Insomnia

2

Comments

  • Ribbons
    Ribbons Member Posts: 150 Member
    Something I use

    I don’t have major insomnia but sometimes have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. It may seem like something too simple but I take a cal/mag/zinc supplement on those nights and for some reason it usually works. 

  • Forherself
    Forherself Member Posts: 962 Member
    You can add in Benadryl

    Or an antihistamine like that.  And I read that blue light from computer screens is causing some sleep disturbance.  Reading your computer or phone at night, or before you go to bed might make sleep more difficult.  I think you can use lots of different things, not just one when you have such sleep problems.  Trazadone  is a medication that helps sleep and is not in any way habit forming.  It is something else you can add in.  The anxiety that makes sleep difficultcan be treated with anti anxiety medication.  If you try not to take it every night it might not stop working.  Or become habituated.  I changed beds for a time, to get away from the anxiety and it helped.  I hope you can find a solution.  I read that meditation can be as simple as repeating a poem over and over.  I used the Lord's prayer, but other poems would work.  Repeat them over an dover in your head.  My poem would be "The Daffodils" by Wordsworth.

  • BluebirdOne
    BluebirdOne Member Posts: 654 Member

    "I am totally in denial most of the time."

    I totally love that comment! 

    But so true.

    When you think about it, "thinking positive" is a form of denial of your actual condition. The range of my denial is about as long as the Nile itself. I am 1a, NED, (whoppee, I am going to live forever), but I had UPSC, which is notorious for coming back even with a 1a dx (Does this ache or pain mean it is back?) So I just keep thinking that it won't happen to me, I am cured, when is my next vacation, but always in the back of my mind is the fact that I had better get the most of of my life... Denial does help me to live my life with a new attitude, so in that regard I believe denial works for me. 

  • jan9wils
    jan9wils Member Posts: 202 Member
    Ive had xanax off and on for

    Ive had xanax off and on for five years. And while it has a reputation for being  addictive, for me, it is not. I may need to take it for a week or two and then not again for several months. I don't know what triggers my anxiety. Certainly cancer does but sometimes I'm anxious even when things are going smoothly. When suffering anxiety I become depressed, terribly sleep deprived, cranky and have problems making decisions. I'll resist but finally take xanax for a short period and "voila" I seem to do better. I am on a low dose and can snap it in half during the day and go about my business without problems, driving included. My radiation oncologist suggested it when I was describing problems sleeping and concentrating. Maybe ask your doctor about it.

  • Feelingalone74
    Feelingalone74 Member Posts: 243
    jan9wils said:

    Ive had xanax off and on for

    Ive had xanax off and on for five years. And while it has a reputation for being  addictive, for me, it is not. I may need to take it for a week or two and then not again for several months. I don't know what triggers my anxiety. Certainly cancer does but sometimes I'm anxious even when things are going smoothly. When suffering anxiety I become depressed, terribly sleep deprived, cranky and have problems making decisions. I'll resist but finally take xanax for a short period and "voila" I seem to do better. I am on a low dose and can snap it in half during the day and go about my business without problems, driving included. My radiation oncologist suggested it when I was describing problems sleeping and concentrating. Maybe ask your doctor about it.

    Ok thanks for the suggestion

    Ok thanks for the suggestion jan9wils

    A question....did u get chemo while receiving radiation? I will be getting 5 days a week radiation and with that 1 day cystplasm chemo for 5 weeks. That seems like a lot for 1 body!!!! Just wondering if anyone else gir chemo during radiation. 

  • Fridays Child
    Fridays Child Member Posts: 277 Member

    Ok thanks for the suggestion

    Ok thanks for the suggestion jan9wils

    A question....did u get chemo while receiving radiation? I will be getting 5 days a week radiation and with that 1 day cystplasm chemo for 5 weeks. That seems like a lot for 1 body!!!! Just wondering if anyone else gir chemo during radiation. 

