I've noticed lately that if I take Claritin before I go to bed that I feel way more rested the next day. I can get 6 hours and feel more rested if I take Claritin than if I sleep 8 hours without.

I'm not even having any sinus issues right now but take it anyway if I want to feel really good the next day. I'm thinking about buying the cheapest sinus medication I can find and trying this every night. Claritin isn't cheap. I've tried searching online to see if anyone else experiences this.

Anybody else do this?

6/18/2008 12:09:14 PM

so you're trying to develop a drug dependency?

6/18/2008 12:14:41 PM

i prefer heroin.

6/18/2008 12:16:10 PM

so you're trying to develop a drug dependency?

6/18/2008 12:22:09 PM

if it means feeling more rested then yes - can there really be bad side effects for taking weak sinus medication every day?

i'm thinking my breathing must open up better when I take claritin so i get overall better sleep

i know my dad takes an actifed and drinks bourbon every night before he goes to sleep

i guess i'm heading down the same path

6/18/2008 12:22:53 PM

^ yes, taking drugs every day leads to drug dependency. and it does sound like you are headed down the same path. pretty straight forward, only you can make the decision though.

6/18/2008 12:24:15 PM

^^ i am not a pharma expert but as far as I know claritin has NOTHING to do with opening up breathing. it is only an antihistamine which means it prevents your body from releasing histamines that causes you to feel itchy or irritated (allergic reactions). If you are just sitting around normally and take a claritin and you become slightly drowsy, it has nothing to do with making you breath easier. It has everything to do with (well i wont make this definite but as far as i know) the fact that the levels of histamines in your body can be directly correlated to whether you are awake or asleep (and what stage of sleep you are in).

Even though claritin is generally considered non-drowsy, antihistamines, depending on the amount you take, definitely induce sleepiness. You might just be affected by this more than others meaning youre basically relying on a mild sedative or sleeping pill which can definitely cause dependencies. Outside of that I am not sure.

6/18/2008 12:43:09 PM

i have taken tylenol PM to help me sleep. one of those fuckers knocks me the hell out.

6/18/2008 1:00:20 PM

Try taking melatonin.

6/18/2008 1:00:43 PM

seriously, try tylenol PM. I never would have thought it would work either, but my ex told me to try it and it worked like a charm

[Edited on June 18, 2008 at 1:03 PM. Reason : d]

6/18/2008 1:03:17 PM

tylenol pm makes me feel way too groggy in the morning.

no matter what you take, it you take it every day youre going to build a tolerance and it wont work anymore...which will lead you to taking more of it. thats when it starts getting troublesome.

[Edited on June 18, 2008 at 1:05 PM. Reason : f]

6/18/2008 1:05:25 PM

Off-brand Claritin is rather cheap in Target.

6/18/2008 1:18:11 PM

Tylenol PM has the same shit in it as Benadryl (with a little tylenol added)

If I really can't sleep, I take some Benadryl.

6/18/2008 1:21:41 PM

i'm not having any issues getting to sleep and i've never been dependant on a drug before

i think i'm gonna try it out take it every night for 2/3 weeks and see if i still feel rested in the morning

6/18/2008 1:23:37 PM

Quote :

"i'm not having any issues getting to sleep and i've never been dependant on a drug before"

so now you want to be dependant and have issues sleeping when you try to stop?

6/18/2008 1:29:50 PM

tylenol PM only makes me groggy if I don't get a full 8 hours

6/18/2008 1:30:21 PM

^^^Not being dependent before seems kind of irrelevant here, have you ever taken a prescription drug every day before to have a comparison?

Seems like its a mental thing to me. I had a lot of allergies for awhile and used to take claritin quite a bit and I never noticed it helping me sleep at all. If there were things out there that helped you get better rest with 0 chance of dependencies or side effects it seems like it would be more popular and marketed that way.

Unless you were waking up regularly and feeling exhausted on 8 hours of sleep and were trying to figure out a way to solve it (which you might have been, im not sure), then I guess im not sure why youre even interested in trying this out knowing that your body will adjust to having it.

[Edited on June 18, 2008 at 1:35 PM. Reason : ]

6/18/2008 1:35:09 PM

Could you actually be allergic to something you'd come into contact with more heavily than usual while you are sleeping? Dust mites, down if you have a feather pillow or comforter, pet hair, etc. I'm mildly allergic to down, and while it doesn't cause a huge reaction it makes my face red and probably does other things I'm not aware of that I could see causing less restful sleep, so it's possible you could be mildly allergic to something and not know it.

