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scared about not sleeping at all anymore


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Hi all,

 

I am really hoping you can help me. I never ever had any sleeping problems until 6 months ago (I am 38 years old). I had a busy month before it all started with a lot of stress. Suddenly I got two or three nights a week with 0 sleep. But the nights after a sleepless night I slept 8 or 9 hours.

 

Still, I was concerned and went to my doctor who prescribed Temazepam 20 mg. On nights I couldn't sleep I took them.

 

Fast forward: I took them 4 weeks, because I just could not sleep anymore at all on nights I didn't take them.

 

After a month, I wanted to stop them. No sleep at all for 6 nights, I gave in and took Temazepam again. At first taking them I slept 6 hours on them, but now it will give me only 2 hours of broken sleep! Is my brain used to this medicine so fast?

 

So, tried to stop them again.... no sleep for 4 nights..... gave in again for 2 night...

This pattern is how it is now: I don't sleep at all for 4 or 5 night, than I take the Temazepam for 2 nights (to get a few hours of sleep). etc. etc.

 

I came on this site and I wondered: Did I make it worse by starting the medication? Is it an idea to change to 10 mg. of Diazepam to taper down from there?

 

I went from working 40 plus hours of work a week, to only 20 hours. I wonder if I can even my job like this.

 

I feel like I am alert all the time! My brain doesn't know how to sleep anymore. What to do?

 

My doctor isn't much help. He knows nothing about sleepingpills and addiction to it.

 

Hope you can help me.

 

- Do I need to switch to Diazepam and taper slowly?

- I am on day 5 of no sleep now. Do I need to get through this by not taking anything?

 

Hope to hear from you guys/girls.

 

PS: sorry, I am from the Netherlands, so if my English is not perfect: excuse me please :)

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Hi sleepwhereareyou :hug: Welcome to Benzo Buddies!

 

We are glad you found us.  These types of medications are only recommended for short term use, that is 2-3 weeks. You are just outside that timeline. For people taking benzos a few months or more, the rule of thumb is to reduce by between 5-10% every 10-14 days.  After 4 weeks use you could taper much quicker than this.

 

I am sorry your struggling with insomnia it’s a dreadful symptom. Perhaps you could take a look at the insomnia board, you might find something that will help.

 

Are you familiar with the  Ashton Manual , it is an excellent resource for information about these medications and gives a lot of information about withdrawal/tapering. 

 

I'll leave you a few links:

 

Professor Ashtons Manual

 

Withdrawal Support

 

General Taper Plans

 

Insomnia 

 

Please feel free to ask questions, members can respond best if they know your medication history.  If you would kindly create a signature line, listing your medication and dose.  Here are the directions to do that: ”Create a signature”

 

Welcome aboard

 

Magrita

 

 

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Thanks Magrita,

 

I know 4 weeks is not long, but they stopped working in these 4 weeks. Also, my insomnia is way worse than before starting this medication.

My doctor things I don't need tapering since I only used it a month.

I feel like I need to sleep first a week or 2 on something (maybe Diazepam?) and then taper from there?

 

I feel my brain is already used to the medication big time, and can't get back to normal on its own.

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Your sleeping pattern will return, try not to worry.  I had insomnia too, I never had it before benzo’s.  Insomnia is a common withdrawal symptom so its possible the Temazepam has made matters worse but It will sort itself out. 

 

If the benzodiazepines did nothing for you, why stay on them longer than necessary. I would taper off them, I would think any symptoms will go quite quickly.  Try and find other more natural methods to help with stress I am sure sleep will come. 

 

Magrita :smitten:

 

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I didn't take them for 5 days now. (also haven't slept  5 nights). Do you think I should taper down, or just not take them anymore? Can I go cold Turkey with only a month of use?

Or change to diazepam to try to get some sleep and taper from there?

 

I am really confused what to do.

 

I can't believe how good I Always slept...

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Hello Sleepwhereareyou,

 

I agree with your doctor that after one months use of Temazepam that tapering is not needed. You may have some rebound insomnia but it sounds like you have that anyway.

 

There are some natural and less complicated medications that you could try; 25-50mg doxylamine succinate or diphenhydramine, .5-1.5mg sublingual melatonin, passion flower and a few other things that have been mentioned here before. I posted a thread on sleep a while back maybe this will give you some ideas.

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=176907.0

 

Perhaps settling in with some Sleepytime tea with passion flower 1 hour before bed, a little doxylamine 30 minutes before and .5mg of melatonin right before bed will be enough for a while until you get over this.

 

You may want to look into your adrenal system' With such a sudden onset maybe your cortisol is out of whack due to adrenal fatigue or dysfunction.

 

If all else fails there is a relatively new drug that does not work like a benzo but it does work in the brain by quieting our awake neurotransmitters notably Orexin, the drug is called Belsomra. The theory behind it is that you use it for a few days in a row and it can reset the Orexin. Your insomnia sounds sudden and may be manageable by Belsomra. But I would not take anything for too long and this drug should be a last resort.

