Can anyone recomend a sleep aid that wont mess me up even more the next day? Ive always been leary of taking any sort of sleep meds but this is out of control and i need to sleep. The idea of getting completely smashed has crossed my mind b/c I know itll knock me out, lol, but Im not supposed to drink on my meds.

Last night I laid in bed till almost 230am before I passed out from pure exhaustion. Woke up at 445 while DH was getting ready for work and then from 515-7 I laid in bed half awake just resting my eyes b/c I couldnt sleep. And this is an every night thing.

Tonight I hop in the shower. TMI but had Dh not jumped in too I would have fallen over. I was leaning against him b/c I was so tired I couldnt function. I crawl into bed and by the time he gets out of the shower Im half asleep. it was barely 9pm. I woke up at 1010 and have been wide awake ever since. well not really wide awake, exhausted, eyes burning and wishing I were dead (I am THAT tired) but its almost midnight and Im sure if i go to bed ill lay there for another 3 hrs.

I cant get comfortable, cant get my mind to shut down and i desperately need some SLEEP in the worst way possible.

Want to try something OTC before I call the doc again. (getting my pain meds refilled was a nightmare).

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You can try unisom. That has worked well for me in the past. I've also heard Benadryl 50mg or Tylenol PM work well. I just asked my doc about that at my last appointment and that's what he told me to take.

If OTC doesn't work for you, ask your doc about Elavil or Ambien. Elavil is an anti-depressant but in small doses (10mg), it's also a sleep aid. I've done both. Ambien works right away, like 15 minutes, but doesn't let me sleep all night. For everyone else I know, they are conked all night and wake up refreshed. I wake up refreshed too, just 3 hours after I take it.

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I like Tylenol PM. But if you are already taking a pain reliever for your back, I don't know if you would take that, too.

I am pretty sensitive to it so I wouldn't take it too late at night...for example, I have to get up every day around 6 am so the latest I would take Tylenol PM would be 10 pm. Otherwise, I just feel a little too groggy in the morning. But there are no side effects for me and the added benefit of pain relief helps my tired back some nights.

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Stacey (38)
DH Steve (38)
DS Chase 2-13-07

Tylenol PM and Benadryl leave me feeling horrible the next day and I would be better with no sleep.

I did take Ambien a few times. I fell asleep right away and woke up refreshed but it didn't last all night. The Ambien CR is a controlled released and supposed to help prevent that. If I didn't go to bed immediately I would hallucinate on Ambien, it was the weirdest thing. If we would go to bed and Donnie would get frisky after I took it but before I fell in a complete sleep I would still have sex but not remember a darn thing but still be active and not just lay there.

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Jody, I have the same problem with Ambien. Boy oh boy, does it make you feel buzzed like no tomorrow. And so quickly. I'll have to ask about the Ambien CR. Maybe that would help my insomnia. Regular ambien just makes me wake up at the same time (2am) and feel great. No chance in going back to sleep!

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I have you tried melatonin? Its the thing in your body that puts you into a deep sleep and they sell an OTC pill that is supposed to do the same thing. My DH takes it when he is so exhausted and he cant sleep. I hope that you can find something to help you out!

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