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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 21 of 21. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by vbs on October 2, 2012, at 20:08:40
What are the best sleep-aid supplements? What works for you? Right now I just take melatonin 3-6 mg at bedtime but I still need a lot of help falling asleep.
Posted by vbs on October 2, 2012, at 20:19:07
In reply to Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements, posted by vbs on October 2, 2012, at 20:08:40
I should've posted this in the Alternative forum. Oops...
Posted by jono_in_adelaide on October 2, 2012, at 20:54:11
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements, posted by vbs on October 2, 2012, at 20:19:07
Maybe you could combine 3mg of melatonin with 50-100mg of diphenhydramine (Benadryl, Sominex, Nytol, various generics)
Posted by vbs on October 2, 2012, at 21:49:22
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements, posted by jono_in_adelaide on October 2, 2012, at 20:54:11
> Maybe you could combine 3mg of melatonin with 50-100mg of diphenhydramine (Benadryl, Sominex, Nytol, various generics)
I'm going to try generic Benedryl. Thanks for your input, Jono.
Posted by phidippus on October 2, 2012, at 22:33:53
In reply to Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements, posted by vbs on October 2, 2012, at 20:08:40
I take a cocktail to go to sleep:
100 mg Seroquel
50 mg Atarax
16 mg Rozarem
3 mg LunestaEric
Posted by vbs on October 2, 2012, at 23:23:36
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements » vbs, posted by phidippus on October 2, 2012, at 22:33:53
Wow, that is quite a cocktail. I'm trying a combination of Benadryl 50 mg and melatonin 3 mg for sleep. I wish my pdoc would Rx Ambien or Lunesta, but neither he nor his office prescribes sedatives/hypnotics or benzos. I believe it's against their policy. I used to take Ambien but that was years ago when I was seeing a private practice pdoc.
Posted by vbs on October 3, 2012, at 8:44:19
In reply to Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements, posted by vbs on October 2, 2012, at 20:08:40
I'm also going to sample some herbal teas. I just bought the ever popular Celestial Seasonings' Sleepy Time Tea and Tension Tamer. Surprisingly, they're covered by Food Stamps (SNAP). I'm sipping on Tension Tamer right now just to relax.
Posted by phidippus on October 3, 2012, at 10:20:00
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements » phidippus, posted by vbs on October 2, 2012, at 23:23:36
Can you ask for Seroquel?
Eric
Posted by vbs on October 3, 2012, at 11:14:53
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements » vbs, posted by phidippus on October 3, 2012, at 10:20:00
> Can you ask for Seroquel?
>
> EricI doubt he'd prescribe Seroquel, as I take two antipsychotic meds, Zyprexa and Saphris. I've taken Seroquel before and it worked great at helping me fall asleep. Zyprexa does help a little in this regard.
Posted by Beckett on October 3, 2012, at 11:48:11
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements, posted by vbs on October 3, 2012, at 11:14:53
Saphris doesn't put you under?
Posted by vbs on October 3, 2012, at 12:35:11
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements, posted by Beckett on October 3, 2012, at 11:48:11
I take Saphris 10 mg in the morning. It doesn't make me sleepy. And the Zyprexa 10 mg that I take at bedtime doesn't make me sleepy either. Hence the reason I'm trying Benadryl and herbal tea.
Posted by jono_in_adelaide on October 3, 2012, at 17:56:32
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements » Beckett, posted by vbs on October 3, 2012, at 12:35:11
Ah, i didnt realise that you were taking Zyrpexa - if that isnt putting you to sleep, its unlikely Benadryl will help, but its worth a shot.
Posted by Beckett on October 3, 2012, at 17:56:54
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements » Beckett, posted by vbs on October 3, 2012, at 12:35:11
My apologies vbs for what seemed like such a pointless question. It was prompted by curious surprise since Saphris reliably knocked me out every night. Since discontinuing it I have struggled with sleep maintance throughout the night.
I see Rozarem is in Eric's cocktail. I know very little about it. It's a prescription sleep aid that is not a Z drug. I wonder if your doc would be open to it.
I wish you success with Benadryl.
Greetings.
Posted by vbs on October 3, 2012, at 18:29:28
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements, posted by jono_in_adelaide on October 3, 2012, at 17:56:32
The Benadryl helped smewhat last night. I took it too early though. I normally don't get to sleep until 2-3 am. So I should take it between 12-1:30 am? I'll start drinking the Sleepy Time Tea around that time too.
Posted by ChicagoKat on October 4, 2012, at 11:25:37
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements » jono_in_adelaide, posted by vbs on October 3, 2012, at 18:29:28
> The Benadryl helped smewhat last night. I took it too early though. I normally don't get to sleep until 2-3 am. So I should take it between 12-1:30 am? I'll start drinking the Sleepy Time Tea around that time too.