6/18/2008 1:46:57 PM

i'd assess other factors before you start taking a drug regularly. such as, when do you stop drinking caffeine during the day? how much caffeine do you drink daily? what time do you typically eat dinner or your last meal of the day? do you watch TV in bed? do you do work in bed on a computer or read before bed?

when i had trouble sleeping, i stopped drinking caffeine after noon and noticed a significant change in my sleep. i got to sleep faster and slept better. i don't have late meals usually, so that was not a problem for me; but i've read that having late night meals can also mess up your sleeping schedule.

the next thing i did was remove my TV from my bedroom. i also don't read in bed or surf the internet. by making my bed about sleep (and sex, rawr!) only, my body associated sleep with the bed and i began to fall asleep even faster.

give it a whirl--see what happens. results won't be immediate, but you should notice a difference after a few weeks.

6/18/2008 1:55:18 PM

Address the issues ^ points out, and consider melatonin.

6/18/2008 2:00:41 PM

How dark is your room. Try making it like pitch black. it really does help.
also led lights on computers and electronics are really bright so turn those off as well.

6/18/2008 2:04:58 PM

ambien, trazadone, SEROQUEL

6/18/2008 2:12:28 PM

Two glasses of a dry red wine puts me out cold. Weird I can drink beer and liquor all night, but if I have a bottle of wine. I'm dead to the world. If you're on a budget, I suggest:

6/18/2008 2:14:59 PM

alcohol may help you get to sleep, but overall, it causes disruptive sleep and magnifies any sleep disorders you may have.

[Edited on June 18, 2008 at 2:18 PM. Reason : d]

6/18/2008 2:18:19 PM

Geodon, risperdal, haldol, thorazine, navane, abilify.

6/18/2008 2:20:28 PM

i take trazodone now, but it kinda leaves you groggy in the morning.


what i'd recommend for you is just a generic benadryl pill. it's cheap, OTC, and will help you sleep easy.

6/18/2008 2:28:50 PM

i also get vivid dreams depending on how strong the sinus medication is

for instance if i take clarinex (which i believe is a form of claritin that metabolizes faster) i get very vivid dreams - i created a thread about this before

since dreams usually come in the rem stage of sleep i do believe i am getting better sleep

it is possible i am slightly allergic to dust mites

6/18/2008 2:29:51 PM

^everyone is allergic to dust to some degree, lol.

and i dont know why you're wasting your money on brand names like Claritin...just look up the active ingredient in it and find the generic one. you'll save tons.

6/18/2008 2:32:38 PM

some of the antipsychotics are on the 4 dollar list at wal-mart!

6/18/2008 2:37:46 PM

Quote :

"since dreams usually come in the rem stage of sleep i do believe i am getting better sleep"

this isnt really founded on anything and pretty much dead wrong in that broad of a statement. dreams can and DO occur during other stages of sleep besides REM. that being said most people dream several times a night. Most people (like you stated) only associate the fact that they dreamed with the fact that they just happened to REMEMBER a certain dream. Remembering a dream does NOT mean you dreamed that night and not on nights where you dont think you dreamed just because you dont remember dreaming. Even lucid or vivid dreaming doesnt refer to whether you remember it or not.

Remembering dreams, even vivid dreams, is almost always associated with waking up during or nearly immediately after a dream sequence. Waking up during your REM cycle gives you the best chance of remembering your dreams.

Therefore, if you are remembering your dreams while taking claritin but not while sleeping normally I would think about the time you are sleeping. Are you remembering a dream at the point where you wake up in the morning, or in the middle of the night? If it is the morning then I would look at the fact that you stated sleeping for 6 hours on claritin vs 8 hours normally. The 6 hour mark might be waking you up during an REM cycle whereas around 8 hours you are not in a REM cycle.

The mere fact that you REMEMBER dreaming (remember not the same thing AS dreaming) simply means you woke up during one, for the most part it has NOTHING to do with how soundly you are sleeping, In fact the nights where I wake up a lot are the nights I remember the most dreams since I actually wake up during them

It seems to me like you are trying to make every excuse to convince yourself to rely on a drug to sleep better. But most of them arent very well founded.

[Edited on June 18, 2008 at 2:57 PM. Reason : ]

6/18/2008 2:54:30 PM

You can get 300 pills of 10mg loratidine (the stuff in Claritin) for 14 bucks or something like that at Sams Club. It's ridiculously cheaper then buying it ANYWHERE else.

