Sleep worse at 6 months out

[[...]]

Hey buddies,

I just hit 7 months out yesterday! I'm happy about that but having some big issues still.

Needed some advice.

My sleep has seemed to get worse. I've had broken sleep this whole year. Waking up every 1-2 hours. That in itself sucks, but is not the main issue. I was able to get 6-8 hours of broken sleep most of the time. However for the last month, I've only been able to get 3-6 hours of broken sleep every night. Part of this is because RLS flared up out of no where at 6 months off. It's really bad when I lay down to go to sleep but seems to wear off after about an hour.

When I do finally fall asleep it's only for a short period of time.

My brain seems to be adjusting to it because I can manage to function all day, but am pretty much living life in a state of constant fatigue.

I can't tolerate melatonin, valerian, or unisom.

I have remeron and gabapentin but am hesitant to use any drugs. I want sleep to come naturally.  But at this point I'm thinking about taking something once a week to at least get good sleep for a night.

Anyone else had insomnia get worse after being off so long?

Hopefully it got better??

Thank you

[[Ch...]]

Hi evio. 

 

I've had RLS for 36 years...it was the diagnosis that started me on benzodiazepines in 1980.  Since then, docs have started using Parkinson's meds off label for RLS with great success. 

 

There are two that have worked for me... Sinemet (carbodopa/levodopa) and Requip (ropinorole).  Neither have any sort of dependence/addiction issues and for me, no other side effects.  Well, actually Requip makes me sleepy for about 20-40 minutes, so I take it about an hour before bed so it will help me get to sleep.

 

You may want to ask your doctor about this if RLS is keeping you from sleeping.  I have fairly severe RLS and would not sleep at all without Requip, which is the only medication I take.

 

Challis

[[Ch...]]

And I totally understand the reluctance to take any drug...I feel the same way, but for me it means a big difference in quality of life.

[[...]]

Thank you Challis!

I am hoping that the RLS is temporary since I never had it before benzo withdrawal.

However if it continues for a long period of time I will certainly look into the medications you have listed. at this point quality of life is more important to me than being able to say I'm med free.

It's very annoying for sure. But my RLS seems to only last an hour or so and then go away.

My biggest concern is not necessarily RLS but that my sleep seems to be getting worse! I fear that it will continue to decline or stay this way for good! I used to be a great sleeper pre  Benzo. I'm just hoping there are buddies out there who's sleep got worse and then improved again.

Or buddies like me who felt it will never improve but then we're surprised at the fact that it did. Even if it took a long time.

 

[[Ch...]]

Lucky you!  Benzo-related RLS tends to come and go, so for you it will go for good one of these days.  I'm a believer in 'whatever you were before benzos is the best predictor of the future', so I'd look to this insomnia resolving itself eventually. 

 

Have you tried Epsom salts in a warm bath before bed?

[[MT...]]

Evio,

 

It's normal for many of us to go into these phases of worsening sleep even this far out, thus the words you hear on BB so often: healing is not linear. I'm at 33 months and just coming out of a period of worse sleep related to a bout with pneumonia. Sometimes when it happens for folks there's a trigger like an illness or restless legs but whatever the cause, it usually cycles back to our baseline then back to improving. Take heart. This will get better. It doesn't mean you're truly going backwards.

 

MT

[[...]]

Challis I love hot baths. Any heat actually. Sauna, steam room, hot yoga are all very therapeutic for me. However I cannot do the magnesium. I was taking natural calm magnesium when I first jumped and it was a godsend. However after a few months I realized it was revving my symptoms. So I now have to add that to the long list of things I need to avoid.

So I'm afraid soaking in it will possibly rev me up as well.

 

MT thank you for those words. I just needed some reassurance that this too is temporary. Sometimes things get so rough I run out of gas and need some help to get kick started again.

Lack of sleep makes everything worse. Hoping for a turnaround soon. 

[[...]]

HI yes, i have always had bouts of RLS here and there and then got it real bad during withdrawal (apparently this is a common symptom).. i am doing much better now but still have waves of insomnia which was my worst symptom in withdrawal.. the RLS has largely settled but i do still get it here and there - generally mild tho.. i did look into all the things that contributed to RLS so you might wanna do a bit of research.. one of the factors is low iron which i am borderline in so i do take an iron tablet everyday every other at least which i think has helped also?? but i would say that this symptom is likely to get better you as the withdrawal gets better.. i do find that spraying the area with cold water can help as heat tends to make it worse.. so if that gets better it might help the insomnia.. as for meds for sleep - i know other people are dead against taking anything but i think taking something (non benzo of course) once or twice per week is ok.. i might use lose does of remeron or an anti histamine and i would agree with what others have said about progress, not linear and sometimes waves far out and when you least expect it - it's all part of the journey i am afraid

 

Hey buddies,

I just hit 7 months out yesterday! I'm happy about that but having some big issues still.

