eee123 Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 I have severe insomnia. I've had great success previously sleep wise with sedating anti depressants and antipsychotics. Problem is I need to avoid anything that causes dry mouth or eyes (and pretty much anything that causes dry mouth can cause dry eyes even if it isn't listed as a side effect). So, problem is stuff that helps you sleep that is non-addictive etc and suitable for long term use is generally a sedating anti depressant and pretty much all of these meds cause dry mouth/eye. There is no point asking a doc about this stuff, I have tried and they don't give a shit about dry eye and just give me patronising comments about using drops and it's not a big deal. They have no idea what severe dry eye is like. I also have dry mouth which is more of an annoyance (the dry eye is the severe problem) but still interfers with my sleep due to constantly having to sip water. So, I want a med that won't aggravate my dryness or at least, has some stats or research available to show that the incidence of dry eyes or mouth is low or mild. It's not a matter of trying stuff randomly to see what doesn't affect me, as my poor corneas are so fucked that it is difficult for me to tell whether something is aggravating the dryness or not. I am really looking for some facts so that I can try a med that I know is unlikely to worsen my condition. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olga Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 I don't have a med suggestion for sleeping, but I wondered if you are taking any flax seed oil. I'm a moderator on a message board having to do with Glaucoma, and the doctor who used to run our chat sessions always recommended flax seed oil for people with various kinds of eye issues. My husband is elderly and had severe dry-eyes, to the point where he was using drops several times a day. Once he started taking 2,000mg of flaxseed oil (in capsules) every day, the dry-eye went away. My eyes were red and irritated from the medical drops I have to use, and the oil has definitely made them less irritated. I can't suggest any sleep meds because I don't know much about that, but I hope you will give the flaxseed oil a try. As always, you will want to check with your GP before taking a new supplement. Then again, if your doc isn't sympathetic about your dry eyes, he probably won't be interested in hearing about any supplements you want to try. If you do try it, take the capsules with food so they don't upset your stomach. I sympathize with the dry mouth issue---I have that, also. I think it's from taking Wellbutrin, but I don't know. olga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eee123 Posted November 26, 2011 Author Share Posted November 26, 2011 thanks for your reply olga, I have tried flaxseed and fish oil which didn't help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shimmeree Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 have you tried melatonin? i had success with it without any drying out. i did find that it made nightmares worse, however. my pdoc said that can happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olga Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 I'm sorry the flaxseed oil didn't help. It's upsetting to me that the psychiatrist would blow you off when you have severe side effects and you aren't being taken seriously. I hope some of our other members will come up with useful suggestions. olga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eee123 Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 thanks for the melatonin suggestion, I will look into it. Though, I'm not sure if it will be strong enough for me. Some nights I can't sleep at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Have you tried any of the hypnotics? Some people can use them long term without tolerance issues. If your pdoc is being unrealistic about your needs, there are also other pdocs out there. Just a thought. Anna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eee123 Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Have you tried any of the hypnotics? Some people can use them long term without tolerance issues. If your pdoc is being unrealistic about your needs, there are also other pdocs out there. Just a thought. Anna By hypnotics you mean the class of drugs that include valium? I've tried valium and it certainly helps me sleep, but I don't want anything addictive because knowing me I will end up abusing them. I'm keeping the rest of my valium in the cupboard strictly for an "emergency" only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Well, I was thinking more along the lines of ambien. A lot of people can take ambien long term without tolerance (some can't). It depends. You do have to be careful with any hypnotic, but that doesn't mean you HAVE to abuse it. Anna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5ssq Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Hi, I was diagnosed with sjogrens syndrome which is an autoimmune disease that attacks mucus producing cells (ie saliva, tears,etc). I tell you this because I have found some things that worked for me. My eyes felt sandy and gritty, and I couldn't take any wind or fan. The ophthalmologist put plugs in my lower tear ducts. They worked beautifully for some years and they are removable. It doesn't hurt when they're installed. As my eyes have gotten worse, I have started using restasis which works great, getting better and better for the first 6mo to year. It is not the cheapest drug, but is effective with my plugs which is not indicated on the packaging. I use 1 tube per day instead of the 2 they recommend, so I can stretch out the prescription, just keep the tip sterile and refrigerate if hot weather is issue. For mouth, I am still working on the best options. I use the biotene mouthwash which works well. Avoid the gel unless you're suffering so much you don't care about the nastiness. Sugarless gum and candies work to improve saliva flow. Cavities will result from not keeping your mouth hydrated and really clean. I have a sonic care toothbrush and a waterpik flossed, but my mouth is still dry quite a bit of the time. As I get more tips I will post them here. You can also check out Sjogrens.org for more tips. I hope this helps! Susanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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