So glad to hear you found something that works goldensmom! Sleep deprivation can be awful on so many levels.
I'm using a CPAP machine which helps some. Then I take a xanax maybe once a week to get a really good sleep. At least there are a few things that work for us!
I wish you continued good rest!

Hi, goldensmom. I can so relate to your sleep problems. While I only have nightsweats occasionally, I have trouble winding down in the evening and with waking in the middle of the night. I often take a small dose of xanax at bedtime. My doctor has been trying to prescribe Rozerom, which can be used long term, but my insurance co. didn't approve. They said I have to take Ambien first before I could try Rozerom. So, I am going to take it for a month and then my doctor will then say it doesn't work and prescribe R. I just got my Ambien prescription but haven't taken yet. I do know it works because I took it briefly when my dad was ill. No hangover effect like the xanax. Too bad it's not a long-term solution. I'm hoping the Rozerom will be helpful when I get to it.

Good luck to you and I hope you continue to feel better. I will follow your "turn out the light" instruction when I try my Ambien tonight! Thanks for posting this. It was so timely.

Tina

The big thing in taking it is Go to bed....do not read, do not watch TV.

So true! I tried it once ... my doctor prescribed it for me to take on a Transatlantic flight that I was dreading, and I gave it a trial run before my trip. Good thing I did so. I followed the instructions ... took it right as I was getting ready for bed, proceeded to brush my teeth, wash my face, get into my pj's ... nothing. No effect whatsoever, and I thought, eh, this stuff's not gonna work.

Then I got into bed and propped myself up with the tv remote, tuned into "Everybody Loves Raymond" and *bingo!* I had not double, but triple vision all of a sudden. The whole room was spinning and I saw three of everything, and that's the last thing I remember. The person I was living with at the time came home late from work that night, and he attempted to have a conversation with me. Apparently, said conversation was peppered heavily with my use of the "f" word (even in places where it wasn't especially applicable - LOL!) -- So I knew the next day when I was coherent that this was not something to take on an airpline! I'm actually astonished that my doctor would have prescribed it for that.

Anyway ... just a little anecdote to further Goldensmom advice to take the pill, turn out the light, go to bed.
:-)

Catherinet...what is a CRAP machine?

Tinasoldhouse....Please let me know how it worked for you. My insurance wouldn't cover Rozerom either. Makes me so livid to know what the company I work for and I pay for insurance and then something like Rozerom isn't covered. Oh well that's another topic all together...LOL.

Auntjen...other people have also told me the same thing you stated. That must have been one heck of an ordeal. The information that comes with it does state: " Somnambulism (sleepwalking), including eating or driving while not fully awake, with amnesia for the event have been reported." That's why I emphasized "Turn out the light".

A side note: When I 1st started to take it about a month ago I actually told my DH to hide my car keys because I was so paranoid I would get up and drive. :-)

LOL goldensmom!!! Its a CPAP machine (continuous positive Airway Pressure). hahahahahah........it feels more like a CRAP machine though! hahaha
Its for people who have sleep apnea. I had a sleep study and it showed that I was having trouble breathing at night, and so the doctor had me use this. The machine is on the floor by my bed, and there's a long tube that connects with a nasal mask. It keeps pressure in my lungs and throat, so that my tissues don't close off and cause apnea. I have fibromyalgia with lots of fatigue, and this is helping a bit.

Well, I tried the ambien last night. I did just what you guys recommended and turned off the light right after I took it. As I lay there, I started to get a little anxious, wondering what the heck was gonna happen. I usually take xanax at bedtime to calm me, but I didn't, so that's probably why I got nervous. I slept fairly soundly throughout the night, waking only when DH got up. I was able to go back to sleep and get a total of 8 hrs. of sleep. I can't remember the last time I did that. Because I didn't take the xanax last night, I don't feel so fuzzy today. All in all, a good experience.

Catherinet...my nephew is getting that machine...he has terrible apnea...didn't know that's what it was called.

Tina...glad it was a good experience. I like that it has no hangover effects.

May we all have continued rest.

I NEED something, but I don't think I can take Ambien. I am already a sleepwalker.
GuitGirl

My Blog:

Here is a link that might be useful: I Am A MidLife Crisis * Perimenopause Madness

GuitGirl, I read some of your blog. It's a scream and I love it, especially the part about saying what you really think and needing your own space. I have a tendency to earn myself a bit of criticism at times too. I'm on another forum that has a "talk about anything" section. As seems to be human nature, the topics often get to be about politics or religion. Since I am currently in this say what you think frame of mind, I often do so, then question myself about it later. I think after years of keeping my feelings bottled up, it's all spewing out like a shook-up uncorked champagne bottle. The problem is it spews on me too, lol.
As for your sleeping problems, this is my experience. I was having a terrible problem with sleeping almost two years ago. I made an appt with a new gyn (whom I love now) that did a series of hormone levels, plus adrenal hormone levels. My DHEA was so low it was almost undetectable. During times of stress as we age, sometimes the adrenals get over-worked and their hormones get screwed up. Cortisol levels go up, and DHEA levels go down. High cortisol levels in the evening will cause sleeplessness. She (my new gyn) put me on a DHEA supplement, and within a couple of months, my sleep was back to normal except for occasional hot flashes, but I could go back to sleep after those flashes occured. She has had to adjust my dose of DHEA down because my levels got too high, and that causes problems too. Anyway, you might consider getting your doc to check adrenal hormone levels and see if that's the problem. I don't recommend taking DHEA without physician supervision because, like I said, it can cause problems if you get too much- serious problems. Good luck.
Mrs H