Needed some advice.

My sleep has seemed to get worse. I've had broken sleep this whole year. Waking up every 1-2 hours. That in itself sucks, but is not the main issue. I was able to get 6-8 hours of broken sleep most of the time. However for the last month, I've only been able to get 3-6 hours of broken sleep every night. Part of this is because RLS flared up out of no where at 6 months off. It's really bad when I lay down to go to sleep but seems to wear off after about an hour.

When I do finally fall asleep it's only for a short period of time.

My brain seems to be adjusting to it because I can manage to function all day, but am pretty much living life in a state of constant fatigue.

I can't tolerate melatonin, valerian, or unisom.

I have remeron and gabapentin but am hesitant to use any drugs. I want sleep to come naturally.  But at this point I'm thinking about taking something once a week to at least get good sleep for a night.

Anyone else had insomnia get worse after being off so long?

Hopefully it got better??

Thank you

[[...]]

oh yes, lack of sleep i believe is the worst symptom and makes everything else so much harder... been there and it's hell.. but hang in there it does get better - patience, perseverance and acceptance is what's needed ..  

 

Challis I love hot baths. Any heat actually. Sauna, steam room, hot yoga are all very therapeutic for me. However I cannot do the magnesium. I was taking natural calm magnesium when I first jumped and it was a godsend. However after a few months I realized it was revving my symptoms. So I now have to add that to the long list of things I need to avoid.

So I'm afraid soaking in it will possibly rev me up as well.

 

MT thank you for those words. I just needed some reassurance that this too is temporary. Sometimes things get so rough I run out of gas and need some help to get kick started again.

Lack of sleep makes everything worse. Hoping for a turnaround soon. 

[[...]]

Thank you for the reply.

My sleep unfortunately has not improved. Hence the late night response 

I took some niacin today and a little Valerian root- which I haven't taken in 3 months because of its gaba  effect.  Although neither is helping. I figure it's too late tonight for remeron but will probably try tomorrow.

The good news is I always get some sleep. Even if it's only 2-4 hours. It's very rare to not sleep at all.

And surprisingly I feel peaceful (most of the time) in the middle of the night for some reason. I think it's because of my natural melatonin.

That peacefulness goes away pretty rapidly once the morning comes and daylight begins.

I have never in my life experienced this kind of insomnia and it's frightening to me. I am seriously concerned as to what I have done to my brain.

Even in acute and for the first 5 months I did not have sleep problems like this. These endless days make rescue doses seem like a good idea. Fortunately I have been strong enough not to do that.

Anyway I appreciate everyone's support and kind words. It means more than I can describe to hear im not alone and others have experienced this nightmare and reached the other side.

 

[[be...]]

My experience was quite similar, although I don't have RLS. One thing that worked for me was paying super close attention to everything I ate after like 6pm. Once I started doing that I noticed there were random foods that impacted my sleep. I eliminated them for several months and it helped and now that I'm basically back to normal can have them again. So luckily that was only temporary. You might also want to ask your doctor about Clonidine - and do a search here on BB as there are quite a few threads about it. My lack of sleep caught up with me so my doctor suggested it for exactly what you describe. I was hesitant about starting a new drug even on an as needed basis but, for me, it worked really well and wasn't habit forming or anything. Hope this helps!

[[te...]]

I've been getting broken sleep 4-7 hrs for a month and half. Just recently, my Insomnia got really worse. I usually go to bed around 10-12ishAM, when I went to bed a few days ago, I was really tired and drowsy and all of a sudden I just woke up. This has been going on for 3 days now when I could used to get broken sleep I was fine.

 

I had to work a night shift recently at 11PM so I had to try catch sleep on an earlier time. Prior to benzos I was able to sleep at any time and take all the naps I wanted. I ended up getting a small sleep throughout the whole day and went into work like a zombie. I managed to actually get a nap again around 3AM. When I left work I was super tired that I nearly dozed off behind the wheel. When I got home around 8AM, I got to my bed and all my tiredness went away. I was super wired. I tried to sleep  about 3 hrs later I just got up. I felt like I got some sleep in between the hours. Sleep aids didn't work though it calmed me and my symptoms.

 

Makes we wonder if this is wd related or do I really suffer some kind of insomnia?