Have any of you guys had problems getting a sleep aid prescribed to you? I was recently prescribed Adderall (5 or 10 mg. twice daily) by my primary care physician. I was diagnosed with ADHD in late 2005, and I've been on Concerta early this year and earlier last year.

I've had problems with insomnia for the past 3 years. Obviously, when I was taking Concerta, unless I took my drug very early in the morning, it kept me up all night. So, I simply asked my doctor if he could give me anything to help me sleep, because lately my sleep had been terrible - keep in mind, this was before I had begun taking my Adderall. He told me no, because Adderall is a strong stimulant, and he doesn't think it's good to be on both a stimulant and a sedative.

I guess I could just take Benadryl or melatonin for the problem nights, but I think I might need something stronger. My PCM just gave me a referral to a psychiatrist - do you think a shrink would be more willing to prescribe a sleep aid with an ADHD stimulant?

I can see why any doctor would be reluctant to prescribe a sleep aid to be used along with a stimulant.

My psychiatrist actually explained to me that the trouble with Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe was they would take so many stimulants they would need sleeping pills...and then to wake up they would need more stimulants...and then they would need even more sleeping pills...etc., etc.

It's a bad cycle.

I'm not sure how the two types of drugs interact together physically, though...

I take Restoril for sleep and Dexedrine for ADHD and do not believe they react badly to one another or cause me any problems. I don't take the Restoril for sleep problems associated with Dexedrine though. I was prescribed it a good while before I even started stimulant treatment at all and Dexedrine does not keep me up at night. If anything I seem to sleep better and earlier since I started it a couple weeks ago.

If you stimulant is causing your insomnia, I'd think a doc would be more likely to want to try a different medication for your ADHD rather than add a sleep aid to counteract the effects fo the stimulant. I should also mention that sleeping pills didn't even help that much for me when Adderall was the reason I couldn't sleep. The Adderall usually won out. And nothing would counteract Concerta for me. Personally, I think it's nasty stuff. :P (No disrespect to the people who get good results with it, of course.)

You might try a less physically stimulating ADHD med like Dexedrine, Vyvanse, or even a non-stimulant like Straterra before you go straight for the sleeping pills. If that doesn't work then you might consider some sort of sedative for the evening but I don't think it should be the first thing you try. Concerta and Adderall seem to cause more sleep disturbance than some other stimulants so you're definitely not out of options yet.

Personally, I never had good results with the new "hypnotics" anyway (Ambien, Ambien CR, Lunesta, etc.) and those are what most docs will prescribe. And most docs won't prescribe sleeping pills for extended periods anyway.

I count myself very lucky that my doc understands my lifelong sleep problems and isn't reluctant to prescribe Restoril for me for long term treatment and also doesn't have a problem prescribing both stimulants and Restoril. Most docs would be more reluctant to do so, I believe. I had a heck of a time getting sleep aids from doctors in the past, and I have a chronic problem in no way related to any other medication. I'm sure you'll have a hard time getting them for stimulant induced insomnia.

I've taken Adderall for the last few years & I've actually had good success with Excedrin or Tylenol PM to help me sleep. You might still need something stronger, but those might work as a stopgap until you can get your doc to prescribe something.

My sleep was pretty bad before I started taking stimulant ADHD meds. Adderall is working wonderfully for me - I wouldn't want to go off it, even if it does aggravate my insomnia.

I'll just see what my shrink says when I visit him later this month.

som meds arnt so good to mix, but my dok prescribed my xanax for my horrible anxiety/panic attacks and problems(before adderal, not caused by adderal) and adderal for skool. ive never been a big sleeper, but the two tie together like a charm

