Aster
08-01-2002, 12:30 PM
My insomnia is getting worse. I don't know what's going on. Last week , after fifteen years of prescription drugs to sleep I tried Melatonin alone and it worked.
Hasn't worked since then. All day yesterday I felt wonderful, energetic, laughing. Then last night I got in bed at 8 to read and watch tv. At one am I was still awake and had to resort to an Ambien (5mg). I hate myself when I do that. My thoughts were racing like mad. Missing family, life review, current state of my
happiness level, just plain crapola for hours. I want to be normal; want to simply go to sleep when I want to. Is anyone else fighting this demon? I feel so down and inferior and just insane.
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Aster
Hasn't worked since then. All day yesterday I felt wonderful, energetic, laughing. Then last night I got in bed at 8 to read and watch tv. At one am I was still awake and had to resort to an Ambien (5mg). I hate myself when I do that. My thoughts were racing like mad. Missing family, life review, current state of my
happiness level, just plain crapola for hours. I want to be normal; want to simply go to sleep when I want to. Is anyone else fighting this demon? I feel so down and inferior and just insane.
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Aster
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Megherc
08-01-2002, 06:40 PM
Fifteen years of prescription sleeping drugs. There's your answer. Whatever started your insomnia is not what is keeping it going now. Prescription sleeping pills have addiction/dependancy/tolerance issues, and your brain stops knowing how to create sleep on it's own. The sleep achieved on these pills is not the exact, natural sleep the brain makes on it's own.
But the brain can re-learn to create the right sleep chemicals again, but this is a long process; it is not like a broken arm, much more complicated and patience is the key. Type in benzo withdrawal in your search engine to learn about benzodiazepines; Ambien is not one but only by a receptor technicality...it acts very simular to benzos since it is so closly related to them.
But the brain can re-learn to create the right sleep chemicals again, but this is a long process; it is not like a broken arm, much more complicated and patience is the key. Type in benzo withdrawal in your search engine to learn about benzodiazepines; Ambien is not one but only by a receptor technicality...it acts very simular to benzos since it is so closly related to them.
Aster
08-01-2002, 07:12 PM
Thank you, Meg. I suspected this was the case. The only positive note is I have not had to (as doctors will often tell you)increase dosage. For instance, in all these years I've never had to take 2mg of Xanax to sleep. Tonight I think I'll try 2 Tylenol PM's; I have the feeling that they'll work until about 2am but I'm just guessing. I am actually more concerned about the hours of racing thoughts I'm having at bedtime than I am about the pills. Really make me tense. But I don't believe in antidepressants; I don't think they really work. I was reading this morning that placebo worked just as well in a controlled study.
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Aster
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Aster
Megherc
08-02-2002, 04:27 AM
It's lucky you didn't build a tolerance to high doses all this time. The website I mentioned addresses racing thoughts as a withdrawal reaction. Withdrawal symptoms can last very long, but time will fade them. Do read the website; I know it's has almost too much information and links, there are some scary stories and doctor bashing, but it's very helpful. It's worth the extra time to read it all. They even have an internet support group. Check it out.
Mashiki
08-10-2002, 01:04 AM
K...recently i had my wisdom teeth pulled out..its been like a week and some days..ever since then i havent been able to sleep until 2 am and i wake up at arond 6 or 7 am...i get about 4 hours of sleep in..and my body wont allow for anything more.
I had problems before i got them out too, i would just lay there for hours and then finally fall asleep, but i would still wake up every five minutes, and have to start all over again...
If anyone could tell me anything i could do to help me fall asleep, and stay asleep i would greatly appreciate it!
I had problems before i got them out too, i would just lay there for hours and then finally fall asleep, but i would still wake up every five minutes, and have to start all over again...
If anyone could tell me anything i could do to help me fall asleep, and stay asleep i would greatly appreciate it!
Aster
08-10-2002, 08:24 PM
Another wild night, Meg. Tried to make due with just
an antihistamine and 5mg of Buspar but they didn't faze me. So, depressed, I took 1/2mg of Xanax and it worked.
Slept til six am. I awoke still tired, my H was banging around which got me irritated which made it worse.
I took 1mg of Xanax (grrrrrr)and slept til nine.
As usual, when I do this, I feel great the next day.
Physically. But mentally I'm sick of this and sick of the dependency. I know your advice is to simply not take anything , period. But I can't go thru the next month (or year)exhausted. I can't do it. I realize I'm lucky that I don't need many milligrams of anything but I so envy normal people. This is addiction; exercise doesn't help. That's a tall tale someone made up.
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Aster
an antihistamine and 5mg of Buspar but they didn't faze me. So, depressed, I took 1/2mg of Xanax and it worked.
Slept til six am. I awoke still tired, my H was banging around which got me irritated which made it worse.
I took 1mg of Xanax (grrrrrr)and slept til nine.
As usual, when I do this, I feel great the next day.
Physically. But mentally I'm sick of this and sick of the dependency. I know your advice is to simply not take anything , period. But I can't go thru the next month (or year)exhausted. I can't do it. I realize I'm lucky that I don't need many milligrams of anything but I so envy normal people. This is addiction; exercise doesn't help. That's a tall tale someone made up.
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Aster
Megherc
08-14-2002, 02:53 AM
Very sorry you are having such a time. I understand what you mean, the need for sleep. But someday you may have to face it down...when tolerance develops and taking the Xanax won't even make you sleep. What a nightmare; I should know...I developed tolerance to Ativan, another benzo. I was in a fix, for quite awhile since sleep rarely came and when it did, not much of it. But I sleep pretty good now, I am told the improvements I have seen in my sleep will continue intil I sleep my normal (pre-benzo) way again, and all the sleep I get now is 100% natural...I don't take even a benedryl or valarien...and this is something I thought would have been impossible when I first got off Ativan.
So, there is hope for natural sleep, if I am able to get it back, I don't see why you couldn't. In fact, it may not be so long for you since you haven't developed tolerance to Xanax yet; tolerance is a sign of a severe addiction. People who didn't develop tolerance seem to get better faster. So at least you have that advantage right now.
If you decide to taper,(slowly), check the website again and join the support group for help; it's a lifesaver.
And yes, exercise won't help at this point. It helps ONLY people who have never taken pills regularly; once that happens it's a whole new ballgame and exercise won't do a single thing to help intil after the brain has recovered from chemical use.
[This message has been edited by Megherc (edited 08-14-2002).]
So, there is hope for natural sleep, if I am able to get it back, I don't see why you couldn't. In fact, it may not be so long for you since you haven't developed tolerance to Xanax yet; tolerance is a sign of a severe addiction. People who didn't develop tolerance seem to get better faster. So at least you have that advantage right now.
If you decide to taper,(slowly), check the website again and join the support group for help; it's a lifesaver.
And yes, exercise won't help at this point. It helps ONLY people who have never taken pills regularly; once that happens it's a whole new ballgame and exercise won't do a single thing to help intil after the brain has recovered from chemical use.
[This message has been edited by Megherc (edited 08-14-2002).]
canyonspirit72
08-22-2002, 09:50 PM
this may seem silly but try to meditate...alot of people start to doze off by meditating.......alot of chemcial reactions and stress can cause your endorphins to be high which means you are alert...if you try to focus on your breathing at least it will make you more calm.....i have bipolar and i couldn't sleep normally for 2 years...until they found a dopamine-serotonin inhibitor.....it has a high histamine level so it does knock me out......but try to do meditation on a continuous level to see the results.........there is something subconsciously going around in your mind when we can't sleep......