It’s not that the effect diminishes; it’s that it is reversed. I mean, makes you HYPER!!! Lots different from “not working any more.”
Ah, no, that I’ve never seen or experienced. Do you have any information on how common that is? I know it can make some people hyper, but I’ve never heard that it can make a person hyper after several days of use with a sedating effect.
I only know it has that effect on me and when I mentioned it to my allergist he said yeah, that happens sometimes. Don’t know how often “sometimes” is, or why it occurs. I just know if I take it more than two days in a row, on the third day odds are I’ll be up all night.
And in my (admittedly unusual) case, acetaminophen is also sedating. Take Tylenol, Midol, or such, take a nap. Whether I want to or not.
My most common go-to for sleep problems is melatonin (low doses, around a 3mg dose I can count on nightmares as a side effect), with diphenhydramine (lower doses than the package says to use) as a fall-back. I only use Nyquil when ill (and I use the liqui-caps, frequently only one when the stated dose is two).
This. Despite the fact that repeated studies seem to indicate that they think the sleep effect from TylenolPM <which is just benadryl in a pill> is purely illusory, and therefore non-habitformiing, it does do something, and works for many people. I know it’s not an illusory effect for me, because several times I unknowingly and accidentally took Tylenol and not TylenolPM, and then couldn’t figure out why I was wide awake at 2:30 in the morning. /facepalm
After 20 years of using TylenolPM and generic versions thereof, I started getting that twitchy effect, whatever that is. Combined with my…yeah, increasingly annoying CRS, I switched to another, non-antihistimine type, and it not only works, it works REALLY well. And I feel like my brain is less foggy, which itself might be illusory but I’ll take whatever I can get. 
As far as why long-time users should go to a doctor to get a REAL prescription, well…I don’t get it. Why would I do that, when OTC works? 
At least twice the price, plus you need prescriptions, plus it’s not going to be any less addicting, so…kind of a lose-lose situation, unless nothing else at all works for you.
Had to add that what’s funny about marketing TylenolPM and the generic versions is that they always seem to include the acetaminophen, which really is something people worry about. Especially people like me who used it nightly for decades.
Here’s the funny/stupid part: the version WITHOUT acetaminiphen…JUST the sleep aid…is about twice the price.
Figure THAT one out.
Chronic sleep problems can be a symptom of several health conditions which might be more appropriately treated by dealing with the cause rather than the symptom. Which, yes, might be more expensive than simply continuing to use the OTC aid, but it’s not news that some health treatment is decided by finances rather than what is best to optimize health.
Me too, for any use at all. Benadryl or the equivalent and I cannot sleep AT ALL. My doctor said the same thing as yours.
If I don’t take something, I will generally be awake until about 5 in the morning, at which point why bother even trying to sleep. I have tried Ambien and built up a tolerance and it stopped working. I tried Trazodone and ended up more anxious than before, with the added side effect of hallucinations.
So I take 2 Advil PMs (the recommended dose on the bottle) right before bed. I take the Advil form because my back is usually hurting as well. If I wake up 2 hours later I will take 1 Benadryl. This will usually carry me through the rest of the night. If my back isn’t hurting I’ll take 2 Benadryl instead of 2 Advil PMs. I never take more than 3 of anything with diphenhydramine in it within a 4 hour time period because then I start to itch. If more than 4 hours have passed, it means the first batch has worn off and then I allow myself more.
As for regular Nyquil, it stopped working for me when they took the diphenhydramine out of it and replaced it with a different antihistamine. So I do keep a bottle of ZzzQuil handy if I want to fall asleep faster than the pills will dissolve.
Whynot seemed to be questioning the premise that it made someone sleepy for a few days and then made them hyper. Plenty of people get hyper from it, they just get hyper from pill 1. . . not 5 days later.
Exactly. I’m well aware that some people have the “idiosyncratic” or “perverse” reaction to antihistamines, where it makes them wired and jittery instead of sleepy. That’s a big reason why parents who are considering drugging their babies for airplane rides are really behooved (behooven?) to try it out before the travel date (with their doctor’s okay, of course), lest they wind up with a wired tot at 50,000 feet.
It’s the pattern seen here that I’ve never heard of before, where it makes you sleepy for a couple of days and then gives you the stimulant effect on the third day. Mind you, I’m not at all saying it can’t happen or you’re mistaken, not at all. More of a “hmm, that’s very interesting, I want to know more about that, 'cause maybe that explains why some people I know don’t seem to have much luck with it for insomnia long term.” 
What good is zzNyquil without the 10% booze?
I tried ZzzQuil, and it had no effect on me. None.
I tried Sominex. All that did was make my hands tingle. I don’t even know if that stuff is still made anymore.
I once asked my doctor for a prescription sleep aid. He said no, he didn’t want me to get reliant on them. Gee, thanks pal.
The only thing that sort of works, sometimes, is Midol.
And no, counting sheep doesn’t help, and I can’t stand warm milk.
Sometimes I lay awake until morning, and think to myself, well, at least I’ll fall asleep next time. I hope.
My doctor doesn’t want me to get “reliant” on them. What an asshole.
I have serious insomnia, and I was given a prescription antihistamine called hydroxyzine and it worked for me even though Benadryl never did. The only problem is that the half-life is 20 hours so it made me really drowsy the next day.
Well, yes and no. Sure, he’s a jerk because he isn’t helping you with your symptoms… But he’s right: reliance can lead to addiction, and addiction can lead to problems that would make you pray to God merely to have insomnia again.
Except that to have an addiction, you need an addictive personality, which in my fifty years of life, I’ve never had trouble with. Suck it up was this doofus’ advice.
Why is anyone else with insomnia entitled to a dose of Ambien or whatever, and I’m not? It doesn’t make any frickin’ sense.
No, I don’t think this is quite right. I think addiction is possible without an addictive personality but having such a personality makes one more susceptible to addiction.
all jokes aside it usually takes me like ten of the 50 mg Unisom sleepaid pills to go to sleep. when i took this zzzQuil oh my god bro this shits AMAZING!:D:cool: from taking all them pills everynite i definately shortened my life i do know that and caused my self life long pain 
but this zzzQuil man is good shit. of course i dont take just the regular 2 tablespoons but it makes me physically feel 100% better before during and after i take this shit. i highly recomend this shit ;);););););)
Huh. ZzzQuil is absolutely useless to me. I tried it and it kept me up. No thanks. Useless. Melatonin is actually more beneficial for me, and that’s saying something. :eek:
I can foresee no negative future consequences from following your advice, good sir. I shall avail myself of this wonder product as soon as can be arranged.