I haven't asked my doc to prescribe me anything yet for my not getting any sleep due to Adderall, but I will have to soon. I'm running out of methods and holistic/ over the counter options. The only thing that works is prescription stuff and I don't want to have to go that way for a long time. But it looks like it will have to, since I need sleep so bad.
For me only one prescription med has been effective so far. And it's an anti-anxiety med.
Funny someone mentioned Marilyn and Judi Garland...The other day I was wondering if this is how their downward spiral started. Also to mind came Elizabeth Taylor...I remember on top of the uppers and downers, she also had a painkiller addiction.
Scary....I know I don't have an addictive personality, at all. Plus Adderall isn't addictive (I think- or at least for me it's not) - when I take a few days off here and there, I don't miss it or anything. And I don't see the fascination with painkillers or downers. But I do like a good nights rest (when taking prescription sleep aid) and being able to concentrate and get things done the next day (when taking Adderall).
I think I'm using all the meds for the purpose they were made for and not to abuse them, but I do worry about future addiction issues nevertheless with so many stories about so many people.
On my list of things to try still:
Other holistic options then the ones I've already tried.
Tonight:
Holy Basil


What didn't work so far on my insomnia:
Kava Kava
Valerian Root
Melatonin
Tylenol PM
Over the counter sleep aids like Unisom etc.

What worked in the past:
Valium
Xanax
Soma
(don't want to use these on a contineous basis, since I'm scared of the long term effects)

starry, if you're afraid of developing an addiction or tolerance to downers, you should know that Lunesta and Rozerem are both approved for long-term use. And Rozerem is non-scheduled (Lunesta is Schedule IV, just like like Xanax and Valium).

starry, if you're afraid of developing an addiction or tolerance to downers, you should know that Lunesta and Rozerem are both approved for long-term use. And Rozerem is non-scheduled (Lunesta is Schedule IV, just like like Xanax and Valium).

Thank you for the info! That's great news!
:cool:
I'm thinking about getting a long term sleep aid prescribed (hopefully it will be- docs are unpredictable with their decisions) so I will ask about Lunesta especially, since it's close to Xanax and Valium)
Anyone take these two meds before? Do they work?

Holy Basil wasn't successful for me last night. Took a larger dose of Melatonin this time...waiting for sleep to finally come to me...a deep, uninterrupted sleep all night long **sigh**

I've seen tons of kids on Ambien and Lunesta while on amphetamine analogs. Works well and the rate of abuse is WAAAAY lower than the benzo class drugs like Valium, Xanax, etc. Rozerem is a great drug, too...it works way different. Targets a specific melatonin subreceptor specific for knocking you out. Expensive as hell though...and most insurance companies laugh at you when you try to submit it. Lunesta is brand only, too. Some insurances cover it. Check your formulary. Ambien is generic now...most insurances will cover it with a smile on their faces.....

Just be careful... Ambien can have some weird side effects. For me, it tends to not put me to sleep and when that happens, it makes me sick. If it does put me to sleep, I'll still wake up occasionally can't get up or am really groggy all day the next day.

I won't ever touch the stuff again after babysitting a friend of mine one too many times. It made him get up and wander around when he thought he was sleeping. He had a tendancy to smoke cigarettes or walk out on the balcony during this time and I swear he would have burned the apartment down or fallen off the balcony eventually. Or hed go start tinkering around in the kitchen. No good could come of that. It was quite disturbing.

I haven't tried Rozerem but it concerns me because I've taked malatonin before and it gave me such awful super vivid dreams and I felt like I got no sleep afterward.

If I hadn't seen one of them work on someone else, I would have sworn up down and sideways that my Lunesta were sugar pills. :P Nothing.

I reckon I'm just really weird though. ;P Lol

I've seen tons of kids on Ambien and Lunesta while on amphetamine analogs. Works well and the rate of abuse is WAAAAY lower than the benzo class drugs like Valium, Xanax, etc. Rozerem is a great drug, too...it works way different. Targets a specific melatonin subreceptor specific for knocking you out. Expensive as hell though...and most insurance companies laugh at you when you try to submit it. Lunesta is brand only, too. Some insurances cover it. Check your formulary. Ambien is generic now...most insurances will cover it with a smile on their faces.....Wow, thanks for the info on that. I looked it up on my provider website, and it turns out they'll only cover Lunesta and Rozerem after I complete something called "step therapy with Ambien" with my insurance. In other words, my doctor has to submit some stupid claim form saying that I've tried generic Ambien and it didn't work. WTF!? I hate HMOs.

