Sleeping problems

[odydnas]

Ambien is great in that it doesn't dry out the eyes. Unfortunately, it didn't really work for me. I like Ambien CR more and that deosnt dry out my eyes either. I haven't tried unisom, just ambien and ambien CR. I think there is a whole list of prescription sleep aids that docs can prescribe for you...ambien seems to be the most commonly prescribed, I don't know why though.

[willwork4tears]

AVOID OTC sleeping pills!

I would not get in the habit of using Unisom! The over the counter sleeping pills are the most habit forming! The label may say "non-habit forming" but this is only true if they are "used as directed" which means you can only take them for a couple days in a row. In pharmacy school the students are taught that the newer generation (non-benzodiazepine sedative hypnotic) sleeping pills like Lunesta and Ambien are much less likely to be habit forming than the OTC pills. (I was a teacher's assistant for the pharmacology classes at the Purdue Pharmacy School).

This is a statement for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine:
Most items, however, have very little proof that [OTC sleeping pills] really work. The research to support the use of these products is poor. Problems with these studies include the following:
Small numbers of patients were studied.
There is little information about the types of patients who use the products.
The studies do not use a control group who get a placebo drug. A placebo is simply a sugar pill that really has no medicine. It is used to see if patients think they feel better just because they took a pill.
Most of the data for the studies is not reliable. It depends too much on the patient to report any changes in how he feels. A good study should have specific data that shows changes in the quality of a patient’s sleep.
Studies have only looked at short-term treatment. They only cover a few days or weeks. It is not known if using these products over a long period of time is either safe or helpful.
These products are not always safe. Some have harmful or dangerous side effects. Some can cause problems when taken with other medicines.
http://www.sleepeducation.com/Article.aspx?id=2

I have taken 2 mg Lunesta with amazing success. Great sleep and no side effects.

I have taken 10 mg Ambien with moderate success. Good to great sleep, but I've had some side effects. I had visual disturbances if I didn't go to bed immediately after taking it, and also some dizziness and poor balance/coordination in the morning. The side effects were eliminated when I started cutting the pill in half.

If you're going to use any pills to aide in sleeping, please talk to your doctor first!

[willwork4tears]

I think there is a whole list of prescription sleep aids that docs can prescribe for you...ambien seems to be the most commonly prescribed, I don't know why though.

Ambien is available in generic. It may be prescribed more because of a cost issue. I switched from Lunesta to Ambien when I switched jobs and my new ins. considered Lunesta to be Tier 3 which meant I had to pay 50% of the retail cost. This came out to be over $100....I could get generic Ambien for $8.

[dave25]

Thanks for the warning. I have only used Unisom once and I don't think I am going to use it again. I have lightened my school schedule the past few days as well so I think that will help me in future weeks. I really think the main problem with me was that I went to sleep around 2am for over 2 years due to attending evening classes. Now I have 8am classes, so I abrubtly went from sleeping at 2am to trying to fall asleep around 9 or 10pm. Most articles I have read say it takes about 3 weeks for your body to adjust to a new sleep pattern. This is the 3rd week for me so I hopefully this is going to end soon. My goal is to try to fall asleep naturally by not putting undue pressure on myself. I already take enough medication for my eyes, I would like to not have to take anymore if I can avoid it. Although if these problems persist I definitely would not be against using a sleep aid, I just hope I can get through this naturally. Hopefully by taking things a little easier and adding some relaxation techniques to my daily routine I can get back to a normal sleep pattern. I really do appreciate all of your great ideas. Thanks.

[Lucy]

Dave, I didn't read the whole thread, but does soft music playing help you to drift off to sleep? Or maybe a fan running in the background.

I normally hate noise of any kind and wear ear plugs, but if I'm really upset or nervous for some reason (rarely), I will put some soft music on. Sometimes it's one of just sounds of birds, waterfalls etc. Lucy

[spmcc]

I recommend that you NOT use sounds of waterfalls or falling water to fall asleep. My cousin tried that and started wetting her bed in high school.

That would just add to your frustrations, I think

[cristiandryeyes]

For the past few months I've had sleeping problems too. Anti depressants were not helping so I tried a natural approach. I don't know how you call it, but I went to one of those herbal stores, and I bought something called 'Dormi-Tran' which contains: Lemon balm 100mg, Azahar 100mg, Valerian 100mg, all natural ingredients. I take 3 pills before I go to bed. It's really helping. I don't feel physical pain, it is more like constant upset.

