A few months ago I had a thread on here asking if anybody knew of a non prescription sleep aid that did not contain Dypenhydramine. That is what I had been taking for years, and Missus Fan read it leads to dementia, which she says I am fully in the throes of. Was at a small town drug store recently and asked the Pharmacist what he recommended. Went to the rack and he handed me 25 mg. tablets of Doxylamine. Went home and tried it. Dang if it didn't work.
I can now get to sleep in less than a half hour.
Give it a try if you have these difficulties.
Jim

You could always just tape "The View" and watch that at bedtime. that'll put you right out and won't cost nothin'.

If I did that I'd be so pissed that I'd never get to sleep. And I would need a new TV.

STILL lucky at my age to be able to fall asleep in less than 5 minutes every night.... without the aid of anything......I must be pure of heart...

Not a problem for me. Wife accuses me of having a micro-switch in my butt. Every time it comes in contact with any kind of cushion, my eyes close. Guilty as charged yer honor.

How about more information about Doxylamine. Is it an ingredient, or is that how it's labeled? Is it found with the other sleep aids?

Congrats on finding something that works for you; good sleep is an underrated commodity.

As an aside, Doxylamine also helps with morning sickness....

Well Mister P&R Fan,

Remember, honest labor produces honest sleep.

(OK, I never have a good night's sleep but that's beside
the point.)

Just posted a smart butt reply, Mister P&R Fan.

But now let's get serious.

You didn't mention what else you might have tried.

Benadryl produces the same sleepiness as doxylamine.

Benadryl is also an antihistamine and it's even prescribed
for dogs in small dosages.

Or how about an hour before bedtime Tylenol PM or a
generic equivalent?

Doxylamine has been around for years. That's the generic name for the drug used in SOME forms of Unisom. Most other OTC sleep meds are diphenhydramine, the active ingredient of Benadryl.

Both are early antihistamines developed primarily to treat allergy symptoms. Doxylamine seems to be more effective than diphenhydramine for many people, but diphenhydramine outsells it mostly due to marketing of brands like Tylenol PM, Excedrin PM, Zzzquil, etc.

Contraindications
Who should not take doxylamine succinate?
Check with your physician if you have any of the following:

Conditions:

Increased Pressure in the Eye, Closed Angle Glaucoma, Chronic Difficulty having a Bowel Movement, High Blood Pressure, Stenosing Peptic Ulcer, Blockage of Urinary Bladder, Enlarged Prostate, Cannot Empty Bladder, Overactive Thyroid Gland

Can't imagine those conditions describe anyone here. Especially the bladder/prostate ones. Nah.....

What's wrong with whiskey?

Well, I'll tell you...I don't know how old you are, but the older we get, the more we need to avoid antihistamines altogether, or as least as much as possible.

I have occasional bouts of insomnia. I lose sleep over it (sorry, couldn't help myself). I've had prescription sleep aids, and they definitely work, but there's always the possibility of developing a dependency. And doctors are often reluctant to prescribe stuff like Ambien for older clients.

I was just visiting my doctor yesterday. He suggested I try Melatonin. I haven't tried it yet, but probably will.

Just thought I'd mention that to you. Might be something you want to look at.

I work shifts of four days on four days off, and then four nights on and four days off. Then I start all over. I have tried all sorts of sleep aids but nothing works as well as ambien for me.

That schedule does not work well once you are over 40. My father was the perfect example. He was nearly 50 when he was told by his doc to stop it but had been behind the drag curve at work for a while before that even.

The UK police recognize this issue and don't put any officers over 40 on changing patterns, and even then few if any over 40 work swings or nights.

__________________
Release the Kraken

Make your room completely dark. Most digital clocks throw too much light in the room, cover it up and see if that helps.

__________________
Back to back World War Champs.

I fall asleep very easily. It's only a problem when I'm driving!

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Can open, worms everywhere.

Wow if I take Benadyrl I can't pee. I knew ya'll wanted to know that.

Try going to sleep watching Nancy Grace. You'll need to wear a mouth guard to keep you from grinding your teeth into nubs.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

On those rare occasions when I have trouble falling asleep all I have ever needed is two Tylenol P.M. tablets....BAM, lights out. Its really weird but they work like crazy for me, but only for a couple of nights...I could not depend on them to put me out continually for anymore than a couple of nights. I mentioned that it is rare for me to need help going to sleep, especially since I started walking 3-5 miles every other day. We had a friend years ago that was a PHD in Phamacology, he prescribed a sleeping aid to us called Seroquel, it was designed to work with Psychotics but in low doses was an amazing sleep aid. That stuff was so good that a quarter of a tablet was all you needed and you better have your teeth brush and have your feet headed to bed when you swallowed it. I never took a sleeping aid that worked as fast as that stuff did, the great thing about it was when the alarm clock went off you were up and at it with no side effects like slight drowsiness or anything...I hope that don't say anything about my mental state.

I found that using a good sharp ax to cut up about a cord of fire wood before bedtime usually does the trick for me. Some evenings it takes a cord and a half, but it does get me sleepy.

I don't have any problem anytime anywhere going to sleep. It's the getting up that's the problem.

I take everything with Alcohol, says right on bottles. Alcohol may increase effect and I want all of what I paid for. Note the quote below!

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"I'm feeling MUCH better now"

They make a pill for that too. I think it's blue..


Matt

You might want to try a product called Alteril. It is an over the counter natural sleep aid.
It contains:
L-Tryptophan 665mg

Glycine 50mg

Melatonin 4mg

It will not only help you fall asleep, it will help you stay asleep and reduce or eliminate the times you wake during the night.

It will also put you in a deeper sleep, so be prepared for dreams...

I usually have no problems getting to sleep, it's the waking up 5-6 hours later that is getting to me... I used to be able to sleep a good 8 hours+, now I somehow wake up at 4/5 in the morning, even on the weekends. I don't enjoy walking around tired most days...

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NRA Life Member

I never used to have problems sleeping but now that I'm older and have had two back surgeries I don't sleep so well. I often fall asleep in my recliner as it's better for my back but will almost always wake up around 0200 and have problems going back to sleep so often just get up then.
I've used Ambien and Melatonin before and both were helpful. I'm trying to stay away from such things anymore and just deal with my weird sleep patterns. I don't work anymore so I can take an afternoon nap if I want.

Ah, getting old, it just keeps getting better and better. I might consider a Benadryl to keep me from getting up all night to tinkle.

__________________
Back to back World War Champs.

I'm 50. In perfect (physical) health. Missus Fan says I am going through dementia now. Short term memory is no existent, but I can remember stuff that happened 40 years ago.
I have been taking Melatonin for about a dozen years. I does not help you get to sleep, but it keeps you asleep, and if you wake up, you can get back to sleep. Does have one cool side effect though. When you first start taking it you will have VIVID dreams. Kinda like going to am action movie every night. That wears off though.

This new sleep aid really works, and has no side effects. I fall asleep in less than a half hour, Used to take me an hour or more.
Jim