John has been given many different kinds of sleep medicines & they all make him anxious. Dr. has even given him combinations of sleep meds with anxiety meds. Dr. he goes to is a phsyciatrist for brain injury patients. Nothing works. Soooooooooooooooo, John finally falls asleep around 6;30 a.m to 9; a m.
Today, I woke him up at 11:45 a.m.to go out to eat. He was so mean cursing & hollering at me telling me he went to bed at 9 a.m. How was I supposed to know he had just gone to sleep 3 hours prior.
He told me to call one of our daughters & tell her not to come with her 2 boys. I did. Now he wants me to go out by myself.
I don't know what to do or where to turn to.He see a pshycologist every 2 weeks. Joyce
Obviously this is not good for either of you; probably not fun either.
You might want to speak with his psychologist without him to see if he has suggestions. Individually just dealing with life is tough, and when you add in a traumatic brain issue, complicated by sleep issues, it can seem pretty hopeless.
I do urge you to seek professional assistance, in the hopes that together you can find a win-win solution to restore your relationship. I do wish you well.
Ron, The psychologist & the psychiatrist have known this problem for quite some time. The psychiatrist keeps trying different medications. Some for anxiety, deprssion, & some for insomnia.
My deepest thanks to you for replying & yes Ron I am crying. Our 2 married daughters have a lot to say about the situation, but God forbid they should call the doctor. No one knows what we are going thru.
To make matters worse, John broke his had 2 weeks ago when we had a bad rain storm. He was a good samaritan trying to pull a tree out of the street. He fell & to avoid hitting his head, he broke the fall with his hand & broke it.
I take Clonzepam (Kolonipin is other name I think) at night, its a great anti-aniety, that allows me to relax enough to sleep. My doc has suggested other drugs, even anit-depressants, but i tell him this works great for me, i dont need much, and im not F-ing depressed…although if i was, id have a pretty good reason! : )
Also after i started taking Clonzepam after my stroke (i was so afraid of dying and leaving my 4 year old son, i could not sleep), i said to my sisters and the docs, good lord i should have been taking this 10 or 20 years ago. I swear i sleep better now that i have in 20 years. Its not always 8 hours, but it is at least usually 6, and way better than the 2-3 a night i used to get sometimes. I recommend trying this drug ALONE without the sleep meds first. I took some “sleep” meds in the hopital and i swear they just made me have crazy dreams and feel crazy.
Has he tried this alreay?
Hi Larisa, No John has not tried this medication, but I will request this. John has tried at least 6 different kinds of sleep medications.
I thank you for the info. What time do you take this med. & how soon does it make you fall asleep?
Joyce
Joyce
I would see if you could go to his pshycologist with him also or talk with him yourself to see how to handle it. It is very hard when you are not able to sleep. You are physically and mentally tired and it really hinders your ability to do things let alone think about doing things. I am not up all night but I am up every two hours and have not slept through the night in years. I have learned how to adjust over the years and force myself to things even if I am exhausted. Is he on other medications besides sleep aides? Some medications can have this side effect. I also know medications that should make you tired like my seizure and pain medications have an adverse reaction on me. Mine is not as extreme as your husbands and I wish you the best! All my prayers and thoughts are with you. Lee Ann
I take melatonin herbal vitamins (can get at CVS etc) or benedryl to help with sleep. follow all the sleep tips (exercise in morning, no caffeine after 4pm, same sleep/wake time incl. weekends. If nothing else, i hear that taking bath/shower right before bed works well too. Also i avoid the news at night, no need to add negativity at night. Keep trying different ideas, the more natural the better.
Hi Joyce,
My Dr. also has me on Klonopin (anti-Anxiety) that I take to help me sleep. It usually takes an hour to kick in so I take it around 9 at night. I take 1mg and am able to sleep through the night.