Effective Sleeping Pills/Agents?

[humangrade]

I use unisom. I started with 25mg tabs, went to 50mg gel caps, then went to a city gel and a 25 cap. Then two 50's here recently. Oooowee. It does knock me out, but the prob here may be your bed dude. Look into maybe upgrading in support and comfort. I know for me, I would crash at my parents house on a pillow top and sleep beautifully. Now, when I crqsh with my old lady, I am up six or seven times a night man. When I sleep alone, I sleep better. I gotta get rid of that bitch......

you know the gel caps and the Tabs are different right?

 

[Erok]

when taking these meds are you staying up doing stuff until you "feel" them? or take them and then laying down like 15 min later to try to sleep.

For me with both ambien and lunesta if I wait to feel the effect, I end up feeling high and get sucked into whatever im doing. where as if i just lay down after 15 min no matter what im passed out in minutes. Same effect for me with all muscle relaxants. So they just put me back on ambien.

i also drink sleepytime tea with milk in it.

 

[reebokrunner456]

For me with both ambien and lunesta if I wait to feel the effect, I end up feeling high and get sucked into whatever im doing.

Very good way of describing how lunesta/ambien make me feel...

...but, unlike with you, these meds will make me feel this way even if I'm 'drop-dead' exhausted and take them and go right to bed, (I'll still end up feeling high and awake).

As for me sleep in general, things have improved tremendously, primarily because I no longer feel starved on my new diet. Here are some tips/tricks which I PM'd to a fellow prof muscle member the other night and thought I should post here in the even others may benefit:

NOTE: My sleep is far from perfect, but definitely much improved - I currently average 4-6 hrs. during the work week (as opposed to 1-3), and 1-3x/week, during the work week, I'm luck to get 7-9 hrs. Weekends are typically 8-10+.

My sleep 'protocol' currently includes the following, (the days don't add up to 7 cuz most nights I "stack" things, lol):

5-6 nights/week - 1 serv. simply sleep, (an otc 'chemical' sleep aid; active = diphenhydramine)
2-4 nights/week - 1-1/2 serv. of an all natural sleep aid called Alteril (my nutritionist recommended it, and it's definitely the best natural sleep aid I've found thus far)
0-3 nights/week - a benzo (either Ativan or Restoril)
0-4 nights/week - high quality (organic) chamomile tea

I'm constantly changing up the combinations; I've found that variety is key so that the body doesn't get used to any one thing. But a few tips that I've noticed, (along with friends who've had MUCH worse sleep trouble than me):

#1 - For most of the stuff I've listed above, (and ESPECIALLY the simply sleep), take it fasted. I'm not freakin kidding when I say that some of this stuff will make you drowsy as all hell… but take it after eating a meal, even just a few hundred calories, and forget it… I won't feel even the slightest bit sedated for several hours afterward. The good thing is, even just 5 minutes fasted is good enough. For example, I still typically eat all my food during ~11 PM to 8 AM, and my first meal is literally 1,200-1,500 calories. I'll take the simply sleep just 5 minutes before eating and I can feel that shit kicking in as I'm eating… the second I finish, it's off to bed! The only two things that seem to be just as effective in the fed state as they are fasted is the benzo, restoril and the chamomile tea.

#2a - (Benzos) - a word of caution: both my doctor and several friends have warned me that these are EXTREMELY addictive. Luckily, (aside from food), my body is pretty addiction prone. To prove it, (with the benzos), between Jan/Feb of this year, I went off the benzos cold turkey for >1 month. Did I sleep worse? Somewhat… BUT no worse than before having started the benzos, and withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, I currently use them as my doc recommended - no more than 3x/week, cuz they greatly improve the quality/amount of sleep when I rotate them.

#2b - (Benzos) - It may take some experimenting to find one that works. The only 2 I really like are Restoril and *Ativan; both have a pretty short half lives, and I rarely feel hungover the next morning, (or if so, not for more than an hour or two). Valium and Klonopin also worked somewhat decently for me, but HOLY SHIT, the hangover literally lasts till the next evening… surprisingly, I'm okay mentally/at work, but it's a real bitch getting my workout in after these, lol. Other benzos have the opposite effect… lunesta, which many people on this thread have raved about, kept me awake. (*NOTE: in my first post on this thread I said ativan wasn't effective; but this proved to be one of my benzos of choice; a) my original dose was ridiculously low (1/2 mg); also, b) the hunger problem was so freakin bad, when I first tried the ativan that nothing was really working at that time… aside from eating 1,000's of calories before bed).

#2c - (Benzos) - For whatever reason, I almost never take the benzos alone; I've found that I get a MUCH better night's sleep 'stacking' them with the otc, simply sleep (my doc said this was okay to do). When I do this, I'll typically take the simply sleep first, followed by either restoril of ativan, 1-3 hrs. later.

#3 - The chamomile tea works really well! Lately, I haven't felt like waiting around to make it after I eat… (or drinking extra and then waking to pee, lol); but when I first started my diet, it really, really helped get me in a much better rhythm with my sleep; and I still use it from time to time. The great part is, if I'm having a really shitty night's sleep, I'll have 2-3 cups and, even if I keep waking, and it will still get me back to sleep; also no hangover whatsoever the next morning!

Well, hopefully these tips will help some of ya; sleep trouble is NOT a fun thing to deal with at all!

 

[jrod]

Ive used ambien trazadone lunesta and none worked my doc just prescribed me remeron and it has been working great so far hgh helps me to

 

[DLStryker]

IDK what's in it at the moment, but two nyquil night time caps and I'm out for a good 8 hours, and fall asleep pretty quick.

Regular "sleep aids" don't keep me asleep well at all, and I feel groggy when I do get up. Not so with the Nyquil.

