Sleeping pills.

And I don't mean to be a smart-ass, but I have a serious inquiry. What's the name of that airlines again?

ILX, will you advise me on OTC sleep aids? Is there anything that's not habit forming, and that I won't build up a tolerance to?

I have absolutely no problem falling asleep at bedtime, but waking up after about five hours and not being able to get back to sleep has started to be a real problem. Totally zombied out the next day. I had a cold recently and took Nyquil for the first time, and that shit was great! So I've been taking half a dose lately as a sleep aid. I assume it's the 6.25 mg of doxylamine succinate that's helping me sleep. Will I eventually build up a tolerance to that and have to find something else?

Melatonin works best for me.

xp -probably yes - I build up a tolerance for OTC sleeping pills in about a week.

Most of the OTC sleeping pills (at least those sold in the US) are antihistimines, most often diphenhydramine. They make me a bit groggy, but are far less effective then the best prescription sleeping pills.

As for what works, I swear by Ambien (a.k.a. Stilnox) even though it too becomes less effective with frequent use (though it still works) and is awful to come off of - you'll probably be unable to sleep for 2 days if you go cold turkey, better to taper off. Also has significant side effects for some people. And it's the most addictive drug I have ever used. Still, i pop one anytime and i'm in dreamland a half hour later.

I've also tried Lunesta which is less addictive and does work, but I'm one of the 1/3 of the population that gets an awful metallic aftertaste for the next 24 hours, not worth it. Also find benzos like Xanax helps me sleep, at least in higher doses, but are less effective then Ambien for this use, and it takes longer to kick in (about an hour) and I'm still tired the next morning when I want to be awake.

Oh WmC avoid Ambien! Msg me if you want to talk about it more. Usu sleep disruption like that is caused by stress, or so I've been told over and over. Have you been exercising regularly? Sometimes that is the only thing that calms my brain enough to sleep through the night during periods of stress.

a tea of valerian, ironwort and chamomile usually puts me out

Most of the OTC sleeping pills (at least those sold in the US) are antihistimines, most often diphenhydramine. They make me a bit groggy, but are far less effective then the best prescription sleeping pills.

I used generic diphenhydramine regularly. It is worth noting that the version of this marketed for allergies is less expensive than the version marketed as a sleep aid. I get psychologically dependent on it sometimes, but not physically, although the transition off of it is marked by a few nights of rough sleep. Currently, I'm going through a phase of not taking it.

re: chamomille, I've mentioned on here before that I like brewing two-three cups of chamomille tea, then pouring it over ice and drinking it with a straw. Yes, you'll have to get up to take a piss later, but I never had any problems falling back asleep. I found that I developed a tolerance within a month though, and had to abandon this method except for occasional use.

Thank you all for the advice! I will try some of these other otc methods if/when the doxylamine stops working.

i have tried all kinds of non-prescription sleep aids, and while i liked diphenhydramine a lot, i'd have to plan to take it bc if i didn't have 10 hrs between taking it and getting up i'd feel super groggy. and it didn't always work. also, i was taking it for something like a couple months and the first night off it i had a sleep paralysis attack.

but i'll tell you what i'm taking now that i hope and wish i could take forever bc it is so amazing: klonopin/clonazepam. i take it AT bedtime, i'm out in less than 30mins, i sleep restfully, i don't have nightmares, i don't remember my dreams and i don't feel groggy in the morning. i feel rested. i can take it at midnight and still get up fine at 7am. it also doesn't completely knock me out for the night - i might wake up to ytth getting up to use the bathroom but i'll fall back asleep right away.

yeah, despite how effective it is for me, taking Ambien sometimes feels more like being knocked unconscious rather than falling asleep....

