Sleepless nights!
Question:
My allergist suggests taking Benadryl as a sleeping potion. He says he takes it whenever he has trouble sleeping. No sides effects that I know of. Plus, it will help allergy symptoms. — Colette, tr…@one.net http://w3.one.net/~truth http://www.agapefellowshipchurch.org
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In article <01bf0946$9b21af60$d56332d1@oemcomputer>, "Colette" <tr…@one.net> wrote: > My allergist suggests taking Benadryl as a sleeping > potion. He says he > takes it whenever he has trouble sleeping. No sides > effects that I know of. > Plus, it will help allergy symptoms.
I took it for a while, but I got used to it very quickly and it no longer made me sleepy. Karen * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
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"Colette" <tr…@one.net> writes: >My allergist suggests taking Benadryl as a sleeping potion. He says he >takes it whenever he has trouble sleeping. No sides effects that I know of.
It does make me sleepy, but since I awaken desperately thirsty and extremely groggy, even long after the dose should have worn off, I’m very wary of Benadryl. — Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet (p…@demesne.com) "I will open my heart to a blank page and interview the witnesses." John M. Ford, "Shared World"
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On Mon, 20 Sep 1999 22:48:47 -0400, ti…@cheerful.com wrote: >On 21 Sep 1999 01:27:47 GMT, jbrady4…@aol.com (JBrady4477) wrote: >>Lots of people get irate at the suggestion of taking a drug to sleep. >I don’t get irate at the idea that somebody makes such a choice – but >I do object to somebody telling others to do so, particularly if >complete with variety and dosage. It’s getting perilously close to >practising medicine without a licence, though happily a real MD is >necessary for the actual prescribing (assuming there are no trips over >the border or iffy online pharmacies involved). Maybe *you* didn’t >intend to do this, but that’s the way it struck me – so possibly >others too.
Me too. I think it’s also important to note that the sleep one gets with drugs is less useful than undrugged sleep, since drugs interfere with the stages of sleep and tend to shorten or even eliminate REM sleep. Of course if the choice is drugs or no sleep at all, then short term occasional use of hypnotics is reasonable. Unfortunately almost all of the products currently on the market have the side effect of rebound insomnia – while many are not addictive in the physical or psychological sense, this effect is another kind of addiction, just as otc nasal sprays cause rebound congestion which makes their use necessary. Terri – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
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Colette writes >My allergist suggests taking Benadryl as a sleeping potion. He says he takes
it whenever he has trouble sleeping. No sides effects that I know of. Plus, it will help allergy symptoms.> My son was given this when he was a child for an insect bite. Sent him right up the wall! Not a sign of drowsiness. Just a reminder that everything is not everything it may seem to everyone. (duh? it must be late.) susan
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On 28 Sep 99 06:38:26 GMT, p…@gw.dd-b.net (Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet) wrote: >"Colette" <tr…@one.net> writes: >>My allergist suggests taking Benadryl as a sleeping potion. He says he >>takes it whenever he has trouble sleeping. No sides effects that I know of. >It does make me sleepy, but since I awaken desperately thirsty and >extremely groggy, even long after the dose should have worn off, I’m >very wary of Benadryl.
Benadryl (diphenhydramine HCL) is the active ingredient in otc sleeping pills such as sominex. It is also sold on its own under the trade name Benadryl and many stores have their own store brand. It causes drowziness, but also causes dry mouth. Although it’s primary use is to control allergic reactions, one can be allergic to the drug itself. No drug is free of side effects and Benadryl is no exception. Terri
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Colette says: >My allergist suggests taking Benadryl as a sleeping potion. He says he >takes it whenever he has trouble sleeping. No sides effects that I know of. > Plus, it will help allergy symptoms.
