Is this acceptable?

[Newnamenewopenme]

I’ve never slept well. It takes me ages to drop off, dp snores which drives me mad (one of us ends up in the spare room), I wake up constantly during the night and then am shattered all day everyday.

I went to the doctors about a year ago but they couldn’t offer any help. Recently I had to take an antihistamine for a reaction, it said none drowsy but it knocked me out for 8 hours and I woke up the most refreshed ever. A few days passed of bad sleep again so when I was exhausted I took another and it worked again.

I kept this up for about a month and then realised I probably shouldn’t keep taking them. So the last week I’ve stopped but I feel like death warmed up again.

Is it acceptable to take them long term? I feel so much happier after taking them because I’ve actually slept!

@gullsjustwannahavefun

Sorry to jump in, but I have terrible problems staying asleep beyond 3-4 hours, it's horrible. Started during lockdown so I assume it's anxiety-related as my business is folding. Where are all the melatonin-takers getting it? Or are you in the US? I can't find anywhere to get it in the UK. Nytol works for me but it says not to use beyond 2 weeks so I try to spread it out

Biovea - takes a while for delivery but worth the wait!

@gullsjustwannahavefun

Sorry to jump in, but I have terrible problems staying asleep beyond 3-4 hours, it's horrible. Started during lockdown so I assume it's anxiety-related as my business is folding. Where are all the melatonin-takers getting it? Or are you in the US? I can't find anywhere to get it in the UK. Nytol works for me but it says not to use beyond 2 weeks so I try to spread it out

But actually, melatonin won't usually help you stay asleep ... just helps you drop off. Sorry!!

@ItalianHat

I've taken a nightly drowsy-making antihistamine for almost 40 years. My doctor suggested them, told me no side effects, and it means I only get one or two colds a year instead of 4 or 5. I buy them over the counter. No problems!

Can you explain the relevance to colds, please?

Thanks, I'll look into it. OP I hope you find a solution! I really do sympathise

gullsjustwannahavefun
Sorry to jump in, but I have terrible problems staying asleep beyond 3-4 hours, it's horrible. Started during lockdown so I assume it's anxiety-related as my business is folding. Where are all the melatonin-takers getting it? Or are you in the US? I can't find anywhere to get it in the UK. Nytol works for me but it says not to use beyond 2 weeks so I try to spread it out 
But actually, melatonin won't usually help you stay asleep ... just helps you drop off. Sorry!!

I take melatonin because I struggle to stay asleep rather than get to sleep so I would say it does work for that purpose. I get mine online from Piping Rock and I'm UK based.

@gullsjustwannahavefun

Sorry to jump in, but I have terrible problems staying asleep beyond 3-4 hours, it's horrible. Started during lockdown so I assume it's anxiety-related as my business is folding. Where are all the melatonin-takers getting it? Or are you in the US? I can't find anywhere to get it in the UK. Nytol works for me but it says not to use beyond 2 weeks so I try to spread it out

You can get a slow-release long-acting version of melatonin. Take it with the ordinary version to help you drop off, and you should get a full night's sleep.

I often used to take two antihistamines a day during hayfever season. I doubt it will do you any harm. Unsure whether you might build up a tolerance to it though. I certainly did so I used to mix it up with lorratadine every other day.

Doctors often prescribe anti histamines forms sleep as a first line treatment. They prefer them to sleeping pills.

Antihistamines may be anti cholergenic which can increase your risk of Alzheimer's if taken in the long term so worth looking into that.

I take anti hystamine daily too due to skin condition - also cetirizine. No problems.

As a weird side effect, I actually can’t drink unless I take it because drinking makes me sneeze otherwise! So no problems drinking in it for me, although it might make me more lightweight I guess.

I'm willing to bet the UK has more people on preventative drugs like statins and blood pressure meds and the US on sleeping pills and opioids.

So after your earlier assertion that Americans are "vastly over medicated" was shown to be baseless and wrong, you "bet" that the mix of medications given in the US is somehow less virtuous than what you get in the UK, again based on absolutely no data.

Well done.

Sorry not read all the thread.

I've got menopause insomnia. I just couldn't sleep which was ok for a night but no good for nights in a row. I tried Sleepease from boots which is histamine based sleeping pill.

