Sleeping Pills

[Thunder]

Last night, I sleptwalked and sleptdrove twice, including shopping at a retailer with complete purchases. Have anyone here experienced the mysterious side effects with sleeping pills? I will be back with a complete story...

[skyrick]

Oh, Thunder! Drugs are not the answer!

[rcjunkie]

Oh, Thunder! Drugs are not the answer!

So true, eating right and exercise are the the key to not only better health, but better sleep.

[MDot]

Last night, I sleptwalked and sleptdrove twice, including shopping at a retailer with complete purchases. Have anyone here experienced the mysterious side effects with sleeping pills? I will be back with a complete story...

Never heard of this.

[ctchandler]

Thunder,
I have been a sleep walker my whole life and I'm 68 years old. Drugs never did that to me, it was my natural makeup. Nobody else in my family was a sleepwalker. Did you sleep walk before? You should tell the doctor that prescribed them and get his opinion. If it is a possible side effect, he/she will prescribe a different medication. If you suspect the pill, stop taking them immediately until you can visit your doctor. By the way, Benadryl is a natural product that simply calms you when you take it. It's actually for allergies, but my doctor had no problem with me taking them. It has the same ingredients as Simply Sleep but is cheaper. Sam's makes a Members Mark pill that's a little cheaper as well. They don't work long term but do provide a little help when you first start taking them.
C. T.

Last night, I sleptwalked and sleptdrove twice, including shopping at a retailer with complete purchases. Have anyone here experienced the mysterious side effects with sleeping pills? I will be back with a complete story...

[kevinpate]

Along those same lines .. valeria root.

[Achilleslastand]

Try Melatonin......Works for me and its only around 6 bucks a bottle.

[skyrick]

Last night, I sleptwalked and sleptdrove twice, including shopping at a retailer with complete purchases. Have anyone here experienced the mysterious side effects with sleeping pills? I will be back with a complete story...

Sounds like Ambien. Is that what you're taking?

[MikeOKC]

[MDot]

More like drama of the day.

[Dustin]

Try Melatonin......Works for me and its only around 6 bucks a bottle.

Melatonin is amazing. Works better than benadryl IMO.

[Doug Loudenback]

Thunder, this one's for you or anyone else who might have had your experiences. Some of what I have to say might be helpful, some or all not. But I'll relate my own experiences for whatever they may be worth.

By way of background, I've been diagnosed with both sleep apnea approaching 2 years and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) during the same period of time. For the COPD, I take Pulmicort Flexhaler 180 mcg ... not directly on topic but one never knows how different things might interrelate, so that's why I'm mentioning it. For the sleep apnea condition, I tried to do a couple of sleep studies but I failed both ... one must sleep for at least 2 hours with all of those wires and contraptions (probably the wrong terms) connected to various locations on your body for such a study to produce good enough information to qualify for a CPAP device (which I found to be uncomfortable and invasive, if not counterproductive, although many of my friends have nothing but good things to say about them).

During most of that early period (which I'll say ended in February or March this year, 2011), my doctor, a pulmonologist, prescribed Restoril (the generic of which is Temazepam) 30 mg pills, one at bedtime each night. I could never determine whether that RX helped or not since the sleep apnea condition prevented me from getting to sleep and, if I did, staying asleep for any significant (i.e., more than 1 hour or so) period of time.

In late fall last year, after complaining to my doctor that Restoril/Temazepam didn't seem to be helping, he prescribed Ambien CR, and I had a pricey prescription filled (Restoril/Temazepam is inexpensive ... at Walgreens, after applying their discount, the price is under $10/month ... I was shocked to find that the Ambien CR cost, after discount, was over $150 for a 1 month supply). Still, I was badly needing sleep and if that medication would help significantly, it would probably have been worth the price since I was a walking stumbling zombie. I needed help.

