You know, that subject line sounds kind of bad. No, I’m not getting ready to dive into the valley of the dolls.
But I’ve always been prone to insomnia, and lately, for a number of reasons, it’s been getting a lot worse. Once my work schedule changes, I think it’ll improve a lot… but that won’t be for AT LEAST five more weeks. I think it’s affecting my health, and if I could just break the cycle of wakefulness it would help so much. Melatonin does absolutely nothing, and my opthalmologist told me not to take OTC sleep aids too often because they worsen an eye condition I have.
So how hard is it to just get a prescription for temporary sleeping pills? Do you have to jump through 8,000,000 hoops and sign something in blood?
Added: this is a main reason why standard piss tests don’t look for benzodiazepines. One small script for 10 Restoril prescribed by a doctor half a year ago can cover the ass of the tested person for the 15 pills they take daily they buy on the street.
Anise talk to your doctor. Tell him or her about the problems you’re having with insomnia, especially if it’s like two or three times a week. That’s what I did. He gave me a prescription for Ambien which was wonderful. He or she will probably ask you a lot of questions about your sleep patterns and such. I wasn’t having a problem such as sleep apnea, I just couldn’t sleep. I still use it from time to time but not on a regular basis. I’ll take one if I’ve had a bad night the night before. He gave me a pretty mild dosage which works out great for me. I can get between seven and eight hours sleep on it. That’s what worked for me.
I use Sonata on a semi-regular basis (long-term sleep disorder; specialists recommended it for intermittent use as a way of staving off another class of medication for a few years), perhaps once or twice a week. My regular internist didn’t blink when I asked for the scrip. Then again she has known me for years and knows I’m no drug-seeker.
I’d imagine that if you have an ongoing relationship with a doctor, s/he will not be too worried about prescribing the stuff for you especially given your circumstances. That’s what those medications are for! But if you walked into a new doctor’s office and said “Hi, I’m john doe, you don’t know me but I need sleeping pills” it might be a harder sell!
One thing I’ve noticed is that the legal controls on these meds seem to be a bit more strict. A regular prescription - e.g. for my asthma medication - is valid for a year or perhaps two from the prescription date. However with my sleeping pills, the prescription expires 6 months from the original fill date even if I’ve still got refills available.
A question you didn’t ask but I’ll volunteer for free: many sleeping aids do have a “rebound” effect - i.e., when you stop taking them, you have a couple of days where you really have trouble getting to sleep (at all, or perhaps just soundly). I found that to be the case with Ambien, even if I’d only taken it for one or two days. The doctors were surprised, as my rebound with the stuff was much more severe than most people experience. I’ve found that Sonata (which is shorter-acting) works better for me. Anyway, if you do use a sleep aid, be prepared for a day or two of messed-up sleep when you stop using it.
The obvious answer is that it depends on your doctor. I take Ambien when I travel and it works really well. I didn’t have to jump through any hoops other than a normal visit. I haven’t experienced any rebound effect but it definetely can and does happen. Whatever you do, take the warning about not mixing them with alcohol seriously.
My friend went to his doctor and was told to take Benadryl. YMMV.
My opthalmologist warned me not to take OTC sleep medications (which contain the same ingredient as Benadryl.) They all have the side effect of causing eye dryness, and I just got over a bout of severe dry eye. The main problem is that I just found out my regular doctor is ON HIATUS until July 11 (!) So NOW what?? :smack:
