What's everyone's favorite sleep aid or the most popular
that you use for combatting the sometimes annoying side-effect of insomnia?

Insomnia rarely annoys me. I've always had difficult getting to sleep, or going back to sleep if I'm wakened. These days I keep a dim reading lamp burning next to the bed and a book to read beside my pillow. I read myself to sleep and if i wake up and don't feel like I can drop off again, I read myself to sleep again.

I have used Benedryl in the past to help me sleep back in the days when I was married and my hubby didn't like having a light on all night. Too bad he didn't understand that his snoring kept me awake as much as my light kept him awake, eh? I've tried Melatonin a few times in the past year and found it helpful.

I took Ambien for about 6 months. It didn't work well for me. I'd be lucky to get 5 hours of sleep after taking it. My pdoc just prescribed 50mg of Seroquel at bedtime. I only take 25mg and it gives me a solid 8 hours sleep. I took it approximately a year ago for sleep and it worked good then too.

Seroquel is used to treat bipolar depression. You would need to take 200mg or more of Seroquel daily to be effective for treatment of bipolar. Doctors prescribe it in low doses as a sleep aid.

lunesta

Seroquel is used to treat bipolar depression. You would need to take 200mg or more of Seroquel daily to be effective for treatment of bipolar. Doctors prescribe it in low doses as a sleep aid.

I take 100mg at bedtime, knocks me out. Only sleep aid I've ever used that got me to sleep.

I've taken Ambien for years and it has always worked for me.

I've also found that keeping my TV on all night helps me. Most people tell me this is "bad" for me and only interferes with sleep. It is very soothing for me though and it distracts my mind so it isn't running around keeping me from sleep.

I have used melatonin and it works some. I have a problem going to sleep and staying asleep. The pdoc gave me samples of lunesta both 1mg and 3mg, I took the 1mg and it put me to sleep but I still woke up several times. With the 3mg I don't wake up as often. I don't know yet if I will discontinue it.

I take lunesta 3mg to help me sleep at night. It works very well for me.

I've tried Ambien, 10 mg. and it does nothing. I can't even tell I've taken it.

I am bipolar also and take Seroquel. I was taking 500 mg. but it started causing elevated prolactin levels so I had to decrease it. I take about 100-150 mg. now and it doesn't do a thing. However, I'm totally manic and have been this way for about a month.

Last time I went to see my psychiatrist, he asked me if I wanted Ativan, Xanax or Klonipin. I declined as I'm enjoying being manic after a suicidal depression this winter. When I go back, I might ask him to prescribe me one of those so I can take it if I get sick of being manic.

BTW, I am taking all of my meds right now (adderall & lamictal), they're just not working.

ps. Benadryl is like crack for me and keeps me up all night. I absolutely can't take it. Melatonin gives me migraines.

Well, no more lunesta for me. I have been having nightmares, which I have anyway occationally. The horrible metallic taste I thought I could live with but last night I had sleep paralysis, never ending nightmares, when I finally really woke up I was terrified and was afraid to go back to sleep. Its like having a panic attack in your sleep, I looked online and see this is common.

Well, no more lunesta for me. I have been having nightmares, which I have anyway occationally. The horrible metallic taste I thought I could live with but last night I had sleep paralysis, never ending nightmares, when I finally really woke up I was terrified and was afraid to go back to sleep. Its like having a panic attack in your sleep, I looked online and see this is common.

Yah nitemares are one draw back.. the tase howeve over time has grown on me.. i don't lke it, bt don't really notice it anymore. I'm from Cnada so take imovane at 7.5mg

I just got started on adderall today, 20 mg at 6 pm and 20 mg ambien at 11pm. I agree with Persephone the tv helps. it kinda interfears with my dreams to "help them out" hopefully i ca sleep soon.

ambien by far although it will cause amnesia is some but if your taking an add med you should be fine. and if you are on or get perscribed to em after you take 1 u should fall asleep in about 5-10mins. i take em every night. one time i toook two blacked out woke up and found out i took 12 crazy crazy crazy day/nite

I just got started on adderall today, 20 mg at 6 pm and 20 mg ambien at 11pm. I agree with Persephone the tv helps. it kinda interfears with my dreams to "help them out" hopefully i ca sleep soon.