Wow, thanks for the info on that. I looked it up on my provider website, and it turns out they'll only cover Lunesta and Rozerem after I complete something called "step therapy with Ambien" with my insurance. In other words, my doctor has to submit some stupid claim form saying that I've tried generic Ambien and it didn't work. WTF!? I hate HMOs.They are a business. They aren't going to pay for something new and expensive when an older, cheaper drug might work, too.

They are a business. They aren't going to pay for something new and expensive when an older, cheaper drug might work, too.
Which works out so well when the docs are being pushed by drug reps to prescribe the new expensive drugs instead. Lol. The whole cycle is crap. :P I wish it was really about finding the best med for the job for the person and not all about money money money. :(

I took ambien CR 12.5mg for a month while I first started taking prozac for anxiety until it started working. It worked great as long as I tried to fall asleep immediatly after taking it. I reccomend doing nothing besides sleeping after taking ambien. I once decided to go out instead of falling to sleep when my roomate talked me into staying up instead. I became very confused and saw slight hallucinations. I also did some things that I do not remember at all that I wish I would have never done. I do not know how ambien would mix with adderall though since I have stopped taking it since I got prescribed to focalin. I believe there are some natural ways to help sleep that you may want to look into before going with a prescribed drug.

The 20 mg melatonin I took did put me to an OK sleep, but I was wide awake again at 3 am. So I took a tiny piece off a Xanax and slept till 8 am. It was a good sleep.
1 single Xanax lasts me 4 nights usually, but it's taking longer and longer to work compared to when I started weeks ago.
I just heard about a person who got addicted to Melatonin and had withdrawals when he quit. How strange is that?? I guess everything can be addictive, including holistic options.

I just heard about a person who got addicted to Melatonin and had withdrawals when he quit. How strange is that?? That is strange. Where did you hear this? I would love to learn more about this.

I was like a bear before. I could sleep every time when I wanted...now I have severe insomnia. :(

For the most part, I have no problem sleeping, but I have nights, where I can't sleep at all. I've tried them all and the only thing that works for me is the Target brand sleeping pills. Melatonin, ambien, etc, nothing worked. Only Target. Gets me everytime. :D

That is strange. Where did you hear this? I would love to learn more about this.

A friend of mine told me about his friend, when I told him I was starting to take Melatonin and my general seeping problems. (He knows I take Prozac, but doesn't know I take Adderall. I don't like telling people, since I don't want them asking me for some) I'll find out more about his buddy when I see him.

3 am and I can't keep my eyes closed :(

3 am and I can't keep my eyes closed :(

Right there with ya on that arkyle...**sigh**

Valerian root knocks me out.

Small amounts of Melatonin (200mcgs, Vitamin World) deepens my sleep.

I have had a very rough time sleeping with Adderall...I'm worn out by the end of the day, but I just can't sleep!!! My pdoc suggested Trazodone to me at night...tricyclic antidepressant that is sometimes prescribed with the more stimulating drugs to help get a good night sleep...I told her I'd think about it...

My psychiatrist was very simple about this. Sleeping medication(some herbs are ok, Celestial Seasonings(US product!!!) sleepytime comes in strong version too!!!) is dangerous stuff to anyone and probably even more to people who are also on ADD meds.
Personally, next to some of that great US herb tea with the nice pics on the package, I'm still in process of finding ways to cope with these problems too. The funny thing however, is that the little things that do help are exactly the same things most "normal" people do naturally from early adulthood.

My list upto now:
-Get very steady day/night rythm
-Organized house
-No internet after 10pm(haha, to some here if they read. dont you dare comment on this!!!)
-Have some stuff ready for next day before going to sleep.(food, coffee blablabla, still working on that myself too)
.....

Well, good luck and stay off the downers!!!!!

iimovane is a wonder drug:)

Does anyone else find that benadryl has NO effect on putting them to sleep whatsoever? I ran out of melatonin (which sorta kinda helped), and have been relying on benadryl for restless nights and all it does is... well nothing.

