maryfw Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 I have an appt today with a sleep doctor. Any advice? I know he is going to tell me I have RLS. Hope he does not blow me off. I have been taking ambien and it is helping me sleep. Without the Ambien I have weird dreams all night long. So keep your fingers crossed for me that I will make some progress today. mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuddyLeesWife Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 They found that my husband had many "muscle twitches" occuring during the night - not severe enough to be considered RLS but enough to keep him from reaching restorative stages of sleep. Since using the CPAP, he has been virtually event free from his NCS symptoms for 18 months so we can just assume that the CPAP cleared up the muscle twitches. He would have to have another supervised study to absolutely confirm that is what occurred but we are happy that his symptoms have cleared up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan617 Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 He will probably not like the idea of you taking Ambien, but don't get defensive about it. It will just go downhill if you do. The specialist I saw was very politically correct with me, and that was sort of weird, so I'm not sure what advice to give, except for the above. Good luck! morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfw Posted March 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 It was a good visit. He was ok with me taking Ambien and gave me the option of continuing but gave me another choice of a really low dose older antidepressant which I said I would try. He said if it did not work to take the Ambien again. Also gave me something for the RLS. Also ordered a thyroid test.............said I have a slight goiter. He is the second doc to mention it to me but havent had that tested in a year so time to do that again. He was very good and did not blow me off. I am pleased. mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia3 Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 marywatch those OLDER anti depressants...many can cause daytime hangovers and worsen OI!!Did he give you the name of the drug? Amitryptiline(sp) comes to mind as one that causes groggieness and messes up ANS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldicedance Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 My sleep doctor did not want me to continue taking Ambien CR because of its addictive qualities. First he tried me on tramozone (spelling); however it made me feel woozy both during the night and day. Moreover, I gained about 7 pounds in 5 days--all fluid retention. Then he recommended I try benadryl.Now I am using good-old fashioned benadryl-two capsules at night. I fall alseep easily, get up about 1 time during the night, and don't wake up with a hangover. Did you know that benadryl is the addition to Tylenol that makes it Tylenol PM?Lois Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flop Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 I've taken a tricyclic in the past and my GP told me that the secret to avoiding daytime-hangover effect is to take the med mid-evening, don't wait until bedtime to take it. Also avoid all alcohol (if you drink any, I know most of us can't handle alcohol anymore). They can make you tachycardic so keep an eye on your heart rate and report to your doctor if you get very tachy.Hope it helps you get some better quality sleep.Flop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfw Posted March 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2008 the name of the med is Trazadone. I took it last night for the first time and it did not seem to work. I had wierd dreams All NIght Long. My hubbie told me to give it more than one night but if it doesnt work tonight I need to rest so I will take another Ambien if I have too. mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldicedance Posted March 17, 2008 Report Share Posted March 17, 2008 Mary,That is the same med that my sleep doctor recommended. Perhaps we are seeing the same doctor. I go to the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville.PM me is we are "doctoring" at the same place.The benadryl is working cool for me.Lois Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfw Posted March 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2008 OK. I am not taking the Trazadone because I thought it was making my deams wierder but I guess not because I have had some wierd and some bad dreams since I stopped taking it. I am taking Sinemet for my restless leg and ambien for sleep. Anyone out there ever had wierd or bad dreams as a side effect of either of these meds. Also, my GYN gave me a depro shot for birth control a week ago and I have had atleast 2 days where I just want to take peoples heads off and that is not my normal personality. The depo shot lasts three months so I guess if the shot is making me edgy, them I may be hard to live with for 3 months. Any suggestions?mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megan Posted March 22, 2008 Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 I have some advice as far as the depo. I've been on it a long time, as having monthly menstrual cycles wrecks havoc on my mind and body. However, right before and right after I get the shot I get REALLY emotional. Other than that, my mood is fairly normal. So I'd suggest writing your mood on the calandar so that you remember for the next time, should you continue to receive it. I find that depo helps me immensely, and I hope it works out for you. I'd suggest waiting a week or so and seeing if your mood calms