Insomnia?!? Please respond.

[Jaygee]

Hi. I don't want to contribute to the library of "scare posts", but a new development has really got me concerned, and I really hope it's not finasteride-related.

It's been four weeks on generic finasteride, and I already posted about how the sexual side effects have kicked in---they've been plaguing me for about a week and a half. While I am more upset about this than I thought I was going to be, at least it is a known effect.

However, for the past two days, I have out of nowhere contracted insomnia. I have always been one of those people who goes to bed and is out cold within 20 minutes, but for the past two nights I have had serious trouble. The first night it maybe took me forty minutes to nod off, but last night it took five hours! And even then I woke up after only 50 minutes or so. All day today, while riding in the backseat home from vacation, I tried to sleep with no success. And I can always fall asleep in the car. When I got home, I hit the sack, and after over an hour of trying, I finally drifted off for about half an hour, then woke up.

I really don't want to sound paranoid, especially since I have never read anything about finasteride causing sleep difficulties, but I can't think of anything else it could be. It wasn't the vacation and "sleeping in a strange bed', because for most of the vacation everything was normal. I am now about 11 hours in debt, and am tired as hell, but something will just not let me shut down. The ONLY other thing I can think of is that the past week or so has been the first time I have been taking finasteride and Allegra simultaneously. I have long taken Allegra for broken-up periods, and the past week was the first time I'd taken it in a while. Could the interaction between it and the finasteride be somehow causing insomnia? Or have there ever been cases of finasteride-induced sleep deprivation that I've not heard about?
Everyone please tell me what you think about this. I am very, very worried. I am now off to bed (again). Good night, I hope.[/i]

 

[Basketballhead]

STRESS is causing your insomnia just re-read your post.

 

[Brasileirao]

I agree Bro, relax a little and you might get some zzzzzzzzzzzzz's. Aside from the sexual side effects I havent really seen anything else.


T-Boner

 

[Jaygee]

"STRESS is causing your insomnia just re-read your post."

Heh heh.


Well, I can assure you it ain't stress. (If it were I would never have slept a wink in my life! :lol: ) Stress just aggravates a problem that was already there, since now you're all worried about how you can't sleep.

I took pills last night and slept nine hours, but tonight I will have to see if I can nod off without the medicine. If not, I'll be pretty certain something ain't right. The only reason I'm even dwelling on the idea that this is finasteride-related is because I have never had trouble before---quite the extreme opposite, in fact. (And I'm a pretty stressed-out guy at times.)

If this IS finasteride-related, it's almost certainly not finasteride by itself. It would have to be an undiscovered interaction side effect----finasteride and Allegra together.

 

[kiwi1973]

millions of people have times in there lives when they cant sleep,and most wont know why maybe some small change in your life has brought on insomna
in a few days you sleep will most likey return to normal

 

[hairnow]

Are you taking "Allegra D" or Allegra without the Decongestant? Might you have switched to Allegra D without realizing it?

Allegra D contains pseudophedrine HCL, a stimulant that can cause insomnia.

 

[helpmefindmyhair]

Jay,

I recommend you try Benadryl or generic Benadryl.

Just make sure the only active ingredient is diphenhydramine.

I've always had trouble sleeping until I started taking Benadryl about a half hour before going to bed.

Dr. Gott, who has a national column, has written about it's use as a sleep aid before. It is safe. You can take 50 to 100 mg a night.

I usually take 75mg.

I've been doing this for 6 months and I've never slept this well. I used to wake up 3 or 4 times a night and it took me forever to fall asleep. I was always tired the next day. Now I don't wake up at all or wake up only once and fall back asleep quickly.

I know of people that have been using Benadryl like this for years. Go to remedyfind.com to read about it.

Make sure you get the Benadryl that has only diphenhydramine in it. There are two types of Benadryl and one of them contains a stimulant.

 

[Jaygee]

Well, my sleeping appears to be back to normal. I shouldn't have freaked out like that. I only did because it was so unprecedented for me. Guess I'm just another finasteride-paranoiac.

Thanks very much for the advice, though. I don't think I'm on Allegra D, but I'll be watching out for that possiblity from now on. And helpmefindmyhair, I'll pass on the Benadryl info to my parents, who really do have sleeping problems.

Now if only the sexual sides would take a hike.