However, after purchasing a month's supply of Ambien CR, I did internet research before taking any of it. And that brings me, finally, to the point of my reply. Thunder, you said,

"Last night, I sleptwalked and sleptdrove twice, including shopping at a retailer with complete purchases. Have anyone here experienced the mysterious side effects with sleeping pills?"

Thunder, if any here doubt the truthfulness of your remarks, I am not one of them. You didn't say what medication you were taking but the side effects surely sound like Ambien CR. My internet research produced way too many Ambien CR user reports which were very similar if not identical to what you've described for my comfort level to accept that Ambien CR was OK for me. I spoke with my daughter, a nurse, about it and she said that Ambien and/or Ambien CR was not infrequently prescribed but that she had heard of similar accounts. I spoke with my brother, also a nurse, and he said he'd tried Ambien CR once and that he had memory gaps while he was on duty as well as a couple of other side effects that I've forgotten. To be sure, many others (if not most) did not have reports like the above to report and found Ambien CR to be useful.

In any event, based on my web research and the comments from my above family members, I decided that there was no way that I was going to put any Ambien CR into my body. I could just see me sleepwalking (which I've never done) and tumbling down the staircase and/or getting into my car and having an accident in some sort of zombied state. I discussed this with my doctor and I'm sure that he thought I was overreacting, but I wasn't at all interested in finding out if I was in the class that Ambien CR helped or harmed. I said that I wouldn't be taking it and would just eat the $150-$160 loss (that's the last time that I'll have a new prescription filled without doing my own research first).

So, my doctor prescribed something else ... I've forgotten the RX name but it involves something akin to over-the-counter Melatonin that diggyba mentioned ... my pharmacist said the over-the-counter stuff might be worth a try ... the RX variety was probably something like Melatonin on steriods, but I'm not really sure. Actually, I tried both, but neither were helpful to me.

This brings me to February or March of this year which is the end of my story. Friends and family thought that my doctor wasn't being aggressive enough in finding solutions that would help with my COPD and inability to sleep. One consequence of COPD is reduced lung capacity and its attendant consequence of becoming seriously winded, out of breath, after only a fairly small amount of bodily exertion/movement. Walking 1/3 block at even a medium pace was debilitating to me. I could sit at my computer and keyboard forever since finger movement doesn't cause a lung problem. But even menial other body movement caused my lungs to max out and grope for air.

A member of this forum that I spoke with privately, a physician, wondered if oxygen might help. I spoke with another family member, another nurse, and she said that if my oxygen saturation was below 80% that oxygen devices would be covered by Medicare. Although my readings had occasionally dipped below 80%, that was uncommon. This much I knew before my February/March 2010 meeting with my doctor. See this link for some information about the consequences of low oxygen saturation.

At that meeting, I was prepared to either switch doctors or get a second opinion if that would be possible (not all doctors are willing to do that, I learned) unless something changed for the better as a result of that meeting. At the meeting, my oxygen saturation level was slightly below 80% and I inquired about oxygen therapy or whatever it is called. He said that he would prescribe that and that we would give it a try.

The oxygen is supplied through the nose with a tubing which slips over one's ears like this:



The tubing either connects to a metal bottle containing a quantity of oxygen or to a machine powered by electricity which produces an unending supply of oxygen.

The good news for me is that the oxygen therapy had immediate good effects and none bad. Although I have those bottles of portable oxygen that you've seen (shoulder and larger sizes), I've rarely used them. I took a few small bottles on a trip to Port Aransas, TX, this summer mainly because I felt more secure having them along. I've never used the larger bottles that are toted along on wheels. Almost totally, I use the electricity-driven machine when I am in bed which sits beside my bed and produces an unending supply of oxygen. As shown in the above photo, its use is simple and non-envasive whether I'm sleeping or not. The sleep apnea "catches" (when one suddenly stops breathing) have not occurred since I began using the oxygen and I no longer have difficulty getting to sleep.