Even at doses of 150-250 mg's it does NOTHING for me sleep wise.

Oh how I wish my doctor freely prescribed benzo's like everyone elses, but even if he did I don't want to run the risk of become a benzo freak like many.

Ambien does little to make me tired as well, instead it makes me roam the house in a zombified stupor with amnesia for the event.

Why do sleep aids not put me to sleep?!?! :mad:

Benadryl is not supposed to work while you are on Adderall, as both Adderall and Benadryl compete for the same receptors, and the winning drug cancels the other out. Benadryl will also make next day Adderall dosage less effective. At least thats how it is presented in theory and medical literature. But I have heard from some people on these forums that Benadryl actually helps them to fall asleep.

As for myself, I noticed that Adderall makes my sleep shallower, and less refreshing. I sleep long, but I still wake up tired, as if I hardly slept at all. I seem to get more REM sleep, and less deep stage sleep while on Adderall. Even if I take just 5mg IR a day.

I have had NOTHING but problems getting my doctor to prescribe a sleeping pill for me. He flat out says no and tells me to buy a relaxation CD and melatonin. I'm a CHRONIC insomniac so when I take my Adderall I cannot sleep for naught. I have literally gone 10 days on about 8 hrs sleep. I've told my family practice doc this, but he doesn't understand the seriousness of my insomnia or just is completely adamant about not prescribing a sleep aid. So now I just battle with the insomnia, sometimes my Klonopin helps, sometimes it doesn't. On the weekends, I try to go off my Adderall or lessen the dosage a lot so I can actually catch some shuteye. I do think a psychiatrist might help you more, but it could be just your doctor's discomfort with prescribing a sleep aid, as it is mine.

Have any of you guys had problems getting a sleep aid prescribed to you? I was recently prescribed Adderall (5 or 10 mg. twice daily) by my primary care physician. I was diagnosed with ADHD in late 2005, and I've been on Concerta early this year and earlier last year.

I've had problems with insomnia for the past 3 years. Obviously, when I was taking Concerta, unless I took my drug very early in the morning, it kept me up all night. So, I simply asked my doctor if he could give me anything to help me sleep, because lately my sleep had been terrible - keep in mind, this was before I had begun taking my Adderall. He told me no, because Adderall is a strong stimulant, and he doesn't think it's good to be on both a stimulant and a sedative.

I guess I could just take Benadryl or melatonin for the problem nights, but I think I might need something stronger. My PCM just gave me a referral to a psychiatrist - do you think a shrink would be more willing to prescribe a sleep aid with an ADHD stimulant?

Starry, I read that even sleeping aids stop working rather quickly, which I have found to be the problem with me also. You need larger and larger doses because you become tolerant to the original dosage. Trazodone works well for me for awhile, but then I have to up the dose a bit and I hate that. Have you ever tried it?


The 20 mg melatonin I took did put me to an OK sleep, but I was wide awake again at 3 am. So I took a tiny piece off a Xanax and slept till 8 am. It was a good sleep.
1 single Xanax lasts me 4 nights usually, but it's taking longer and longer to work compared to when I started weeks ago.
I just heard about a person who got addicted to Melatonin and had withdrawals when he quit. How strange is that?? I guess everything can be addictive, including holistic options.

Amg7613, I used to take 150 mg of Trazodone for sleeping and it works the best of all the sleeping pills I've tried. Ambien did nothing for me. Unfortunately, my doc who prescribes me my Adderall is ADAMANTLY OPPOSED

Amg7613, I used to take 150 mg of Trazodone for sleeping and it works the best of all the sleeping pills I've tried. Ambien did nothing for me. Unfortunately, my doc who prescribes me my Adderall is ADAMANTLY OPPOSED

That's odd. Have you asked why? I get the feeling that Trazodone is one of those pills that one can get just by asking. Unlike Adderall, it's not considered fun, abusable, addictive, or particularly dangerous.

