Tackling Insomnia
I’ve taken a number of over-the-counter and prescription drugs, as well as some natural remedies in an effort to combat my chronic insomnia. The list includes Ambien, Ambien CR, Trazodone, Valerian, Melatonin, Passiflora, 5-HTP, Vicodin, Soma, and the various brand names of Diphenhydramine (Benadryl™, Unisom™, Sominex™, etc…). Some have worked better than others. Of those that were effective, the potency seemed to wane after a certain amount of time.
After speaking with my psychiatrist a few weeks ago, I learned that it was actually safe to take more than the standard over-the-counter dosage of diphenhydramine — 50mg. He suggested I start with 75mg, and if that worked out reasonably well, I could work up to 100mg. The latter seemed to be fairly effective, but didn’t quite give me quite the sound sleep I was seeking. I cautiously worked my way to 150mg, and then to 200mg after doing some research to see what types of different doses people were taking. Until a week or so, Diphenhyrdramine — the inexpensive over-the-counter drug – at a high dose seemed to be most effective solution. It put me to sleep relatively quickly, and I was able to sleep through the night, or fall back asleep easily if I awakened in the middle of the night. Though the results were good, there was something disconcerting about taking four times the standard over-the-counter dose, so I discussed this further with my doctor. We thought that Lunesta might be worth a try for me. I told him about my ups and downs with the other prescription sleep aids, and he mentioned that he had a high success rate with Lunesta.
I find that Lunesta lulls me to sleep gently. In contrast to Ambien, it doesn’t knock me out instantly. I am able to close my eyes and fall asleep peacefully, and stay asleep for about four to five hours. If I do wake up at a ridiculous hour, I find it easy to get back to sleep. It appears Lunesta may be the solution for now, but I’m naturally skeptical of its ability to work long-term. We shall see.