Guest dogbuckeye Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 Hi, My dad has stage IV nsc lung cancer, diagnosed 2 months ago. He's 6 weeks into chemotherapy -- carboplatin & taxotere. He's suffering more than expected by his doctors. Among this laundry list of health problems he's trying to resolve, his sleep has deteriorated dramatically. 6 weeks ago he would take two over-the-counter sleep-aids (simply sleep - Diphenhyramine) each night and was able to sleep for at least 6 or 7 hours at a stretch. That has whittled down to less than an hour at a time. Any advice? I've suggested he try another sleep-aid and he's open to that but there are so many. His doctor prescribed something that had no effect at all. Thank you all, Mark Schneider Cleveland, Ohio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay A. Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 Mark, I'm doing Carboplatin and Taxotere myself, and my ability to sleep has been impacted as well. I think that the Dexamethazone we are given to inhibit possible allergic reactions is one of the primary culprits. I have a prescription for a drug called Ativan. It does help a little bit. Since how well we tolerate treatments is dependent in part upon how much rest we are able to get I hope that you will speak with your Father's Physician about the sleeping disturbance. Good luck, Fay A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirleyb Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 Randy took trazadone every night. It is an antidepressent. But he slept every night and did not have any problems with getting his rest. The only time he really had trouble was when the coughing would not let up. Then the cough syrup helped and he was able to rest. I have taken it a couple of times when I too can not sleep. I wish you the best of luck. Take care, Shirley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhutch1366 Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 If the dexa methasone is a steroid like prednisone, I can well understand the sleep disruption. Perhaps the Dr.s would consider a lower dosage? I remember with a new baby in the house if I could get one 3 hr stretch I could catnap the rest. Wishing your dad the best, MaryAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alisa Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 Did he try Melatonin? I take 10-20 mg. nightly. It helps me sleep and studies show it to have anti-tumor activity. Do a google search on melatonin+cancer. It's interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy RN Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 I have been on a sleeping pill AMBIEN they come in 5 and 10 mg dosages. It works great. I do not wake up groggy. You might ask the Dr for a script. Most are good about giving us something to help sleep. In the dark worries get very large! Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.