I still recommend (with tongue in cheek, of course) adopting a large adult dog and embarking on the necessary heavy physical exercise involved in civilizing a 70-90 pound brute. It won’t help with allergy symptoms, but I can almost guarantee you’ll sleep like a baby after doing the vigorous leash corrections necessary to teach an adult dog to walk at heel. [Disclaimer: I don't advocate adopting a dog that is physically stronger than you are. You have to be able to dig in your heels and restrain the dog.] Regards, Laura Blanchard lblanch…@aol.com http://members.aol.com/lblanch000/ http://members.tripod.com/menopause/ (Land o’Links –click the cormorant for Menopause & Beyond)
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I had to go and get a new pair of reading glasses a few months ago, and the eye specialist used a sticky yellow liquid to test for glaucoma – but it didn’t numb my eye. However, it was so thick, I was still wiping it out of the corner of my eyes about an hour later. Eventually I bought an eye rinsing glass and managed to flush out the residue with warm salty water. I was also given the puff of air in the eye, but he didn’t specifically state that was for glaucoma, just said the sticky yellow liquid was for that. Kay karenmkay <karenNOkaS…@wordwrite.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:0c2b02cf.55032174@usw-ex0107-052.remarq.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> In article <19990928165036.16908.00002…@ng-cp1.aol.com>, > jjern64…@aol.comnospam (JJern64372) wrote: > > >Oh, and if I hadn’t waited so long they probably > > wouldn’t have needed > > >to put the icky awful numbing drops in my eyes, since > > they apparently > > >don’t feel the need to do that any more just to test > > your vision. But > > >to test for glaucoma they do. > > >Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet > > I thought the puff-of-air-aimed-at-your-eye test was > > the glaucoma test now. > Yep. My optometrist does that and he also examines my > ocular nerve in detail. (Both my parents had glaucoma, so > my chances of getting are close to 100%–it’s just a matter > of when.) > Karen > * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * > The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
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>Oh, and if I hadn’t waited so long they probably wouldn’t have needed >to put the icky awful numbing drops in my eyes, since they apparently >don’t feel the need to do that any more just to test your vision. But >to test for glaucoma they do. >Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet
I thought the puff-of-air-aimed-at-your-eye test was the glaucoma test now. Jackie
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In article <19990928165036.16908.00002…@ng-cp1.aol.com>, jjern64…@aol.comnospam (JJern64372) wrote: > >Oh, and if I hadn’t waited so long they probably > wouldn’t have needed > >to put the icky awful numbing drops in my eyes, since > they apparently > >don’t feel the need to do that any more just to test > your vision. But > >to test for glaucoma they do. > >Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet > I thought the puff-of-air-aimed-at-your-eye test was > the glaucoma test now.
Yep. My optometrist does that and he also examines my ocular nerve in detail. (Both my parents had glaucoma, so my chances of getting are close to 100%–it’s just a matter of when.) Karen * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
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In article <37f16512@grissom>, "Kay Spence" <kspe…@powerup.com.au> wrote: > I had to go and get a new pair of reading glasses a > few months ago, and the > eye specialist used a sticky yellow liquid to test for > glaucoma – but it > didn’t numb my eye.
I *think* that what you’re talking about is what they use orange stuff for here. It provides contrast between the lens and the inside of your eye or something. I don’t know quite why they do it, but they always do it before they examine the cornea and the retina and the optic nerve. Karen * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
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When I was living in London in 1975 we used to take Benadryl in liquid form for our coughs when we got a cold. You could buy it over the counter at the chemist and it was yummy, had a fair percentage of alcohol in it that made it just so more-ish for 24 year old cold sufferers. We all had our own bottles that we would swig from as the need arose. When I came back to Australia I looked for it, but was told it was only available on prescription here – too much alcohol apparently. About five years later it became available as an over the counter medication, but by then most of the alcohol had been removed and it was just another cough medicine. *sigh* *the good old days, the good old days* Kay kspe…@powerup.com.au Terri <vl-hb…@erols.com> wrote in message
news:37f1b954.89807839@news.erols.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> On 28 Sep 99 06:38:26 GMT, p…@gw.dd-b.net (Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet) > wrote: > >"Colette" <tr…@one.net> writes: > >>My allergist suggests taking Benadryl as a sleeping potion. He says he > >>takes it whenever he has trouble sleeping. No sides effects that I know of. > >It does make me sleepy, but since I awaken desperately thirsty and > >extremely groggy, even long after the dose should have worn off, I’m > >very wary of Benadryl. > Benadryl (diphenhydramine HCL) is the active ingredient in otc > sleeping pills such as sominex. It is also sold on its own under the > trade name Benadryl and many stores have their own store brand. It > causes drowziness, but also causes dry mouth. Although it’s primary > use is to control allergic reactions, one can be allergic to the drug > itself. No drug is free of side effects and Benadryl is no exception. > Terri
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Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet wrote: > Pat Kight <kig…@ucs.orst.edu> writes: > >And if any of you are have been diagnosed with glaucoma (as I have, > >early stage and in "watchful waiting" mode per my ophthalmologist), > >check with your doctor before taking Benadryl or any other > >antihistimine. > Very good point. That may be the other reason I quit taking it, now > that you mention it. I expected to have glaucoma, frankly.
