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        New Message Board Archives >> 2005 Cluster Headache Specific Posts >> NO SLEEP AGAIN
        
(Message started by: JohnO on Feb 20^th, 2005, 11:46pm)

Title: NO SLEEP AGAIN
Post by JohnO on Feb 20^th, 2005, 11:46pm

:-[

So another just woke me up. 5 weeks into this.
I hate sleeping, one wakes me up in the middle of the night, and one waits for me first thing in the morning.
Any new tricks on getting through the night?

Title: Re: NO SLEEP AGAIN
Post by sandie99 on Feb 21^st, 2005, 1:56am

Kevin,
[smiley=hug.gif]
I've run out of tricks... occasionally I fall asleep after watching my fave movies... you know, the kinds which are light entertainment. On Saturday I browsed all US cities from A-Z... I got to Nevada before I started to get sleepy.

Wishing you peaceful nights with lots of sleep,
Sandie

Title: Re: NO SLEEP AGAIN
Post by cat14 on Feb 21^st, 2005, 6:22am

Have you tried the melatoin yet? It lasted a few months before it stopped. I would need 9-12mg a night?

Title: Re: NO SLEEP AGAIN
Post by Bob_Johnson on Feb 21^st, 2005, 7:01am

Both of these are Rx meds but your doc can give you samples of the first one:

Zyprexa, 5mg, before bedtime. (It's also effective in aborting attacks for some folks.)

Ergomar SL, 2mg. One under the tongue and allowed to slowly dissolve; about one-hour before bed. An old time med which often stops attacks during sleep.

Title: Re: NO SLEEP AGAIN
Post by E-Double on Feb 21^st, 2005, 7:07am

Since you do have the "typical" wake you up in the middle of the night horrors then.... Melatonin might be a savior.
Many of us (myself included) have found that taking 6-9mg (some take more) about a 1/2 hour to 45minutes prior to bed have Knocked out the night visits and can finally get sleep.

With the exception of 5-6 times.....I have slept through the night since August.....Still get hit during the day but my overall quality of life is better because I am not as exhausted all the time.

Some people report that it seems to make them worse....The fact is that we are all different and respond differently to everything therefore it may or may not...

The one thing I will tell you as far as my experience was that I had to stick with it...The first night I took melatonin, I was awoken with a doozy only I was too groggy to find my O2 .....It got a lot better for me....I then slept through the night but would get slammed about 1/2 hour after waking up....kinda like knocking the beast off schedule.....then again I was peaking and this cycle has been all over the place with no real pattern.
I stayed with melatonin and have had decent sleep overall.

It may help and it is natural with not too many sideeffects....also ask your doctor b/c if there are any side effects or contraindications...I think they have to do with mild depression.....

Like I said we are all different.

Best wishes, good luck & stay as positive as you can!!!!

Eric

Title: Re: NO SLEEP AGAIN
Post by TonyG1 on Feb 21^st, 2005, 8:34pm

on 02/21/05 at 07:07:06, E-Double wrote:

Some people report that it seems to make them worse....The fact is that we are all different and respond differently to everything therefore it may or may not... Eric

Agree we are all different -- I'm one of those where the Melatonin seems to make it worse for me ...

Title: Re: NO SLEEP AGAIN
Post by jasckorohod on Feb 21^st, 2005, 11:25pm

My doctor gives me sleeping medication. You might want to ask your doc about a prescription for Ambien-it is a non-diazapam based medication and has a very short half life (stays in your body about 12 hours), so you won't feel the effects during the day and it doesn't build up in your system. Good luck.

Title: Re: NO SLEEP AGAIN
Post by sailpappy on Feb 22^nd, 2005, 7:44pm

;;DAmbien is a short term sleep adjunct that helps you fall asleep, but in our cases it stops working when you wake with the first cluster, I have been using Restoril(Desyrel) with some success. it is a benzodiazapine, like xanax,valuim, klonapin, etal, but it doesn't seem to have the same side affects, I went 8 days with no sleep, tried Ambien and if I took it at 12 am I would be up for the night by 2am.
Desyrel lets you go into rem 3 and stay there for a few hours before slipping into rem 4, where the clusters slip in and awake you, or at least me.
With the extra sleep I am begining to feel somewhat normal again. Here is the link to this medication( Oh also its a safe medication, as My Neuro told me they give it to 70-90 year old patients with great success!

http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/des1128.htm
Pappy

Title: Re: NO SLEEP AGAIN
Post by jasckorohod on Feb 22^nd, 2005, 8:53pm

I've used Restoril and it does work better for me than Ambien. I now take a German medicine called Zopiclon, not available in the US, which works just as well as Restoril and has no "hangover" effect.

Title: Re: NO SLEEP AGAIN
Post by Cooked Brain on Feb 24^th, 2005, 11:59am

Hiya John!

waht helps me most of the time is the Relpax, Imigran Nasal and (pure gold) oxygen.

If that doesnt help, just dance the night away :-/