I have suffered from insomina most of my life, and suffer really is the right word.  The last couple years it's been better, though.  Still not good but better than it used to be.

I've been using Ambien as needed for the last few years.  I was not taking it very often though.  Recently I've had a lot more trouble sleeping but the Ambien seems to have just stopped working.  I can't imagine how that happens, but apparently it did.

Monday night I slept about one hour.  Really.  One hour.  So you would think I would have been exhausted by Tuesday evening.  Well, I was exhausted but still had trouble sleeping.  I have a prescription for Visteril for anxiety so I took two of those, hoping it would help me sleep.  It did not.  I finally fell asleep around midnight only to wake up about 5:00 am.

Now, six hours sleep in the last two days is simply not enough.  I feel ill and I think that's why.

I see my pscyhiatrist in a couple weeks and plan to ask him to prescribe something else for sleep, maybe Lunesta.  Is that likely to work much better than Ambien?  And does anyone have any suggestions of what to do until then?  This is really getting ridiculous.

Kelly

Hey Kelly -

I have sleep issues as well. I take Trazadone every evening and it seems to work very well for me. I've been on it for years. Because I take one every evening, I know I'm not going to have any trouble going to sleep so I don't have any of the anxiety that dread/worry can cause. The other thing is that I can adjust the dose if I need too (per my doc's direction). This is not a sleeping pill but actually a very old antidepressant so it augments my antidepressant meds too (gotta love a two-fer). Also, because it's been around so long, it's pretty cheap. Hope this helps.

I use Trazadone at night too. I started taking it when I found myself in the midst of a terrible anxiety issue a couple of years ago. It was 100% worse first thing in the mornings. Trazadone not only helped my sleeping but it zapped my morning anxiety.

It's so wonderful when you find something that works!

Kelly, as you know, meds work different with everybody. I loved Lunesta, it worked well for me. Then it went to a preferred category under my insurance. So, the switch to Ambien, which for me worked great, until surgery. I too am a long time sufferer of insomina. My pscyhiatrist prescribed Restaril (sp?). I couldn't tell I had taken anything.
I understand. I wonder how a person can function on very little sleep.

Good luck with which ever road your doctor suggests.

I take Ambien as well and sometimes it does not do the trick for one reason or another. If you take Xanex you could take a 10mg Ambien, and try a 0.5mg Xanex and see if that works. My pharmacist says that is okay. Also Melatonin is a hormone already made in your body but you could try to supplement it with a Melatonin tablet 3mg , it's otc, that also helps me on occasion. Just don't take it too often as I read that it can start reducing the natural melatonin your body produces. Good luck!

-Adrienne

 I also have had insomnia on and off for years...I have tried ambien,ambien cr,  lunesta, sonata and their generic forms. I have never taken them on a regular basis just only when I really needed them.  For some reason they stopped working after my surgery.  My doctor gave me klonapin ( it is a tranquilizer) she said it will "shut of my mind" and help me sleep.  This is the only thing that works for me.  I went months without sleep (literally) I took klonapin for a month it worked each and every night with no side effects.  Stopped taking it and now I am sleeping fine on my own..thankfully.

I am sure you have heard this before but do not eat or exercise a few hours prior to going to bed, daily exercise (early in the day) def makes for a better night sleep.

Wishing you a restful sleep soon.

I've taken Restoril for over 15 years for sleep. As a post op, I too had some sleeping issues.  Personally, I've found that taking either Melatonin (5-10mg sublingual or capsule) or 2 of the 500mg Tryptophan helps me sleep through most nights.  I'm still a light sleeper, but these 2 OTC options help in over 90% of my night's sleep.  This might help you. DAVE

Hi Kelly,
I suffered from severe insomnia for many years. I took ambien daily for a couple of years and it eventually stopped working for me as well. I switched to Lunesta and it works fine, but it is kind of an adjustment. for some reason it leaves a really bad taste in your mouth for a few days when you first start taking it. If your DR writes you a script for it, you can go to Lunesta.com and print a cupon that will cover your insurance co-pay and you can get your script filled for one year for free. Hope your sleep issues get better. out of the blue about 2 weeks after my rny i just felt like i could sleep on my own, and i have ever night since. weird. havent slept without taking a sleeping pill in probably 5 years.

I know exactly what you mean.  I am a very light sleeper, and have insomnia often, and it has gotten worse since RNY.  Some nights I get 1 hr, some 3-5, rarely more than 5 hrs a nite.

I've been having trouble too lately.  I used to use Ambien but am out and have been using OTC.  Last night I took 6 of them.  To make it worse, I start to get anxiety when it starts to get dark...just worrying about the night, if I'll sleep, or if my legs with start bothering me (MS). 

Hope you get some help for it and that you'll get some much needed sleep.

I take 2 Klonapin and 1-3 mg melatonin 1 hour before bed.  While reading my Nook in bed - I drink a mug of hot Sleepytime extra tea.  I also use homeopathic lozenges called Moon Drops.  Still use a cPap machine.  I wake up at night to pee, but usually can get back to sleep, ok.

I have had sleeping problems most of my life also, but right after my surgery it was really bad. I too take Ambien, from time to time, and have found that 1/2 a pill (5mg) works just as well on me as 10mg does. I also always try to take a hot bath and relax, even if it's just for a few minutes before I go to bed. Also I have found that if I take my vitamins at night before I go to bed, I sleep better. I don't know if there is actually a reason for that or not. But some nights I just don't sleep. Good luck!

I can not offer much beyond what the others have said except that I have issues sleeping too.
Some doctors prescribe Benadryl which is really an antihistamine but makes you sleepy-safe enough for senior citizens even, but effective. The down side is it akes your moth dry and can leave you feeling sorta drowsy all day.

The bad thing about most Rx sleep aids is tolerance-after a few years or even just  few months, it can be less effective and you need to use more and more.

I imagine you have tried all the usual-warm milk, melatonin, no caffeine after maybe 2PM? Someone on here said a lot of B12 can cause insomnia-but you say you have had this trouble for years.

Well, I wish you well-let us know if you find something that helps, I am sure a lot of people would love to know!