to sleep, as they stimulate the mind; which is a big no no. Meditation, deep breathing exercises not only help, but if done properly they provide most of the benefits of sleeping anyway. As said by others here, exercise throughout the day is a fantastic idea, as well as taking a hot shower/bath an hour before you go to sleep (or if you can't go to sleep, jump in the shower/bath). My favorite though: brain cd's. Like ocean waves or rainfall... nice relaxing stuff that just barely occupies your mind enough. Other than melotonin, chamemoile tea and valerian root are other great sleep aids. Alcohol does work quite well, but it's a well known fact that you don't get the right kind of sleep
