which night time sleep med. works best for you? (restless leg syndrome, migraines, prescription)

[suenjohn]

well, the mail system never sent me all the above replies.

Ambien was tried years ago and it was both expensive and did not work.

I tried Melatonin but do not remember the # mg. (maybe 3-4-5)

I've tried 100mg of Benydryl and no luck. (4 of the 25 mg. pink)

[miyu]

I don't like Ambien because I would wake up with funny taste in mouth.
Melatonin I'd wake up within an hour of falling asleep.
Benadryl would knock me out for way too long and I'd be groggy in the AM, again with bad taste in mouth.
Yoga/relaxation was actually helpful.
Alcohol - helpful, if you don't mind a hangover.

Of all three pills, Benadryl worked most reliably.

[stan4]

I only use sleep meds when I'm switching from nights to days or days to nights (so about twice a month), but because ambien will only get me 3 or 4 hours most times, I interchange it with phenergan+benadryl.
I add melatonin, too. Both times.

[suenjohn]

Xanax is the same way, 3-4 hours and it's life is over.

No one has mentioned Lunesta (the cousin, or alternative to Ambien)

Anyone tried that?

I tried to have a healthy heart by drinking a glass of wine per day like the French. The taste is terrible. No alcohol for me.
Benydryl 100 mg, did not knock me out at all.

Xanax does work in the first 1-2 hours, but once it is through, I can wake up maybe 4-5 hours later and have trouble going back to sleep.

My case is racing thoughts. I seem to use sleep time as a time to talk to myself, about anything in general. A bad habit. So, my sleep meds have to over come that bad habit.

Now, if I take even a short nap in the day, I'll be up all night, wide awake. I have to avoid day naps.
However, the easiest and quickest way for me to fall asleep is to lay down about an hour before having to go to work at 5pm, or go anywhere. I'm not consciously thinking, that I am going to sleep through the appointment. But that is some of the quickest and best sleep I can get. But, I have to avoid that or I'd never get to sleep at night.

Some foods provide melatonin.

[Mattie]

I had the best results with Lunesta, but our insurance plan doesn't cover it, so I went back to Ambien, which at least has a generic form.

[suenjohn]

when I tried Ambien there was no generic.

It wouldn't be a $4.00 one at Walmart would it?
That is cheaper than a box of Benydryl.

[Aptor hours]

Originally Posted by suenjohn

when I tried Ambien there was no generic.

It wouldn't be a $4.00 one at Walmart would it?
That is cheaper than a box of Benydryl.

I recently worked at a pharmacy and even though Ambien has a generic it is not on the $4 list. Not all generics are on the list. Most controlled medications are not listed on the $4 list and Ambien is a schedule IV controlled medication.

As far as xanax lasting only three or four hours that is how long xanax is supposed to last. It leaves your system much faster than say valium (diazapam).

[Mattie]

I pay just under $15.00 for 30 generic 10mg Ambien.

[CaptainNJ]

Originally Posted by Mattie

Doxylamine Succinate(OTC sleep aid from Costco)

thats what i use. before i was using the unisom but the costco doesnt have that ingredient by itself only attached to a pain reliever so i got the kirkland sleep aid thing. dirt cheap compared to the unisom and does the job.

[stepka]

I used benadryl for years but then read that it can block the acetylcholine in your brain, which can set you up for dementia, and with it running in my family and my mother well along at 75, I'm not willing to do anything which will improve my chances of getting dementia. Now I drink a 1/2 glass of wine before bed and that works even better.