Help! No sleep during Xanax taper, doc wants me to start Zoloft?!?

[[Pl...]]

Doc wants me to taper at .5 mgs a week but I can barely tolerate .25 I'm at 2.75 right now, went from 8 to 3 over a few months. I'm taking a ton of unisom still no sleep. Afraid to start the Zoloft. Even tried wine last night it didn't help. I work full time and neeed to sleep. Please help

[[lo...]]

doc wants you to cold turkey and add some useless pill IMO.

there is a long list of non benzo sleep aids which can help

remeron/mirtazapine

doxepin

seroquel

 

I would ask about those first and taper via ashton method

[[be...]]

Unfortunately insomnia is fairly common with tapering too quickly. Your doctors taper plan is considerably faster than the recommended reduction rate of 5 to 10 percent every two weeks.  Can you talk to your doctor about slowing your taper down? 

[[ly...]]

 

 

Yes, talk to your doc.  Tell him that his schedule is intolerable and ask his specific reasons for making you miserable.  Do you have extra pills so you can adjust things for now?  I would either updose or hold until things settled down.  I would not allow my doctor to push me, particularly since mine put me in this situation to begin with.  Maybe even tell your doctor that you think it best to stay where you are on your dose - you may need the med long term.  This would not be true but when dealing with something like this (forced rapid taper/misery)...

 

You have to be functional for your job.  Does he want you in the "poorhouse"?  I'd ask him that one.

[[ti...]]

I had insomnia since I hit tolerance.  Even with a slow taper it still plagues me.  However, you are bound to get worse symptoms with a fast taper.  I was given Prozac for menopause and that just made me more jittery.  Zoloft is similar and may ADD to your insomnia.  Some antidepressants that help with sleep at low doses are mirtazapine, trazadone, and others, but I think the SSRIs just make it worse.

Everyone is different.  If you didn't have insomnia prior to the taper and you can control it by merely slowing the taper that would be best

[[St...]]

I'm going through a terrible detox too. No sleep. Zoloft is an anti-depressant of course and even before I got addicted to klonopin, if I took zoloft I'd look like a deer in the headlights. Anti-depressants for me alone without the withdrawal will cause me to not sleep. I don't think doctors know what they're doing with this stuff, if any of this helps at all.

[[Pl...]]

Yes there is no way I'm going to be able to drop at .5 per week. I'm trying to handle the .25 cut but it's also very difficult. I dom want to updose but I feel so weak. I am

Not touching that zoloft now.

[[Pl...]]

I tried l theanine and actually slept 5 hours. Is this supplement helpful? Should I look into phenibut for the day after I cut next?

[[NJ...]]

I take l theanine as needed, during the daytime though, when anxiety is getting the better of me. It is known to have calming principals and I think has a relatively safe profile. I don't know about phenibut--I do know it is on several lists of "avoid" during benzo withdrawal but I have no experience.

[[Th...]]

I'm on Zoloft and never found it to help me sleep. I take an antihistamine like benedryl or dramamine on rough nights, but they sometimes give me the creepy crawlies so half a dose works too. Problem is it's not an every night fix, at least for me it's not. If I try to use it every night I get a tolerance to it. I agree with the others that your Dr. has you going too fast. I'd ask him to let you take it at your own pace.

[[lo...]]

I just want to repeat myself about PHENIBUT. STAY OFF!

this shit can mess you up so bad, a benzo C/T will feel like a picnic compared

[[Pl...]]

Noted, I was going to pick up kavinace but will avoid. I'm also using unisom with the l theanine at night. I was wondering what else would help with the insomnia as i plan to cut again either tmw or Friday

[[ke...]]

doc wants you to cold turkey and add some useless pill IMO.

there is a long list of non benzo sleep aids which can help

remeron/mirtazapine

doxepin

seroquel

 

I would ask about those first and taper via ashton method

 

I partially agree with this. Remeron is a potent sleep inducer at low doses (15 to 30 mgs). A great appetite stimulant. AD's according to the Ashton manual (and my experience) can help with mood and anxiety issues during a taper. I would suggest that you talk to your doctor about a LOW dose of an AD (50 mgs Zoloft or 30 mgs Cymbalta) with remeron. It may be easy on your system. The .5mgs per week is really fast. Try to talk him down to .25mgs every 2 weeks.