I've been on Trazadone for 2 and a half years now. It has worked wonders for me & my doc just upped my dosage when I started the ADD meds & was having probs sleeping. Trazadone is actually an antidepressant but I take one 300 mg. pill at bedtime and am snoozing (for the most part) peacefully all night. If I take my Adderall IR too close to bed time I do a lot of tossing & turning, I'm still learning!! Good luck to you ...

Valerian root has been helpful for me for years. Its safe and effective without side effects and it plays nice with other herbs and drugs. It's $4 at Xmart.

Valerian root has been helpful for me for years. Its safe and effective without side effects and it plays nice with other herbs and drugs. It's $4 at Xmart.

I have used Valerian in the past, good stuff, doesn't knock me out, just kind of relaxes me. I have read many warnings about it though, have to be very careful not to take to much at one time, supposedly it can kill at high enough dosages.

I tried Trazadone. It was a nightmare for me. I woke up in the night hallucinating and severe paranoia. When I started taking Wellbutrin I was unable to sleep. I went for about a month with only a couple of hours of sleep a night.Melatonin did nothing. My Dr. prescribed Ambian. It was wonderful. I have been taking it since October/November and I think it is starting to not work as well. I tried to go to sleep without it on my days off, didn't work. I don't know what I will do when my Dr. says I can't have another refill. It's like I will either be depressed and sleep or not be depressed have insomnia.

I have been using relaxation music with voice. It helps keep my mind in one direction

I also have a script for ambien though

I have noticed sometimes i go to the ambien a little to quick sometimes though.

Sleeping meds and stuff like oxazepam are the real dangerous medications. They got thousands of bored/isolated housewifes hooked on them in Holland and it amazes me how easy many doctors still prescribe this garbage. If any type of medication should be protested against it is these cause they make perfectly healthy people who just need some therapy into scared junkies often causing addiction to even more dangerous stuff too.(Judging from someone I know, I think combo of these meds and alcohol(probably a lot of users do this cause most likely it feels like hard drugs) causes mild form of chizophrenia(during intake) too. Yup, I think these meds make many victims.
I used some oxazepam in very mild dose for a few days a few years back and I allready noticed the anxiety it causes after it stops working. This type of anxiety is by no means comparable to the rebound effect of ritalin/concerta. Whereass ADD meds rebound just cause increased sensitivity and sometimes problems with negative experiences during daytime(or in past if not yet given a proper place yet), oxazepam causes a really irrational type of anxiety.
I dont have any knowledge of real sleeping medication but they probabably all work on same neurotransmitters.

It's just so weird that there is this anti-ADD medication lobby going on. Ok, for kids they should be very carefull but I honestly think 90%+ of problems occur at wrongly diagnosed people.
Proper psychs I think are more carefull with sleeping meds etc nowadays but they are still 10 times less hesitant in prescribing antidepresants than with ADD meds. To me this seems weird too cause if anything ever really made me go through a dangerous psychologicall rollercoaster it is trying 2 types of these after another.(I took them as prescribed)

Sleeping meds and stuff like oxazepam are the real dangerous medications.
...
I dont have any knowledge of real sleeping medication but they probabably all work on same neurotransmitters.

Not true. While the benzos and z-drugs (zolpidem, et al.) do act on similar receptors (GABA), there are many sleeping meds (approved for that indication, and used off-label) that are very different. Many are not addictive. The z-drugs (also called non-benzodiazepines) are supposedly nowhere near as addictive as benzos; many people can take Ambien or Lunesta daily for months without having significant withdrawal effects.

Trazodone is an antidepressant that's used more often for sleep than anything else. It's not addictive, nor does it have the amnesia effects. Rozerem is, AFAIK, tantamount to synthetic melatonin and not addictive at all. Then there are the 1st generation anti-histamines (e.g. diphenhydramine).

There are also sleeping drugs that are supposedly worse than the benzos/z-drugs: barbiturates, cloral hydrate and Quaaludes (before my time; now totally illegal in the US), among others.