Insomnia... please help - Sleep Disorders Message Board

angels7113 · 05-29-2007, 08:22 AM

Ok everyone so heres my situation, I'm 27 yrs old...im looking for advice and your experiences....
So for the past month and 1/2 i have had major insomnia. It first started where i only slept 4 hrs a couple nights, then i was worried about it and missed a whole nights sleep, then my anxiety grew worse about not sleeping and since then has become worse. So my doctor gave me ambien which i tried a couple nights and did not like it cuz it made me feel strange and only kept me asleep for 3-5 hrs. Then i tried some xanax at night which worked for 2 weeks then started not to, So i was on that for about 3 1/2 to 4 weeks then tapered off and started taking lunesta and trazodone for about 7-8 days, which only kept me asleep a couple hrs, if that. Trazodone alone, did not work, only worked combined with lunesta. Anyways, i decided i wanted to be drug free since these meds werent really working and put me in a fog all day. So i went off them and the past few days have been getting no sleep. I went 2 days with zero sleep, on the 3rd night i fell asleep with no meds, off and on for 8 hrs, woke up about 3 or 4 times. Then the next night zero sleep again. Then last night i took 1/2 xanax and got some zzz's. Its like my body is soooo tired but my mind will not shut off and let me sleep, as soon as my thoughts start to drift, it zaps me back awake. Its so fustrating. Does anyone have this problem, and if i stay off the drugs will my sleep return to normal or has my body already become dependant on all these drugs to sleep. I miss that tired feeling that you get right before you sleep. I havent had that lately. I just want to be back to normal. Not sleeping has made me depressed, but i do not want to go on any anti-depressants, since i have read the horror stories and plus i was not depressed before the not sleeping. I have tried all the natural stuff to help sleep (exersice, camomile, melatonin, hot bath, relaxation, meditation, etc) Next stop i am going to a sleep specialist and hypnotherapist. I just want my normal life back where i could sleep 7 hrs no problem. Its like i have become afraid of my bed and sleeping. No tramadic events have happened to make me like this. When this first started i think i was drinking too much wine at night, which woke me up after a few hrs (i have stopped all alcohol and caffine use) plus my bf, works nights and was waking me up at 4 am for a few nights in a row which started me on this schedule.
Just wondering if anyone was successful in achieving a normal nights sleep again after stopping all meds after a month or so? Any advice would be appreciated... thanks in advance.

babygirl2005_21 · 05-29-2007, 08:30 AM

This is exactly the problem I have been experiencing! I am 23 and it started about 2 months ago. I didn't have a traumatic event either just one night I couldn't fall asleep and then the next night it got worse. Then I would get more and more anxious about sleeping. Finally I had to go to my doctor and she gave me a prescription for the 3mg Lunesta. I have slept great every night now. But I know I am starting to get dependent on them! I used to drink wine at night too so I have cut out all alcohol to see if it helps me. It has but this weekend I really wanted some wine but I couldn't! It wasn't very fun. I exercise 5 days a week too. But when I lay down to go to sleep my mind just races and won't let me relax. My doctor also thinks I have anxiety issues so she prescribed me Cymbalta but I haven't started it and don't want to. I wasn't depressed before all this either. Keep in touch!

angels7113 · 05-29-2007, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babygirl2005_21

This is exactly the problem I have been experiencing! I am 23 and it started about 2 months ago. I didn't have a traumatic event either just one night I couldn't fall asleep and then the next night it got worse. Then I would get more and more anxious about sleeping. Finally I had to go to my doctor and she gave me a prescription for the 3mg Lunesta. I have slept great every night now. But I know I am starting to get dependent on them! I used to drink wine at night too so I have cut out all alcohol to see if it helps me. It has but this weekend I really wanted some wine but I couldn't! It wasn't very fun. I exercise 5 days a week too. But when I lay down to go to sleep my mind just races and won't let me relax. My doctor also thinks I have anxiety issues so she prescribed me Cymbalta but I haven't started it and don't want to. I wasn't depressed before all this either. Keep in touch!

ya, it really sucks, its like over a month ago i didnt even think about sleeping really, i just was tired and fell asleep to tv and then went to bed and was fine, now i can't stop thinking about it. So lunesta is working for you? I tried the 2mg and it only kept me asleep for 3 or 4 hrs. Maybe i should try the 3mg, i just hate to be dependant on them cuz its so hard to get off. Plus they interfere with your sleep cycles. Ya my doctor wanted to give me lexapro but i said no since i wasnt depressed before so i dont think it makes much sense, its not gonna help me sleep... infact i saw one of the top side effects of those drugs is insomnia. I feel the doctors don't really listen sometimes they just throw drugs at you without figuring out why... anyways let me know how your doing w/the lunesta, etc.

babygirl2005_21 · 05-29-2007, 03:31 PM

Yeah as soon as I mentioned not being able to sleep my doctor wanted to prescribe Cymbalta! I don't want to take an anti-depressant I am not depressed! I finally got the Lunesta though. And one of the side effects of Cymbalta is insomnia. I can't handle any more of that! That's exactly how I was I never even thought about sleeping it was just something I did. What I think is that less sleep builds on itself and then you get a really bad problem to where you can't sleep at all. And all you do is think about sleeping. Because now that the Lunesta is helping me I don't even worry about it anymore. I think you should try the 3mg for a month just so you can catch up on your sleep. I think then you will feel better.

copter105 · 05-30-2007, 01:35 PM

Wow, I read your posts and it all sounds so familiar. I am 32 year old male and years ago in college, (even when there was no stress in my life)everything that both you girls describe happened to me. It never stopped. I guess I've just fought with it over the years and and did my best to cope with it. I was recently in the hospital and asked the doc to help me sleep, because I am naturally a light sleeper and there was so much noise and light etc... So he gave me a prescription for ambien (30 pills). I got out of the hospital but continued using the ambien. I haven't slept like this for years. It's only been 2 weeks but I feel like I am hooked on them. I guess I have a lot of stress in my life now but I work out a lot to help cope with it. I found that for a while, that helped me sleep. But now the minute my head hits the pillow, my mind starts racing (I've been like this for years now). I get so mad that I can't sleep, and my madness keeps me awake. I suppose I'm getting anxiety over not being able to sleep which is driving me crazy and not helping the situation. I am not depressed either. I have never been depressed. I feel tired during the day and then when I go to bed, I am never more awake. Do you guys have stress in your life? Can I ask you what you do for a living? Can I also ask if you are physically active (like working out or have a physical job)? This is a renewed problem in my life because I've slept like a baby for the last 2 weeks and now and I'm so tired but I can't sleep. Since your problem sounds identical to mine, I am curious if we also have that in common.