sleeping meds question

[Psim]

I've been having some trouble sleeping -- not that bad compared to alot of people here though! I asked my GP for something to help me sleep and she prescribed Xanax, 1/8 to 1/2 mg, to take up to 3x a week.

Does this make sense in your experience? Should I wait and ask my neph about it? I'm scared to take pills that are even a bit addictive, and also scared to take pills that you get habituated to... I don't want to get habituated to sleeping pills now when my sleeping problems are relatively mild compared to what I might be facing later.

I took 1/8 and it didn't do anything. Then I took 1/4 and it worked well.
Before I was taking half a gravol. Am I better off just sticking to that?

[Romona]

It wouldn't hurt to call your nephrologist and ask him what he thinks. 

[paris]

Always a good idea to ask your neph.  Your sleep is very important --hope you get a good 8 hours soon!

[goofynina]

I take Lasix for my Neuropathy and that usually puts me out  but i have also taken benadryl pills (sometimes they work, sometimes they dont) 

[okarol]

If I take one Tylenol PM (which has the same thing as Benadryl, but with acetaminophen too) it usually knocks me out. But I can't do it back-to-back nights because it doesn't seem to work, so I skip a night.

There's are more threads about sleep:

http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=4939.0 Medication for sleep

http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=548.0 Can't SLEEP!!

[Psim]

Thanks for the advice, gang. And thanks for the further threads -- I'll go check them out. It's amazing to have a place to ask "dumb questions".

[Zach]

And there's always Jack Daniels.
 

[angellady07]

I recently began taking Benadryl for sleep. It works wonders for me.

[George Jung]

The best sleep I have gotton, more than any med I have tried (and I have tried a few), is after a couple of hours at the gym.

[Krisna]

I took Halcyon for a long time but it doesn't work anymore, but my doctor put me on bp meds that make me drowsy and also a muscle relaxer to help with my back which also makes me drowsy.  I do take Benadryl a lot but Benadryl is used in hospitals to stop adverse reactions to medication.  I once received 250 mg IV for a bad reaction I'd have to a muscle relaxer.  (Not the one I have now).

[Black]

Mike and I have taken Lyrica for different reasons, but both found it to be a good sleeping pill as well.  If you have restless legs or peripheral neuropathy, ask your neph if you can take it.

[goofynina]

DOH!!! Thank you Black,  Lyrica is what i take, i think i said Lasix, whatever that is for, lol, yes, i drift off to sleep nicely with my Lyrica,  but then i notice the next day my feet and legs are even more numb. 

[KR Cincy]

I've learned not to take any Rx without checking it out with my neph first...I just feel better if I do.

I have Atavan (a small dose) which is an anti-anxiety drug and it can do great things to help me sleep and I don't feel icky in the morning. If I'm really having trouble and have a full night of sleep possible, I also have some Ambien.

[Ken Shelmerdine]

I take Zopiclone but I think my system has become used to the dosage because it takes me about 1 hr and a half on average to get to sleep. There is a strong painkiller drug which I take ocasionally to really knock me out called Tramadol. Don't use them too often though because they are very addictive and can send you a bit loopy.

[paddbear0000]

DOH!!! Thank you Black,  Lyrica is what i take, i think i said Lasix, whatever that is for, lol, yes, i drift off to sleep nicely with my Lyrica,  but then i notice the next day my feet and legs are even more numb. 

Lasix is used to make you pee!   

[Romona]

Before my transplant I took Ativan. Now I have been diagnosed will narcolepsy they are trying to find something to keep me awake. I found a study that narcolepsy maybe tied to immune function. My immune function certainly has changed.