I've been having that wake up at 3 can't get back to sleep insomnia from stress for a few months. I use amber goggles after 8 pm which is totally geeky but definitely helps me fall asleep faster. But 5 hours of sleep isn't enough for me. I decided to try meditating, which I'd never done before, and it seems to work pretty well for me. I use a fitbit to track my sleep and find I'm also a lot less restless during sleep after meditating for a few days. I'm working through the 8 minute meditation book - the breath focus one has worked the best so far, but I'll give all the other types a fair shot.

wmc, how long has this been going on for? sometimes difficulty maintaining sleep can just be a part of the aging process, other times it can be due to something modifiable -- any new stress in your life? new meds? new shift at work?

antihistamines like benadryl and doxylamine probably work nicely for you, since they have nice, long half-lives and thus can keep you asleep. i've got pretty bad insomnia too, but my issue is sleep latency, so i try to avoid the antihistamines if i can because they barely help me fall asleep and give me a wicked hangover the next day. you will develop some tolerance to these, unfortunately. other than that they're generally pretty safe unless you're really old or have glaucoma. ambien's a great drug but probably won't be for you, since it's got a pretty short half-life and is generally for people like me who can't fall asleep (though there is a controlled-release formulation)

of course the first thing to do is look at your sleep hygiene and try to quit doing some things that might affect your sleep -- exercising or eating too close to bedtime, caffeine intake during the day, that kind of stuff. if this persists definitely bring it up with your doctor next time you see him/her (or make an appointment if you can't wait). sometimes insomnia can be secondary to some other medical conditions that can be ruled in or out, but at the very least you'll get it formally evaluated and probably walk out with a lunesta prescription

It's been going on for a couple of years during periods of heavy stress (usually work/publishing deadlines coming to a head, which is 6x/year for a couple of weeks' duration), but the last 3-4 months it's most nights, with or without work stress. Since I work at home, I can take a 20 minute power nap whenever I need to, but when I caught this cold and tried Nyquil, I was amazed how much better I felt throughout the day after a solid 8+ hours of sleep.

My gym routine is in the morning, caffeine intake (2 cups coffee) is done by 11 a.m., no calories after 6:30 p.m. I did start a blood pressure med a couple of months ago.

As mentioned above I've always been able to drop off to sleep almost immediately after turning off the light, so if antihistamines have a delayed effect, that's perfect for me.

I will second just1n3's caution about grogginess, which is why I try to insure that I take regular breaks when using it long term. The grogginess can accumulate, in my experience.

Another one of my tricks, and this one can take a while, but it worked like a charm for me last night, is to Chow down on some bread. I was awake, tossing and turning, for like an hour last night. Went downstairs and gulped down three slices of bread with a glass of water. It took another 45 or so to knock me out, but it really sent me into dreamland and I'm feeling pretty refreshed this morning.

Diphenhydramine is aces. I will take anywhere from half to two Tylenol PM (be mindful of taking too much acetaminophen though) depending on how much time I have for sleeping. Two pills requires 12 hours in bed, but I can take a half pill on a weeknight and get up for work the next day with no problem.

Doxylamine succinate (what you're taking, I think?) is good, too. It's safe to take during pregnancy and is recommended for nausea so that's what I take a few times/week now. Helps a lot.

I hate rx sleep medications. I've never tried one that didn't jack me up/make me dream weird dreams all night/have more or less the opposite of its intended effect. Go figure.

Also with diphenhydramine, if you have some time for serious sleep on the weekends, it might be work taking a couple to at least catch up on some lost sleep. That's what I end up doing sometimes after a hard week when I can't sleep much. Then I can cope with life much better in general.

My psychiatrist just prescribed me gabapentin, go help wean off using klonopin every night - but she said once I'm off the habitual use of it, she would be fine with me taking it up to 3x p/wk fo, like, EVER, so iam STOKED.

I built up a tolerance to the klonopin pretty quickly, but man, that first 10days on it was the best sleep ever.

drugs are powerful!
that's why i am so adamant about ambien being a near-diabolical substance.

I'm hard pressed to think of a drug that has such different effects on different people than Ambien - some get hallutionations from it. I was literally bouncing off the walls the first time I used it. Doesn't happen anymore, but I occasionally will look at a computer screen and the letters will appear to be shifting around slightly. Definately not for everyone, but it does put me and keep me asleep better than anything else.