Can't sleep

I'm having the same issues with sleep as well. I hate taking medication to help me sleep but sometimes I just have to because I feel exhausted from not sleeping.  Melatonin does nothing and I'm taking tamoxifen so I can't take Benadryl. Hope you get some relief soon.  

I took Ambien all through treatment. It was wonderful because I probably would have dropped dead from lack of sleep without it. I could fall asleep, when I woke up to go to the bathroom, I would fall back to sleep, and I woke up rested. My advice would be that if non-prescription remedies aren't working; TELL them you need something stronger!

This is what Livestrong.com says about Ambien and Lexapro....might be worth asking about.

"Lexapro--used to treat depression and anxiety--can cause sleeplessness. Ambien--a sleep aid--can cause depression. While all drugs have side effects, the severity varies with the dose and the individual. Patients using Ambien with Lexapro discuss extreme problems from the combination on Internet sites without thorough validation by medical experts. No Ambien-Lexapro contraindications are reported by the FDA."

It kept me from going totally insane!! I had tried all the dark room/white noise/melatonin tricks, and it is just lucky that I did not have a gun in the house, or I would have blasted that damn relaxation CD into a million pieces!

The only OTC that work for me are multiple UNISOM Gels. I have ativan (lorazepam) if I need something else.My onc at Dana Farber said I COULD take them with Tamoxifen even though they were on the list of interactions. He only plans to keep me on tamox for 2 years though, then switch to AI. Also my oncotype dx was a low number. He said I would know it is working if I get side effects. If I get none then I guess we will rethink it at my next appt. Lol

I keep trying to not take my ativan at night.  My onc says, "why?". Sleep is important and if that's what helps then take it.  She said not to worry about getting addicted,  that I will get to a point where I dont need it anymore.  So - go ahead and take it!  This is NOT easy.

i was recently prescribed Effexor (venlafaxine hcl) 37.5 mg for hot flashes and after taking felt awful, tired, groggy, and not myself at all.    I was also prescribed  trazodone to help with sleep.  One night it worked and I got a good nights rest but now it does not seem to help at all.

Anyone else with side effects like  this with Effexor?  I hate taking it and understand it may take a while for my body to get used to it.  I need to be more alert to drive or go anywhere and this stuff makes me want to doze off and I have no energy.

Going off of hormones made sleep difficult. I now use a combination of the following & it works pretty well: benadryl (25 mg), prolonged-release melatonin (3 mg), Kavinace Ultra PM (contains 3 mg melatonin plus some herbal stuff; unfortunately it's quite expensive). I was told that its safe to take up to 9 mg of melatonin. GNC has a lot of sleep remedies with various natural ingredients that you might try. I've also been helped by 4-7-8 breathing.

GLou, what's 4-7-8 breathing?  Yoga relaxation breathing?