Sleep meds

[Princesscoffee]

Hey,
I'm due to have an appointment but was wondering what meds people have taken for sleep and had success with?

Ive have had issues with sleep since a kid which links in with ocd.
Usually now the issues crop up because of ptsd from my past relationship. The person is still around and sometimes I get very triggered.

The anti histamine kind do work for me but I know taking them every night isn't recommended.

Just stay away from any z drugs like zopiclone op, the drowsy kind of antihistamine are ok for occasional use surely?

Mirtazapine (an antidepressant) is what works best for me. I have had really bad chronic insomnia since I was a kid. A lot of people complain about weight gain on it though. I didn’t gain anything on it personally but I was already overweight. And it makes me quite low energy during the day, but for me it’s worth it.
Zopiclone never worked for me. It has a paradoxical effect on me so it makes me wide awake and wired. It is addictive and you tend to get used to it really quickly by all accounts. A doctor will only prescribe it short term.
afaik an antidepressant or zopiclone or drowsy antihistamines like phenergan are pretty much the options available.
I suppose it depends how long you are likely to need it and how bad it is (as in is it worth the unwanted side effects).

I've suffered with insomnia for as far back as I can remember. Then later in life after years of various other debilitating symptoms got diagnosed with ME (CFS) with over lapping symptoms suggesting fibromyalgia.

Eventually a psychiatrist prescribed duloxetine (anti depressant for pain management & bouts of depression) and Quetiapine (anti psychotic medication) in smaller dose for insomnia. It works amazingly & I can now sleep without constant breaks within my sleep cycle, which helps eases my pain management.

Down side (weight gain but also hit perimenopause & since menopause) I am now working on weight loss. I can remain groggy for several hours upon waking. But definitely a life saver for me personally.

I was prescribed zolpidem for a short period, and they were brilliant. Worked as a great reset. But I didn’t have mental health issues, just a bout of insomnia.

I’ve been prescribed phenergan, the doc didn’t suggest anything else but did mention they wouldn’t prescribe any z drugs because of the danger of them. He said it’s fine to use phenergan 3 times a week. The other nights I use a combination of valerian and melatonin which seems to work.

@PencilFace thanks .. I think that's what I'd like.. unfortunately the valerian doesn't suit me.

Doc didn't ring when they said they would.. hopefully tomorrow.

Amitriptyline helps me but I'm needing ever higher doses.