Melatonin, is it working? - Sleep Disorders Message Board

john00-us · 01-14-2008, 12:25 PM

i tried melatonin this weekend but it doesn't seem to work for me. i kept waking up every 2 hrs in the middle of the night. The weird thing, i didn't feel sleepy in the morning. I have been unable to sleep for a straight 5 hrs for the past 2 weeks.
i tried tylenol Pm, nyquil is ok but i get 4 hrs of sleep.
i want to sleep at least 8 hrs so badly. i want to sleep. is it normal for a 29yrs male to just sleep 4 hrs a night.
and is trazodone a sleeping med, the doc prescribed me that.

Is melatoning working for you?

mkgbrook · 01-14-2008, 05:35 PM

Was the MD tha prescribed your meds a sleep specialist. I am a firm believer in letting sleep specialist treat sleep problems. Most other MDs unless they are sleep specialized only have a 15 minute seminar on it under their belt. This doesn't make them adequate in diagnosising a sleep disorder in my book. They also are more willing to toss meds at it and treat the side effects of a disorder than actually treat the problem.

6 out of 100 have a sleep disorder. 2 out of 100 have sleep apnea. Chew on that a bit.

Now what where the symptoms you were given your sleep med for? Have you asked for a sleep study or referral to a sleep specialist? You should.

Now to your medication questions:
Generic Name: Trazodone (TRAZ-oh-done)
Brand Name: Desyrel

This is a antidepressant not a sleep aide. Antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in children, teenagers, and young adults. However, depression and certain other mental problems may also increase the risk of suicide. Talk with the patient's doctor to be sure that the benefits of using Trazodone outweigh the risks.

Your MD thinks you are depressed and is treating you for that. Depression is a side effect of sleep deprivation which can be caused by many things and many sleep disorders. You need to go to a sleep specialist.

Sincerely,
MG

tiredpoet · 01-14-2008, 06:11 PM

john, are you saying you sleep four hours a night and feel sleep deprived, or do you just think that it's not normal to need so little sleep. Because some people just don't need as much sleep as others. For example, my husband's boss is healthy as a horse and never tired, and he has only required four hours of sleep per day for as long as he can remember. He's in his late 40s.

However, if you're saying you aren't getting more than 4 hours and you feel tired during the day or are experiencing problems due to your sleep patterns, I'd say give the trazadone a try. My husband takes it (50mg) and it's been working great for him.

You said you took melatonin and got five hours and didn't feel sleepy in the morning, but how did you feel the rest of the day? I personally can't take melatonin. It makes me sleep through the night (at least I don't remember waking up) but I wake up incredibly groggy and spend the whole next day in a fog. Any sleep aid I've tried, over the counter or prescribed, has made me feel very foggy the next day, so I think it's actually interfering with my sleep cycle in some way. But if you take a sleep aid and feel better the next day, I would say that's how to tell it's working for you.

Good luck!