1.5 year of can't fall asleep without med,need supportive words

[[pa...]]

So after spending 2 time in hospital and 2 group therapies I still can't fall asleep naturally.  :'(

I don't know what else to try anymore.I'm taking lexapro in 10 mg dose because of my anxiety symptoms and in the evening I'm taking nitrazepam 10 mg which gives me only 4 hours of sleep.

Then over weekend I need more sleep in hours and I must take 5 mg of zyprexa but then I sleep 12+h.I tried to cut the tablet between 2.5 mg and 5 mg but it brakes.

I don't know anyone who suffered insomnia this long.

I must remind you I was shiftworker before this happened,and I got stress at job which made me have panic attacks,anxiety and then I got Borderline personality disorder.

My psychatirst gave me circadian rhytym sleep disorder but haven't told me nothing how to threat it.After a 3 month group therapy I'm home now,unable to work,unable to live with this horrible insomnia.

Tried melantonin nothing,tried valerian,nothing no herbals help.

15 mg mirtazapine helps but gives me hangover feeling overday all day long which is awful.Amytripline same thing.

Seroquel 25 mg I vomit in the morning and bad drowsiness on it.

Please don't tell me to get some over the counter meds I can't find here because I live in poor country.

The only thing I can get here are antipsychotics,antidepressants and benzos.But not temazepam.

I'm really starting to thing I will never fall asleep naturally,and I'm having suicidal ideas.

Only day I slept naturally was last week when I went to other city,had fun,hang out with friends,came home after 3 h long ride,was so tired and fell asleep until 1:30 a.m. then I couldn't sleep anymore.

I wake up after 4 h of sleep and can't fall asleep anymore

So guys,what would you suggest me,to try anymore?

Did  CT of brain all fine,did Electrocardiography the result was increased anxiety.

So far I'm taking nitrazepam 10 mg for 3 months,I know it's not good but it's either to take it or I won't get any sleep.

I tried without it many times I toss and turn all night.I mean I feel sleepy even at 9 p.m. and can not fall asleep.

Like my brain is weired and fucked up from something.

 

 

[Guest [ba...]]

Only day I slept naturally was last week when I went to other city,had fun,hang out with friends,came home after 3 h long ride,was so tired and fell asleep... <snip>

 

Do this (or something similar).  Four hours ain't bad.

[[pa...]]

What you mean do this?

I can not travel to other city everyday?

But how long will I take benzo?I will build tolerance to it and then what??

[Guest [ba...]]

You were active on the day that you slept naturally (without a benzo).  You had fun, hung out, got tired and slept.  Do that.

[[pa...]]

Lol I'm doing it in my own city,and no sleep.Although I spend a lot of time in front computer,more then hanging with friends,but I didn't hang with friends few years back more then now,and I slept normally.

I don't think my insomnia has to do with hanging out with friends.Although it helped that day,possibly because I go tired walking whole day and from trip.

[[mu...]]

I am a fan of just getting out of the house and keeping as busy as possible as well.

 

I know it can be hard but just getting your mind off of the sleep issues really helps.

[[pa...]]

Can I expect soon to build up tolerance to nitrazepam??What when nitrazepam fails to induce sleep,what then???  :'(

[[mu...]]

IDK what nitrazepam is but I am assuming it is a benzo like anything else and it will stop being effective.

 

I still dont sleep naturally myself but I am on the minimum I can get away with and working to get lower.  You just gotta get outside and start enjoying life for what it is.  We can't sit an worry about everything as life will just pass you bye.

[Guest [Le...]]

Can I expect soon to build up tolerance to nitrazepam??What when nitrazepam fails to induce sleep,what then???  :'(

 

This topic seemed very familiar, and now I see that we had this conversation weeks ago - the same thing applies.

 

You should probably try to taper off benzos and Z-drugs as soon as you can, as things only get worse by staying on them. Much worse.

 

 

Damn,now I'm fucked up.

Lat night I tried to sleep without nitrazepam.I slept around 3 hours.Then at 1:30 I took 10 mg of nitrazepam and nothing no sleep.

Is it possible that after 2 months of it's use almost every day I already built up tolerance?

Now I'm huge problem,because obviously my psychiatrist will prescribe me antipsychotics.

Is there anything as exchange for nitrazepam?Zolpidem gives me only 2-3 hours of sleep.

Even If I do take them for 1 month (antipsychotics),will I be able to take again nitrazepam and got it's hypnotic effect so it can induce my sleep?

 

They no longer working for you, so yes, you have built up a tolerance, and you must either keep upping the doses or stop taking them.

 

Now I have to ask the same thing you asked before (below) - why take benzos and Z-drugs for sleep if you now know the consequences?

 

Then why did you take ambien for 10 years if you would new consequences?

[Guest [ba...]]

Lol I'm doing it in my own city,and no sleep.Although I spend a lot of time in front computer,more then hanging with friends,but I didn't hang with friends few years back more then now,and I slept normally.

I don't think my insomnia has to do with hanging out with friends.Although it helped that day,possibly because I go tired walking whole day and from trip.

 

I completely agree.  The first time I slept well after my c/t was after a long night lugging several loads of astronomy equipment to and from a local state park.  Much walking/carrying - and it was cold and dark which is also good for promoting sleep.

[[pa...]]

Leslie then recommend me sleeping pill other then benzo.

Because I suffer from Circadian sleep disorder and I need sleep,without any pill I won't get sleep that means suffering from depression,anxiety,stomach problems,nausea,worst headache tomorrow.

 

[[pa...]]

You guys keep on saying to me not to ake benzos but most of you did take and you probably knew consequences.

What then should I take,strong antipsychotic and feel drowsy and psychotic tomorrow and lscrewed up like that go to work?