Really? Why is that — family history, or a previous diagnosis? I’ve got both, and have a tendency to neglect eye care, too, but I *do* get the pressure checked every couple of years. So far, so good (occasionally elevated pressure, but no damage to the ocular nerve). > Anyway, my glasses were held in place with twist-ties and bandaids, > but I still didn’t go until I started to get farsighted.
*grin* Blind as I am, I confess I’ll let a pair of glasses go until they’re so scratched I feel like I’m seeing the world through a haze of cat-hair. Come to think of it, sometimes I am… > The > ophthamologist was very startled when she heard how long it had been > since I had had an eye exam, and did a couple of extra tests, and told > me my pressures, which was cool. She was also much better at putting > the drops in and saying what she wanted me to look at and stuff like > that.
The tonography equipment has improved a lot in the past 20 years, too. The pressure tests used to freak me out, but the recent ones have been much less unnerving. Well, except for having to watch while the test equipment approaches one’s eyeball… > But I was very lucky that I was okay. Don’t wait 20 years to > go to the eye doctor. Really.
What she said. Glaucoma is one fo the most common — but also most treatable — causes of blindness, as long as you catch it before the damage is done. –Pat Kight kig…@peak.org
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Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet wrote: > "Colette" <tr…@one.net> writes: > >My allergist suggests taking Benadryl as a sleeping potion. He says he > >takes it whenever he has trouble sleeping. No sides effects that I know of. > It does make me sleepy, but since I awaken desperately thirsty and > extremely groggy, even long after the dose should have worn off, I’m > very wary of Benadryl.
And if any of you are have been diagnosed with glaucoma (as I have, early stage and in "watchful waiting" mode per my ophthalmologist), check with your doctor before taking Benadryl or any other antihistimine. –Pat Kight kig…@peak.org
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Pat Kight <kig…@ucs.orst.edu> writes: >Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet wrote: >> "Colette" <tr…@one.net> writes: >> >My allergist suggests taking Benadryl as a sleeping potion. He says he >> >takes it whenever he has trouble sleeping. No sides effects that I know of. >> It does make me sleepy, but since I awaken desperately thirsty and >> extremely groggy, even long after the dose should have worn off, I’m >> very wary of Benadryl. >And if any of you are have been diagnosed with glaucoma (as I have, >early stage and in "watchful waiting" mode per my ophthalmologist), >check with your doctor before taking Benadryl or any other >antihistimine.
Very good point. That may be the other reason I quit taking it, now that you mention it. I expected to have glaucoma, frankly. I hadn’t been to an eye doctor for twenty years. I always used to go when I needed new glasses, but once my eyesight stabilized, coincidentally at the time I bought some really expensive and well-made frames, I didn’t need to go for that reason. And my last trip had been unpleasant. I don’t think the ophthamologist in question was very skilled, and he certainly wasn’t very courteous. Anyway, my glasses were held in place with twist-ties and bandaids, but I still didn’t go until I started to get farsighted. The ophthamologist was very startled when she heard how long it had been since I had had an eye exam, and did a couple of extra tests, and told me my pressures, which was cool. She was also much better at putting the drops in and saying what she wanted me to look at and stuff like that. But I was very lucky that I was okay. Don’t wait 20 years to go to the eye doctor. Really. Oh, and if I hadn’t waited so long they probably wouldn’t have needed to put the icky awful numbing drops in my eyes, since they apparently don’t feel the need to do that any more just to test your vision. But to test for glaucoma they do. — Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet (p…@demesne.com) "I will open my heart to a blank page and interview the witnesses." John M. Ford, "Shared World"
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Does anyone else suffer from this? I wake up sometimes around 2-3 a.m. and never can get back to sleep! Usually a case of hot flashes accompany this. Most of the menopausal symptoms, I can deal with, but the sleepless nights, I Have got to find a remedy! My kids and husband, I frequently find them spending more time at the other end of the house!
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"Jon Hampton" <mor…@ida.net> writes: >Does anyone else suffer from this? I wake up sometimes around 2-3 a.m. and >never can get back to sleep! Usually a case of hot flashes accompany this. >Most of the menopausal symptoms, I can deal with, but the sleepless nights, >I Have got to find a remedy! My kids and husband, I frequently find them >spending more time at the other end of the house!
