Stage 4 insomnia?

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Bailey5
Bailey5 Member Posts: 63
edited January 2019 in Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment

any thoughts on how not to worry so incessantly that I cannot sleep. I take 1 ambien and 1 Ativan at bedtime but have terrible sleep hygiene-always have; cannot go to sleep until about 3-4 am now it used to be midnite? I’m disabled and shouldn’t care when I sleep as long as I get my10 hours (I’ve always needed more than typical 7 hours). I also use CPAP for sleep apnea

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  • Sara536
    Sara536 Member Posts: 7,032
    edited December 2018

    Hi, I just read your post but If I take the time now to write a good response I’ll mess up my intention to go to sleep now (just after 11pm where I am.) I finally managed to get out of a habit of going to bed at 3 or 4am. I think it does matter when you get to bed, even when you are disabled or retired and have no morning obligations....it’s all about the circadian rhythm.

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  • Beatmon
    Beatmon Member Posts: 1,562
    edited December 2018

    After many different sleepers, my onco ordered Trazadone with up to 150 mg. It has been a new life for me.

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  • Bailey5
    Bailey5 Member Posts: 63
    edited December 2018

    thank you both for advice! I’ll try trazadone; addictive ? Do u build tolerance to it? And are you groggy in AM

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  • Polly_Ester
    Polly_Ester Member Posts: 34
    edited December 2018

    I tried melatonin. It only worked as a sleep aid for about a week before I built a tolerance, but it's helped some other side effects such as hot flashes.


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  • GreenHarbor
    GreenHarbor Member Posts: 265
    edited December 2018

    Insomnia is something I struggle with. I have what's called terminal insomnia: I fall asleep just fine, but wake up at 3 or 4 am and can't get back to sleep. I'll sleep fine for stretches of time, and then have a period where I get several nights of poor sleep. Stress (like breast cancer diagnosis and treatment!) can make it worse. Here's what works for me.... no caffeine after noon; if I take a nap, it's only for 45 minutes, and I try to not nap past 4 pm; no screen (tv, phone and iPad) after 8 pm - I do struggle with this one; I take melatonin before bed. If I have several nights in a row of poor sleep, I'll take Zquil at bedtime for a few nights until I'm back in a good pattern. Getting a little exercise helps, even a walk around the block. If I do wake up in the middle of the night, I'll try meditating, or I read. I have a Kindle Paperwhite. It's back lit, so I can read without disturbing my husband. Good luck!

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  • LoriCA
    LoriCA Member Posts: 923
    edited December 2018

    Stage IV insomnia can be brutal. I felt very strongly about not wanting to go on any kind of "sleeping pills", hate the groggy feeling and I'm on enough meds as it is. I find that melatonin usually works for me as long as I don't take it every night, so maybe 3 nights in a row and then I skip a night or two.

    I believe that marijuana is legal in Massachusetts now? Not sure if you're interested or if it's available in your state, but after experimenting with various products I found the Dosist "Sleep" pen to work best for my insomnia. It's supposedly a precise formula of cannabinoids (8:1 THC/CBD)and sleep-promoting terpenes, the pen gives a measured dose, 2 hits is enough to let me get some sleep without feeling stoned, and the pen contains either 50 or 200 doses. It's not something I use regularly but it works very well on those bad nights when melatonin isn't enough so I like to keep it on hand.

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  • Bailey5
    Bailey5 Member Posts: 63
    edited December 2018

    thx

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  • gailmary
    gailmary Member Posts: 332
    edited January 2019

    re: severe insomnia

    Without aide I won't sleep. Period. With typical otc herbals and such i might fall asleep 6 hours later. So I slept like 4am to 7 or 8 am. UNTIL

    I tried cbd oil full spectrum from hemp. It took a few weeks to build to the right dose for me - all of 16 mgs. That is 1 dropper full of a 500 mg bottle holding 1 ounce.

    A medical marijuana card is not needed cause THC is not needed. Ordered on Amazon.

    My dr says "great. You will find yourself using it for all kinds of things." Really.! REALLY! Read up on it.

    Best of luck to all.

    Gail

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  • exercise_guru
    exercise_guru Member Posts: 716
    edited January 2019

    I had terrible side effects of not being able to sleep. I have apnea and would wake up with neuropathy and hot flashes. I started B12 and Be complex ( methylated ) I did shots but Thorne Vitamin makes a good multivitamin that is reasonable and I could just take one capsule. I could also do Sublingual B12 which works very well.

    The effect on my neuropathy was minimal but it strongly improved my sleep. I was able to stop taking ambien and ativan and fall asleep and actually dream. It might be worth something to look into.

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