Q. My wife has a sleeping problem and so do I. She goes to bed and falls asleep about 10 pm, but wakes up around 2 or 3 am and is unable to fall back to sleep after that.
She takes prescription sleeping pills, alternating between Lunesta, Ambien CR, and temazepam. They have not helped her sleep through the night. I too have trouble getting back to sleep.
A. Most prescription drugs for insomnia are better at helping people get to sleep than stay asleep. There is one, however, that is so short acting that it may be taken in the wee hours when your wife awakes. She may want to discuss Sonata with her physician.
We discuss Sonata, Ambien, Lunesta, Rozerem and many non-drug approaches in our new Guide to Getting a Good Night’s Sleep.
If your wife is taking other medicines, they should be reviewed to make sure they are not contributing to her sleep problems. A surprising number of drugs can cause insomnia.