    At the beginning my treatment

    At the beginning my treatment was five weeks of daily radiation and one day a week I had Taxol and Carboplatin.  After I finished that I had six Taxol/Carbo treatments three weeks apart.

  • MAbound
    MAbound Member Posts: 1,168 Member

    Ok thanks for the suggestion

    Ok thanks for the suggestion jan9wils

    A question....did u get chemo while receiving radiation? I will be getting 5 days a week radiation and with that 1 day cystplasm chemo for 5 weeks. That seems like a lot for 1 body!!!! Just wondering if anyone else gir chemo during radiation. 

    Ask gyn oncologist

    It's never a bad thing to understand the whys of something being recommended for you. The go-to chemo seems to be to start with Carboplatin and Taxol every 3 weeks for 6 doses and tweek it if you have problems with it.

    Did you have a tumor assay or genomic testing done that pointed to a different regimen being more effective for you? I confess to being curious.

    Radiation generally can happen before chemo, in the middle of it, or after depending on your doctor.

    Different doctors have different philosophies and preferences for treatment and maybe your doctor is up on the most current research and going in a new direction from what us "old timers" have had. The science is always evolving. In any case, it's not too much to ask why your doctor is giving you one treatment and not another and your friends here are always curious to learn something new. ;-).

  • dgrdalton
    dgrdalton Member Posts: 161 Member
    Unisom helps me

    Taking Unisom, doxylamine succinate, has helped me to get to sleep and also go back to sleep if I wake during the night. My daughter is a pediatric RN and her doctor said she could take it when she was pregnant. I also take magnesium citrate or glycinate in the evening. Insomnia was a problem before cancer and became worse after. During chemo, I took Ativan and it helped. Hope you find something to help.

  • jan9wils
    jan9wils Member Posts: 202 Member

    Ok thanks for the suggestion

    Ok thanks for the suggestion jan9wils

    A question....did u get chemo while receiving radiation? I will be getting 5 days a week radiation and with that 1 day cystplasm chemo for 5 weeks. That seems like a lot for 1 body!!!! Just wondering if anyone else gir chemo during radiation. 

    chemo with radiation

    I did not have chemo with radiation. I had radiation first. Then when I had recurrence I had chemo. However I have heard of the protocol you are describing and it IS a lot for one body. Actually, any radiation or chemo is a lot for one body! I will be checking back to see how you are doing so please keep us updated.

  • cmb
    cmb Member Posts: 1,001 Member
    dgrdalton said:

    Unisom helps me

    Taking Unisom, doxylamine succinate, has helped me to get to sleep and also go back to sleep if I wake during the night. My daughter is a pediatric RN and her doctor said she could take it when she was pregnant. I also take magnesium citrate or glycinate in the evening. Insomnia was a problem before cancer and became worse after. During chemo, I took Ativan and it helped. Hope you find something to help.

    Unisom helped me too!

    After reading dgrdalton's suggestion, I bought some of the Unisom SleepTabs, which contain the Doxylamine Succinate antihistamine. While I've used Benedryl occasionally when I've had problems sleeping, the Unisom SleepTab knocked me out much more quickly and enabled me to fall back to sleep right away after a bathroom visit. I slept like a log that night.

    Although Benedryl works okay for me, I'm a new convert to Unisom!

    I should note that some of the Unisom products use the same antihistamine as Benedryl (Diphenhydramine), so check the box label to make sure you're buying the one with Doxylamine Succinate if Benedryl hasn't been effective for you.

    Thanks for the post, dgrdalton!

  • Feelingalone74
    Feelingalone74 Member Posts: 243
    Thank u for all your

    Thank u for all your suggestions. I know sleep is so important so I wish I could just stay asleep. Falling asleep is the easy part but  only lasts for about 1.5 hours. The ativan prescribed to me helped in the beginning though I woke up I could fall back asleep easily and got more sleep but now it seems to not be working after a week. So I stopped taking it. Took Tylenol PM when I woke up at midnight last night and It got me a few more hours of sleep. I have tried Unisom and I may go back to it seem to give me the same results at the ativan and would rather take that than a controlled substance. I will call my doctor's today to see what they say. 

