Her antibiotic and pain medications were both around $6-10 -not so bad.  Unfortunately, her 3rd script was for zolpidem (Ambien generic).  It cost about $49 for #30 tabs -yikes!

I happen to carry the discount card that we have available -right now and for *FREE* -and it took her payment from $49 to less than $10!  Sweet -she was quite happy!  

CLICK HERE to get the card info and 90 More Ways to Save Money on Your Prescription Drugs and the best part -it is FREE!!!

Now, if you are at the point where you have read everything you can get your hands on about lifestyle changes and OTC options and just NEED SOME HELP!!  Please read on…

You are ready to speak with your physician about prescription drugs –so be ready to have a discussion!  We will review the different options so that you can learn which will work best for you. 

1. Sleeping Aids: These include Lunesta, Ambien, Rozerem and Sonata- they specifically cause people to fall asleep. 

1. Anti-anxiety Meds: Benzodiazepines (like Xanax and Restoril –both available in generic) can be used short term to help with anxiety and sleep issues- they work by “chilling” the person out and making them drowsy.

1. Antidepressants: If anxiety is ongoing -some antidepressants (like Paxil or Celexa) can also work as an anti-anxiety medication too; some specific ones like Elavil, Trazodone and Serzone also have a side effect of causing drowsiness.

So, there are the classes of drugs that can help…now, which ones are best for you?  Things you should think about:  Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep or both?  Do you just have trouble sleeping or is it because your mind is racing?

1. Do you have trouble falling asleep? 

   • Ambien (zolpidem) or Sonata (zaleplon)

   • Halcion (triazolam)

2.  Do you have trouble with awakening in the middle of the night?

   • ProSom (estazolam)

   • Restoril (temazepam)

3.  Do you have trouble falling and staying asleep?

   • Ambien CR (zolpidem)

   • Lunesta (escoplicone)

   • Desyrel (trazodone)

   • Serzone (nefazodone)

   • Elavil (amitriptyline)

The good news is that most of these drugs come in generics!

Click for a coupon for Ambien CR.

Speaking of generics and coupons –we have a completely free video course to teach you a ton more ways to Save Money on Your Prescription Drugs NOW!

There are a bunch of different kinds of insomnia –short term, chronic, trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, waking up early or poor sleep in general.

Stress, anxiety, depression, medications, tobacco, alcohol and caffeine can cause or worsen trouble sleeping. 

What do we do to the next morning to combat our sleepiness?  Caffeine!  -which worsens stress/anxiety/depression and quite often we have some alcohol the next night –all in attempt to trick our bodies and mind into feeling “well rested.”

Our thoughts don’t help either…we have trouble falling asleep, what do we start thinking? “Oh bother, I can’t fall asleep…now I will only get 5 hours of sleep…what if I don’t fall asleep…then tomorrow is going to suck…” and on and on –a vicious cycle!

Trouble sleeping is often linked with anxiety, stress and depression.  Insomnia can be a symptom of anxiety/stress/depression and/or the cause!

Some things we can do…when we are having trouble sleeping but not ready to talk to the physician about it quite yet…

First, life-style changes:

·        Caffeine –(Redbull, soda, coffee, tea, chocolate…) Cut it out!  Besides the obvious (it keeps you up and awake) it can also make anxiety and depression much worse –which can lead to sleeping trouble.  FYI for those that just heart a soda –most clear sodas do not have caffeine.

·        Tobacco and alcohol -Both tobacco and alcohol can also cause anxiety and sleep issues.  I often have a glass of wine after work but the truth is–alcohol can have a really bad affect on sleep quality.

·        Medications –Feel free to contact us or your local pharmacist and ask if your meds can be causing your sleep issues (some popular ones that cause trouble sleeping: phentermine, asthma medications, prednisone, thyroid meds).

·        Some changes you can make –Exercise daily (at least 6 hours before bedtime); do not eat 2 hours before going to bed but don’t go to bed hungry either; try to keep a regular bedtime and wake time (this one is tough-especially on the weekends -I know!); avoid distractions -so have a dark room with limited noise; drink herbal (non caffeinated) tea like chamomile); no tv or radio at bedtime; relax and keep a sleep journal (including: I went to bed at_______; woke up at_______; got out of bed___, etc).

How Toshia gets ready for bed…

Don’t you wish it was that easy??  Well, for the rest of us there are some OTC meds…

Okay, now- what Over the Counter Sleep Aids can help?

·        Diphenhydramine –this is the medication in almost EVERY OTC sleep aid (Tylenol PM, Advil PM, Sominex)

§        25 to 50 mg at bedtime

§        It is the exactly the same medicine that is in Benadryl (an antihistamine usually used to treat allergy/cold symptoms) -90% of Benadryl bought is used as a sleep aid!

§        Can really dry you out so be sure to drink extra water during the day

§        It is best to start with a low dose (maybe even 12.5mg) to see how if affects you –some people feel slightly “hungover” the next morning

§        The rest of the OTC drugs have doxylamine in them (like Unisom) –it is also an antihistamine

·        Melatonin- a natural hormone that we produce in our bodies.  It is also available in an herbal medication that makes most people drowsy.  It is helpful in regulating sleep rhythms.  Works especially well to treat jet lag

·        Valerian –herbal medication that is used occasionally but hasn’t really been shown to help too much.

So, there you have it –the available over the couner sleep aids.  If you are having ongoing issues with trouble sleeping, even after trying the above lifestyle changes, go ahead and talk to your doctor.  There are all kinds of prescription sleep aids.  There are also a ton of different things that can cause trouble sleeping and often it is better to treat the cause not the symptom. 

Sleep well!  If you have any home remedies to help you fall asleep –please drop us a line!

Wanna be cool…subscribe below J

Hey ya’ll!  There is a new medication coming out called Edluar -it is a sublingual tablet (place under tongue instead of drink with a glass of water).  I might be pronouncing the name wrong but the drug rep I talked to wasn’t sure how to pronounce it either   and I am sure you’ll get the idea….

If you have any questions or stories…I would love to hear about them!  Please leave me a comment, write an email and by all means become a member of our ultra-exclusive, ridiculously awesome subscriber list…