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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> sleeping tablets?
        
(Message started by: BeckyK on Mar 1^st, 2008, 5:01am)

Title: sleeping tablets?
Post by BeckyK on Mar 1^st, 2008, 5:01am

Sorry if this has already been asked, I couldn't find a post about it: has anyone who gets nighttime attacks had them when on sleeping tablets? I've never taken sleeping tablets but I wondered if it would stop you waking up in the night if the dose was high enough to knock you out?

I'm clutching at straws I expect, I usually have a cycle lasting around 2 months and have found verapimil helpful, but am now in month 4 and verapimil's stopped working (nothing else ever has) so I'm trying to be creative!

thanks.

Title: Re: sleeping tablets?
Post by Bob_Johnson on Mar 1^st, 2008, 7:39am

A dosage adjustment may be needed for the Verap. Not at all unusual. Suggest you hit the OUCH button, left, and get tied in with the UK group.

IF sleeping meds work, that would suggest you don't have cluster. Most folks find it impossible to get relief this way.

Use these documents to discuss options with your doc.
----------

HERE ARE TWO MAJOR DOCUMENTS WITH RECOMMENDED TREATMENTS FOR CLUSTER HEADACHE, ONE FROM A U.S. PHYSICIAN, THE SECOND FROM EUROPE.
_________________________________________
http://www.plainboard.com/ch/chtherapy.pdf
Here is a link to read and print and take to your doctor. It describes preventive, transitional, abortive and surgical treatments for CH. Written by one of the better headache docs in the U.S. (2002. Rozen)
================
Treatment guidelines from Europe

------
A. May, M. Leone, J. Áfra, M. Linde, P. S. Sándor, S. Evers, P. J. Goadsby:
EFNS guidelines on the treatment of cluster headache and other
trigeminalautonomic cephalalgias.
European Journal of Neurology. 2006; 13: 1066–1077.

Download free full text:
http://www.efns.org/files/guideline_49.pdf
(Thanks to "cluster" for link.)

Title: Re: sleeping tablets?
Post by lennycohen on Mar 1^st, 2008, 8:40am

A kip 7-8 has wakened me thru a combo of ambien cr 12.5 and melatonin 12mg - I don't take the ambien when I'm in a high cycle, but I continue the melatonin, only because sometimes I believe the melatonin actually affects the HA's themselves, not just the sleep. I'll start the ambien when the HA's get lighter, kip 5 or so, that the ambien will help me sleep thru them ----

Lenny

Title: Re: sleeping tablets?
Post by Ray on Mar 1^st, 2008, 3:46pm

Hello Becky:

When I have night time hits, they will wake me up. If I've taken medication to help me sleep, it will just make me MORE groggy when I get up with the hit. That makes it even tougher to deal with the hit when it comes.

I don't think that anything short of general anesthesia would let you sleep through a hit.

Wishing you well,

Ray

Title: Re: sleeping tablets?
Post by BeckyK on Mar 2^nd, 2008, 5:03am

Thanks guys, I don't doubt you are right, just extreme wishful thinking on my part!

When I wake up and am so exhausted I have this fantasy of being knocked unconscious by something or someone, but that probably wouldn't be like sleep anyway.

Title: Re: sleeping tablets?
Post by coach_bill on Mar 2^nd, 2008, 8:12pm

hey becky, i tried everything to stop them. unisom, tylonol pm, and i would still wake up. FOR ME melatonin has helped. i had to find the right mg to take but it worked for me. feel better soon. coach bill

Title: Re: sleeping tablets?
Post by Annette on Mar 2^nd, 2008, 10:01pm

Sleeping tablets are addictive if taken too much or for too long. They tend to interfere with REMS sleep which may adversely affect CH. If you become addicted or dependent on them , its hard to get off them then.

My husband tried sleeping tablet and found that although it made him fall asleep quicker, he would still wake up with the 4 am hit. It was actually worse since the tablet made him drowsy he wouldnt wake up early enough. By the time he could get out of bed to reach for the oxygen, the hit was already at a 7 or 8 and was much harder to deal with.

He tried melatonin instead which is a natural supplement which helps to improve sleep and REMS sleep. It works for many here. He started with 6mg then increased it by 3mg every 2nd / 3rd night. In the end with 15 mg a night he managed to ward off the 4 am hit, which was a real blessing.

Some people here take Benadryl with the melatonin too for extra effects.

Take care and painfree wishes to you.

Title: Re: sleeping tablets?
Post by darknight on Mar 4^th, 2008, 5:34am

Hi Becky,

I have taken sleeping tablets after a few nights of waking with a bad one. The tablets last for a maximum of 4 hours so you can usually gurantee that amount of deep sleep after that ur on ur own sometimes it would wake me around 5 after the tablets have worn off sometimes id get through all night till morning and not have one id say at least try as i was feeling worse the less sleep i had (i love sleep and bed)!!

Hope that helps :)

Title: Re: sleeping tablets?
Post by neetnut on Mar 4^th, 2008, 7:59pm

Becky;
I have just recently started taking Ambien to help me sleep better when going through the cluster phase. It has for some odd reason lessened the night time hits. When I have gottten the one or two they have not been as severe. I know this does not apply to everyone and my nuro and I talked this over before prescribing the sleep aide. I also take 6mg of melontin everynight an hour before bed. Which I was taking 9-12mg everynight. With the Ambien he decreased it to see how I react on it. So far I have not had any severe side effects (Thank God) and have been able to sleep more soundly at night.
Verapimil never did help me and I am now on Lamictal.

Good Luck and Hope you get some sleep!