I used to have this all the time, and I really hated it. I will leave it to others here to extoll the virtues of Increased Wakefulness. I wasn’t wakeful in any useful sense, and I wasn’t asleep either. The only thing that really helped me was a weight-training program, which I am still following. Aerobic exercise tends to keep people awake unless done pretty early in the day, but while lifting weights wakes me up and makes me alert for a couple of hours, after that I sleep wonderfully well. — Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet (p…@demesne.com) "There is no shortage of frustrating blue perennials." –Eleanor Perenyi
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In article <rtpf3rcc1i…@corp.supernews.com>, Jon Hampton <mor…@ida.net> wrote: >Does anyone else suffer from this? I wake up sometimes around 2-3 a.m. and >never can get back to sleep! Usually a case of hot flashes accompany this. >Most of the menopausal symptoms, I can deal with, but the sleepless nights,
Oh, yeah. This, along with night sweats, was my first Big Clue that I was entering perimenopause, and it’s plagued me on and off for a few years. Exactly the same sort of insomnia, too — I drop off just fine, and then awaken around 3 a.m. *wide* awake. The only solution, for me, is to get out of bed; if I lie there tossing and turning, I become more and more uncomfortable, and I really don’t want to associate bed with discomfort. So I get up, have a little water or a cup of chamomile tea. Sometimes I read a little, or put some quiet music on; sometimes I turn on the computer and read this newsgroup. I *don’t* try to do anything productive, like house-cleaning, as I find that just tires me without making me sleepy. Sometimes I go out on my back porch, sit in my old wicker rocker and watch the moon… Now, all this is relatively easy for me because I live alone, so there’s no one for me to disturb. Others here have reported that, when worst comes to worst, just lying quietly with one’s eyes closed at least assures that you’ll get some rest, if you don’t get actual sleep. The point, I think, is to try not to fight the insomnia, because the fight itself can be exhausting. >I Have got to find a remedy! My kids and husband, I frequently find them >spending more time at the other end of the house!
Hey, let them. (-: But seriously — it sounds as if your sleepless nights are leaving you exhausted and, perhaps, cranky, during the day. Do you work outside the home? If not, can you schedule some nap time during the day? (One of the things that drives me nuts about my own brand of insomnia is that it usually passes and I start getting sleepy by around 6 a.m. — right when I have to get up and get ready for work! Argh! On days when I can go back to bed till, say, 9, I’m fine). There are, of course, a variety of drugs and herbal preparations intended to make you drowsy. I’ve never found one that doesn’t leave me feeling "hungover" the next day, which to me is worse than the sleeplessness. But sometimes a cup of tea or warm milk can help. So — no magic answer, sorry, but a lot of sympathy. For what it’s worth, the almost nightly insomnia lasted, for me, about six months and then abruptly vanished. I now get occasional 3-4 day "reminders," usually when I’ve done something silly like stay up too late playing computer games and thrown my sleep cycle "off." Best wishes, –Pat Kight kig…@peak.org
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Jon wrote:>Does anyone else suffer from this? I wake up sometimes around
2-3 a.m. and never can get back to sleep. ——— A few month’s back I had this really bad,now it comes and goes.I work on the computer,read,drink dreamland tea, write sometimes, I talk on the phone to a friend of mine with insomnia. I found walking in the evening after summer was a great help. Kit
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In article <pddb.937269…@gw.dd-b.net>, p…@gw.dd-b.net (Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet) wrote: >I need about two and a half to three hours after the end of >a weight-lifting session before I can go to sleep, but >that’s all. >Other people might find it more of a problem. >Kind of like caffeine, I suppose.
Yeah. I can’t drink caffeine after 1pm or so. I certainly wasn’t suggesting that I was a norm, just that it’s something to watch. Karen * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
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Karen Kay <ka…@wordwrite.com> writes: >Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet <p…@gw.dd-b.net> wrote: >> The only thing that really helped me was a weight-training program, >> which I am still following. Aerobic exercise tends to keep people >> awake unless done pretty early in the day, but while lifting weights >> wakes me up and makes me alert for a couple of hours, after that I >> sleep wonderfully well. >I found that when I was taking a weight-training class from >7:30-8:30pm, I couldn’t get to sleep until 1AM. (My Pilates classes >tend to be earlier in the day, so I haven’t had a problem.) Blood flow >is the key to life–but too much of it at the wrong time of day can be >a problem!!!:)
Like almost anything else. I need about two and a half to three hours after the end of a weight-lifting session before I can go to sleep, but that’s all. Other people might find it more of a problem. Kind of like caffeine, I suppose. — Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet (p…@demesne.com) "There is no shortage of frustrating blue perennials." –Eleanor Perenyi
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karenmkay <karenNOfvS…@wordwrite.com> writes: >In article <pddb.937269…@gw.dd-b.net>, p…@gw.dd-b.net >(Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet) wrote: >>I need about two and a half to three hours after the end of >>a weight-lifting session before I can go to sleep, but >>that’s all. >>Other people might find it more of a problem. >>Kind of like caffeine, I suppose. >Yeah. I can’t drink caffeine after 1pm or so. I certainly >wasn’t suggesting that I was a norm, just that it’s >something to watch.
