UK sleep meds

Saz94 said:
For people in the UK. What sleep medications (either prescription or OTC) for taking every night do you use that help you with sleep, and in what ways do they help you?
Click to expand...
I take Daridorexant and Trazodone. Without them I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, as I lost the sleep pressure/sleepiness feeling completely. Just feel wired all the time.

Trazodone makes me fall asleep, Daridorexant enhances the quality of the sleep dramatically and with it I usually wake up feeling relatively rested.
 
N_Dina said:
I take Daridorexant and Trazodone. Without them I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, as I lost the sleep pressure/sleepiness feeling completely. Just feel wired all the time.

Trazodone makes me fall asleep, Daridorexant enhances the quality of the sleep dramatically and with it I usually wake up feeling relatively rested.
Click to expand...
What dose of trazodone do you take, how long does it take you to fall asleep after taking it, and do you take it with or without food?
 
Jonathan Edwards said:
Occasional sleep meds can be useful
Click to expand...
I found that zopiclone did help me fall asleep initially but I woke up after a couple of hours feeling very groggy and struggled to get back to sleep again. Definitely not a longterm solution for most people .
It took me many years to get my circadian rhythm back to a more normal pattern.
Spartacus said:
I find boring audiobooks also to be very helpful.
Click to expand...
I agree with this. Unlike the Paul McKenna 'I can make you sleep' CD which kept me awake.

eta: actually I found audio plays sent me off to sleep better than audiobooks. There are loads on the archive website do a search on Archive BBC audioplays. or similar. (sorry I tried posting an actual link and it just kept displaying an audio play bar).
 
Last edited:
Saz94 said:
What dose of trazodone do you take, how long does it take you to fall asleep after taking it, and do you take it with or without food?
Click to expand...
I have been taking it without food at the dosage of 75 mg, but I’ve heard that lower dosages (as low as 20 mg) could work for your insomnia quite well. I have been trying to decrease my 75mg as I think this is little bit too much for my orthostatic intolerance.

It depends, but I usually fall asleep within 1-2 hours.
 
Sly Saint said:
Have you tried, asked about, Valerian root products for sleep? I think @Mij tried them.
Click to expand...
I've tried herbal nytol before (which contains valerian amongst other ingredients) and it did nothing for me. Would be open to trying again, but thing is im in a psychiatric hospital at the moment and they don't really allow non-prescribed supplements. I've desperately got to get my sleep sorted out whilst I'm here, so this thread is for getting ideas for what medications to ask my psychiatrist if I could try, if the trazodone doesn't work well enough for me. We are allowed chamomile tea but not sure if I would be allowed valerian tea as I think that's a bit stronger...?
 
Is it worth asking for a trial of melatonin, Saz? It's available on prescription, usually short term for jet lag, but if it worked for you the doctor might be willing to extend it due to less concern about potential dependence.
 
I'm on daridoxerant from UCH but also using a light box when I wake up. There is no immediate improvement re the light box but slowly - over about 3 years - my sleep cycle is improving, getting to sleep earlier and very gradually sleeping more deeply. My main problem is pain so also working to improve generalized pain levels. The light box is a bit larger than a tablet and I just plug it in next to my bed when I wake up in the morning for an hour or so. It cost about £60 so money well spent - i went for a medical grade one.
 
Just a gentle reminder that this thread is about medications, not about general strategies to help with sleep. Thanks all.
 
Kitty said:
Is it worth asking for a trial of melatonin, Saz? It's available on prescription, usually short term for jet lag, but if it worked for you the doctor might be willing to extend it due to less concern about potential dependence.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I take prescription melatonin - it's called Circadin. It's prolonged release, so quite different from just taking a random melatonin supplement. Read more here (NHS site).

For longer-term sleep problems (insomnia) in adults​

There are a number of conditions, including ADHD, cerebral palsy and chronic fatigue syndrome, which may affect your sleep. If you have a condition-related sleep problem, a specialist may prescribe melatonin longer term.

The usual starting dose is one 2mg slow release tablet taken 30 minutes to 1 hour before bedtime.

Sometimes the dose may gradually be increased to 2 to 3 tablets before bedtime, depending on how well it works and whether you have any side effects. The maximum dose is 5 tablets (10mg) once daily.
Click to expand...

At the lowest dose, it doesn't knock me out but it makes me more likely to get a chunk of hours in a row. That is helpful for pain.

I have nights where I don't sleep till the wee hours and some when I don't sleep at all. I have a @Kitty approach to sleep generally, but Circadin does stop the pain-sleep cycle from getting out of control for me. I could do with a higher dose but I have to pay for it, so I stick with the low dose and meditate more.

You have to take it with a little snack.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom