HELP!!! Taking RESTORIL, TRAZADONE, STILL not sleeping!! - Sleep Disorders Message Board

LDS_Mommy · 07-12-2002, 12:56 AM

What is WRONG with me!!!
nothing's working, im horribly outright MEAN and cranky with my kids, haven't slept well in literally MONTHS!
I'm scared to death, I do NOT want to have a psychotic break from loss of sleep.
PLease, any advice at ALL?

Kim

Megherc · 07-12-2002, 01:02 PM

Taking these drugs for sleep will ultimately worsen previous insomnia problems because they are addictive(or cause dependancy), and they eventually stop working as the brain develops a tolerance to them. Stopping them (but slow taper each drug individually, never cold turkey) will bring on withdrawal insomnia, but that will get better in time, although it may take quite awhile for the brain to be able to make it's own sleep chemicals again; possibly only a few months or maybe a year+, depending on how much of a dependancy (form of addiction)the brain has formed.

When natural sleep starts to return, it will be in fits and starts; sometimes only a few hours of sleep at a time. This requires patience. But with natural sleep returning, REM sleep will come back with a vengence and there will be alot of dreams and nightmares maybe. But dreams are what keeps the brain from going psycho, so it is a good thing. By the way, most psych drugs, especially ones like Restorial (a benzodiazepine), will suppress REM sleep when you take them; this is not a good thing.

Anyway, it may take some incredible patience now on your part. Lots of people have made it through this. Important things to check also is your lifestyle..too much stress, etc. Take absolutely no caffiene, alcohol, diet pills, energizing herbs, drinks or vitamin supplements. Get adequate proteins; if you like, large amounts of milk contain precursors to melantonin, the sleep hormone, so daily milk intake may be helpful. At night, try a cal-mag supplement before bed (good muscle relaxer); also, a good sleepytime tea might help. Over the counter sleep aids aren't addictive, but they are sometimes too weak to help although they can help some nights so it doesn't hurt to try on a night sleep won't come anyway.

Also examine any other prescription meds you might be taking; alot of them cause sleep problems...my father-in-law took asthma meds that caused this; my mother takes predisone for an inflammatory condition that has insomnia as a side effect...unfortunately, the conditon is very bad and predisone is all they have for it. She sleeps, but not as much as she should.

So, leave no stone unturned; try to discover the reasons for the initial insomnia...getting a physical couldn't hurt to rule out things like thyroid conditions. But realize the initial sleep problems you had are taking a back seat to the withdrawals and the tolerance you have developed against the Trazadone and Restorial. Right now, the drugs will be to blame, and it could take very long for the brain to recover from that alone. In the meantime, try to rest and relax whenever you can, even if you can't sleep, mild exercise whenever possible, and try to get to the bottom of original cause, so that when withdrawal is over, you won't repeat the same original mistakes. Good luck

[This message has been edited by Megherc (edited 07-12-2002).]

LDS_Mommy · 07-12-2002, 11:51 PM

I've only been taking the restoril for 4 days.
Thanks for the advice.
BTW, he only gave me a weeks supply of the restoril, because he also, was afraid of a psychotic break, and I'm a single mom, (newly) with ALOT of stress going on presently, and he was a little concerned about my short fuse with them as of late.
Thanks again,
Kimberley

Megherc · 07-13-2002, 01:08 AM

It's good you haven't taken Restoril too long. I wouldn't take it anymore, though, dependance can develop in as little as 2 weeks. If your Trazadone wasn't working well, tolerance may already have developed to it...... Trazadone also has a withdrawal period, but not as long as benzos.

Good luck; hopefully you can find non-drug ways to help your sleep intil things can get better for you.

[This message has been edited by Megherc (edited 07-13-2002).]

fitzjr · 07-13-2002, 04:46 AM

I've read the other replies, and I agree and disagree.No, it's not good to get used to medicine and if you can find a way to sleep without medicine, thats great. But as a mom of two, 9 months and 5 years, I can understand what your going through. I tried for years to deal with things without medicine (mainly my doctor telling me I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and couldn't help me). He told me to just deal with it. I wasn't happy with that and searched and searched. For 3 years I was a single mom too and had little or no support. Being tired and than not being able to sleep on top of that is very frustrating. And a crying baby and all the other pressures made life miserable. I went to a therapist (really helped) and she recommended a wonderful doctor. I have been going to him for 2 1/2 years to 3 years. In the beginning, I was on Wellbutrin (for depression, moodiness etc), Trazadone (for sleep), and Effexor (another anti-depressant). The combination worked for me and when I could feel the symptoms coming back, we played with the dosage. My fatigue was still there, but it was VERY bearable. Then I got pregnant in Jan of 2001. He took me off of the Wellbutrin, Trazadone, and Effexor. He switched me to Prozac (very bad reaction) and then to Paxil. Both were safe for my baby. My son is 9 months now and I am still on the Paxil. I am never cranky and my husband can't believe how much patience I have. The only problem I was having, since my little one doesn't sleep either, was being very tired during the day. (Another symptom of my depression). When it came time for me to sleep, I couldn't, or wouldn't.(Yet another symptom of my depression). I refuse to sleep for some reason, no matter how tired I am. I had to learn to take the Paxil around 3:00 in the afternoon, so I would sleep at night. Then baby would be getting up 2 or 3 times at night and then I would be drained during the day and just fall asleep on the couch. (Baby and 5 year old were safe). So now I am on Provigil too to keep me awake during the day. I have to take that around 4:30 in the morning, so it wears off by midnight the next night so I can sleep. Last night I went to sleep around 10:00 and he woke up around 1:30. And I got up again at 4:30 to take my Provigil and went back to sleep. He was up at 5:30 and now he's back to sleep and I am ready to go.(It's now 6:45 here).
I guess what I am saying is that everyone is different. If you can't do it alone (without meds), then do whats best for you. I will probably be on meds the rest of my life (i'm 33) and I am OK with that. I trust my doctor completely and he listens to my symptoms and really works with me.
Just keep communication open with your doctor and TELL HIM EVERYTHING. In the beginning even my joints were hurting and now that my depression is under control, they don't bother me anymore.
Tell your doctor the Trazadone isn't working anymore. You may have to have the dose increased. I was up to 250mg before I got pregnant and it was a god send.
I hope this helps. Being a single mom is VERY hard and feeling like crap doesn't help. Find a good support group for single moms or find a good therapist. Or talk to your best friend. Talk to anyone that you trust. Don't keep it inside and don't think that you are alone. Things will work out, with or without medicine. Do what's best for you and your baby. (congratulations, by the way). Just don't give up.

[This message has been edited by fitzjr (edited 07-13-2002).]