    I was how did you get out for a longer walk last evening and was hoping that would tire my body it seem to help much. 

    Ugh!

  • Feelingalone74
    Feelingalone74 Member Posts: 243
    MAbound said:

    Ask gyn oncologist

    It's never a bad thing to understand the whys of something being recommended for you. The go-to chemo seems to be to start with Carboplatin and Taxol every 3 weeks for 6 doses and tweek it if you have problems with it.

    Did you have a tumor assay or genomic testing done that pointed to a different regimen being more effective for you? I confess to being curious.

    Radiation generally can happen before chemo, in the middle of it, or after depending on your doctor.

    Different doctors have different philosophies and preferences for treatment and maybe your doctor is up on the most current research and going in a new direction from what us "old timers" have had. The science is always evolving. In any case, it's not too much to ask why your doctor is giving you one treatment and not another and your friends here are always curious to learn something new. ;-).

    Hi Mabound  I will question

    Hi Mabound  I will question my GYN oncologist again.  when I asked that they said this was the best treatment for me . 

    I don't mind sharing. I was diagnosed with stage 3 endometrial cancer I have to look back to see what the grade is. The cancer was in my endometrial wall and my ovary. They were puzzled why someone of my age and stature had gotten it . In short , the pathology report said I had 2 of the 4 factors for a genetic disposition to endometrial cancer so they changed their original plan of 6 rounds of carboplatin/ taxol to 2 then the radiation with cystplasm then 2 more rounds of carboplatin taxol. After reading many comments on another discussion board I'm questioning whether I should wait to have radiation because it can only be done 1 x and should I "save" it. I'm going to ask for a meeting with my healthcare team. 

  • BluebirdOne
    BluebirdOne Member Posts: 654 Member

    Thank u for all your

    Thank u for all your suggestions. I know sleep is so important so I wish I could just stay asleep. Falling asleep is the easy part but  only lasts for about 1.5 hours. The ativan prescribed to me helped in the beginning though I woke up I could fall back asleep easily and got more sleep but now it seems to not be working after a week. So I stopped taking it. Took Tylenol PM when I woke up at midnight last night and It got me a few more hours of sleep. I have tried Unisom and I may go back to it seem to give me the same results at the ativan and would rather take that than a controlled substance. I will call my doctor's today to see what they say. 

    I was how did you get out for a longer walk last evening and was hoping that would tire my body it seem to help much. 

    Ugh!

    If it is legal where you are living you might want to try

    THC gummies. It is what saved me. 10mg. I have had horrible insomnia forever and THC is the only rememdy that actually kept me asleep, where I had no side effects, and was reliable night after night. Ativan works for about one month for me, then I get vivid dreams and I know it is time to stop. I also take Trazadone when I am away from the state where I can legally have THC gummies,or I am traveling. I never break the law.  I also have heard that CBD in what ever form you can access it, is also effective for some people. My daughter is a hemp farmer so she has recommended that as well as the THC. Insomnia is the worst. Wishing you relief. 

     

    Denise 

  • Feelingalone74
    Feelingalone74 Member Posts: 243
    Ugh! Insomnia is not getting

    Ugh! Insomnia is not getting any better. I've been taking 1 mg of Ativan and it gets me 3 or 4 hours sleep. Last night only 1.5 hrs and then maybe an hour.  

    My primary doctor was out of the office this week. Saw a PA yesterday.  She prescribed Trazodone.  Reluctantly didnt go get the prescription for it as it says it could take up to a week or 2 for the effects to work. Debating about trying it this weekend or waiting for my primary to be back Monday to be sure this is the right med for me. I just wish something would help get me back in a good sleep pattern and get off the med. I'm hoping to be able to go to work a little starting in September if I can during treatment and dont want to be on Ativan.Wondering if I should get a referral to a specialist who specializes in insomnia. 

