Melatonin

[Karlynn]

Does anyone have any information on whether taking melatonin is safe for heart patients?

The reason I ask this is during our recent trip I was unable to sleep well the night before we left (about 3 hours total) and then I was unable to sleep on the plane during the 8 hour trip. I tend to not be able to sleep if I have something the next day that I know I'm going to need all my energy for and I end up psyching myself out and...don't sleep because I worry about not sleeping!!!

My Mom gave us Benedryl regularly when we were children. Every time we had a cold - out came the Benedryl. Now it doesn't do "squat" for me when I need to use it for sleep. I can take 50 mg and not feel a thing. My daughter takes 12.5 and is out like a light. (Really ticked me off seeing her sleep like a baby on the plane!)

My sister-in-law suggested melatonin. Hence my post.

Any info?

 

[Harpoon]

www.pdrhealth.com is a really useful site...


http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/otcdrugprofiles/drugs/fgotc044.shtml


I suspected benedryl was used mostly for allergies. According to the site it's also used for sinus relief (hence, used for colds) but not much beyond that.

I'd be a little leary about using it as a sleep aid though.

Melatonin as I recall is a natural substance our body produces. I'm not sure about that one though...


So then I "googled" it:

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/melatoninthefact.cfm#2


Google is such a wonderful thing.

 

[Marty]

Harpoon, That was a nice reference re: melatonin. Let me sum it up-melatonin has not panned out and has no place in helping patients with acute or chronic insomnia. Also when you get melatonin from a " health" food store you literally do not know what you are getting. Karlynn , from personal experience and anecdotal patient reports your best bet is Ambien 5 or 10 mgm. This is safe and effective but in my view should never be taken more than three nights in a row. Also don't use it internittently for more than three weeks. Chronic use invites tolerance and also loss of normal sleep pattern. The best thing is not to get dependent on drugs, even benadryl for sleep.

 

[Johnny Stephens]

I was given benadryl in the hospital when I couldn't sleep. Didn't work there, but knocks me out cold when I take it now. It makes me feel hungover the next day, so I only take it about once a month.

 

[Harpoon]

I got Ambien a few times in the hospital when I complained about not being able to sleep.


Frankly, I think I would have been better off if I had just asked them to LEAVE ME ALONE for at least 6 hours!!!!


Oh well. I think it kinda worked the first night I got it, but I was woken up at least twice during the night, for a weigh-in and for a breathing treatment.


Why they needed to weigh me at 4 in the @$^&(%#!* morning is beyond me, but that's over with now... =)

 

[McCln]

On Benedryl Use

On Benedryl Use

Use benedryl for allergies only, it is a anihistamine, not a sleeping. It will make you sleepy. But not a sleeping pil. Best bet, talk to you doctor is you are having trouble sleeping. Take care all.

Caroline
09-13-01
Aortic valve replacement
St. Jude's valve

 

[Marge]

I've tried melotonin, to help me sleep on planes & for jet lag afterwards. Never helped me a bit. Maybe it does help some people, but I suspect it is mostly due to auto suggestion.

I don't sleep at all well on planes, which is inconvenient when you are facing an 11-hour flight from the US west coast to Europe. A few years ago I asked my doctor for Ambien, having heard good things about that from other travelers. He prescribed Oazepam (Serax) instead. It is a tranquillizer/sedative. It has worked quite well for me.

 

[Hank]

Sleep Drugs

Sleep Drugs

Ambien is great.

As are extra strength Unisom gelcaps.

 

[Lulabelle1]

melatonin

melatonin

Hi.
I use melatonin every night without any problems. Dr. told me Benadryl can also be useful (apparently only to some people) but did not reccomend it for me (makes my heart race). He said Benadryl is not habit forming, nor is the melatonin.
I do know that if you have asthma, you should NOT take melatonin, as it can cause breathing problems at night.
When I was in the hospital & after released, I was given xanax as a sleep aid.
It worked great.
To be safe, you need to ask your doctor about any sleep aid before you start taking it, as it may not mix well with other medications you may be taking.
Lulabelle1