insomnia

My wife has had a pacemaker for 3-4 years. She had insomnia before the PM, but now she is convinced that everyone with a PM has sleep problems. She took ambien years ago, which heled, but now she has developed tolerance and dependence to the point where she gets mail order pills from India, and I am seeing sporadic memory, thinking, and dementia-like symptoms that are really hard to live with. She is in total denial about the dependence, refuses to get a sleep study or see a neurologist. She says I just don't understand. Does everyone with PM's have sleep problems? If so, what do hey do about it? Thanks.

4 Comments

Insomnia? Nope

by AddieJ - 2016-06-21 21:35:05

I had my single lead St. Jude PM implanted last Feb. and my sleep has never been better.  I know I won't wake up gasping for air or feeling tired.  

Nothing to do with the pacemaker

by IAN MC - 2016-06-22 06:04:27

I was interested to read your post as I have just finished reading a very worrying book which looked at the problems suffered by people who are addicted to the benzodiazepine group of drugs  ( drugs such as Ambien )

Your wife is very typical with spells of sporadic memory loss and dementia-like symptoms. Once tolerance develops , denial about her dependence and blaming something else such as the pacemaker is also typical.  Some Drs believe that these problems are part of drug-withdrawal rather than actual side-effects and drug-tolerance leads to a permanent state of having withdrawal symptoms.

THe ONLY solution is of course for her to come off the drugs which is much easier said than done . I don't know which country you are in but I'm sure that Sparrow's advice to seek professional help and to join self-help groups is good. When your wife does manage to kick the benzodiazepine addiction her symptoms will disappear but she does have to really want to come off them. The withdrawal process will be a long bumpy road and I wish you both well but the pacemaker is really irrelevant.

Ian 

insomnia.... thanks!

by clrndn6346 - 2016-06-22 06:56:04

I appreciate all of your comments. Very helpful.

I have been attending Alanon here in the US and it helps to learn about detachment and not trying to control what I can't. And I have filed for divorce as a last resort, which is very difficult for me and her, but I feel like now there is no other choice. She has cancelled the doctor's appointments that I have made for her (sleep specialist, primary care doctor, neurologist, etc. If she was willing to get help, I could stay, but I grew up with alcoholism in my family, which makes me hypersensitive.  Thanks again for the info and support

had insomnia before & after

by techiej - 2016-06-23 14:14:12

No change in my sleeping other than I sometimes wake up with discomfort when sleeping on my left side due to the PM (physcial discomfort).

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