[LasikLady]

Well from all these responses you can see this problem is VERY common. And I think people with DES can be especially suseptible to it due to anxiety created from having your eyes chronically bother you. Let's face it, that sucks.

However it is so VERY important to get good restful sleep both for your body and mind. You need a break from your uncomfortable eyes and sleeping at night can provide just such a break.

I am glad you are open to seeking a doctor's advice and getting medication if necessary. The main thing is don't stress over sleep because that will only make the problem worse. How do you do that? By having a good sleep aid or anti-anxiety med available for you to take if you find you need it. And don't stress about it, just take it. Once you adopt that mentality you will be amazed how often you DON'T need to take anything and fall asleep naturally. I know, I have been through the same problem myself.

Your eyes are bugging you and that is enough to worry about. If you can't sleep, get up, take something, go back to bed and don't worry about your eyes being drier or becoming addicted or anything else. Just relax and go to sleep. Once you eliminate the pressure you won't need to take anything anyway. At least this has been the case for me

[dave25]

Dave, I didn't read the whole thread, but does soft music playing help you to drift off to sleep? Or maybe a fan running in the background.

I normally hate noise of any kind and wear ear plugs, but if I'm really upset or nervous for some reason (rarely), I will put some soft music on. Sometimes it's one of just sounds of birds, waterfalls etc. Lucy

Thanks Lucy, maybe I should get ear plugs because one of the things that bothers me is hearing people walking around while I am trying to sleep. I was usually always the last one to go to bed and now I am not so I guess that bothers me a little. I also have tried soft music, some nights it works and some nights in doesn't.

[dave25]

I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their suggestions last week to help with my sleeping problems. Over the past week I have been able to sleep much better. My doctor told me to use 0.5 mg tablets of Xanax for a couple of nights and those worked very well. Since then I have been able to sleep without using anything. I am still waking up about once per night, but I feel that I am getting very close to sleeping through the night again.

I think my problem was that I was taking on too much at once. I was taking 15 credit hours at my college and on top of that I am a pre-med student and they really pressure you into getting all A's in your classes. I was so worried about that, along with not knowing for sure if I would be able to make it through med school because of my eye condition. So for now I am just going to try my best and see what happens.

[willwork4tears]

I was so worried about that, along with not knowing for sure if I would be able to make it through med school because of my eye condition. So for now I am just going to try my best and see what happens.

Oh...wow...I was soooo there a couple years ago. All the problems I was having b/c of Sjogrens....dry eye, dry mouth, acid reflux, trouble concentrating, memory problems, sleeping problems, fatigue. I was starting to think I would never make it. The trouble concentrating and memory problems made me doubt my intelligence, my ability, my drive. Did I really want this? If I really wanted it, how come I couldn't concentrate long enough to write that committee meeting report, manuscript or thesis chapter? Now that I have a diagnosis I look back on those challenging times and think...wow, it wasn't me that was holding me back it was my DISEASE. Just being able to identify the problem so you can try to address it is 95% of the battle.

...I finished. I earned the PhD in the average amount of time.

You'll be just fine.

[Lucy]

Congrats on your PhD....will work4 tears. That is some accomplishment.

[jenny2008]

lately my insomnia is like every other night... i tried melatonin-some nights it does wonders-other nights nothing... ughhh.. last night -one of those nights.. i work til 8pm so normally dont wind down until about 11... anyway, about 1 or so ( i try not to look at my clock w/ insomnia-makes it worse) i ended up taking .5 xanax and slept like a baby.. i know about the drying effects..etc... .5 doesnt seem to bother me much and my eye specialist said it is out of your system within 24 hours...

good luck Dave.. i am with ya..i totally understand..

[odydnas]

Congrats willwork4tears on your PhD!!! I know the lab environment is tough on the eyes. Well, I'll be expecting you to discover a cure for us

[willwork4tears]

Thanks guys. Is there a smiley for blushing? I wasn't sharing that to get a bunch of accolades for me. I was just trying to inspire/support Dave25. If I can make it through grad school with just about every classic Sjogrens symptom in the book, then I'm sure Dave25 can find a way to survive med school! He already has the brains; he just needs a little support and encouragement from all of us!

Stick with it!