Sleep and the drugs that stop working

[meeKO]

5htp not currently but use it off and on more for a mood boster and slight energy . Tryptophan though i found helpful for sleep.

Are these prescription ones @heapsreal ?

P.S. As you might have seen the cycling hasn't gone to plan and if anything all the stuff is working less!

 

[meeKO]

Thought I could sum it up better with this today

 

[heapsreal]

Are these prescription ones @heapsreal ?

P.S. As you might have seen the cycling hasn't gone to plan and if anything all the stuff is working less!

No prescription just buy from iherb. Risk of serotonin syndrome if already on antidepressants .

Sometimes its worth looking into cortisol cycle as night time cortisol too high can wreck sleep. Inflammation itself can make us tired and wired . not sure how to fix inflammation , several herbal things worth trying like curcumin .

high ammonia can worsen sleep. Herb yucca can help and also the amino acid ornithine. Do some research and see if these fit.

 

[geraldt52]

Hi @geraldt52 ,
...Yes let's avoid the MJ drugs !

I just want to be clear as to what I meant by my Michael Jackson comment. Propofol might have finished the job, and caused his death directly, but habituation to benzos and other sleep meds, same things everyone is taking, are what put him on that path. Most people can't understand why MJ would do something a stupid as using Propofol for sleep, but most people haven't gone through what happens when benzos or sleep drugs stop working, at least at any dose that you are able to take. If I could have afforded my own personal doctor/pharmacist like MJ could, I'd have probably thought about it.

 

[meeKO]

Hey @geraldt52 us too man.

 

[meeKO]

No prescription just buy from iherb. Risk of serotonin syndrome if already on antidepressants .

Sometimes its worth looking into cortisol cycle as night time cortisol too high can wreck sleep. Inflammation itself can make us tired and wired . not sure how to fix inflammation , several herbal things worth trying like curcumin .

high ammonia can worsen sleep. Herb yucca can help and also the amino acid ornithine. Do some research and see if these fit.

Yep. Inflammation in joints a problem. She's taking curcumin and looking into higher dose magnesium via nebuliser.
I'll have to check out those other things. Thanks again for the clues!

 

[perchance dreamer]

I have a sample of Belsomra and a prescription I can fill if the sample helps me. I'm trying some other things first, but will try Belsomra if they don't help.

For some reason, I'm chicken to try it. I have what is probably an irrational fear that it would have a lasting negative effect if it doesn't work. I haven't read anything to indicate that's the case, though.

I currently take 75 MG of Trazodone. My sleep doctor said to decrease it to 50 MG and add 10 MG of Belsomra. If that doesn't help, he said to take 15 MG of Belsomra. Some people need 20 MG.

If my sleep improves with this regimen and I want to continue Belsomra, he said to keep decreasing the Trazodone gradually.

He did clinical trials with Belsomra. Quite a few people found it more helpful than placebo, but some complained of next-morning sedation. Some people also reported more dreams while taking it, which I assume could happen from improved sleep.

If I decide to try it, I'll report back.

 

[AaroninOregon]

I have a sample of Belsomra and a prescription I can fill if the sample helps me. I'm trying some other things first, but will try Belsomra if they don't help.

For some reason, I'm chicken to try it. I have what is probably an irrational fear that it would have a lasting negative effect if it doesn't work. I haven't read anything to indicate that's the case, though.

I currently take 75 MG of Trazodone. My sleep doctor said to decrease it to 50 MG and add 10 MG of Belsomra. If that doesn't help, he said to take 15 MG of Belsomra. Some people need 20 MG.

If my sleep improves with this regimen and I want to continue Belsomra, he said to keep decreasing the Trazodone gradually.

He did clinical trials with Belsomra. Quite a few people found it more helpful than placebo, but some complained of next-morning sedation. Some people also reported more dreams while taking it, which I assume could happen from improved sleep.

If I decide to try it, I'll report back.

How much does a script of Belsomra cost?

I've considered asking my doc about it, but I assume the cost is too much to use it on a regular basis.

 

[perchance dreamer]

I'm a little confused about the cost and how the prescription works, but will tell you what I know.

My doctor told me that the full price to patients for 1 tablet of Belsomra is $10 (I won't rant!). I don't think insurance companies are helping with the price yet. However, when I was researching the drug, one patient said his insurance helped after he got his doctor to call, so it would be worth a shot.

A trial of Belsomra is available with a coupon from the prescribing doctor. These trial tablets are $1 each (30-day supply) if you are privately insured and have an out-of-pocket cost of $150 or less or $3 each (30-day supply) if you are privately insured and have an out-of-pocket cost of greater than $150.

The coupon is valid for up to 12 refills, so it looks like you can save a good deal of money for a year. Each coupon has an expiration date. I would hope at some point the insurance companies will covering it.

My doctor said if I want to continue Belsomra they can give me a second coupon.

You can also print the coupon from the web site if your doctor doesn't have coupons:

http://www.belsomra.com/free-trial-offer/
http://www.belsomra.com/savings-coupon/

 

[AaroninOregon]

Thanks @perchance dreamer

I see my doc next week, so I'll ask him about belsomra then.

 

[cyrusromeo]

I have serious issues w sleep. I read a blog recently and was shocked to read 'my story'. I felt fine, but simply stopped sleeping for 9'days. Sleep study, no info never went to sleep. Within weeks, I was, suddenly, so sick I couldn't sit up. For a year.
I don't know what is more important than sleep, even tho at my lowest, I don't wake up better but at least I don't have that particular torture added, much less hours and hours up all night.

A good sleep doc, who understands how serious this is, *will* prescribe Xyrem. Toms of info... Very strong,major acting med that gets u to stage 3, 4 sleep. Take it at bedtime,mother again a few hours later. No tolerance, no withdrawal (except insomnia). Game changer. Not for occasional insomnia!

 

[cyrusromeo]

Has anyone tried phenibut?? It's a supplement, liftmode website, and I have slept 12 hours on it. Label warns, use it twice a week or tolerance/ (they don't use the word addiction. Dependence?) it's used by people during the day for social anxiety but I've only taken it at bedtime and I'm stunned by its effectiveness. I also can't believe it's not a controlled substance.

 

[meeKO]

Has anyone tried phenibut?? It's a supplement, liftmode website, and I have slept 12 hours on it. Label warns, use it twice a week or tolerance/ (they don't use the word addiction. Dependence?) it's used by people during the day for social anxiety but I've only taken it at bedtime and I'm stunned by its effectiveness. I also can't believe it's not a controlled substance.

YES! My wife uses that on special occasions. A full dose knocks her out pretty much for 12 hours but yeah she's careful no to use much at all. She's on so many different sleep drugs (cycling) that avoiding tolerance is a crucial thing. Her sleep doctor also got her to be fitted with a dental stent to aid what he diagnosed and apnoea. Not much difference in sleep. She still requires 300mgs of Seroquel plus a rotating roster of benzos/stillnox' etc but it's still early yet.
Yeah a few people have mention Xyrem here. Our sleep Doctor hadn't listed it as an option but it may be more tightly controlled here.