Women to Women

[kenyonchris]

During the time my son was in Iraq, I took Ambien. I had pretty fitful dreams on that stuff. He came home and I stopped taking it and a couple of months later the symptoms came back (I'm definitely perimenopausal). I tried Tylenol PM (the same ingredient as Benadryl) and I have never looked back. I cleared with my doc that it is safe to take every night. I've been taking it for 3 years, maybe? Every once in a while I go without, and I sleep through for a couple of nights, but then I'm right back where I started. So I keep taking it.

I'd try that if I were you, but not at the same time as the Ambien.

Karen

More than any other sleep aid, I see people that get really jacked up with Ambien...be very careful. It seems to work well for some, but others do very odd things during the night...some combine it with alcohol (NOT good) but some just react to it. Sleepwalking, sleepeating, and sometimes violent, irrational behavior can result from taking it. Especially if you are on other meds or enjoy a glass of red wine before bed. ONE glass of wine will react with Ambien. I am not a doctor, but when you see person after person in JAIL after taking Ambien and then wandering naked amongst the briars (or other strange behavior), you start to draw some conclusions.

Tylenol PM rocks. I sleep odd hours due to my shift work, and one Tylenol PM knocks me out.

[OakLeaf]

when you see person after person in JAIL after taking Ambien and then wandering naked amongst the briars (or other strange behavior), you start to draw some conclusions.

Not that you need anything more to do... but anyone can file an adverse event report with the FDA. Until enough AERs get filed, this will be the kind of thing that "every street cop knows" but most PCPs don't.

[Blueberry]

Be careful with the Tylenol, ladies. I keep hearing more and more about how combining it with *any* alcohol, or in anything over the minimum dosage is not good...

CA
(who can't sleep or eat due to recent stress in her life)

[OakLeaf]

Yeah, I missed that part, you're absolutely right. "Tylenol PM" is just acetaminophen plus diphenhydramine a.k.a. Benadryl. Plain generic Benadryl is the way to go if you don't also have pain.

CA, hope whatever's going on works itself out to the better, and ASAP.

[Tuckervill]

I'm 47 and I work out 5 days a week. I always have pain. :P And I buy the large size at Sam's and it says right on the bottle "acetaminophen PM". I have good sense. I don't take anything else.

Karen

[OakLeaf]

I'm 47 and I work out 5 days a week. I always have pain. :P

That's really not necessary... How much time a day/week are you spending on myofascial release?

[Tuckervill]

That's really not necessary... How much time a day/week are you spending on myofascial release?

Only what I can do for myself.

I'm not sore ALL the time. After 3 years of this, I've pretty much determined that it just takes me more time to recover than most people. When I do just enough to get a workout and not be sore, my progress is too slow to be worth it. When I ramp it up, I can see faster progress, but it costs me a little soreness. That's okay. Finding the balance from day to day, week to week is just difficult.

Karen