Come on whats the solution except benzo and seroquel?

[Guest [Le...]]

Leslie then recommend me sleeping pill other then benzo.

Because I suffer from Circadian sleep disorder and I need sleep,without any pill I won't get sleep that means suffering from depression,anxiety,stomach problems,nausea,worst headache tomorrow.

 

There are no sleeping pills that work forever. They all stop working, and then you are back to the beginning.

 

Badsocref made good suggestions for how to sleep without pills - you should re-read those.

 

You guys keep on saying to me not to ake benzos but most of you did take and you probably knew consequences.

What then should I take,strong antipsychotic and feel drowsy and psychotic tomorrow and lscrewed up like that go to work?

Come on whats the solution except benzo and seroquel?

 

Yes, we took them, found out the consequences, and then had to stop.

 

Now we have had to learn to sleep without drugs, which stop working.

[[mu...]]

you have to weigh the lesser of 2 evil options.

 

Obviously you have Insomnia really bad.  You have 2 choices in life try to get off any sleep aids and if that is not an option, work with a Dr to find you the best sleep med that works best for you and at the lowest possible beneficial dose.

 

Asking random people online to suggest things isn't the best idea.  For some certain things will work and others it will not.  I would suggest trying to work closer with your Doc to have them help you and see all possible things they recommend both drug and non drug related.

 

Internet is good for searching and getting ideas but also bad because you never know whom you are getting the ideas from 

[[pa...]]

And he gave me benzo because probably he outweight positives aganist negatives,because as borderline I need that 4 h of sleep.

Other option I know even before nitrazepam I couldn't fall asleep.My longest period was 4 days/nights without sleep at all.

How is circadian sleep disorder threated?

I can't believe it last that long for me.

There must be a reason why my brain won't rest.

Could it be cortisole,hormone inbalance??I will accept all the advices but please don't tell me to stop benzo,because I'd rather take benzo then antipsychotic as long these 10 mg work.

It's strange that melatonin doesn't help.

"Badsocref made good suggestions for how to sleep without pills - you should re-read those. "

Where can I read those,can you link it?

[Guest [ba...]]

Yeah - I took benzos for sleep, but I had no idea of the damage they would eventually cause.  Like many here, I trusted my doctor.  Even if I had known that there was some small risk that the pills would turn on me, I probably would have taken them since I had almost never had a bad reaction to a drug.  Those undesirable side effects that you hear/read about had never been an issue for me.

 

I still think that you found the path to natural sleep when you got tired while traveling and slept naturally (even if it was 'only' four hours).  We evolved as hunter-gatherers who had to do physical labor each day in order to survive.  Now we sit in front of computer monitors and wonder why we sleep so poorly.

 

You don't have to travel to a distant town, but you can walk or bike to the local market instead of riding in a car or bus.  Get out.  Get tired.

[[pa...]]

After nitrazepam for 3 months, he prescribed me zolpidem 10 mg dose.

So guys if for you benzo stopped working,what then do you take for sleep,if you can not sleep naturally?

I posted on some other board,where some guys told me,that probably lexapro which I take in the morning is making me insomniac.

But my psychiatrist told me it's possible but rare and it's not antidepressant which is causing me insomnia,and that I need psychoanalisist.

So I lowered for last 2 weeks lexapro to only 5 mg,but then all hell broke loose,my anxiety got through the roof,panic,fears,and I had to get back to 10 mg.

Back then when I did fall asleep naturally,I was on 5 mg lexapro only.

OK guys I took now 7.5 mg of mirtazapin+3 mg melatonin+valerian root pills 2x150 mg.Wish me luck to fall asleep without wakening up.

I forgot to tell you back in summer I was bike riding everyday for like 20 km,tried even gym with moderate tiredness no luck with falling asleep.

But the worse thing I did was tried over 20 different pills,anxiolytics,antipsycotics,antidepressants in short period of time-6 months and I'm worried if I fu..d up something in my brain.

Well I took everything what was given to me,just to fall asleep and to find med for sleep.

[Guest [ba...]]

Melatonin didn't work for me at all until I had been off benzos for a few months.  Now it works great, but I can fall asleep without it.  It just takes time away from the sleep meds (lots of time, unfortunately).

 

To help yourself get back into a proper (circadian) rhythm, make sure you get some sunshine during the day and get some dark in the evening.  The more, the better.  People who go camping often go to bed pretty early and sleep well because they are outside a lot and more in tune with day/night.  They often also experience warmth in the daytime and cold at night. 

 

When you say that you have a circadian rhythm disorder does that mean that you get sleepy in the middle of the day instead of at night??

[[pa...]]

Yes exactly around 3-4 p.m. but I do feel sleepy around 9 p.m. too.

But no matter whenever I feel sleepy I can not fall asleep which is so strange and it's such an exhausting to me.

I mean now is 10 p.m. and I feel sleepy,my eyes are barely open,but if I go to bed I know I couldn't fall asleep.

and it's not benzo thing,I had insomnia before taking benzos.

It's almost like for me,that deep in my mind I feel that I must take pill to fall asleep.I mean is it possible I feel that way?

 

[[mu...]]

yup its possible to feel that way,  I do myself too.

 

I think most of us get what your experiencing.  I can lay in bed all night  still as can be at times with minimal sleep.  I think once you can get off most things your anxiety can reduce and you can deal with the minimal sleep easier.  Anxiety was the worst part of my earlier days. 

[[pa...]]

Murph do you sleep now?

Do you take any sleeping pills now?

[[mu...]]

I sleep and yes u can see in my sig what I take.

 

I average 4-8 hours of sleep some nights less but I do not have sleep anxiety anymore which allows me to go with he flow a lot easier and makes life a lot better