Three weeks no sleep

[[Ac...]]

Greetings

I haven't posted here in a long time....I jumped from clonazepam in November after a 16-month taper.

I had a nice month-long window in which I slept better from mid-January to mid-February

My sleep fell apart at that point and for the past 3 weeks have had no sleep...an hour here or there.

I am sort of able to lie there and soothe myself....

Any suggestions? Does sleep really come back? Need reassurance.

[[me...]]

Yes, it will come back! You are probably in a self-perpetuating cycle of worry about sleep, that makes sleep a bit harder to get. I think the fact that you slept well earlier bodes very well, as many on clonazepam have dreadful problems as their taper gets lower, and right after the jump.

 

Some things you can do to help--try not to go down the rabbit hole of trying different OTC meds, herbs and supplements, as that just confuses the body and delays healing. If you can't sleep, get a "blue blocker" bulb (or orange fluorescent bulb) to put on your lamp, and sit up and read or some other quiet activity. Don't just lie in bed feeling miserable. If you can lie there resting and meditating without anxiety, that is great. Very, very often, we don't think we get any sleep, but our partners will see that we do indeed get some sleep.

 

Try cutting out all caffeine if you haven't already, and keep strict sleep hygiene habits such as the exact same bedtime and rising time. Your sleep is quite fragile now, so you'll need to coddle it as much as you can for a while.

[[Ac...]]

Thank you so much, meowie, for your kind reply.

Yes, I am definitely in a cycle of worry about sleep and now somewhat conditioned.

You are so right about the rabbit hole of herbs and supplements. I have used some supplements that definitely help but when I add on melatonin or herbs, I feel just awful. I do avoid them.

Yes, it does seem good that I can rest these days without a lot of anxiety. that has taken some training this past week. Also, getting out in the sunshine even when I have had no sleep helps.

I saw your profile--saw amitriptyline mentioned. I was on that for sleep for years prior to benzos. So sleep has been a theme for a long time. have some trauma I am working out with a therapist. One step at a time.

How are you doing with the amitriptyline? Wishing you all the best.

[[me...]]

Acceptance, I jumped from amityptiline back in June (after 35 years of continuous AD/tricyclics use!). I also have struggled with sleep issues--you can see I took a benzo off and on for about 20 years. So this is the first time in my adult life that I have ever NOT had any drug to help with sleep.

 

It was kind of scary and hard for a while, but I'm happy to say that now my sleep is quite good. I get 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours almost every night. And sometimes I sleep through the night! but often it is broken up.

 

If I can conquer depression and insomnia after all those years of drug use, pretty much anyone can.

[[Ac...]]

That is just amazing!  You give me such hope. Thank you so much and congrats!