I am back to using Restoril/Temazepam. Although I rarely have a continuous overnight sleep, having snatches of 3, sometimes as many as 5-6, hours of uninterrupted sleep is ever so much better than sometimes not being able to sleep at all and just wondering if I was close to needing to go to the emergency room. I still have pretty much the same COPD issues that I've described, but at least I can sleep.

Sorry for the long story, but for it to possibly be useful to anyone, the full story in context needed to be said.

And I'm only saying what worked for me and what didn't and the results of what I found about Ambien CR. Anyone can do the same research by Googling for Ambien CR and looking for user reports. Everyone, and every body, is different. If I've said anything that might help you, Thunder, or anyone else, I'm glad. I am totally persuaded that for serious sleep issues there is no such thing as "one size fits all." But don't give up and you'll find something that works for you.

[Thunder]

Thanks Doug. Its rare to have serious and mature people to engage in medical/health discussion. Earlier today, I was typing a long response on this phone, but a dude at the market was messin with me and I accidently lost everything I typed. Not at home now, but will as soon I get on my comp.

[HewenttoJared]

So true, eating right and exercise are the the key to not only better health, but better sleep.

Add sunlight and a routine for bedtime.

[MikeOKC]

It's hard to take certain people seriously when they ask such a question with so few details. It just sounds like another Thunder rant "Ex-Mom"...this and that should be shut down because of some minor something...I could go on and on with Thunder greatest hits. So, be glad you got the response you did from Doug. Most people would have Googled such a question and found relevant results and most would have verified Doug's post. Several people asked if it was Ambien. That's a definite side-effect for some people. You've got to understand, it's sometimes very hard to take you seriously. It seems there is always something dramatic in your life....I recently learned you're only 17 years old and that explains a lot, but still - you know how to use Google.

[Roadhawg]

Oh, Thunder! Drugs are not the answer!

That depends on the question..... However I take a couple generic Alieve PM's every night about 60-90 minutes before I go to bed and sleep like a baby.

[Doug Loudenback]

It also depends upon the problem. If Thunder was truthful in his rendition of facts, as I assumed that he was when I put together my reply (but Mike's comments give possible reason to pause about that), the correct medications for a particular person are certainly part of the answer.

[skyrick]

[QUOTE=Roadhawg;474867]That depends on the question.....

Heheheheh. Long live the illegal smile.

[Thunder]

Okay, I'm finally back on my comp.

I only remember bits of it all. It was like maybe one to three seconds per memory.

It was Thursday night, I was working on the Vendor of the Month award for October. I remember at a work desk preparing the award to fit into the 8x10 frame. Don't remember walking around and driving to Walmart. I remember looking at letter/number stickers (to put 2011 on gold sticker on award). Don't remember the rest of my time there and don't remember paying at register. I was told that I tried to go out the doors that closes at 10pm...bumping into it...trying to get out. I don't know how I eventually got out to my truck. The overnight manager called the police, and I remember some bits of police and medics talking to me. I'm not sure if I was seeing one or two ambulance. I remember a yellow stretcher. I kept looking for Taz in the truck and telling them I can't find Taz. I don't know how long it lasted. They took me to my mom's house...don't remember the trip. She took me back to my place, don't remember the trip. There was Taz right there. Mom felt so relieved. When she left, I went to Taco Bell, don't remember driving, but remember the drive-thru window...don't remember paying for the drink. Then later around 3am, I went back to Walmart again, don't remember driving there either. I remember looking at an item this and an item that, but don't remember paying. I did manage to leave the store smoothly and went home and back to bed.

All of the pieces that I remember is only one a second to three seconds long. So, heh, that was my first time ever that I ever done anything like that. Its quite amazing.

Oh, mom took me back to my place first to check if Taz was there...he was. I took some tools...don't remember that. She then took me to Walmart where my truck was parked. I kept trying to open the back window to get in...when all along the keys was in her truck. lol

[Thunder]

I recently learned you're only 17 years old and that explains a lot, but still - you know how to use Google.

I wonder why Mikey (trolling in his way) think I am 17. LOL!!!