 

Your instincts are correct, benzos and Z-drugs are not a good idea. Find natural and or cognitive ways to deal with this episode of no sleep, it will pass. Do not get caught up in the tender trap of sleeping pills of any kind! You must find a natural way; meditation, prayer, yoga, deep breathing,  hypnosis, diet, supplements and vitamins, anything but Benzos!

 

Good luck to you, sleep will come back, try not to worry about it too much.

 

 

Wilson  :sleepy:

 

(I am not a physician, discuss this with yours.)

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Thanks Wilson,

 

unfortunately, I tried so many natural things already: melatonin, valerian, passion flower, CBD, night time teas etc etc. Nothing works...

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Thanks Wilson,

 

unfortunately, I tried so many natural things already: melatonin, valerian, passion flower, CBD, night time teas etc etc. Nothing works...

 

Yep those often do not work during taper when things are really bad... As I mentioned in my post certain prescriptions used off-label can also be effective for sleep, specifically 25mg Phenergan, 10mg Flexeril, 50-100mg Trazadone and even 200-300mg Gabapentin. Just be careful with the Gabapentin use it only occasionally. Some people have had bad reactions to it. Check with your Doctor, maybe they will prescribe a few pills of each to try out, they all worked well for me.

 

Wilson

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thanks Wilson,

 

I wanted to try the Trazodone. Read good stories about Trazodone and sleep, but my doctor didn't want to prescribe it to me, because it is not a sleeping pill, but for depression.

 

He is new at being a doctor and doesn't want to take risks.

 

I am going to the neurologist next week. I will ask him about the Trazodone.

 

Hope it helps with severe insomnia...

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Trazadone knocked me out almost as much as any Benzo ever did... I used it on only rare occasion when sleep was absolutely needed, it did have a slight hangover so I did nap the next day (which also was nice, I got caught up)... :sleepy:

 

Trazadone is an old school antidepressant from way back, the sleepiness side effect made it a deal breaker for many, but if sleep is needed and a doctor is willing to prescribe it off-label...

 

Wilson

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I really, really hope I get a doctor who will prescribe it for  me. I really begged for it today, but he really is too scared to give it to me.

 

Will a neurologist prescribe it?

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[34...]

Sorry, I'm going to disagree with others who responded on this thread.

 

To answer a question from your original post, yes Temazepam made things worse. It sounds like you have been taking it on and off for 6 months, and you are addicted. At this point you are off it for 5 days and haven't slept. You are wondering what to do.

 

First a few points about sleep drugs such as Temazepam and the Z drugs. They are quite addictive. Tolerance develops quickly. They have a short half life, so you can suffer interdose withdrawals (anxiety, etc) the next day. Using them for a while then stopping often results in severe insomnia, much worse than the original insomnia they were prescribed for.

 

I don't think you will Trazadone to be that helpful for the insomnia you get from Temazepam withdrawal. Once you are addicted to benzos or Z drugs for sleep, other remedies don't help much. I did take Trazadone during my benzo taper, and maybe it was a little helpful, but hardly noticeable. It's not going to be the miracle solution you are expecting.

 

One more point: Starting then stopping Temazepam - what you have been doing for months - is not a good idea. By doing this, you sensitize your nervous system, making withdrawal worse. Read about "kindling".

 

So, you have 3 choices for getting off Temazepam from here:

 

1. Continue with your cold turkey withdrawal, which it sounds like you are 5 days into. Other posters are right that sleep will return eventually. The problem is, how long will that take? I think if you can tough it out and get through it, this is a reasonable choice. However it sounds like you might not be able to tough it out. This plan is a bad choice if you're going to wind up reinstating Temazepam again.

 

2. Try to taper Temazepam directly. This can be done but it is not easy due to the short half life of Temazepam.

 

3. Cross to 10mg Valium and taper that. You mentioned that in your original post. I think this is a sensible plan. Valium is sedating so it should get you sleeping again. It has a long half life so you can achieve a gradual reduction in blood levels, which is what is needed to break the addiction. If you take 6 months to taper off, that may seem like a long time but if it gets you to healed it is worth it. You may still have some sleep issues during your Valium taper, but with a gradual taper the insomnia won't be as bad. What I found was that my sleep decreased as my Valium dosage decreased (#mgs Valium = #hours sleep seemed to be the formula for me!). However, below 2mg sleep started to improve as I healed up and recovered from my addiction. By the time I got to 0 I was sleeping full nights again. Tapering works!

 

I wish you all the best,

 

Chessplayer

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for your advice

 

I did use temaxepam not for 6 months but for 6 weeks... on and of the last 3 weeks (of those 6 weeks). Do you still think I should go on diazepam after 6 weeks of use. Ireallt doubt my doctor will give me diazepam for all those months... but I can try.

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[34...]

Oh, sorry, if it was just 6 weeks of Temazepam usage then maybe choice #1 would be best. It seems like recovery should not take too long - maybe a few weeks? - after just 6 weeks of use. A cross to Valium with a quick taper is also possible but is probably not needed.