down before you make any decisions. Good luck! Meg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flop Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 Depo is well known for causing mood swings after a dose (although it is slow-release it does tend to give you a fairly high waft of hormones right after the shot). One thing is to make sure that whoever gives you the shot doesn't rub the area - apparently this disperses the drug and makes it get absorbed more easily (ideal for normal vaccinations but not what you want from a slow-release med).Flop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfw Posted March 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 Thank you both for you comments on the Depo. It has been about a week and a half and I am still having my days but I can deal with it as long as it does not last for 3 months. It really helps to talk with other people who are on the same meds and get real insight. Thank you again. mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyNtheJourney Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 I have had severe problems with sleep for a very, very long time...mostly due to pain. Many years ago, I was put on Restoril (a drug in the class of benzodiazepines) and it worked great. I slept like a baby. The problem is they never told me how addictive it was and how dangerous that class of drugs is. Eventually it quit working at the initial dose and they kept kicking the dose up and up to help me sleep. Then Ambien came out and they switched me to it. It worked for a while but it, too, quit working. Back to the Restoril I went, but still at a higher dose. I finally had had enough of taking drugs to sleep and decided that I wasn't going to do it any longer. So I just quit taking it and thought I'd just suffer through a night or two not taking anything. BOY WAS I WRONG!!! I thought I was going to die!! You can't just stop this type of drug. It can literally KILL you! So, I went in to see my doctor and he switched me to a drug he said would be easier to wean off of....Klonopin, another benzo. That was about 5 years ago. He put me on about 4 mg of Klonopin, the equivalent to the amount of Restoril I was currently taking. I have since successfully weaned down to taking 1 mg every night but I can't manage to get any lower than that and still sleep some and not suffer w/d symptoms.......and trust me, I don't sleep well with that amount but I'm not about to go any higher!The reason I am telling you all of this is that I want you to be VERY careful about taking sleep meds. Most ALL of them are very, very addictive...even if the doctor, the label, commercials or anything else tells you they aren't. Some are OK if you are taking them short-term for problems such as a short illness, taking care of a sick relative, short change in job duty with night shift, etc. But they are very dangerous for long-term use. The worst ones are any in the benzodiazepine class......Restoril, Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, Dalmane, Valium, Prosom, to name a few. Even if you take them at the prescribed dose and never 'abuse' them, you can still become addicted/dependent and have severe withdrawal symptoms, even if you don't quit taking them!!! Your body builds up a tolerance and thinks it needs more. This is the WORST withdrawal you can ever experience....even much worse than narcotic withdrawal. So, just take my opinion for what it's worth. Google 'benzodiazepine withdrawal' and read about it.When I saw Dr. Raj last week at Vandy, that was one of the first things he said to me as he was reading over my med list. He said he strongly recommended that I get off the Klonopin. He started to explain what I already knew about the medicine. It is bad. He said that these type medications will not let you get into the REM (rapid eye moment) phase of sleep, where you really and truly REST!!! He said that is where a lot of our brain fog comes from; lack of sleep. Whether it is from pain, insomnia, medications, whatever, we need sleep and we have a hard time getting it. Thus, brain fog. He also mentioned how bad the withdrawal is. He said that most insurance companies won't pay for you to be admitted to the hospital for withdrawal from narcotics but they WILL for benzos because withdrawing from these can kill you. So, I'll get off my soapbox now! ;0) He strongly recommended I see a good sleep specialist and I will. To get help for sleep and help with getting off the Klonopin....something I've been trying to do for a very, very long time.Good luck to all of you who are suffering with sleep problems. I honestly feel your pain.Blessings, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajw4790 Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 Hi!I saw you are on Sinemet for RLS. Did the dr. that put you on this understand POTS and related conditions? It can cause a lot of side effects including cardiac irregularities, hypotension etc. There is a long list of side effects with this medication. Did you try other meds for RLS first? This seems an odd choice for a first RLS med. It is a very strong medication with a lot of side effects normally used for people with Parkinsons. It can cause the jerky movements you normally think of with Parkinsons. It is actually the meds that cause the jerkiness and not the Parkinsons. As far as the dreams I don't know, but I could see it affecting that as well. If you are on a low dose you may not see all these side effects like people who take it for Parkinson's. I hope you get to feeling better and see relief with the meds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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