Fatigue and sleep

[stacey79]

I have posted on here before about so tired and fatigued all the time. I'm a very restless sleeper. I mean, I literally get up and do things and say things and don't wake up. Last year I even cracked a tooth when I was up and about in my sleep.

I switched to a new family doctor last week and was talking with her about this. I had a sleep study last year that showed I do not have sleep apnea, but didn't give me any other answers. Since I'm on quite a few other meds for my bladder and for high blood pressure she wanted to avoid another prescription. She suggested I try taking melatonin at bedtime.

I've been doing that since Friday night and I feel a whole lot better. I haven't gotten up and done anything in my sleep since then. I know it's still a little early to tell, but so far I'm feeling MUCH more rested. I took the full 3 mg pill on Friday night and had trouble getting up on Saturday. Since then I've been cutting them in half and am doing really well with them.

I don't know if this would work for everyone and I don't know whether melatonin can affect some bladders, but I just thought I'd share. No matter what, talking to your doc before trying anything is a good idea. She knew all my presriptions so I trust that she wouldn't recommend this if it would interfere with anything else. Hopefully it will continue to work and I can feel more rested like I have these last couple of days.

[aprilmae]

:) Glad you finally got some rest. Things are so much easier to handle when we are well rested. Have a great day!

[Trishann]

Stacey thanks for sharing this with us. I am happy to hear you found something to help you sleep. It is horrible not able to sleep, hopefully now you won't be so fatigue.

You have a nice day, Trishann

[stacey79]

Thanks for your nice messages. It has been wonderful to get better sleep. Now I'm reminding myself to pace myself so I don't get carried away, do too much and cause a flare!

[Claredale]

It used to work for me very well. It still put's me to sleep after taking more than I should, but it doesn't keep me asleep anymore. Both my boys use it especially my younger one that lives in a dorm. He has never been able to sleep well when there is noice. But you are right, just getting the sleep makes a huge difference when dealing with IC.

I am so happy for you!!!

[Elle]

What is melatonin? Do you mind me asking what meds you're on while taking it? I am so tired all of the time and really need to get something to knock me out!!

[Claredale]

Melatonin is a natural herbal supplement. You can find it in the vitamin/herbal section of the drugstore, Walmart, Target, etc. It's natural to your body (I may not be saying this correctly) but it is safe and for a while worked great with me. I have been on meds for so long and my body seems to work up the tolerance much to fast. I have such a sleep issue. I have tried Benadryl (no amount will even effect me anymore) valium, Lunesta, Ambien CR. Now I am taking Seroquel. It is a med that has been around for a long time. My mom said that my grandfather took it for years. I have been on it for about a week and so far, so good. I take it about 10:00 and fall asleep around 10:30. I still get up to go to the bathroom every hour or so, but at least I go right back to sleep. I have not had a full night sleep in almost 20 years. The Lunesta was best at putting me to sleep, but any little noise or potty need would wake me up for the night. My body doesn't require a lot of sleep, but I would like to at least get some sleep.

Stacey, you mentioned that you broke a tooth. I did as well. They were actually veneers (my 2 front teeth). I was trying to walk around the house in the dark and hit a corner. I got super glue and glued them right back in my mouth. When I woke up the next morning and told my husband about it, he called my dentist and took me right in!!!! It seemed perfectly okay to me and the were secure in my mouth!!! I didn't want to lose my teeth. My dentist still teases me about it. Sorry for the sleep stories, but I bet we could share alot. I got up one time and decided to wrap Christmas presents. On Christmas Eve, my future daughter in law was opening her present. I was so excited for her to see what I got for her so I was watching her as she opened it and it was my older son's underwear box. The look on her face was so confused!!! Priceless moment!! Another time, I decided to clean my carpets....with bleach. Needless to say that was a costly mistake. I was also taking Neurontin at the time. I will never take Neurontin again!!!! I also played Scrabble one time and insisted to everyone that I was fine. Well, at least my family was entertained for the night!!!

[stacey79]

We certainly could share some sleep stories! It's nuts what we can do and not be aware of.

I never have trouble falling asleep. It's almost the opposite. My hubby jokes about me falling asleep on the couch every evening watching television. The melatonin seems to get me the kind of sleep I most need, though. I've even been staying awake in the evenings this week.

As far as my other meds, this is the first sleep aid of any sort I've tried. Prescription wise I'm on 100-200 mg of Elmiron, 15 mg Ditropan XL, 100 mg Lopressor, Dyazide, low-dose of Bactrim and birth control pill. Melatonin is something our body makes anyway, I think. Of it's always a good idea to double-check it's OK with your doc first.

[SandyRN]

I was glad to see you are cutting the melatonin tablets in half. I've read several articles on OTC melatonin and the 3 mg pills are like 10 times more that the recommended dose is. I have no idea why pills are sold in such high doses. At those dosages it can be dangerous, apparently.

