I’ve had sleeping problems for years…really, all of my life. Until recently I was using Ambien fairly extensively with some good results. However, my old doctor has gone elsewhere and I’ve been traveling so much lately that I haven’t had time to get a new GP…so I haven’t been able to get my Ambien prescription refilled in a couple of months. What I’d like to ask is…what OTC sleep aids have any dopers actually found that work? The normal ones I’ve tried do absolutely nothing for me…in fact, I think they actually make it harder for me to sleep for some reason. However, I’ve seen ads on TV that supposedly there are a number of new OTC sleep aids out there that claim to work…anyone tried any of the supposed new drugs you can get OTC and do any of them actually work?
Simply Sleep is Tylenol PM without the Tylenol. It’s 25 mg of the sleep aid diphenhydramine HCl, which is also the same as found in Benadryl. That works fine for me but my issues are not chronic.
I’ve tried those kind (including the SImply Sleep one) and they don’t work for me…in fact, as I said, they seem to have the opposite effect. Even taking stuff like Benadryl or other antihistimens don’t make me even vaguely drowsey for some reason…though I know they have that effect on others.
If you try melatonin (and some do swear by it), be aware that there have been some recent articles to the effect that the pills you get at GNC or wherever are too high a dosage, leading to a negative-feedback pattern of insomnia. I think the dosage I saw recommended was below a milligram, the pills I’ve seen seemed to be usually five or ten milligrams.
I saw an add recently on TV about some new OTC sleep aid that has melatonin (and two other drugs I can’t recall which) in it but I can’t think of the name.
Melantonin - sustained release - lowest dosage you can find.
My husband bought the 3mg dosage and it was weird. I fell asleep immediately like lights out, but then woke up every hour on the hour, wide awake.
I found a 1mg dosage with sustained or extended release, and I have a much better response. Sometimes I still only take a half-pill, though.
Keep in mind, I usually have a very high tolerance for sedating medications. Melantonin isn’t a medication, you can’t predict your response. That’s why it’s best to start with the smallest dose.
I’m recommending melatonin rather than something like valerian root, because I think if you’ve been used to Ambien than the mild relaxing effect of valerian just ain’t gonna cut it.
In addition to melatonin, try L-Theanine. My doctor has told me to try both of those (first it was just L-Theanine). L-Theanine basically helps to relax your brain. One of my biggest problems is that once I’m awake, BAM, I’m busy thinking. Right away I’ll think something like, “Damn, it’s 2:36. That means I only have about 3 more hours till I need to get up. I have to remember to iron those pants for work really quickly then. Those pants are so annoying, my other ones can just be taken from the dryer but NOT THESE ONES. I have to get them tailored, too. I wonder…”
For me personally, they help most of the time but not completely. Instead of waking up 5-15 times a night, I’m down to waking up 3-6 times. Still not great, but better than before.
NPR recently had an author on who recently wrote a book on the subject. I think it was Monday. Do a search on their site, and you’ll probably find something. She seemed to know what she was talking about, but she did also mention that everyone seems to be different and you just have to keep trying stuff until you find something that works. Still, she had some good advice.
FWIW I have had problems sleeping through the night for the last several years. I bought a new pillow at IKEA and my sleep problems seem to be solved. Before I would wake up every hour or so to change positions. Now I go to sleep and most of the time sleep the entire night, or at most wake up once to roll over.
Apparently my old pillow was not supporting my neck and causing me to wake up.
YMMV of course.
I combine a low dose of melatonin (I’ve found more does not equal more effective) with valarian. If I’m still prowling after an hour, I’ll add the benedryl.
I stock up on NeoCitran when I’m in Canada as I’ve yet to find anything down here that works the same way. It’s a lemon-flavoured powder you add to hot water and it gives me that little extra to help me doze off when I need it. Even if I wake up in the night, it’s easy to fall back to sleep and best of all, I don’t have the ‘sleep hangover’ in the morning. I’ve tried the US equivalent (TheraFlu?) but it was nasty tasting and didn’t help with the sleeping aspect.
My stepmother also had recommended that I take calcium before going to bed. While it’s never worked for me, it may for someone else. I never had much luck with melatonin either.
I’ve never heard of NeoCitran, but just as a side point, you can buy OTC products from Canada online pretty easily. (I used to do it with Allegra, which is OTC in Canada but prescription in the US, until fexophenadine went off-patent a couple of years ago and I could get a generic prescription for cheaper than the cost of importing.) Googling ‘buy neocitran’ got thousands of sites such as this one. I’m sure buying it in-person in Canada is cheaper, but this would let you have a more regular supply.
I too am a lifelong insomniac. The OTC stuff does nothing for me. Ditto codeine. Alcohol can make me sleepy but I usually wake up in an hour or two. Have you tried Dramamine? That does make me sleepy some times but I don’t like to take it very often since I’m afraid of wearing out its mojo. If you try it, don’t get suckered by the non-drowsy formula, get the original strength.
Alchohol definitely doesn’t work unless I drink more than I should…which has more a tendency to get me on the edge of being banned from this board than getting me a good nights sleep.
I haven’t tried Dramamine, no…I’m not usually one for motion sickness so never had call to use the stuff before. Codine doesn’t really work on me (or any of the related drugs…though try convincing dentists of that sometime. They never believe that their nonvcaine isn’t actually making your mouth numb…)
I’ll check out NPR John and see if I can dig up the article you are talking about.
Thanks all! I appreciate the advice. I know I’ve been seeing some ads on TV for a new OTC sleep aid that have some of the stuff folk have mentioned in this tread…maybe I’ll have to really check that out if those things actually work.
This is not an OTC remedy, but it did do some good for me.
make sure the room is totally dark when I go to bed
have a light, on a timer, that lights up right before the alarm goes off.
This combination seems to help convince my bod that it’s time to sleep and wake on schedule.
However, that said, I do use a prescription med at bedtime too. Not a sleeping pill, however, those don’t work for me. It’s a low dose of trazadone. It has an anti-anxiety effect and a mild muscle relaxing effect too. Seems to keeps my mind from churning around when I’m trying to fall asleep.
My wife actually uses trazadone and I tried it once. For whatever reason it makes my heart race…definitely not something that puts me to sleep. Made me break out in a cold sweat as well.
