I am new to this forum, but not new to mental health issues.
A brief synopsis: I have been on psych meds for about ten years now, since I was sixteen. I've been on pretty much everything (literally). My Dx history (past) includes Borderline Personality Disorder, Bipolar II, OCD, GAD, PTSD, EDNOS... Um Yah, I'm probably missing something, but you get the drift... Over the years, with alot of treatment, both medication wise and therapeutic wise, I have maintained recovery from most of my Dx. My current Dx include: Bipolar II, OCD, PTSD.
I have struggled with chronic insomnia since I can remember.. And have been taking sleep meds on and off for the last eight or so years. Again, I've pretty much been on them all ..
Problem is, every time I am started on a new sleep med, they work very briefly, so I am always changed to a new one.. And the more I try, the less time it takes for the new ones to become ineffective.. Well, I pretty much have no options left, and I am left beyond frustrated
I've pretty much given up on even attempting to sleep, so finally when I feel as though maybe I've wound down enough to where I can lay in bed, then I'll go to sleep, and often times this is all hours in the early morning. I take my sleep meds anyway, b/c I figure that it has to be better then not taking them..
I always wake up wanting to go back to sleep.. I never feel awake or refreshed, I always feel sleep deprived, I reset my alarm several times... but once I finally am up, which is usually at the last minute before I have to get ready for work, I get up and I get going, then I'm fine.. Problem is, the whole cycle starts over when I get home from work. I dunno it's frustrating and makes me feel angry and lazy in a way..
I see my psychiatrist next week, and I am going to talk to her about this, but honestly the subject is so old
I also heard something about REM sleep and psych meds, and I had thought about asking my psychiatrist about doing a sleep study, but then I wonder - how does that work if I can't sleep
Ok, well maybe someone can relate, or give me their opinion or something.. I'm just very annoyed
I have kind of the same problem. I take six different prescriptions, one of them being the sleeping pill temazepam and it barely works. It does not put me to sleep but it seems to keep me asleep. I will take it wait two hours then try to go to sleep and depending on the night how well it works. I used to be on Trazodone but within three months it was not working. I keep looming for a sleeping aid that will continue to work over time but I have not found it yet.
take care
trg247
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Major Depressive Disorder With Psychotic Features
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
I find temazepam a great help I really love the stuff, have to keep upping the dose though, makes me feel invincable. Docs trying to take them off me though
The big thing I have found with Temazapam is it does not make me feel tired and sometimes I am up two to three hours before I am able to sleep but once I am asleep I stay that way for up to 12 hours.
trg247
__________________
Major Depressive Disorder With Psychotic Features
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
I've had problems sleeping for years too, I'm sorry to hear about yours.
Have you tried dealing with the possible nonmedical causes of your insomnia? Removing caffeine and tobacco from your life, improving your diet, losing weight, getting exercise or trying yoga. I have found that being on a schedule helps me sleep better. I try to take a warm shower or bath an hour before bed. Don't sleep or watch tv in bed. Get up around the same time each day, even if you don't have anything to do.
Also, your insomnia may be caused by whatever mental disorder you have. It sounds like you have had more than your share of diagnoses. Once you have the correct diagnosis and are taking the proper medication, your sleep may improve.
Have you tried talk therapy? Maybe talking about things may make it easier to fall asleep at bed time.
Good luck.
sleep meds, antidepressants, all psych meds will eventually ruin sleep. I know, been there with benzodiazepines, one of the worst offenders in that area. Only way I got back to natural, good sleep was to get off the benzos.
It worked, although it took literally years to recover sleep and the withdrawals were bad. But well worth it. I wouldn't touch another psychoactive med for anything because good sleep itself just makes me feel young, healthy and happier.
I cannot stress enough how important exercise, staying away from alcohol and other drugs, and taking natural supps like fish oil is to overall good feelings.
I don't have an answer for insomnia. It's reasons are as different as all of us. What I will say is this; Speaking as a former prescription medicine addict (Benzodiazepines), I strongly recommend that people don't put all their hopes into all the "pam's" for relieving anxiety and helping with sleep. If they work, you'll need a larger dose to achieve the results you want. They're very addictive and kicking them is 100% harder to live through than the original complaint for which the meds were used.
Anyone may feel free to disagree with me.
This is my experience and that of the people I was in rehab with.
Good luck.
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Give me a fish and I will eat today. Show me how to fish and I will eat for the rest of my life.
do you take anti depressants? i take zoloft, and seem to have the same problem. ....can't get up, tired all the time, want to lay down when i get home from work.... but fine once i am up and going to work.
i think mine is the zoloft.
"sleep meds, antidepressants, all psych meds will eventually ruin sleep."
Has everyone found this to be true? I've been on Wellbutrin for a few years now, and have recently started having trouble sleeping. Then again, it seems to have been triggered by a two-week trip taken over Christmas break. I've been trying to back off of things like melatonin and trying several relaxation methods a night to see if that helps (it does a little, but it's inconsistent.)
i cannot remember a time when i could sleep well. i was diagnosed with chronic insomnia about 3 years ago and have been on seroquel, trazodone, zyprexa, rozerem, remeron, ambien, lunesta, klonopin, depakote, and amantadine all to treat my insomnia. i am currently on ambien, and it is amazing.
i should mention that before you go and ask your doctor or who ever to put you on ambien, you should know that, at higher doses, (for me, it was 20mg), ambien can cause you to sleep walk. i was told by my parents that they came home from a party and found me gardening in the back yard, (at 10pm at night), and that i walked my dog around the block with my mother and had a full conversation with her. all i remember is falling asleep in a chair in my room and waking up in the same spot 2 hours later. i now take 10mg and that seems to be a happy medium for me.
I just started taking 5 mg of Melatonin 3 days ago, and it works like "lights out" for me. Is there something I do not know about it? Is it addictive? I was getting no more than 3 hours sleep, so I'm desparate. Unless I find out it is really a bad thing to take, I'll keep it up. Thanks for the information.
Insomnia, Sleep Meds, & Frustration! 
Re: Insomnia, Sleep Meds, & Frustration! 