I'm glad you're getting some much needed sleep. I say and do some very strange things while I'm sleeping too!

Hugs, Sandy

[SandyRN]

"What is the Recommended Dosage?

The dose suggested for aiding jet-lag disrupted sleep varies widely, anywhere from 100 mcg or micrograms (0.1 mg or milligrams) to 10 mg, a hundredfold difference! Physiologically, your pineal gland usually produces much less than 100 mcg per day, most of it starting in the hour preceding your normal bedtime and into the sleep cycle. If you do experience problems with sleep, it makes sense to start with a low dose, 500 mcg (0.5 mg) or less. If that is effective, stay with it or try a lower dose. If not, try a gradual increase in dose. You should take Melatonin approximately 20 minutes before bed-time. Finally, Melatonin taken orally is not well absorbed by the digestive tract, thus much of the dose is not available to your body. However, Melatonin taken in the form of sublingual tablets that dissolve under the tongue are much better absorbed and therefore require a smaller dosage."

Found this on a site talking about jet lag..the dose is in micrograms, not milligrams.......big difference! I forgot to mention that putting the tablet under your tongue can make it work much better...most of the tablets have no taste.

:)

[glassd18]

I tend to wake up in a Zombie state, and it's like I'm on auto pilot. My body knows the way to the John without me mentally being there.lolololol I took Melatonin too, but the one I bought has Vitamin B6 and Calcium, and so I won't use it anymore because B6 is an offending Vitamin. Do they sell it without?

[Claredale]

Yes they do have just the melatonin.

I wish I could find a doctor that can explain why my body reacts so differently to meds. I can take 3 melatonin (3mg) and never even close my eyes. It scares me to read all the posts about the meds being too strong for ya'll.

As for the zombie state...Isn't it fun to be in a strange place, like a hotel room when you are out of town. I am always confused during the night. I take a night light like I am a little kid!

[stacey79]

I have always kept a flashlight on my nightstand. (Bladder issues my whole life) I also pack one whenever I travel. A few weeks ago, my flashlight stopped working. My hubby found another one for me. I almost freak out without it, even though I seldom use it at home any more!

I go back to the doctor in about three weeks and will talk with her more about the melatonin thing then. I did get some that was only melatonin, I think. I will have to double-check. Sometimes I space on stuff.

Tracey, you might talk to your doctor about sleep. People just react differently. I'm extra sensitive to things that cause drowsiness. Even DMSO made me incredibly tired. Pain medicine and Benadryl knock me out like a light. My mother-in-law, on the other hand, was given super strong sleep medicine in the hospital after her heart attack and it didn't even phase her!

[Claredale]

Stacey, that's why I am so frustrated about my sleep meds. My doctor has tried all the new sleep meds, so now we are looking to the older meds like what I am taking no. So far I have been on it a couple of weeks and it is working well so far. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will keep working. When I got this med and read that it is used for mental illness such as bi-polar, etc it really scared me, but my mom (retired nurse) told me that the dosage I was on was perfectly safe.

Thanks much! Tracey

[Sarojini]

I am one that reacts terribly to melatonin -- I guess I just have to have my own pineal gland's and that is it. If I take melatonin, I wake up hours later, screaming from a horrible nightmare (it is always the same one, too) and in a cold sweat. The dream kind of continues like a hallucination when my eyes are open, too! I am so terrified that I cannot usually get back to sleep for at least an hour, and my husband has to hold me and rock me and do everything he can to get me to stop shaking and crying. It is awful.

[stacey79]

Hey, Tracey. SOunds like you've been through quite an ordeal with sleep meds. Hopefully what you are on now will continue to work.

Jen, I had to grin when I read your post. No, I'm not sadistic, but this is what I do regularly and am taking the melatonin to avoid doing. How crazy is that?! It's just so weird how different we all are. I've had a few times when I ran to the corner of the room in my sleep and started screaming at the top of my lungs when having a very bad dream. My hubby has to turn on the light and really work to get me fully awake enough to realize I"m safe. So far with the melatonin, I've been sleeping soundly and not doing crazy things. It's extra remarkable since I've had a lot of stress this week, which usually triggers my nighttime "episodes." Taking pain meds also causes me to have the dreams like that, too. After my hydro a couple of years ago, I was sleeping during the day and couldn't get awake. I was scared to death!

[glassd18]

Yikes, that's horrible!!

[Claredale]

I have gone and sat in my closet and fallen back to sleep. My husband woke up and had to find me.

My aunt took Ambien for a short time. She actually got up and drove to Walmart, got some wallpaper border and wallpapered her laundry room. All in one night. She has also purchased things on line with her credit card and didn't remember anything about it. She just started getting packages in the mail.

[glassd18]

My Sister-In-Law takes Ambien when she's flying long trips. I would be scared to death to be out like that on a plane!!!! It says not to use it like that too in the product insert!!! I've done some crazy things when I was younger in my sleep, but nothing too recent.