HELP----I still can't sleep

[John 3:16]

Lisa,
I tried trazodone once and it made me so "hungover/zombie" the next day, I almost could not function! People are different- it may work great for you as it sounds like it has others. It would be an idea if you didn't won't to go the benzo/hypnotic route. But like I said, I have used Ambien off and on for quite some time and never had a problem- I know how it feels to have to be "mommy" all day 24/7 on NO sleep! Let me know how you are doing- best of luck,

Michelle

[Jennita]

Yinsky is very correct. People believe the number of people who have trouble with benzos are few, but not so. Also, there's some misinformation out there spread by the medical community that the only one's in danger of ill effects from benzos either abuses or has a history of drug abuse. Far from the truth; I've heard countless stories of people who simply followed the doctors' orders and over time found themselves either extremely dependant (but not addicted) or even a worse situation like developed tolerance(drug stops working).

Dependancy is sometimes not recognized as such; basically one assumes that the anxiety/sleep relief they feel is being relieved by benzos and is based on original anxiety. But sometimes that original anxiety/sleep problem may have passed, but the drugs have created their own....this is due to the rebound/withdrawal effects the drug creates. This can be long-lasting and takes time to fix. Most people give up before they can completely recover, but there have been many who did wait and won complete recovery, some saying they feel better than they have in years.

Anyway, an addictions doctor wrote a very good comparison of dependancy vs. addiction, explaining they are not the same thing...here's a part of the article below:


"It is important not to confuse physical dependence as evidenced by benzodiazepine withdrawal syndromes with addiction or drug dependence (DSM-IV). The majority of people suffering with prolonged withdrawal syndromes from benzodiazepines do not meet sufficient criteria to make the diagnosis of addiction. They are NOT addicts.

Addiction is a biopsychosocial syndrome. Less than ten percent of the population is at risk. Although there are eight diagnostic criteria, three of which must be present for a year; the syndrome can best be described by "the 3 Cs".

Control: when the addicted person starts using their drug they episodically lose control over their ingestion.

Compulsion: getting and using the drug takes on more and more importance or salience in the person's life, crowding out relationships and activities that were once important to them.

Consequences: they continue using the drug despite the drug causing problems at home, problems in relationships, medical problems, legal problems, emotional and psychiatric problems and finally vocational problems.

Physical dependence is simply a neurobiological phenomenon due to continued exposure to a drug. It happens to all human brains exposed to drugs such as benzodiazepines and opioids. It is not addiction."

[lisaaahubb]

o.k. the problem is not xanax----it is NOT my drug of choice....
I have been on xanax and zoloft for over a year and a half.
I only take them as needed, even though he prescribes 1 4X a day.
He said that these two meds i will need to stay on for the rest of my life, if i don't want the depression to get overwhelming.
There are days i don't even freakin take xanax, i realize that many of you have had problems with benzos, but this is not a problem and will not be a problem. My problem is NO SLEEP!!! Not xanax or opiates for that matter....
I am gonna try to get my hands on some Ambien....calling the doctor this morning. I have no idea how i have been functioning for almost a month now on only 2 or 3 hours of sleep a night. I was always one of those people that required at least 7 hours a night. So between no sleep and running my kids to after-school functions, and my two year old.....i am exhausted and many days can't even get a nap in. Well i am heading up to a month sober...this weekend will be the one month mark for me.....life really IS much better, i just wish i could sleep thru the night for a couple of nights in a row and i would feel so much better!!!!
LISA

[yinksy]

Thanks Jennita
I enjoyed your post.
And in a way it reiterates what I am trying to say. Dependence or addiction - a matter of semantics? But effectively when you are the person either addicted or dependent - the you are the one who is going to suffer the consequences of withdrawal. That is what I am trying to say.
In here - we have all obviously had dependency/addiction problems - for the most part opiates seem to be talked about. But I have noticed that there is another thread running just now about the difficulty in coming off xanax. I suspect that there are many many people now trying to come off benzos of one sort or another and having the most difficult time. I can assure you - the taper is long and arduous. Nothing like anything else. So many people just give up and continue taking the benzo for life. Just cant take the long taper. (Think of the consequences - like being off work for a lengthy period of time - a year? - some people cannot work during taper - others can) Heroin addicts can "get off" and within 10 days or so can be playing football in detox centres or wherever. No chance with benzos. Its such a long hard slog - never ending. In fact - I have heard of people who had been taking xanax or ativan for a relatively short time - say - a few months - taking twice as long to taper off as the original time they were taking the drug.
It would just be so sad to see someone come off opiates and then become unwitingly hooked on a benzo while trying to recover - taking xanax or ativan or whatever - as prescribed by a doctor who had no idea of the possible consequences. Just as a sleep aid. Personally I have found that the medical profession in general is woefully misinformed on the subject of benzos - and if your doctor tells you its safe and non-habit forming - then he/she is negligent. Apparently, according to the literature available now, no benzo should be prescribed for longer than 14 days. All the info is there on the net for you to read. It is stated in the British National Formulary. It is stated in the Ashton Manual. Be informed. Its a "hot" issue now for GPs in the UK. There are huge numbers of people hooked on benzos (just by doing what the doctor ordered!) Apparently the country average is something like 400 - 500 people per typical practice has a problem with the long term use of benzos. Dont accept at face value what your doctor says if he/she is prescribing a benzo.
Insomnia is awful to cope with - I know - but it is a transient state - it will pass. Your brain will eventually function again properly and allow sleep - it just needs a bit of time to recover from the loss of its opiate.(or whatever) But sleeplessness for a few weeks has to be preferable to a dependency on another drug? Especially a benzo.
Y

[yinksy]

Lisa
Sorry - our posts collided in time/space and I did not see yours b4 posting mine. Sounds like a bloomin lecture! Didnt mean it to.
Well done for your 1 month anniversary - keep up the good work.
Sleep WILL sort itself out - I have been where you are - and I assure you it does!
Y