    On my good days I'd really like to wake up feeling well rested and begin my day. ..especially getting out for a walk before it gets to hot but I'm too tired to most days. 

    Fortunately once I get up and going I'm ok. And amaze myself how much I can do sleep deprived. Occasionally rest (I can never fall asleep) during the day. 

     

  • DebiR
    DebiR Member Posts: 38 Member
    LisaPizza said:

    It's a drug class that

    It's a drug class that classically causes dependence.  I think we're all just different how things affect us. I relied on oxycodone with every chemo cycle, but never felt any inclination to use it beyond that. I was so grateful my gyn onc never questioned all my refills!

    I also relied on oxycodone

    I also relied on oxycodone with my chemo cycles.  The bone pain was so bad I couldn't have managed without it.  With the oxycodone it was very bearable.  I started taking it on day two a couple times a day and then tapered off to just one at bedtime.  After two weeks I wasn't taking any and then started again with my next chemo.  

    Debi

  • LisaPizza
    LisaPizza Member Posts: 358 Member

    Ugh! Insomnia is not getting

    Ugh! Insomnia is not getting any better. I've been taking 1 mg of Ativan and it gets me 3 or 4 hours sleep. Last night only 1.5 hrs and then maybe an hour.  

    My primary doctor was out of the office this week. Saw a PA yesterday.  She prescribed Trazodone.  Reluctantly didnt go get the prescription for it as it says it could take up to a week or 2 for the effects to work. Debating about trying it this weekend or waiting for my primary to be back Monday to be sure this is the right med for me. I just wish something would help get me back in a good sleep pattern and get off the med. I'm hoping to be able to go to work a little starting in September if I can during treatment and dont want to be on Ativan.Wondering if I should get a referral to a specialist who specializes in insomnia. 

    On my good days I'd really like to wake up feeling well rested and begin my day. ..especially getting out for a walk before it gets to hot but I'm too tired to most days. 

    Fortunately once I get up and going I'm ok. And amaze myself how much I can do sleep deprived. Occasionally rest (I can never fall asleep) during the day. 

     

    The delay may be more for the

    The delay may be more for the antidepressant effects than for the sedative side effect you're going for.

  • Feelingalone74
    Feelingalone74 Member Posts: 243
    LisaPizza said:

    The delay may be more for the

    The delay may be more for the antidepressant effects than for the sedative side effect you're going for.

    Any ideas of something

    Any ideas of something natural to take for sleep?

  • EZLiving66
    EZLiving66 Member Posts: 1,482 Member
    I'm going to try Unisom.

    I'm going to try Unisom. Luckily for me, once I fall asleep, I stay asleep (I credit the CBD oil for that) BUT that "falling asleep" might not be until after 3 a.m. or after! Around midnight, I become wide awake. My whole life I have been a night person. The best job I ever had was working 6 p.m. to midnight proofing environmental health reports for an insurance company. I worked that shift so we didn't need a babysitter but it felt so good. I remember how miserable I was when I switched to working the daytime. 

    I woke up today at 1:20 p.m. If I lived alone I really wouldn't care but my husband is one of those people is up by 6:30 every morning! He needs very little sleep while I need at least nine hours. If only I could fall asleep by midnight!!  Hopefully, the Unisom will help because I've tried just about everything else.  I'll report back.

    Love,

    Eldri

  • MAbound
    MAbound Member Posts: 1,168 Member
    ?

    Eldri and others who have been dealing with this for so long....have you ever asked your doctor about or considered going to a sleep clinic? With all of the trial and error that seems to be getting employed looking for relief, I wonder if some are creating worse problems for themselves. Perhaps some guidance from a place that specializes in sleep disorders would give guidance to what would be a customized way to deal with insominia for an individual's particular circumstances. Sometimes you can exacerbate problems trying to figure this out by yourself.