bubbles87

I will also ask my sponsor her views, but I've been sober for a little over two weeks (I'm an alcoholic). I'm having some problems falling asleep at night and was thinking of taking half an allergy pill (the kind that causes drowsiness). Would this be breaking my sobriety? I know it's not alcohol but i'm having strange feelings like i shouldn't be taking anything that causes drowsiness.

Dee74

I have no opinion sobriety wise but you're kind of taking a med for something other than it's intended purpose, and thats always a risk, IMO.

Have you considered consulting your Dr?
Tried any natural ways to help get you to sleep?

D

bubbles87

That's true, I didn't even think that it's not the intended purpose. That is a risk, you're right. :/.
I am starting to see a counselor for substance abuse, I'm going to see her again in two days and I think I'll ask her. The Dr. I go to right now is at a family health center so it's always a different doctor and I don't really like the place there but I can't really go anywhere else currently.
I've tried natural ways to sleep in the past but not lately.

Kris47

Good book out is Desperately Seeking Snoozin.


Wishing you the best.

Dee74

There are some good common sense tips here too:

10 tips to beat insomnia - Live Well - NHS Choices

Insomnia very common in the early days. Is it getting better at all, bubbles?

D

ScottFromWI

I think if you have to ask you may already know the answer, right? Sleep is hard to come by the first weeks of sobriety to be certain, but that will subside. Lots of natural sleep aids out there too...exercise, calming music, watching sugar and caffeine, especially before bed

zjw

i took the same basic stuff that you can get over the counter for months after i sobered up. heck i used to take em when i was bombed just so i'd stay down and not wake up in the middle of the night needing another drink.

at some point i felt short of breath and read they cause that I stopped and felt better then i only took em as needed instead of on a regular basis

fast forward now i wont touch the things i'd rather not sleep. I took them a few times to help me sleep and noticed it adversely affected my running the following day so now i wont take them at all.

thats just me. If i was not neurotic about my running i'd still take one now and then if needed.

fini

some of those meds, the over-the-counter ones, can have mild euphoria as a side effect, as well as all kinds of effects on the heart, GItract, blahblahblah. i've just a minute ago read a bunch of stuff about diphenhydramine hydrochloride, which is the active ingredient in Benadryl, which is an antihistamine to be used for allergies but is often used as a sleeping aid.

i looked this up because after 9 years of never-an-issue my dog has developed a hot spot that's clearly itchy.

the most surprising thing i came across in my research on this is that 1) you can quickly develop a dependency and 2) that after three days already you're so used to it that it works no better for sleeping than a placebo. wow.

keep going, bubbles, and it may well get better.

bubbles87

Thanks for all of your replies. Thanks for the book suggestion Kris47, I love that title! I will check out those tips Dee74. It is getting a little better...I think it's mostly just that I'm thinking so much and can't slow my mind down. But i think it's getting better. Actually, tonight I think I'll look over those tips and I feel like I'll be able to sleep by a decent time. Yes the fact that I even posted this makes me realize I do know the answer at least in my opinion. I won't take any allergy pill or any pill for that matter. Starting tomorrow I'm going to get some exercise during the day (no excuses since I can either do it outside or at the gym). I appreciate all your responses and I'm grateful for this forum and support and not feeling so alone

pdoc

For me I made the mistake of trying to regulate my body with drugs, sleepers to sleep etc and it lead to a number of other drug and alcohol issues. I have insomnia now I'm clean and sober but practice good sleep hygiene. Such as the 10 things listed earlier in the post and things are slowly getting better. Good luck

FeenixxRising

Is your sponsor a licensed medical doctor? I think the important issue for your purposes is whether the substance is addictive, and IMO that's something that should be discussed with a licensed medical doctor.

Nuudawn

I suffer from terrible allergic reactions therefore require antihistamine....BUT I also know there was a period of my life where I abused the "drowsy" variety. Er um..cuz I have addictive tendencies.

I don't use the the drowsy variety anymore.

Weaver

I was in your same boat OP. I had trouble falling asleep so I would take ZZZquil, benadryl, unisom...all that stuff. I won't say I got "addicted" to it, but I became dependent on it...and it always made me feel groggy the next morning. Melatonin is alright (and natural) but again...I became dependent on it and it made me feel groggy the entire next day.

I have found that exercise (I know, I know..cliche answer) has helped tremendously. Also, not lounging where you will be sleeping. Taking a nice hot shower, and reading for about 30 minutes (or browsing SR ) has helped calm me down in the evenings.

Best of luck!

MrTumble

bubbles87 I wouldn't use those anti-histamines, they have very well documented side effects, one of them is depression.

Melatonin works well, you need to take it an hour before bed, you should not have any drowsiness in the day. Another way for me is to exercise in the day or to read before bed - reading tends to make my eyes want to close.

Generally though, all of those prescription sleeping pills cause problems eventually, so I would avoid if you possibly can.

Kris47

I hope you managed a little sleep.

The biggest offenders for me were too much caffeine and being on my computer. You should try and stay off your computer several hours before bedtime.

karate

Allergy pills are actually prescribed -off label .

For sleeping .

They don't work for me .

freedragonfly

I get bad insomnia just generally. I used to take some allergy pills. They worked at first but then I became incredibly tolerant to them and now they do not make me sleepy at all. really the only benefit of this is when I get a bad cold and have a ton of sneezing, I can take them during the day with no drowsiness (they are the only thing that stops my sneezing when I have a cold).

anyways, that is my experience with them. I'd talk to your doctor about any insomnia. And natural remedies or sleep hygiene is likely a good idea.

Grungehead

The insomnia I remember from those early days in sobriety was pretty much immune to everything anyway so I just rode it out. It can be a real pain in the arse but it will get better with time. It takes awhile for your body to adjust to not being artificially sedated by alcohol at bedtime. I always found that a big bowl of ice cream helped. Well it didn't necessarily help me get to sleep but I was willing to go to any length to try a natural remedy.

Kris47

The best food is a a carb and a protein before bed. Not to say ice cream isn't wonderful. lol. Whatever works!

Try come crackers with pnut butter or cheese. Drink some tea with honey.

Time is the best med without any side effects.

gardendiva

I take 2 Benedryl an hour before bed. Works great for me.