Cant Sleep

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Andy
Posts: 856
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2004 1:02 pm
Location: Cardiff, Wales- now Christchurch New Zealand

Cant Sleep

Post by Andy »

Hi all, :D

hope you are all well. does an one else have trouble sleeping? Is this due to the tablets? Im on Tacrolimus MMF and the usual other stuff post transplant.
My mum has suggested trying 2 have a milky drink before i go to bed to see if this helps... any other suggestions?
It's really begining to annoy me now as I have exams starting next week (5 next week) and I need to be in a semi- decent state for them at least getting a few hours kip before the exams.

Love
Andy :P
x x x
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R30
Posts: 631
Joined: Fri May 07, 2004 3:00 pm
Location: Cheltenham, England

Post by R30 »

Hi Andy
Very interesting post of yours. I, too, am on Tacrolimus and MMF and am experiencing trouble sleeping (I believe this is quite a common side-effect). I seem to have about three nights of poor sleep and then one where I sleep right through (as I am so tired).
Unfortunately I haven't found the cure for this yet, except a glass of gin and lemonade before bedtime (obviously one has to be of age for this!)
How about a cup of camomile tea, or using lavender drops?
Hope this goes some way to helping.
Ruth :D
JMan
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Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 10:21 am
Location: Lives in a slightly weird bit of Shropshire called Telford!

Post by JMan »

Hi Andy,

Insomnia (as well as other nervous disturbances) seem to be one of the side effects of MMF. You should at least talk to your doctor about this, and perhaps ask them if they can alter the dose OR maybe the 'way' in which you take it (eg smaller doses more frequently or something).

I used to have a very very badly disturbed sleep pattern when I was on it. The only things that seemed to help slightly was drinking loads (kinda 'dilutes' it in your system) & being REALLY physically tired, whether from walking, exercise or other physical activity.. Obviously this isn't always practical.

Its not very nice stuff, but its probably nicer than cyclo in terms of long term side effects .. As for me it didn't agree with my body (my white count dropped to near 0) so I'm not on it anymore, but there's no reason that something like this should be ignored by your unit.
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Rachel in NY
Posts: 650
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 1:11 pm
Location: NY, USA,

Post by Rachel in NY »

These are all good suggestions...

But when all else fails.. there's even more pills! stuff that helps you sleep. Its not the end of the world should you need to take something. They can start with something light, like an antihistimane that has a sedating effect, and you won't need to take a 'genuine' "sleeping pill".

A long warm shower kind of puts me to sleep. For me, there's nothing like it. Crawling into bed still damp and freezing, and cuddling up under my blankets and falling asleep. It works well for me, and i love the feeling. Although according to most people, they'll say a warm shower increases circulation and 'wakes you up'.

Lastly, you can try by self hypnotizing yourself a little. Lay down perfectly straight like someone in a coffin, and begin by talking to yourself in your head. start by putting your eyes to sleep, then your nose, then your ears and mouth, then your neck, then your shoulders, then your arms, elbows, wrist, fingers, chest, and so on. peice by peice, go from head to toe putting parts to sleep. It sounds weird, but it works. after like 10 minutes, you will be in a state of total calm if you really concentrate on it. And then you can fall asleep.

Anyway, i hope that something works for you... i know exacly what it feels like, so I can relate.

-rachel
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oldborris
Posts: 266
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 1:01 pm
Location: Fulham, London, U.K.

Post by oldborris »

RACHEL WROTE: "you can try by self hypnotizing yourself a little. Lay down perfectly straight like someone in a coffin, and begin by talking to yourself in your head. start by putting your eyes to sleep, then your nose, then your ears and mouth, then your neck, then your shoulders, then your arms, elbows, wrist, fingers, chest, and so on. peice by peice, go from head to toe putting parts to sleep. It sounds weird, but it works. after like 10 minutes, you will be in a state of total calm if you really concentrate on it. And then you can fall asleep."


that's all very swell, Rachel, but when I tried it my eyes, nose, ears, mouth and all other relevent parts of my body united in a vicious conspiracy to refuse to listen to me so no matter how often I told them to go to sleep, they stubbornly refused to do so. What should I now do with them?
Iain
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 10:44 am
Location: The Frozen North, UK

Long time no post

Post by Iain »

Ditto to everything else said. The problem I usually have is getting my brain to switch off. I can totally empathise with Andy, I remember only too well how hard it is too sleep when studying for exams, you're brain is usually buzzing with all those facts and figures. The only other suggestion I can make is to try and relax with a good book for an while before going to bed. The odd glass of whisky can't hurt either...
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Art from Ontario
Posts: 55
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2004 1:11 am
Location: Niagara, Ontario, Canada

No Sleep - MMf (Cell Cept)

Post by Art from Ontario »

Hey Andy:
JMan is right..culprit is MMF...
Six months after my transplant I asked to switch to something else
and have been on the older drug Imuran (Azothiaprine).
Bloodwork has been great & no sleep issues.
Switching the drug may help..
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johnsor
Posts: 69
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 4:03 pm
Location: Northern ILLINOIS

Post by johnsor »

I am not on MMF, but am on daily dose of 7.5mg of pred. / tacrolimus and I have trouble sleeping. I think some of these drugs "leech out" the natural melotonin in your body and a good nights rest becomes ancient history. I know OTC products such as benedryl and Unisom work for many people, but not for me. Ambien works best for me. I can definitely get 8-10 hrs. of sleep with no problem and do not feel "groggy" when I wake up. Good luck.
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