Antihistamine for sleep aid
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Paul Hou
#1 / 7
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 Antihistamine for sleep aid For a very long time I've had a problem with feeling really awful when I try to get up in the morning. My sleep latency at night is also pretty long, ranging from 30 min to an hour. I get about 7 hours of bedtime (maybe 6 of actual sleep) a night and more on the weekends. I will spend two or three hours laying in bed after this if I can, because I feel so tired when I wake up, even more tired than I was when I went to bed, which is usually too tired to work. Anyway, I recently had a really bad flu, so I called a friend to
get me some cough syrup with both an expectorant and a nasal decongestant;
but he got Vicks formula 44M which has everything but an expectorant. So
I used that anyway, and the three nights I used it, I fell asleep rapidly
and felt that I got really good quality sleep -- that is, I actually
felt refreshed the next morning.
So, I am now trying to look into, both in the literature and
experimentally, the use of antihistamines as sleep aids, since I am
presuming that it was the antihistamine that caused the effect. The
antihistamine in Vicks formula 44 is Chloriphenamine maleate, so I bought
some generic tablets of that, and tried one last night and didn't
notice any improvement. I might try one with a little {*filter*} (about
1 beer) to see if it is a synergism effect. Also, library research
seems to show that Benadryl is the antihistamine with the strongest
sedative effect of what is availible OTC. So I might also buy a generic
form of that and try that; the PDR seems to suggest that 50 mg is a good
dosage level to try.
For other medical information, I have allergies but rarely have
an allergic reaction living in New Mexico. I also have chronically dry
eyes, which get horrible if I try to use most underarm deoderants. I did
guess that my problem might be caused by hypoglycemia, so I made some
changes in my diet consistent with that, and it didn't help, so I
went back to a normal diet (Pretty diverse, also taking vitamin supplements)
Anyway, I am looking for advice for the use of
antihistamines as sleep aids, and if there are any dangers of such use
(Seems safe to me since they are used chronically for allergies by
millions). I don't want to try BZs, because BZ {*filter*}ion seems to be
a serious threat, and from what I hear, BZ sleep quality is not good,
whereas antihistamine sleep quality seems to be better for me. I have
tried some dietary tryptophan loading stuff, and that also seems to
lower sleep quality, I seem to wake up around 4:00 or so and be in some
kind of mental haze until 7:00 or 8:00. Also, I would be interested in
any other advice for helping my problem. (Although I've already tried
many of the non-pharmacological solutions)
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| Mon, 16 Oct 1995 13:20:44 GMT |
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Michael Covingt
#2 / 7
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Antihistamine for sleep aid I'm interested in this from the other angle: what antihistamine can I take at bedtime for relief of allergies, with the assurance that its sedative effect will have completely worn off by the next morning, but preferably with the anti-allergy effect lasting longer? I'm thinking mainly of OTC products. Which has the least duration of
sedative action: Benadryl, Chlor-Trimeton, or what?
Note that I'm asking about duration, not intensity.
--
:- Michael A. Covington, Associate Research Scientist : *****
:- The University of Georgia phone 706 542-0358 : * * *
:- Athens, Georgia 30602-7415 U.S.A. amateur radio N4TMI : ** *** ** <><
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| Tue, 17 Oct 1995 12:10:15 GMT |
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Steven D. Litvintcho
#3 / 7
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Antihistamine for sleep aid Quote:
> Anyway, I am looking for advice for the use of
> antihistamines as sleep aids, and if there are any dangers of such use
> (Seems safe to me since they are used chronically for allergies by
> millions). I don't want to try BZs, because BZ {*filter*}ion seems to be
> a serious threat, and from what I hear, BZ sleep quality is not good,
> whereas antihistamine sleep quality seems to be better for me. I have
> tried some dietary tryptophan loading stuff, and that also seems to
> lower sleep quality, I seem to wake up around 4:00 or so and be in some
> kind of mental haze until 7:00 or 8:00. Also, I would be interested in
> any other advice for helping my problem. (Although I've already tried
> many of the non-pharmacological solutions)
Antihistamines have been the active ingredient of OTC sleep aids for decades. Go to any {*filter*}tore and look at the packages of such sleep aids as Sominex, Nytol, etc. The active ingredient is: diphenhydramine, the same antihistamine that's in Benadryl. --
Steven Litvintchouk
MITRE Corporation
202 Burlington Road
Bedford, MA 01730-1420
Fone: (617)271-7753
UUCP: linus!sdl
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| Wed, 18 Oct 1995 01:03:45 GMT |
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Steve Dy
#4 / 7
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Antihistamine for sleep aid Quote:
> Anyway, I am looking for advice for the use of
>antihistamines as sleep aids, and if there are any dangers of such use
>(Seems safe to me since they are used chronically for allergies by
>millions). I don't want to try BZs, because BZ {*filter*}ion seems to be
>a serious threat, and from what I hear, BZ sleep quality is not good,
>whereas antihistamine sleep quality seems to be better for me. I have
>tried some dietary tryptophan loading stuff, and that also seems to
>lower sleep quality, I seem to wake up around 4:00 or so and be in some
>kind of mental haze until 7:00 or 8:00. Also, I would be interested in
>any other advice for helping my problem. (Although I've already tried
>many of the non-pharmacological solutions)
Well, I think you might want to visit a doctor who is familiar with sleep disturbances, because antihistamines only help induce sleep when they're used intermittently; they lose their sedative effect if they're used on a nightly basis. Their anticholinergic effects (drying of secretions, relaxing effects on smooth muscle) can be problematic in some people, such as those with glaucoma or prostate enlargement. Antihistamines like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or doxylamine (Unisom)
are potent sedatives which are useful occasionally. Chlorpheniramine
(Chlor-Trimeton) is said to be less sedative, but 8mg seems to work
well in some people. Both chlorpheniramine and doxylamine have long
half-lives compared to diphenhydramine, and so may produce a residual
hangover or "drugged" feeling the next morning.
