Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group sleeping pills

Hi All,

Do any of you have any experience with sleeping pills? My husband has tried the LSD, NSD, Candida diets, and with little to no results. As a chronic insomniac, the one thing he hasn't been able to give up is Ambien. I read somewhere (?) that there is a link between Ambien and chronic pain, but I was wondering if any of you have any info or any real life experience with that connection.

Thanks so much for your feedback.

M

Hi there, I am sorry to hear your husband hasn't had positive results with all the dietary changes. I don't know much about Ambien, but if you google 'ambien and pain' you might come up with some info.

Hugs,

I take ativan 1 mg. I have insomnia, and severe sleep apnea. I am finding the Ativan isn't working as well as it use to. I often wake up in pain. You can become quite adicted to Ativan. I am trying to cut back, but finding it a challenge.

Hugs

Gerri

Gerri,

I used to take Ativan and have since switched to Klonopin. It has a much longer half-life and won't wear before the morning. Its also supposed to be easier to stop taking a benzo with a long half-life, though I've never tried.

Jeff

like the others, i take a muscle relaxant, but the one i take is zanaflex.
i take it for the muscle relaxant properties, as i need that when i sleep,
but it also drops my blood pressure and thus zonks me out. but it is not as long lasting, only in the blood stream for 6 hours. most nights, i'm fine with the one at bedtime. but if i'm having an especially painful time, i'll take another one if i wake up about 4 hours into sleeping.

so, i don't take it to sleep, just a nice side effect at night time.

of course this means i can't take it whenever i wish during the day.

sue

Hello marsha, and welcome to KA! We're glad that you found us, and we hope you find everything you're looking for here. I gather from reading your post that it is your husband who has AS, and not you--is that true? Or is this one of the rare cases where both of you have it? Don't get me wrong--it doesn't matter to me who has it, as long as you found us here at KA, just satisfying my own curiosity.

You will definitely notice pretty quickly that there are many KA members who experience insomnia ranging from mild to severe enough to wreak havoc on their lives. I've got a rather nasty case of it myself, and have for over a year now (had many bouts in the past, too), but luckily I took disability leave more than a year ago and have the flexibility to sleep whenever it hits me most days. Doesn't mean I really like having to do that, however.

With insomnia comes many people who have tried multiple sleep aids. Personally, I tried ambien first, then lunesta, and now use only Tylenol PM. Ambien worked very well for over a year and I thought I had found the solution to my chronic problem. Unfortunately, problems arose when I started having the most horrific nightmares I had ever--or likely will ever--experienced, which is a common side effect of ambien. I am telling you, I would not wish these nightmares on my worst enemy, as they were just horrible. They are what are known as "waking nightmares," and in the worst ones, I would initially feel as if I was wide awake and not dreaming, even though horrible things were happening, sometimes even including monsters, etc. Thinking I was awake, the dream would drag on until finally, in the dream, I would realize I was asleep and thus had to wake up. So, I would somehow get myself to wake up (in the nightmare, that is), and there would be a moment of immense relief as I thought I had woken up, only to realize that I was still asleep and trapped in the nightmare. I would repeat this cycle anywhere from twice to seven or eight times until finally I really would wake up, quite often because I had been screaming in the nightmare and had carried that scream over to real life--it was the somewhat muted scream that eventually woke me on many nights (or, it would wake my wife, who would then wake me). I honestly cannot put it into words just how frightened I was during and after one of those nightmares. I do know I will never take ambien again--that's an easy decision.

Lunesta did not have any adverse side effects like the ambien, it just didn't work for me. I likely could have asked my doc for a stronger dose, but I decided I didn't want to go down that road. Tylenol PM does help me when I don't take it too often, so for now, I'll stick with that. Hopefully, some of the folks who use natural remedies like valerien (sp?) root, etc. will pop in and provide you with some helpful info. If you want to look for info on your own, take a look in the "Alternatives" forum, which you'll find on the Main Index.

Good luck, and once again, welcome to KA.

Brad

I was given ambien but I am unable to take it because it makes my heart race. When it finally puts me to sleep I wake up 4 hours later wide awake. When I told my doc about it she was surprised and had never heard of that but it is my guess that because of other meds they did not interact very well. She asked me if I wanted to try another sleeping pill and I said no I would just have to figure something else out for when I have insomnia.
I have panic attacks so I take my xanax before I go to sleep and that helps.

If I was him I would give the ambien a try. My side effect that I had was not normal and I have a friend that takes ambien and she really likes it. She was having horrible insomnia and now she gets a good night rest and has more energy the next day becasue of it.

I hope I was of some help to you. Everyones body reacts different to all of these drugs but it is worth a try if it works.

Raquel

and this is why i read others responses as well.......

brad said maybe someone would jump in with "natural" remedies,
and though i currently take the zanaflex with the side effect of "lights out",

i also do something else that contributes to getting to sleep and even staying asleep better; i take a nice hot bath every night just before bed. its a vital as the muscle relaxant.

and before i took the zanaflex, on occasion, i'd make a nice strong cup of valerian root tea now and then. i read somewhere that in germany (i think), doctors prescribe valerian root over all other sleep aids for insomnia. don't know if that still holds true, but it should tell you something. the first time i tried it, i thought it would be as mild as chamomile, so i drank a cup on sunday afternoon, then proceeded to sleep for 3 hours straight in the recliner, unplanned. it really zonked me out. it tastes very medicinal so i'd mix it with peppermint and honey/sugar and that made it more palatable. Brad's right, it is another option worth trying, if its the insomnia itself keeping you awake.

some people have good success with melatonin. i've never tried that.

for me, its the pain, so if i can quiet the pain, i can sleep, so that's what i focus on: zanaflex and hot bath for the muscle spasms, ice pack when needed for inflammation (especially if its inflammation that will be pressed by the bed as that makes the inflammation worse and then i really can't sleep).

sue

Thank you all for the information--much appreciated! Yes, Brad, you guessed correctly, I am not the one with AS, my husband is. But this forum has been helpful for me too aside from trying to gather information about my husband's illness. When we went on the no-starch/low-starch diet my sciatic pain, which had been really intense for a while, simply disappeared. I can bring it back by consuming certain starches. I've had really wonky digestion most of my life too. Again, the low-starch diet has really helped that.

Keep up the good work y'all!

Well, I wish someone had some answers....

I have taken Ambien ( had weird nightmares but that is normal for me..lol) it just quit working.

I take Flexiril for a muscle relaxer also known to put you out...it doesn't for me.

Have taken Klonipin it doesn't work.

Melatonin is GREAT for my kids when they are having problems sleeping (ped) suggested that one.

Have tried several others, am currently on Hacion which is RERALLY strong he will only prescribe like 21 days worth...I take it then lay off on friday, saturday and sundays because he said it is so addictive...I hate to tell him but they arent working either and some nights I have taken 2 or 3 and I still lay there and look at the ceiling and go lah, lah, lah...

I dont know other than a hammer Im not sure if there is ANYTHING out there that will help me..lol

I hope you get some answers here thoug.

Hugs,

Lisa