6/18/2008 6:30:12 PM

I developed a dependency to an anti-depressant I used to take. It's not that bad if you get used to it.

Be prepared to patiently wean yourself off of Claritin at some point if you plan to keep taking it.

if it were me, I'd take elkaybie's advice and work on my sleep habits first

6/19/2008 12:24:03 AM

^anafranil?

or trazodone?

I think those are the two common ones.

6/19/2008 12:28:03 AM

Paxil (paroxetine)

6/19/2008 12:32:28 AM

Quote :

"Even though claritin is generally considered non-drowsy, antihistamines, depending on the amount you take, definitely induce sleepiness. You might just be affected by this more than others meaning youre basically relying on a mild sedative or sleeping pill which can definitely cause dependencies. Outside of that I am not sure."

It could also be that allergy issues are what cause him to not sleep well in the first place, and the Claritin just stops that aspect.

6/19/2008 1:01:49 AM

benadryl (diphenhydramine) is what they put in a lot of the otc sleeping meds like Tylenol PM. Why don't you just buy a bunch of the generic version and take 2 at before you go to sleep (that would equal the dose in Tylenol PM)...and get some zzz's?

6/19/2008 1:05:26 AM

when i take benadryl it dries my skin out for some reason

6/19/2008 10:26:52 AM

as some other people pointed out, there are a lot of other things to consider before going to drugs.

some of the most important to stress again:

-avoid doing anything in your bed besides sleep and girls (this means no reading or laptop usage or laying around talking on your phone in bed etc)

-avoid all caffeine after lunch if you can. sodas, teas, chocolates, coffee etc.

-ive heard that using dimmer light in the hours before bed is helpful in your body being ready to sleep although ive never tried this one myself.

-im terrible with this one but it is very important... attempt to go to bed and wake up around the same hours as much as possible! its hard on your body to sleep from 12am to 7am M-F and then say 4am to 12pm on weekends. if you can avoid this, it can be very helpful.

6/19/2008 10:41:04 AM

i do know the last suggestion will be impossible for me

thanks for the suggestions though

6/19/2008 10:55:09 AM

its fine, it is for me too pretty much. i am AT work at 7 and theres no way im getting up at 6:20 on weekends a lot of times im not in bed until 3 or 4 on weekends so i do terrible in that respect.

6/19/2008 10:56:19 AM

Claritin is cheap if you know where to look! PMed you the details

Probably have allergies to dust/dust mites/mold. Consider an allergen cover for the mattress and pillows, regular vacuuming and sheet washing, and upgrade the furnace filter. I'm thinking of getting a hepa filter for my room.

6/19/2008 10:58:20 AM

Quote :

"regular vacuuming and sheet washing, and upgrade the furnace filter. I'm thinking of getting a hepa filter for my room."

pretty good advice for anyone.

6/19/2008 10:59:13 AM

This is a forum for college students, so those things can not be assumed.

I had to buy a new vac because my old one didn't have a hepa filter on it but it makes a TON of difference. $150 well spent. Eureka Boss from Amazon. Have to empty it after each round of vacuuming, but any bagless requires the same treatment. Tip, ONLY empty the vac outside, otherwise all those allergens you just trapped are going straight back into your house when you empty the cup.

6/19/2008 11:05:47 AM

oh yea definitely not assuming, just pointing out that its something anyone should consider, not just for sleeping purposes.

6/19/2008 11:07:39 AM

do something quiet like reading or watching tv that will calm you down before you sleep. things that get your mind off of your agenda can help you relax, and if you're relaxed you'll sleep easier and better.

6/19/2008 11:24:48 AM

like i said i'm having no trouble getting to sleep - i work all day then go to the gym so i'm pretty tired at the end of the day

yea i need to get a vacuum cleaner - i've been buying all the things i want instead of need

6/19/2008 11:29:30 AM

Holy crap, you don't own one?

Unless I vac every week and a half I notice it.

6/19/2008 11:34:17 AM

6/19/2008 11:35:48 AM

My schedule sucks and I don't see it getting any better. 12-6:30 monday-friday and then my roomate who works in Asheville during the week comes home and always wants to drink so It ends up being 4-5 am until 12 on weekends.

6/19/2008 1:19:25 PM

other than crap induced by pharma side effects i usually have no trouble sleeping

try: exercising, routine, cutting caffeine, cutting sugar, removing tv/computer/reading from the bed, sex

6/19/2008 1:37:09 PM