This is probably a minor consideration, but keep in mind that tea is a diuretic, and may make you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, which might wake you up! But then, if you drink the tea at 12 and go to bed at 2, it should be all right :)
Kat
Posted by vbs on October 4, 2012, at 18:12:37
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements » vbs, posted by ChicagoKat on October 4, 2012, at 11:25:37
The tea is caffeine-free. I took Benadryl at 1:30 last night and slept really well. I fell asleep before I had a chance to drink Celestial Seasonings' Sleepy Time Tea.
Posted by bleauberry on October 4, 2012, at 18:30:15
In reply to Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements, posted by vbs on October 2, 2012, at 20:08:40
Skullcap, Passionflower, Valerian, Lemon Balm.
Magnesium.
Gaba+Glycine.
Any combo of 2, 3 or 4.But also maybe think about long term deep balancing so that maybe this whole problem just eventually goes away or gets a lot less. In that regard, rhodiola would be my first choice, and then a toss up between eleuthero and ashwaganda. They can all be combined too. These can basically balance whatever it is that is causing your insomnia in the first place, so it will be gone, you can sleep like normal healthy people do without any problem.
So, short term stuff for immediate sleep aid, but other long term stuff to hopefully end the whole problem. imo
Posted by ChicagoKat on October 4, 2012, at 19:19:16
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements » ChicagoKat, posted by vbs on October 4, 2012, at 18:12:37
> The tea is caffeine-free. I took Benadryl at 1:30 last night and slept really well. I fell asleep before I had a chance to drink Celestial Seasonings' Sleepy Time Tea.
Glad to hear the Benadryl is working so well for you; wish it worked for me!
But just fyi, tea is filled with a substance called Theobromine which is related to caffeine...it doesn't cause stimulation, but it does cause even more diuresis than caffeine does.
Kat
Posted by herpills on October 5, 2012, at 11:22:43
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements, posted by bleauberry on October 4, 2012, at 18:30:15
Hi bleauberry I was wondering if you had any tips on how to choose a good quality herbal, I have liked using passion flower but I feel like I never know if the kind I get is potent enough or not. herpills
Posted by Islandangel on October 6, 2012, at 20:45:35
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements » ChicagoKat, posted by vbs on October 4, 2012, at 18:12:37
You are so lucky Benadryl works for you. Unfortunately Benadryl makes me wired and if I take a higher dose it just gives me a horrible hangover the next day. Ambien made me sleepwalk, sleep talk, sleep eat and even sleep-cook! Thankfully my husband told me what I was doing!
Lunesta works fairly well unless I have a mind rambling night. If that happens, I can lie awake in bed until the sun comes up. Not fun. I tried Rozerem and it did nothing for me. My doctor told me Rozerem does nothing for most of his patients.
I alternate between the following.
Natural sleep remedy- Tincture of Valerian, tincture of Passionflower and a capsule of Lemonbalm. Sometimes I add Magnesium glycinate as it tends to be a natural muscle relaxant.
Or-- 15mg Flexerill (Cyclobenzaprine) taken 2 hours before bedtime. It takes that long for it to kick in and prevents hangover.
Or-- Lunesta 2 to 4 mg.
Hope you find what works best for you! I usually buy my tinctures at Puritans when they have the buy one get one promotions.
Posted by ChicagoKat on October 6, 2012, at 21:01:46
In reply to Re: Alternative: Sleep-aid supplements, posted by Islandangel on October 6, 2012, at 20:45:35
> You are so lucky Benadryl works for you. Unfortunately Benadryl makes me wired and if I take a higher dose it just gives me a horrible hangover the next day. Ambien made me sleepwalk, sleep talk, sleep eat and even sleep-cook! Thankfully my husband told me what I was doing!
> Lunesta works fairly well unless I have a mind rambling night. If that happens, I can lie awake in bed until the sun comes up. Not fun. I tried Rozerem and it did nothing for me. My doctor told me Rozerem does nothing for most of his patients.
> I alternate between the following.
> Natural sleep remedy- Tincture of Valerian, tincture of Passionflower and a capsule of Lemonbalm. Sometimes I add Magnesium glycinate as it tends to be a natural muscle relaxant.
> Or-- 15mg Flexerill (Cyclobenzaprine) taken 2 hours before bedtime. It takes that long for it to kick in and prevents hangover.
> Or-- Lunesta 2 to 4 mg.
> Hope you find what works best for you! I usually buy my tinctures at Puritans when they have the buy one get one promotions.I am like you when it comes to Benadryl; it makes me wired. Used to work like a charm, but then it changed its tune. Pretty much nothing except Elavil works for me, and the side effects from that are pretty bad. I would give anything to find a sleep aid that worked...ambien used to work, but then it pooped out on me. Lunesta does absolutely nothing for me. And I have tried pretty much everything else. How I hate insomnia!
Kat
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