I've been using Nyquil for 8 years now. Works great for me.

DLStryker

 

[humangrade]

took doxylamine Succinate 25mg "unisom sleep Tab"
made me VERY Drowsy but i still couldnt fall asleep until like 6 am and i laid down at like 1am.. :banghead:

 

[Akamai]

Magnesium.

Natural calm

Ak

 

[brutale]

Puzzled

The OP suggested that the insomnia is a consequence of screwed up glucose metabolism (hyperinsulinemia, etc.). Since almost every regular sleep remedy fails you, you might be well advised to address the underlying problem in a serious way, or at least rule out your suspicions.

Are you on a 19-nor such as tren? These can cause a stubborn insomnia.

Peptides too can either help or wreck your sleep, depending on the person.

If I were you, i'd follow a simple program with test and low-dose gh, and get medical care for your glucose issues.

I have a feeling there isn't a simple silver bullet under the present circumstances.

Good luck.

 

[humangrade]

Magnesium.

Natural calm

Ak

i might try zma next..

 

[Akamai]

i might try zma next..

Peter Gilhams Natural vitality

Natural calm anti-stress drink wife and I take it every nite to sleep

Ak

 

[warrior4e]

z12

i like Z12 from Biotest. I take 3 caps on an empty stomach and cant keep my eyes open after 30min. I have the most vivid dreams, dont wake up at all during the night and wake up feeling great

 

[vincent]

Dont know your location but cannabis can help you sleep.

 

[Chipper Jones78]

Zopiclone - you wont need anything else after this, trust me.

You will need a script for it though.

Chip

 

[Moen]

Mirtazapine is the shiznit, trust me!

 

[humangrade]

so many diff drugs... lol i dunno where to start now.

 

[Moen]

More is better humangrade, take them all! lol

But seriously mirtazapine is the hardest hitter of them all. Ambien and lormetazepam are nice but most of the time I actually want to stay up due to the high feeling which isn't really the purpose

 

[triathloncoach]

Glad you are improving. As a person who works in Pharma and the owner of a well stocked medicine cabinet, drugs are a tough long term answer to insomnia.

Have you tried a sleep clinic? Expensive, but so is taking sleep medicine/supplements most nights for the rest of your life. And I am no drug-phobe.

How about behavior modification? Meditation, taking a hard look at your diet, other drugs, supplements you are taking, you aren't taking naps I hope? Sex before sleep? Pre bed rituals? Too much stress your life? Therapy?

I'm no expert, but it doesn't seem ideal that you have a daily pharmacologic based sleep protocol. Now where is my gear??. Oh, there it is, next to my Valium, clonzapam, Xanax and kava. Not good stuff. I sleep fine, but then wake up tired.

 

[Chipper Jones78]

How is the motehr fucker viewing this post and has 47 posts and has not been banned yet.

Hate these fockers

 

[GS]

I have tried them all and they work for a short time but stop working fast.
My doc had me on 3-2mg Xanax a day for my anxiety and to help me sleep.
I was half awake dureing the day and slept for 12 hours straight!
After a month it wouldn't help me sleep anymore,but then i wanted to take it for the wrong reasons,so haveing a history of addiction problems in my past.
I saw where it was going and weined myself off of it completely.
I would rather be awake than slober over everybody.

What has helped me is a sound machine(ocean waves) and a fresh clean bed and going to bed at the same time,and no sodas past 2 pm.
Yes it sounds stupid but i do get better sleep and i don't have to rely on any benzos.
Yes i still have problems from time to time but i get better sleep than i did.

 

[reebokrunner456]

The OP suggested that the insomnia is a consequence of screwed up glucose metabolism (hyperinsulinemia, etc.). Since almost every regular sleep remedy fails you, you might be well advised to address the underlying problem in a serious way, or at least rule out your suspicions.

Are you on a 19-nor such as tren? These can cause a stubborn insomnia.

Peptides too can either help or wreck your sleep, depending on the person.

If I were you, i'd follow a simple program with test and low-dose gh, and get medical care for your glucose issues.

I have a feeling there isn't a simple silver bullet under the present circumstances.

Good luck.

The screwed up glucose metabolism definitely is a problem, but the root is extreme hunger. There also seems to be a circadian component because, (hunger aside), I have no trouble falling asleep between 5 AM and noon… even if I take my energy pills. In fact, this past Tuesday morning, I was in so much pain that I took my energy supplement at 5 AM, ~15-20 min later, feel asleep almost instantly, as it kicked in and quelled my hunger, (unfortunately, at night, when I'm generally can't fall asleep, the energy pills make me feel more awake).

No 19-nor/tren for me, lol (I’m a gal!).

Agreed about the peptides. GHRH + GHRP, strangely, would give me energy during the day and sedate me at night, (acting like an adaptogen). HGH always gives me energy; but interestingly, when taken at least 5-6 hrs. away from bedtime, my body feels more tired (as it should) at night, and I sleep better.

Definitely no magic bullets, but HGH (and/or peptides) are pretty damn close to it. A string of unlucky things happening all at once has left me flat out (going on 8 days now), and I am literally and physically ill (Godspeed to my order…!).

Been averaging OVER 4,000 calories/day and my energy is rock bottom. I'm so weak and tired that it's difficult for me to do anything more physical than sit at my computer… (despite having slept for more than 12 hrs.). Crazy thing is that the last time I had this many energy pills in my system (a few months ago when I got super busy and accidentally took an extra dose), I did 2+ hrs. of cardio, 2 hrs. of weights, and was still highly stimulated.

As for getting help, believe me I have tried. Doctors have only made things worse (with meds); and, frustratingly, of all types of specialists I've seen in the past few years, the endocrinologists seem most against HGH. :banghead: