Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

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Dianlynn
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Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby Dianlynn » Tue Jul 12, 2016 7:52 am

I am waking up a lot. Part of it is the anxiety about this disease but it's AWFUL. I got maybe 3 hours of sleep last night.

I am taking melatonin and benedryl but it's not doing much.

Does anyone else have this issue?

What have you done that helps?

And does it get better?

georgina
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby georgina » Tue Jul 12, 2016 9:42 am

I'm dealing with the worst insomnia , never had that before Cdiff , it started when i had my first episode , then it subsided when i started the treatment , then started again when i relapsed and had it ever since. Last year i was put by my pshychiartrist on Mirtazapine for sleep but i stopped it because of a study i have read , seems that Mirtazapine and Fluoxetine are linked to Cdiff.Antianxiety meds like Xanax and Ativan work on getting e asleep but not always. Now i'm taking a day time antidepressant and Librax and Zopiclone on and off to help with sleep.

ResearchGrandma
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby ResearchGrandma » Tue Jul 12, 2016 5:40 pm

Everyone reacts differently to medications - Benadryl makes me hyper, my heart rate gets fast and irregular. Maybe Benadryl is making your insomnia worse. Sorry I can't recommend any sleep/relaxation medications because I have never been able to tolerate any of them. When I can't sleep I have to resort to slow breathing combined with exercises to try to bore myself back to sleep - old-fashioned things like counting backwards from 1000, or counting backwards from 1000 by 3's or 7's, or going through an alphabetical list of the states and capitals very, very slowly. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not, and often I have to do the breathing/mental gymnastics for a considerable time (hour or more) before I fall asleep or(more often) back to sleep. I can usually fall asleep initially at bedtime, but I awaken often, and that is the problem for me - getting back to sleep. And if I end up awake most of one night then probably I will probably sleep better the next night (or maybe grab a nap during the day if possible).

Dianlynn
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby Dianlynn » Tue Jul 12, 2016 5:52 pm

Thank you. I think the total lack of sleep makes everything worse to deal with. I am going to stop the antihistimine and try something stronger.

It helps to hear others have insomnia too.

You guys are the best. Thank you.

Today is day 11 for me. I pray to the good Lord above the sleep improves. The gut is much better on the Vanco. : )

beth22
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby beth22 » Tue Jul 12, 2016 5:59 pm

I did not have the insomnia so much with c diff, but a few months ago, I had the flu and did not sleep for about 3 weeks. Have you had your vitamin levels checked? I find that if I don't get much physical activity - walking, etc. I can't sleep at night. Also, don't be on the computer right before bed. I read it contributes to insomnia. Reading is good and don't sit in bright rooms for an hour or so before bed.

ResearchGrandma
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby ResearchGrandma » Tue Jul 12, 2016 6:49 pm

Reading at bedtime is not a good idea for me - reading does not tire me, and I get carried away, into whatever world the book takes me. I usually end up reading until at least 3 AM, and am very sorry and tired the next day. Sudoku is my bedtime ritual - 15-20 minutes with a pencil and a Sudoku book and I am usually ready to fall asleep. And I totally agree that exercise helps. I like walking. About a month ago my husband and I went on a 5 mile bike ride with our children/grandchildren even though we had not ridden bikes for probably 6 years. At the end we were both happy that no one had had to call an ambulance for either one of us. On July 2 my husband and I walked about 8 miles at a park. 8 miles was a bit much for us, so not only did we both sleep well that night, but we were sleeping more for the next few days.

Bobbie
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby Bobbie » Tue Jul 12, 2016 11:41 pm

I have had insonmnia for years.

I am the same way. if I get involved in a book or a tv show, I forget the time and stay up most of the night. Exercise helps but had recent foot surgery and cannot exercise for awhile altho I hope to start again - after I can walk again.

I take clozapam before going to bed. I know it is addictive but have been ill so long I do not care. I am not advocating it for others - check with your doc I only take it only at bedtime.

I also run a sound machine. "White noise" is supposed to be soothing.

amyc
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby amyc » Wed Jul 13, 2016 2:55 am

I've never been a good sleeper. I tried ambien but it worked too well--if I ever need to be out for 12 hours I know what will work! I tried another sleeping pill and it made me really angry. I take 0.5 mg of Xanax at bedtime and can fall asleep and stay asleep and still wake up the next morning feeling OK. Reading doesn't work for me either. I can easily read a book until 4 am and then be a mess the whole next day.

beth22
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby beth22 » Wed Jul 13, 2016 1:02 pm

If I read before bed, I usually don't read novels either for the same reasons you mentioned. But, magazines work well or short stories in an anthology. That way I can limit the time. But, yes, a good novel is hard to put down.

Dianlynn
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby Dianlynn » Fri Jul 15, 2016 7:38 pm

Thanks, everyone.

I read that Vanco can cause insomnia. I am taking an Ambien as that is what I need to do to get sleep. You have to sleep to heal and this disease is exhausting.

georgina
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby georgina » Fri Jul 15, 2016 11:59 pm

Do not think that Vanco is what is causing insomnia , because it doesn't get absorbed in the bloodstreem , it only stays inside the gut and get's out when you are pooping. Many of us here have had insomnia with Cdiff although i'm not sure if it's caused by toxins or from the unbalanced gut flora , or the anxiety and depression.

Dianlynn
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby Dianlynn » Sat Jul 16, 2016 8:22 am

I think you may be right about it just being the Cdiff and general gut unhealth. I think I got 4 hours total last night. Geesh.

DOES IT GET BETTER?????

Ril
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby Ril » Sat Jul 16, 2016 8:29 am

I can take 1/2 clonazapine which will help me sleep- sometimes. It always helps me gently fall asleep but doesn't always keep me asleep the full night. A full one (0.5 mg) will do better at keeping me asleep but I am usually doing something active early the next morning and I am never sure if that will have an effect on me being as physically sharp and coordinated as I would like so I don't usually take it. I only use it every so often but it is what my dr prescribed for me and it works well for me. You should have a discussion with your dr.
Rita

ResearchGrandma
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby ResearchGrandma » Sat Jul 16, 2016 11:27 am

If anyone has a tendency to get heart arrhythmias, be careful with all medications, even alternative medications, to help with sleep, anxiety, or relaxation. I have gotten arrhythmias from xanax, melatonin, valerian, and another anxiety medication - zoloft maybe. (As well as the antibiotics Cipro and probably erythromycin). And I also believe that C. diff infection itself can cause arrhythmias. For me, two times with relapses, one of my confirming symptoms was as I was falling asleep at night and I could feel my body relaxing, my heart would suddenly start beating about twice as fast as normal and this would last 2-3 hours before slowing down so that I could fall back to sleep. (I believe the trigger for the heart rate change was GI activity/motion). I even got a heart arrhythmia once from a battery-operated version of the anti-nausea sea bands. As I was moving it around on my wrist to find the proper placement, my heart rate lurched into a galloping beat. I returned the device and got a refund. (I did have a surgical procedure (radiofrequency ablation) to fix one of the arrhythmias in 2002, but my heart electrical system is still overly sensitive and I have a risk of going into atrial fibrillation, so I am very cautious about avoiding all possible triggers.

beth22
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Re: Insomnia anyone? Support/Suggestions?

Postby beth22 » Sat Jul 16, 2016 12:30 pm

I had heart palpitations with c diff too with active infection and they subsided when I was on the vanco. I get them still, and often they are tied in to GI problems. Before this last positive test, I had them too. However, stress also seems to bring them on.


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