--
Steve Dyer
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| Tue, 17 Oct 1995 23:17:41 GMT |
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Alice Sande
#5 / 7
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Antihistamine for sleep aid But after you have taken antihistamines for a few nights, doesn't it start to have a paradoxical effect? I used to take one every night for allergies and couldn't figure out why I developed bad insomnia. Finally figured out it was the antihistamines. I would fall asleep for a few minutes but would awaken at the drop of a pin a little later and could not get back to sleep. I don't have that problem since I stopped the antihistamines at bedtime. ? Alice
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| Wed, 18 Oct 1995 04:28:08 GMT |
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Steven D. Litvintcho
#6 / 7
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Antihistamine for sleep aid Quote:
> But after you have taken antihistamines for a few nights, doesn't it start
> to have a paradoxical effect? I used to take one every night for
> allergies and couldn't figure out why I developed bad insomnia.
Insomnia is a known, but relatively infrequent, side-effect of diphenhydramine. For most people, this does not occur. On the other hand, most people
can build up a tolerance to an antihistamine with extended use.
(Allergy sufferers are often switched from one antihistamine to
another to avoid this.)
--
Steven Litvintchouk
MITRE Corporation
202 Burlington Road
Bedford, MA 01730-1420
Fone: (617)271-7753
UUCP: linus!sdl
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| Thu, 19 Oct 1995 22:41:29 GMT |
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USENET News Syst
#7 / 7
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Antihistamine for sleep aid Quote:
> For a very long time I've had a problem with feeling really awful
> when I try to get up in the morning. My sleep latency at night is also
> pretty long, ranging from 30 min to an hour. I get about 7 hours of
> bedtime (maybe 6 of actual sleep) a night and more on the weekends. I
> will spend two or three hours laying in bed after this if I can, because
> I feel so tired when I wake up, even more tired than I was when I
> went to bed, which is usually too tired to work.
> Anyway, I recently had a really bad flu, so I called a friend to
> get me some cough syrup with both an expectorant and a nasal decongestant;
> but he got Vicks formula 44M which has everything but an expectorant. So
> I used that anyway, and the three nights I used it, I fell asleep rapidly
> and felt that I got really good quality sleep -- that is, I actually
> felt refreshed the next morning.
> So, I am now trying to look into, both in the literature and
> experimentally, the use of antihistamines as sleep aids, since I am
> presuming that it was the antihistamine that caused the effect. The
> antihistamine in Vicks formula 44 is Chloriphenamine maleate, so I bought
> some generic tablets of that, and tried one last night and didn't
> notice any improvement. I might try one with a little {*filter*} (about
> 1 beer) to see if it is a synergism effect. Also, library research
> seems to show that Benadryl is the antihistamine with the strongest
> sedative effect of what is availible OTC. So I might also buy a generic
> form of that and try that; the PDR seems to suggest that 50 mg is a good
> dosage level to try.
> For other medical information, I have allergies but rarely have
> an allergic reaction living in New Mexico. I also have chronically dry
> eyes, which get horrible if I try to use most underarm deoderants. I did
> guess that my problem might be caused by hypoglycemia, so I made some
> changes in my diet consistent with that, and it didn't help, so I
> went back to a normal diet (Pretty diverse, also taking vitamin supplements)
> Anyway, I am looking for advice for the use of
> antihistamines as sleep aids, and if there are any dangers of such use
> (Seems safe to me since they are used chronically for allergies by
> millions). I don't want to try BZs, because BZ {*filter*}ion seems to be
> a serious threat, and from what I hear, BZ sleep quality is not good,
> whereas antihistamine sleep quality seems to be better for me. I have
> tried some dietary tryptophan loading stuff, and that also seems to
> lower sleep quality, I seem to wake up around 4:00 or so and be in some
> kind of mental haze until 7:00 or 8:00. Also, I would be interested in
> any other advice for helping my problem. (Although I've already tried
> many of the non-pharmacological solutions)
> You don't have a wife by the name of Mary Lou, do you, by any chance?
I knew a Mary Ann (old neighbor and friend) who married a man with the same name as yours. Mary S.
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| Fri, 20 Oct 1995 21:36:36 GMT |
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