Google don't have the experience of everyone on this forum. You think Google know everything? LOL!!!

_________

Doug, I'm gonna have to reread your post and get back soon. I had to deal with Internet issues all day and finally got to getting it to work.

[Doug Loudenback]

Thunder, I remind you that you have yet to identify the sleeping medication that you were taking during your experiences. So, I'm asking, what medication were you taking on that night?

[Thunder]

It was Ambien. Thought that I said it already. It was just the regular Ambien.

[MikeOKC]

I wonder why Mikey (trolling in his way) think I am 17. LOL!!!

Google don't have the experience of everyone on this forum. You think Google know everything? LOL!!!

_________

Doug, I'm gonna have to reread your post and get back soon. I had to deal with Internet issues all day and finally got to getting it to work.

So - I'm the troll! Now, that's pretty funny coming from you, Thunder.

I learned you were 17 when you told us in a post on September 29th that you turn 17 on October 17th: http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.ph...378#post472378

You say things, take them back, make excuses for them, talk about how drunk you were when you wrote this and that, now you tell us you were taking Ambien (that's smart considering the way you admit to drinking). You made a post once about incest that raised eyebrows and you denied it - again, until somebody linked to your post. You then blamed it on having "one too many" or something and having to say you disapprove of incest. In other words, you have a pattern of writing posts and then, in other posts, forgetting you had something else in another. It gets old. But it's like a bad car wreck - I can't help but watch.

I understand Pete's trying to be kind keeping you around - but, imo, you should be gone. Period. You have no business bringing all of your personal drama to a community forum.

[MDot]

So - I'm the troll! Now, that's pretty funny coming from you, Thunder.

I learned you were 17 when you told us in a post on September 29th that you turn 17 on October 17th: http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.ph...378#post472378

You say things, take them back, make excuses for them, talk about how drunk you were when you wrote this and that, now you tell us you were taking Ambien (that's smart considering the way you admit to drinking). You made a post once about incest that raised eyebrows and you denied it - again, until somebody linked to your post. You then blamed it on having "one too many" or something and having to say you disapprove of incest. In other words, you have a pattern of writing posts and then, in other posts, forgetting you had something else in another. It gets old. But it's like a bad car wreck - I can't help but watch.

I understand Pete's trying to be kind keeping you around - but, imo, you should be gone. Period. You have no business bringing all of your personal drama to a community forum.

Scroll down 2 posts and he says his legal age is 27 but his mental age is 17. I guess you can still call him 17 though since he has a mental disability.

[Thunder]

So - I'm the troll! Now, that's pretty funny coming from you, Thunder.

I learned you were 17 when you told us in a post on September 29th that you turn 17 on October 17th: http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.ph...378#post472378

You say things, take them back, make excuses for them, talk about how drunk you were when you wrote this and that, now you tell us you were taking Ambien (that's smart considering the way you admit to drinking). You made a post once about incest that raised eyebrows and you denied it - again, until somebody linked to your post. You then blamed it on having "one too many" or something and having to say you disapprove of incest. In other words, you have a pattern of writing posts and then, in other posts, forgetting you had something else in another. It gets old. But it's like a bad car wreck - I can't help but watch.

I understand Pete's trying to be kind keeping you around - but, imo, you should be gone. Period. You have no business bringing all of your personal drama to a community forum.

Mikey, Mikey, Mikey...

Did you read other posts after that? :-/

I'm turning 27 on the 17th.

I don't remember what I post years ago, dude. When someone bring it up, I don't remember and if they link to it, then it surprises me. Why is it so important to you about what I post? Just ignore me. I should be ignoring you.

Please behave and keep this discussion drama-free, thanks.

_____


Anyway, hopefully that Mikey stay out of this discussion...

Does anyone know if Ambien and the generic brand for Ambien both work the exact same way?

I have taken Ambien before without a problem. The one I took is Ambien, but a generic brand (to be clear, Doug).

Just wondering if its the generic that may be frightening while the real Ambien is much safer.