Insomnia at it's worst

[dcc617]

I'm 2 months post surgery, back to work and generally doing great. But....lately I've developed a big case of anxiousness and insomnia. I can't get comfortable, toss and turn and end up having a really miserable time at night. Even with a sleeping pill, my sleep pattern is non-existent.

Anyone else have this? What do I do?

 

[barron6565]

Absolutley. I wasn't having any problem sleeping when I was on a pain med. I got off of them about 3 days ago and now I am unable to sleep. I only got 45 minutes of sleep but amazingly I was able to run a half mile just this morning which for me is a huge step. I have the feeling of being anxious also and I can't put my finger on why. Everytime I close my eyes and I think I'm getting in a good position my body feels like it must throw itself in the opposite direction to get comfortable. As to what to do? I would like to know also. Your already on a sleeping pill. The only other thing to help sleep would be to possibly kill a six pack or something before bed.

 

[epstns]

I had insomnia at about the same point after surgery. Mine may not have been that bad, as I would fall asleep then wake up 2 or 3 hours later and be awake for hours at that point. I got a prescription for Ambien, but once I read the potential side effects, I decided not to take them. I did, however, use a trick that my daughter told me about. She works in an inpatient psych unit at a hospital, and they often have patients who have trouble sleeping but they don't want to use heavy sleep meds. They administer an over-the-counter strength Benadryl tablet. This makes the patient drowsy enough to fall asleep, but does not make them foggy headed in the AM. It also lasted long enough for me to get into a more normal sleep pattern, and to sleep through the night. I used Benadryl for a month or so, then found that I really didn't need it any more. The sleep disruption is common, but eventually subsides.

 

[Mom2izzy]

I find that anti-anxiety meds help when anxiousness is the cause.

 

[Bina]

2 months post op is still early, your system has to figure things out. Everybody finds something that helps them, be it a cup of
herbal tea, soft music, warm bath, etc. etc. My beta blocker helps me because it slows the heart rate, then I just stare at some
boring TV show for a bit. It helps to have a good evening routine that is calming and relaxing.

 

[Greg a]

Have you tested your glucose when you feel like that ....as Bina said it is still early in the game and you probably are still breathing fumes from the truck that hit you .....

 

[Dgreenbee]

Yes, sleep trouble has been my only stumbling block. I was blaming the metoprolol so I got my doctor to change my meds. I think it is getting a bit better. I do wonder what the cause of post -op insomnia is.

 

[TheGymGuy]

I took one benadryl last night and it seemed to help knock me out. I saw someone else mention that as well. Also, if you are awake at night, do you stay awake or go back to sleep eventually?
What would be the part where you have the most trouble?

 

[dcc617]

The other night I woke up with a 'start' at 12:30am. Wasn't up long. But at least the power naps/crashes have stopped. I got a prescription for Xanax and we'll see if that helps.

 

[Bina]

The other night I woke up with a 'start' at 12:30am. Wasn't up long. But at least the power naps/crashes have stopped. I got a prescription for Xanax and we'll see if that helps.

For a very long time I would wake up with a "start" after sleeping for just a few hours. It was probably when the REM sleep would
kick in and shock my system awake. The dreams were very wild and vivid also. Taking Metoprolol doesn't help much either.
The last year or so, I'm just really tired and sleep pretty well. There is the occasional night of sleeplessness, but it's not a big
deal anymore. Hang in there.

 

[Ovie]

Xanex should do you wonders on both falling asleep and anxiety. Im currently on 4mg of Xanex ER every day due to panic attacks, have been since 07. Only medication that keeps my anxiety under control for the most part, but will also make you drowsy, hope it works for you. Be aware though, it can become addicting and you can gain tolerance fairly quick.

 

[Jason]

I had some significant issues falling asleep after surgery, and if I did sleep I would have vivid dreams and wake up often. This went on for about six months, actually, and during that six months I started taking ambien, which would help as I would get 4-5 hours of sleep before waking. I also started taking lexapro for anxiety, which I don't think helped with the sleep but certainly did with other issues. At Thanksgiving time I had a week off of work and knew that I could deal with no sleep at night if needed, so I stopped taking ambien completely. The first few days were not fun, as I didn't sleep and forced myself to stay up during the day as much as I could. However, after that week I have only taken an ambien three times, and that was when we flew to Australia for a visit. To tell you the truth I am not sure what caused the sleeping issues, or why they stopped, but I am happy to say I don't have the problem anymore. For what it is worth, I was on metoprolol the entire time, and still am on the same dose. Not sure if I helped you out other than to give you my experiences, but there are my two cents.

 

[SusQ]

Hubby is having sleeping issues too. Yesterday was the worst since the day of/day after surgery. Prolly doesn't help that our house is as busy as a hospital with 4 teens/college age kids with wildly varying schedules, 2 dogs that have taken to barking at the drop of a hat, 2 cats that are still duking it out to see who is going to be the alpha cat and a home health nurse yesterday who was both overzealous feeling the need to call three times after she stayed here through his normal nap time. Ugh.

 

[escargome]

Well sheesh! I had problems staying asleep for more than 3 hours for about 2 weeks after my surgery. So I resorted to the Benadryl. I would suggest muzzles/leashes for dogs, cats, kids but I'm sure that would not go over so well.:rolleyes2: In any case, tell him to just try and wait it out a bit and if the problem persists, then give his GP a call for a prescription. Take Care

 

[dcc617]

Well....the stress at work has started back big time and my brain is racing all night long. So...I'm back on the Lunesta. Hopefully the cycle will resolve itself soon. I'm also still on metoprolol and notice some heart pounding every so often. I've mentioned it to the cardiologist and she's not overly concerned.