Chessplayer

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Thanks chessplayer for your feedback.

 

I worry about ever getting my normal brain back.

 

I experience headaches

Feels like a tight band around my head.

 

So. You also advice no valium/ diazepam? I really dont feel like ever taking benzo again unless it will make recocery smoother.

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[34...]
You'll get your normal brain back. Right, at this point I'd recommend staying off all benzos and letting time heal your brain.
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I wonder how long I can take this.

 

I am going to contact a psychiatrist to help me.

 

I am leaning to trying the diazepam if it can help me sleep

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[34...]
Diazepam will help you sleep. You'll have to taper it, and you'll have some insomnia during your taper, but hopefully the insomnia will not be as bad as what you have now.
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Diazepam will help you sleep. You'll have to taper it, and you'll have some insomnia during your taper, but hopefully the insomnia will not be as bad as what you have now.

 

I am so undecisive. not sure what to do.

 

On the one hand I want to never take a benzo again. I only used 6 weeks, taking Diazepam means using a benzo at least months (since I need to taper long time). So, that is back on benzo's longer than I did.

 

On the other hand, if it can help me... than maybe.

 

Also, maybe the Trazadone can  help...

 

I have a very stressful job, maybe my body is just saying: change your whole lifestyle... quit your job, find something more relaxing...

 

 

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Just a quick note on traz, just from my own experience: if you go on trazodone, do a high dose, or it probably won't be effective! I just calculated that I could sometimes take maybe 10 pills of 50 mg each before I could fall asleep. My personal experience is from 2 years of degenerate Z-drug abuse and 3 more years of taking Ambien "per prescribed." What a nightmare. I still can't sleep at all without taking some sort of drug, but hopefully we'll be able to push through this together! Good luck on whatever you decide!

 

Traz negatives are that you feel extremely groggy and panicky when you wake up, but the panic goes away after about an hour. Positives are that if it helps, it's a drug with relatively low addictive potential and you may never have to touch another Z-drug or benzo again. In my case I just thought it was worth a try, and it ended up working, but it's good to consider other posters as well!

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Sleepwhereareyou,

You are just becoming familiar with severe withdrawal insomnia so it is very understandable that you are very frightened. We are all taught that a good night's sleep is essential to good health and are under the impression that we will become very sick and die if deprived of it for too long. Us old-timers can tell you that is just not true. For some reason I never even caught a cold when not sleeping, yet surrounded by sick family members. You probably will not be having the best time of your life for awhile, but you will be okay. Our bodies and minds have a way of making sure that we always get the minimum amount of sleep that is really needed to get by on. You just have to adapt to your current situation as best as you can and try to live as normal of life as possible until you recover. Taking other forms of medication may seem attractive, but it is really hard to say what real impact (physical or psychological) they will have on your brain as it tries to rebalance itself.

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I am so undecisive. not sure what to do.

 

On the one hand I want to never take a benzo again. I only used 6 weeks, taking Diazepam means using a benzo at least months (since I need to taper long time). So, that is back on benzo's longer than I did.

 

On the other hand, if it can help me... than maybe.

 

Also, maybe the Trazadone can  help...

 

I have a very stressful job, maybe my body is just saying: change your whole lifestyle... quit your job, find something more relaxing...

 

Can you possibly cut back on the hours you work daily/weekly? You have some tough decisions to make...I do understand how critical sleep is. Maybe the valium route is a possibility. I ended up tapering from valium. The toxic morning depression was my only complaint in using valium to get off the benzos. It really is hard to know what to do...life can get so complicated when you throw benzos into the mix.  :P

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I am so undecisive. not sure what to do.

 

On the one hand I want to never take a benzo again. I only used 6 weeks, taking Diazepam means using a benzo at least months (since I need to taper long time). So, that is back on benzo's longer than I did.

 

On the other hand, if it can help me... than maybe.

 

Also, maybe the Trazadone can  help...

 

I have a very stressful job, maybe my body is just saying: change your whole lifestyle... quit your job, find something more relaxing...

 

Can you possibly cut back on the hours you work daily/weekly? You have some tough decisions to make...I do understand how critical sleep is. Maybe the valium route is a possibility. I ended up tapering from valium. The toxic morning depression was my only complaint in using valium to get off the benzos. It really is hard to know what to do...life can get so complicated when you throw benzos into the mix.  :P

 

Thanks.

 

I am off benzo's now for 10 days. Don't feel like taking valium  to taper. I just try to go cold turkey.

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Thanks.

 

I am off benzo's now for 10 days. Don't feel like taking valium  to taper. I just try to go cold turkey.

 

I agree...if you can avoid benzos of any kind, that is best. It is good that you are determined to move forward with a plan that you're comfortable with...It's important that you feel in control.

 

I know as confused as I was in the beginning of this ordeal, I had to stay focused on the goal...to safely, and as soon as was humanly possible, get off these drugs that were making my life miserable. :(

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