I ask because I have trouble falling asleep. I’ve tried all of the pills-they put me to sleep, but I wake up tired and groggy next day. I believe (in my case) that sleeping pills do not put you into deep REM sleep-the kind of sleep ypu need. Has anyone had any experience with really good sleeping pills? O am I doomed to stay awake at night?
In my opinion, there are no good sleeping pills out there. Despite claims, I do not believe that any of them induce a normal sleep.
I’d follow the above doc’s advice…for sleeping pills. But when I want a good night’s sleep I take a benedryl. Knocks me out and is only an antihistamine.
I suspect that this is a GQ that has been answered, but if anyone else wants to chime in, I suspect that it would do better as a poll.
Off to IMHO.
[ /Modding ]
I think this thread belongs in a different forum (IMHO, IMHO :)) but has your doctor ever suggested Sonata?
I’ve been taking it for ~7 years now, as needed, for early a.m. insomnia. It’s good for 3-4 hours sleep, I only occasionally have druggy hangovers from it, and they tend to dissipate inside of an hour when I have them.
For me, it’s been a godsend. I used to dread those cycles where I’d wake up earlier and earlier, and be unable to go back to sleep. But that dread’s a thing of the distant past now. While they’re a bit strong for taking just 2 hours before the alarm goes off, if I start waking up 3 hours before the alarm, I’ve got the antidote.
Can’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work at the beginning of the night.
It’s a prescription drug, so you’ll have to talk to your doc before trying it.
ETA: Looks like I shoulda previewed before posting. Tom beat me to it. 
Plus, I think every one of them on the market for more then a few years has turned out to be addictive - except benedryl. If you use them, don’t use them habitually for consecutive nights. They all start with the non-addictive claim.
Have you tried meletonin or valarien?
Ditto. For both me and my wife.
My wife has had 2 major back surgeries and has had a terrible time sleeping for more than 2 hours at a time. The benedryl has out performed everything else her doctor has prescribed, most of which have been named in this thread.
For me, a Professional Driver, I can’t take any of the sleep aids out there without putting the motoring public’s safety in jeopardy (or my own, for that matter …) or endangering my career by flunking a drug test. On those rare occasions that the ol’ insomnia comes to visit I trust the benedryl to get me snoring and let me drive with confidence the next day.
Our experience is that, when used as needed as suggested by Dangerosa, it does not seem to be habit forming in any way.
Possible side effect: tends to help keep the sinuses clear as well … 
BTW - use the generic. Saves bucks and works just as well.
Lucy
IANAD, etc. One doctor prescribed Ambien for me and while it DID knock me out, I would awake feeling the same anxiety that was keeping me awake 8 hours previously. A better doctor suggested trazadone, and for me, that works just fine. It’s an old anti-anxiety drug that is rarely used any more just to treat anxiety because as well as relieving anxiety it makes many users sleepy. For me, who was being kept awake by anxiety, it was the perfect match. In my experience it is not addictive, at least not for me. I have not needed increasing doses, and when I don’t feel anxious I don’t take it and I sleep just fine anyway. It is also short-acting, its effects only continuing for a few hours, but when all I need is just to get to sleep, it’s fine. I wake up with no groggy hangover.
Again, YMMV, IANAD.
I can’t tolerate OTC antihistamines - Benadryl - as they stay in my body for days and make me twitch. Valerian and Melatonin put a weird taste in my mouth. Ambien works very well for me, though one of the side effects, if you have had a little too much to drink, can cause some very disturbing dreams, and that has happened a couple of times. But since it is clearly stated they are not to be taken with alcohol, it was my bad. Never heard of Sonata, so I will make note of that since early waking is a frequent problem with me.
I use seroquel. Half dosage/pill. Very seldom do I wake up groggy the next morning.
I agree re: benadryl in a pinch.
Also I’ve found that for me, a tea blend of chamomile, valerian, kava-kava, wood betony, and lemon balm knocks me out quickly and I sleep solidly through the night. The herbal teas at the grocery store are more or less useless for medicinal purposes, but if there’s an herbalist in your area I bet you could get them to make you up a blend of herbal sedatives.
Melatonin helps for me, but its effects are subtle. I have gotten pretty decent results from combining benadryl with melatonin.
Recently I was prescribed Neurontin for an odd case of neuralgia. As a side effect I have had no trouble sleeping nor daytime drowsiness. No need for melatonin nor benadryl. In fact I’ve been in an uncommonly positive and relaxed mood ever since I’ve been taking it, which I attribute to the sleep stabilization.
A very real potential problem with Ambien is that there are well documented cases of sleep-walking, -eating, -driving, etc. Obvoiusly a YMMV situation, but one that should be looked out for. If you’re living alone you may not be aware of what you do while under the influence of Ambien.
Point well taken, MLS. I do believe I experienced sleepwalking also, though I stayed in my bedroom. And I am divorced, so that’s a little nervewracking to know it has happened. I was clearly disoriented. I don’t take it often, and when I do, I take a half pill. Thankfully haven’t had to take ANY in recent months. I may look into other methods.
There was a well-publicized case not too long ago about a certain U.S. senator being found driving about in Washington DC rather strangely in the middle of the night. IIRC, it was stated at the time that he was under the influence of Ambien, not alcohol, although he has been know to imbibe of the latter rather freely on occasion.
A member of my family took Ambien briefly. It was disturbing to find the half-eaten fruit and yogurt in the kitchen the following morning. It was even more disturbing to find a cigarette and lighter in an ashtray, and realize that one could have set the house afire in one’s sleep. The drug was discontinued.
Rereading my posts, I am wondering what makes that stuff ANY good! Hello, Dr.?
The New York Times says probably not.
Another trazadone user here. I was experiencing weird hypnagogic hallucinations every freakin’ night. The hallucinations weren’t scary (usually), but I awoke every morning feeling like I’d only really slept the 10 minutes before the alarm went off.
My doctor told me trazadone, in addition to being an antidepressant, regulates sleep cycles. I don’t have a cite. YMMV, IANAD, ect.
So were the weird hypnagogic hallucinations before or after the traz?
KRM, that is undoubtedly true. After all, if we read it in the paper it must be so, right? :dubious: Of course the entire YMMV situation applies. I had tried EVERYTHING normally recommended to get to sleep, every frikkin’ thing, and nothing worked although I tried with all good faith. For a while, before it was taken off the market, I used L-tryptophan with good results. But for me, nothing has worked as well as trazadone. Obviously, not true for everyone. I will concur that there is a lot of overuse of meds in general, including pills for sleep. Most of us are too quick to rush to a pill in hopes of a fast resolution to any problem instead of finding the root cause.
I think you should talk to a medical professional.
A non-anonymous medical professional.
Maybe even your own medical professional.
Closing thread.