It's AMAZING! Im extremely careful not to take it very often and I usually take half a tablet or even a third of a tablet. I feel ok when I wake up too. I can happily put up with some sleepless nights knowing I can have a good night another day. It's also amazing for travelling.
They are magic pills.

I’d try life style changes first. Long term antihistamine use has been linked to dementia, brain tumours, Alzheimer’s and a load of other things you want to avoid. BMJ has free abstracts online so read up and make an informed decision.

Much to my horror, my 16 year old dc was given Prozac when show went to the GP about anxiety amongst other things. (The pharmacist told her to 'read the leaflet very carefully before deciding whether to take them')
You are absolutely right though about the NHS not being fit for purpose re adolescent mental health, we are currently waiting to see a private psychologist.

@CarrieErbag

Much to my horror, my 16 year old dc was given Prozac when show went to the GP about anxiety amongst other things. (The pharmacist told her to 'read the leaflet very carefully before deciding whether to take them') You are absolutely right though about the NHS not being fit for purpose re adolescent mental health, we are currently waiting to see a private psychologist.

We had the opposite problem. It was obvious my son had two conditions that respond best to medication and adjunct therapy. The NHS was not willing to treat him medically to adequate extent and, of course, there was a long wait list for these psychological treatments . So the person is supposed to suffer? Fuck that. So we went private (there should not be much of a wait) and then the GP tried to obstruct the consultant's instructions and gainsay her prescription! The cheek of him, after leaving us with nothing. Excuse me, but you're a GP, not a child psychiatrist. My son now has both psychiatric and psychological treatment and is doing incredibly well, but imagine how many lives are ruined, made miserable and even possibly cut short by the total incompetence in this area! Needless to say, we changed GPs.

Incidentally, the scaremongering about drugs like Prozac is really silly and unnecessary. It's been used for a long time, is licensed for many things and can be used safely by 16-year-olds (and younger). The pharmacist needs reported. It's one thing to advise reading the leaflet, it's quite another to tell a person to ignore the doctor's advice! FFS.

I've had nosy pharmacists like this. Look, a fucking consultant prescribed this, it is not for you to lecture a person! Report. Tell the consultant, too. They have a cheek in this country, IMO. Of course, you can't say a word against them or the NHS here - they're all heroes who just care about the patient and have a risky job and never have their own agenda to push. Of course not! Not a chance!

There's no medal of valour for needlessly suffering. It's stupid.

I’ve been prescribed a really strong antihistamine (phenergen) by my psychiatrist for this very reason. It’s considered better practice now in Ireland to prescribe this rather than a sleeping tables as it is not addictive, does not leave you with a hangover feeling and is not addictive.
I also used to take Xanax for anxiety and panic attacks and my doctor is now trialing the anti histamine as an alternative to benzodiazepines.

If it’s good enough for the head of a private psychiatric hospital it’s fine with me! Do what works and as someone who doesn’t sleep I will take anything that helps.

I work occassional nights & really struggle to sleep. I take phenergan & its great stuff. Sleep for 8 hours in the day instead of 2 & no groggy feeling on waking!

This is fascinating. I've had a persistent cough for years now and post nasal drip was mentioned by my doctor many years ago and it was never followed up. I started taking a daily antihistamine tablet at night just about the start of lockdown and I've been sleeping like a dream.

So it has helped my allergies, cured my cough and maybe cured my chronic sleep deprivation. I did wonder whether it was the tablet helping me sleep. That's amazing.

Totally fine

I think the you'll build up a tolerance and become addictive it just scaremongering. I appreciate this is anecdotal and not peer reviewed research but I've been taken them for years to aid sleep and have no ill effects. I wouldn't bother trying to get it on prescription though, as other posters have commented Gp's here will do anything to avoid prescribing anything to aid sleep which may be labelled addictive ( we are all just supposed to have a rather stoic view in relation to this). The best one in my experience is Phenergan Elixir ( who doesn't need an elixir).

Another poor sleeper here! I posted a thread about this i few days ago regarding dp night terrors. Im going to try and call my drs tomorrow and ask for something to help. Will they give me meds do you think or will do need to push them?