headaches, allergy meds, sleep

[wispfox]

Ok, self. allergy meds stopped handling headaches a week ago. what do you first need to check for multi-day headaches when you aren't sleeping? that they are happening because you're sleeping poorly, oh and the last time you slept poorly for a week much like this? because you were taking migraine meds (which have caffeine!) in order to deal with the not-enough-sleep-related migraines you were getting.

these allergy meds may not have pseudoephedrine, but what do you want to bet they are uppers, and you've been taking them at night? stop that! and go take another ativan to counteract the upper! also, try a migraine med in the morning; you _know_ your migraines act like allergies/sinus things...

bah. well, at least I (probably) figured it out, but after an allergy med this evening.

stupid easily cyclic sleep problems. no wonder you're especially incoherent and achy today!

Comments

[dancingwolfgrrl.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry you feel yucky. Allergy meds, however, are usually downers -- definitely Benadryl, but even the "good" ones like Claritin and Zyrtec can cause drowsiness. That said, it could be that you're having a contrary reaction and they're functioning as uppers for you somehow.

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Aaaah.

Oddly, benadryl has never caused me to fall asleep... but it _has_ been known to make me feel more tired, which can make me unable to sleep.

So, instead, I am reminded that my reactions to allergy meds _is not typical_ and I really need to avoid them at night no matter what.

Yay, weird sleep things!

[dancingwolfgrrl.livejournal.com]

If they really bug you, I do recommend hassling your doctor. I've been through three sets of prescription antihistamines and each one was better than the last; hopefully there's *some* solution that will also let you sleep.

(Also, a way in which you are not a freak: something like 80% of things the people who have them call sinus headaches are actually what doctors call migraines.)

(Also also, there is an Excedrin without caffeine but with the magic aspirin/tylenol blend; I wonder if it would help you? Also, Stupidfed -- the "sudafed PE" you can get over the counter -- seems to me to work better than nothing but to lack the upper side effects of pseudophedrine, if that's at all helpful.)

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

There seems to be a cluster of drugs that make people both tired/dopey, and wired, at the same time. And then have different strengths of those two effects on different people. (I'm thinking of the cold medicines that said things like "may cause excitability in small children" along with "may cause drowsiness / do not operate heavy machinery"...)

FWIW, benadryl makes me dopey but restless. (You saw this Friday night.)

[jasra]

Will Alavert make me sleepy?
Alavert is a non-drowsy allergy medicine, when taken as directed. Taking more than recommended may cause drowsiness. First-generation antihistamines, like Benadryl, can cause sleepiness. Alavert is an advancement in non-prescription allergy medicine.

I was gonna say that I take 'em in the middle of the night and go back to sleep, but that's not helpful cuz I don't have your same delicate sleep cycle that you do.