Can't sleep

Forgot to say I am still on my anti depressants too.

Ive always been a terrible insomniac & ive been on Zopliclone for three years & since deoression continued with my meds.I think a short course of sleeping tablets wiuld help you I think Drs are reluctant to prescribe sleeping tablets niw but when you are so sleep deprived it adds to your low mood self esteem & more pain if you have a chronic condition.If i dont get use a tablet i do not sleep.

Some friends use kalms but these can become addictive to

You could try taking some melatonin supplements. They're sold as tablets without prescription from most herbal and dietary supplement shops (e.g. Holland & Barrett, or maybe even pharmacies) and you can take them about an hour before going to bed.

Melatonin is a naturally produced hormone in the brain that has various effects on the body, but is closely coupled with the Circadian rhythm and regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Too much melatonin can have side-effects including lowered libido, so make sure you read the label to famliarise yourself with what could go wrong and start with a low dosage. It should also say whether you can take melatonin in addition to other mood modifying medication - look for one that is compatible. I've never had to combine, so it'd be best to ask if you can.

I would also recommend making sure your room is as dark as possible when you sleep as any light even one coming from street lamps or the sunrise can affect the natural production of melatonin once it gets absorbed by the retina in your eyes even with your eyelids shut. Alternatively, you can try sleeping eye covers. Doing some exercise a few hours before going to bed can also make you tired and help with your sleep. Personally, I am very sensitive to ambient light and I can only get quality sleep when I'm in a dark room - especially during the summer when days are short, and feeling tired after some exercise definitely helps me get to sleep.

Hope this helps!

Ah, balls... it appears they've stopped selling melatonin OTC in the UK. That's new, and a shame. The only place I could find selling it online is biovea but I can't say anything more as it's the first time I've seen this website.

The first point is that without knowing it you could have a conflict between your AD and whatever you buy over the counter. So my suggestion is to stick to your GP and firstly tell us what you are taking, for how long and when you started to get your sleep problem. Do you, or have you in the past had panic attacks? What happens when you cannot sleep? What happens to you during the day? How are you managing to work? And live? Have you had any additional bed experience or event prior to the sleep problem? Has your GP asked you similar questions.

Tell us this and I may be able to help as I have had sleeping tablets.

Ambian and Seroquil worked great for me but are prescriptions. The best OTC I have used before I got scripts was the Nyquil just for sleep stuff. Not the one for cougy sniffing achy head stuff just for sleep stuff

Good luck

I am on 150mg of venlaflaxine and my doctor is reluctant to give me prescription sleeping tablets. My sleep has always been a problem for as far back as I can remember. I either can't get to sleep or I get to sleep but then constantly wake up through the night.

Hi

I don't know much about venlaflaxine but the antidepressant I am taking (mirtazapine) has a sedating effect, it's great for me because I suffered from terrible insomnia. I was tried on citalopram first but then because I was having so much trouble with sleep my doctor changed me to mirtazapine, I sleep well almost every night now. Have the odd night where it takes me a little longer to get to sleep but I think my lie-ins are to blame for that.

My doctor was reluctant to prescribe me sleeping tablets too, I was prescribed a weeks worth of zopiclone just to help in the short term, but they don't really solve the problem of insomnia.

I have a friend who has been prescribed Venlafaxine for depression and Mirtazapine for his sleep problems.

The main reason for reluctance to prescribe sleeping pills is that they can become addictive and the reason for not sleeping needs to be discovered as there are other measures that can help. Find the cause and the answer is there. I have used venlafaxine which has worked well for me.

However I hut a really bad stressful period that played havoc with my nerves and I could not switch off at night. My mind was constantly revolving around all the problems I faced and it was so strong that sleep was just fitful and light. It became so bad that I realised I could not continue to work and went to my GP in a desperate condition. Obviously he must have realised just how bad I had become because he gave me a week's supply of sleeping pills. What a relief. For the first time in about two months I got proper sleep. After a few nights like that my mind was settled and I could concentrate again so by the end of the week the ADs were sufficient. Fortunately that has only happened once.

There is something you can do to help yourself, if you are not already doing so. Fresh air and exercise. It does help enormously but discipline is the key. Fast walking is good enough. Try to find an interesting course with plenty to look at and think about as you go round. Notice the changes. Set yourself targets and move the targets as they are achieved. This not only helps to clear the mind but as you get fitter you also feel much better and the tiredness in your muscles helps sleep patterns.

HI Helbel, There are other meds that I don't think were mentioned above ( if you can get past the smell) is Valerian Root, and L-triptivan (these are actually herbal supplements) i find it ridiculous that Melatonin is not available in the UK because it is another herbal supplement. WOW, just as I was posting I had a popup called RemTabz manufactured by Gentech pharmaceuticals and appears as non addictive but you will have to send away for it. If you have a health food store handy, I would ask the owner/proprietor if there are products that will help. There is another that is very good for relaxing believe it or not is subligual vitamin B. The reason I say this is because I had a bad alcohol hangover from the night before and had to go to a concert that night and felt terrible. My buddy suggested it and sure enough it worked within minutes and had a good time at the concert. In the US it is sold at any drugstore OTC. If your doc will prescribe non addictive meds, Seroquel, Trazodone, Geodon, Remeron and most antipsychotic drugs are good for sleep. If he will prescribe addictive meds, I like Ambien(Zolpidem is the generic), Rozerem, Sonata, Silenor and Lunesta. And of course you have your benzodiazepines. I also like Robitussin OTC because I can't have alcohol. Most of the cough meds have benadryl so if you buy ones that don't, you may consider that too. So...Good Luck and sweet dreams.

Helbel, I also wanted to add that if you are concerned about drug combos, there is a site called Drugs.com that help you with drug interactions.