20mg ambien at 11pm 10mg is the max adult dosage and 12.5 for the cr, but hey wat can i say cause i take 25mg's lol do the ambiens make you feel extremly good like its unexplainable

I take Lunesta.

The Rx is for 3mg, but I find that often a half-pill works just great. I don't take it every night because sometimes I just feel so sleepy that I know I'll zonk out.

I once took Sonata, for maybe a week or two. For some reason it's only intended for short-term use. It kicked in WAY faster than the Lunesta does. I understand it doesn't last as long as Lunesta. Sonata helps you go to sleep, not keep you there.

A friend used Ambien for a year. He was a total space case while on it. He couldn't remember a conversation from the day before. He drove right into the back of another vehicle and had no idea why he'd done that. I think that's what made him ask his doctor about it.

As with many medications, your mileage may vary

My Pdoc gave me a script for a older benzo called estazolam. I found it to work very well and did not impact memory like other benzo. There was a study where they tested estazolam on older people using it daily for a month. Discontinuation resulted in 1 night of low quality sleep and no lasting bad effects.

Most sleep drugs make you fall asleep faster and increase duration of stage 2 sleep. However I've found increasing duration of stage 3-4 sleep is much more rejuvinating.

Unfortunatly the only drug that I've found which increases deep stage 4 sleep is clonidine. Clonidine lasts too long and has a strange "reverse" rebound effect after ~ 15-18 hours. I was able to time the reverse rebound to occur at dawn and it made me jump out of bed like a morning person. However it proved too difficult to time and waking up 1-2 hours earily/late was not worth the jump out of bed effect.

The histamine based over the counter drugs work fairly well, but I find them to last too long.

BobC

I also found Trazodone very effective for sleep. It lasts a bit long and has a lot of side effects (cotton mouth), but its unique in improving my mood the next day.

Consumer reports has a nice list of the best drugs for sleep + prices
http://www.consumerreports.org/health/best-buy-drugs/insomnia_drugs.htm

Trazodone is very cheap ~5.00 per 15 doses.

Estazolam as well 15.00 per 30 doses (split 2mg in half)

generic ambien is ~ 33.00 per 15 doses (nice short duration)

now that ambien is generic it might be the best, but the Z-drugs have some studies showing they decrease life expectancy.

i have ambein 30 day script. gone in 4days

I've taken Ambien for years and it has always worked for me.

I've also found that keeping my TV on all night helps me. Most people tell me this is "bad" for me and only interferes with sleep. It is very soothing for me though and it distracts my mind so it isn't running around keeping me from sleep.

No, it doesn't interrupt sleep...but say goodbye to your memories. I took that stuff for three years. I can barely remember those years and am now encountering things of which I have no memory, things that I would NEVER forget under any circumstances.

I would also sleep walk on that stuff. I once fell asleep painting my fingernails, spilling nail polish all over the place. This stuff is scary!

i have ambein 30 day script. gone in 4days


This is not good!!!!!!!!!!!
Please be careful!

I take benedryl. Works for me.

When I was taking Strattera, though, I could not sleep. I went through EVERY SINGLE tranquilizer there is and still had problems. Aside from the ambien, I have taken Trazadone, Sonata, Clonazepam, Lorazepam, Valium, Xanax, Prosom, Restoril... That knocked me out cold. The doctor even tried this nasty syrup stuff that he said pediatricians used to anesthetize children...and that didn't work. Nothing would work...until I met Halcion(triazolam). But after about a year, I came off the Strattera and I could sleep just fine without the Halcion...so I ditched it.

Nyquil works pretty well, too.