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[sadielouise78]

Hi, 

Over the past year or so my sleep patterns have been really playing up.  Sometimes I sleep all night (after being so exhausted from not sleeping), sometimes I wake up many times in the night, sometimes I wake around 4am and can't get back to sleep and then there's the nights when I'm awake all night.  I thought HRT has resolved this but it hasn't and I'm pretty tired most of the time.  Yesterday I went back to the doctors to report I'd finally found a HRT that was working for (Femoston 2/10) but my sleep was terrible.  She offered me amitriptyline (which I've taken before, but for migraines, and felt like I had cystitis and wanted to wee all the time), proper sleeping tablets for a month or a sedative antihistamine (Phenergan).  I chose the sedative antihistamine which I took at 10pm as I went to bed (in hindsight I should probably have taken it earlier).  I was asleep before my other half (for a change), woke once to let the cat out (I vaguely remember) and then really struggled to get up at 6.30am.  I had an awful drive into work where I was falling asleep all the time and have been half asleep all day.  I'm very wobbly, like I had a load of beer last night, and every time someone comes in the office I jump a mile (even if I know they are about to come in).  I'm supposed to be at the gym tonight but I can barely function.  Its like I'm in some sort of trance.

Is this normal?  Does anyone else have experience of these tablets?  The prescribed dose is 2 10mg tablets (which is what I took) but I can take up to 5 if I need to.

Thanks,
Sarah x

[sadielouise78]

Just an update - I came out of my trance at 4pm so just in time to go to the gym and then try it all again tonight! 

[Snoooze]

Can't offer any advice as not familiar with your sedative but it sounds worrying that you were falling asleep while driving. Are you sure you're allowed to drive after taking it? Some Car Insurances don't cover you if you are taking a particular medication that you haven't informed DVLA about.

Have you read the side effects in the leaflet that came with the medication? It may cover the side effects you are experiencing.

[aspie65]

I would suggest trying pregabalin.  It is great for anxiety and quite sedative.  Having said that I am fine in the morning as I only take 75-100mg each night.  I have had sleep problems for decades and have tried everything under the sun and pregabalin gets just the right balance, sleepy but not too druggy.

[Joaniepat]

I would try halving the dose tonight to see if that does the trick. It sounds as though you are very sensitive to this particular drug. Are you taking any other medication (apart from HRT) or even a supplement that might be affecting the way this one works? Sometimes things don't interact well.
JP x

[sadielouise78]

Hi, thanks for the replies.  After a really bad day yesterday I feel much better today.  I took the tablets at 8pm instead of 10pm and was ready for sleeping at 10.  I slept all night until about 5am then dosed.  I had a delayed start to work today as I was a little scared after yesterday.  I drove in at 10 and was fine.  My body is very awake today but my head is a little behind.  Hopefully by Monday I'll be up and at it at 6.30am to get to work on time.  Yes I had read the side effects and it does say to be careful about driving and to be fair I do fall asleep quite a lot on the motorway in general just because I'm not sleeping well so hopefully things will get better now.  The doctors did check the other medication I take and said the antihistamine would not cause any reaction with my other meds.

Sarah x

[AngsanaBlossom]

Sorry your sleep is disturbed, I have had this too on and off over the years and worse in the past year where I have noticed my peri-menopausal symptoms increasing.

My Doc once gave me amitriptyline for insomnia and I only took it twice. I didn't like it. I now have a bag of tricks that I use if I go without sleep one night and use the next. They don't sound potent but they do the trick.

1) Kalms one a night (or 2 a night).
2) Nytol - this is the one that does the trick for me. I nee a strong coffee to get me going in the morning though.
3) Sominex (Boots over the counter)

Out of all of them the Nightol is the one that does the trick most of the time. I think you need to give it a few goes though because it didn't work the first time.

[CLKD]

The drug you were prescribed: Phenergan : is known for it's soothing properties, it will cause the symptoms you describe.  You shouldn't be driving when taking it, your GP should have given that advice.  It's a sedative.  Also, if possible and if you decide to continue with it in order to get good quality sleep, take 3 days off or use it on a Friday so that you can sleep 'in'.  Trying to work against such a sedative will cause the 'hung over' effect ......... been there even though I can't remember which particular drug. 

Sleep 'experts' - how I HATE that word: suggest that people with poor sleep habits should get up and go to bed at the same time, that sleeping 'in' doesn't help.  Actually, 4 me it works well.  If I need to sleep I drop off where ever I am.  On the settee, in the camper, on the patio on a thick layer of cushions  .  It doesn't affect how I sleep in t he night, if my brain needs to shut off it will.  I do get some nights when I either can't get to sleep, if so I read - or I sleep heavily for 40 mins. then wake, for hours.

Nytol    .   'head a little behind' - a really good way of describing it!

[sadielouise78]

Hi AngsanaBlossom, I will take a look at all three of those.  I feel like I'm falling asleep again this afternoon but not as bad as I was yesterday.

Hi CLKD, No she didn't mention anything about not driving, just that she'd give me a call in a week to see how I was doing.  She said these are what they give old people in nursing homes on night to make them sleep, but then again, I guess they don't drive do they.  I can't have an afternoon nap or anything like that as I definitely won't sleep on a night.  And I probably couldn't just take them on a Friday or Saturday night as I'm up and off to the gym early on a weekend.  I think I'll try just one tonight and see how I get on.  Failing that I'll speak to the doctor again.

Thanks,
Sarah x

[CLKD]

Unless you try having a sleep in the afternoon/evening you won't know if you will sleep/not.  Listen to your body and brain, it took me years to learn to listen to what my body was trying to tell me.  I also worried 4 years about not sleeping as I was in a very busy job ........ my head never stopped buzzing.  But although I felt tired it never impacted on my daily performance however much I worried and catching up at weekends or sleeping in the evenings and during the night, helped me 2 stop worrying. 

Which is the most important: sleeping properly so that you feel rested or going to the gym?  One can exercise too much which over-stresses the body so it won't sleep.  It's hard work sometimes ain't it.