I’m probably not a norm either, and the same probably goes for the person who inquired about insomnia in the first place. I was just getting the edges settled. Caffeine doesn’t reliably keep me awake, but it does sometimes. — Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet (p…@demesne.com) "There is no shortage of frustrating blue perennials." –Eleanor Perenyi
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Karen Kay <ka…@wordwrite.com> writes: >> Caffeine doesn’t reliably keep me awake, but it does sometimes. >I was thinking of you when I woke up at 4AM.:)
Awww. That would have been, what, 2 a.m. my time? I was actually pretty sleepy but had to romp a black cat who was holding the bed hostage before I could get into it. "Romp" as a transitive verb is, I believe, a household invention; as is "rompable" to describe a cat who really needs to be played with lest it destroy something. >Karen > Atrophy of the muscles surrounding an injury may begin after two > days of inactivity.
Yikes! — Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet (p…@demesne.com) "There is no shortage of frustrating blue perennials." –Eleanor Perenyi
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I’m suffering from insomnia, cold sweats, racing brain (is that a "condition" yet?) and spend a lot of nighttime hours thinking I’m nuts. That’s easy to do when you’re in bed and your mind is spinning faster than it ever does in the daytime. Personally, I’d rather get a night’s sleep on a reliable, fairly safe drug than not sleep at all. One thing that will put you to sleep, and which isn’t habit forming, is Trazadone (Deseryl). Fifty milligrams just before a bedtime snack (a cracker and half a cup of milk) will knock you out. It takes a few minutes to talk yourself into getting out of bed in the morning, but after you put your feet on the floor you’re OK. I’m currently taking Ambien. You are supposed to use it on an empty stomach. It is related to Valium and has a withdrawal period if you stop taking it. In my experience, you can also get SERIOUSLY IMPARED motor skills if you take even a little too much Ambien (like not stepping on your car’s brake when you are supposed to), so don’t double up your dose! If you take half a dose at bedtime and the other half when you wake up, you can get a night’s sleep. (Don’t take your last half at 4 a.m.! If you wake up at 2:30, I would feel safe to take it.) Looking back, I like Trazadone better than Ambien. I took Trazadone for over 12 years. It isn’t habit forming and it never stopped workling. I will probably request that I go back on it when I get back to the doctor. (Ambien is good for knocking you out but your wakeup factor is much worse.) Lots of people get irate at the suggestion of taking a drug to sleep. But I say, life’s too short. I’ve had insomnia for most of my 48 years. Now that I’m menopausal, it’s much worse. Do what you can to get your sleep! It feels good. BTW: Too much alcohol impares your sleep; do not use alcohol as a sleeping pill. You will wake up earlier than ever.
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Karen Kay <ka…@wordwrite.com> writes: >Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet <p…@gw.dd-b.net> wrote: >> Karen Kay <ka…@wordwrite.com> writes: >>>> Caffeine doesn’t reliably keep me awake, but it does sometimes. >>>I was thinking of you when I woke up at 4AM.:) >> Awww. >> That would have been, what, 2 a.m. my time? >6AM. You’re going the wrong way.
Argh. My only comfort is that a famous science fiction writer made the same mistake in a landmark novel, and *he* didn’t have menofog. (He may have the equivalent now, but then it would have been unlikely.) I hope you aren’t having serious insomnia, Karen. >>>Karen >>> Atrophy of the muscles surrounding an injury may begin after two >>> days of inactivity. >> Yikes! >Yes. Well. That’s why I made it a sig.
It’s an interesting criterion. Things that make you go Yikes! Hmmm. It’s about time to change mine. — Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet (p…@demesne.com) "There is no shortage of frustrating blue perennials." –Eleanor Perenyi
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