When you not able to sleep from severe anxiety

[[Vi...]]

What do you do?

Do you taking some natural sleeping aid? If yes would you tell me which one?

Should I go on some sleeping pills? NOT benzo!!! Would it mess up my healing?

How you able to function without sleep?

All suggestions welcome

Vica

 

[[si...]]

Hi, i am withdrawing from ativan but previous in life I withdrew from clonazepam(tranxene).

 

When I didn't take benzos, I still needed aid to sleep. My aids at the time were getting tired (didnt work but went to walk for 1 hour at afternoon or swim 1 hour in pool) plus antihistamine tablets that are only available in USA so I ordered them (from Europe where I live). Dont remember their brand name but they just make you more sleepy when you are already sleepy, thats the point. They arent habit-forming. But they have side effects: https://www.bcm.edu/news/sleep-disorders/experts-warn-against-antihistmaines-sleep-aid

 

My sleep was slowly restored when I stopped tranxene, by just waiting for months for it to naturally return to the usual 8 hours per night. For first 2 months I slept only 2-3 hours per night. The night I slept 4 hours I celebrated upon walking up as if I won the lottery. Same when I found myself sleeping 5 hours and so on.

 

Now I taper down from ativan use and at night to sleep I take  1 mg ativan and a pill that combines melatonin with lemonbalm. I dont know if its a placebo effect but I feel my sleep is more restful when I take the lemon balm-melatonin pill than when I take only the 1 mg ativan alone.

 

Some people swear by valeriana pills. But I think research shows more validity for pills with melatonin and lemonbalm.

 

I look forward reading what works for other people (except benzos!). I notice when I get tired physically I fall asleep faster and easier. So exercising 30 minutes around afternoon following by a hot shower, might help. And don't eat food 2 hours before lying to sleep as it can keep you awake due to indigestion.

 

 

[Guest [ba...]]

Sleep can definitely be a problem during withdrawal.  It was my biggest challenge.  I tried melatonin - it did nothing for me until I had been off benzos for a few months.  The most common antihistamine (diphenhydramine - found in benadryl, zzzQuil, Tylenol PM, etcetera) did very little for me.  Doxylamine (found in Unisom) worked a little bit, but I would still get very little sleep, and the doxy left me feeling really groggy the next morning.  I even used cannabis which helped some, but it depended on the strain (and cannabis is definitely not for everybody as it can add to anxiety in some individuals). 

 

The best thing that I did for myself was to learn to not worry about being awake all night.  On those (frequent) nights when I couldn't fall or stay asleep, I'd just find something mellow to do.  Sometimes, I'd manage to fall asleep watching something boring on the TV (golf channel, for example).  A lot of the time, I simply didn't sleep more than an hour or two (broken).  I'd still get up and go to work.  Yes, I was a space case, and yes, I felt lousy, but if I paced myself, I could get my work done.

 

Exercise helps some people, but I rode my bike 100k yesterday and was awake at 4:45 am this morning like usual.  I still think exercise is a good idea, but it doesn't always result in more sleep.

 

I'd stay away from valerian.  It works somewhat like a benzo (binding to GABAA)

[[Vi...]]

Hi, i am withdrawing from ativan but previous in life I withdrew from clonazepam(tranxene).

 

When I didn't take benzos, I still needed aid to sleep. My aids at the time were getting tired (didnt work but went to walk for 1 hour at afternoon or swim 1 hour in pool) plus antihistamine tablets that are only available in USA so I ordered them (from Europe where I live). Dont remember their brand name but they just make you more sleepy when you are already sleepy, thats the point. They arent habit-forming. But they have side effects: https://www.bcm.edu/news/sleep-disorders/experts-warn-against-antihistmaines-sleep-aid

 

My sleep was slowly restored when I stopped tranxene, by just waiting for months for it to naturally return to the usual 8 hours per night. For first 2 months I slept only 2-3 hours per night. The night I slept 4 hours I celebrated upon walking up as if I won the lottery. Same when I found myself sleeping 5 hours and so on.

 

Now I taper down from ativan use and at night to sleep I take  1 mg ativan and a pill that combines melatonin with lemonbalm. I dont know if its a placebo effect but I feel my sleep is more restful when I take the lemon balm-melatonin pill than when I take only the 1 mg ativan alone.

 

Some people swear by valeriana pills. But I think research shows more validity for pills with melatonin and lemonbalm.

 

I look forward reading what works for other people (except benzos!). I notice when I get tired physically I fall asleep faster and easier. So exercising 30 minutes around afternoon following by a hot shower, might help. And don't eat food 2 hours before lying to sleep as it can keep you awake due to indigestion.

Hi simplistic, thank you for responding back to me.

I tried melatonin and did not work for me. I felt very depressed in the morning. I took 3 mg for couple of times. Than I find out our body need only 0.3-0.4 mg melatonin for sleep, so basically I overdosed myself.

I'm happy to see that you able to go to work. I wish I would be too. This severe anxiety disabled me and its comes with severe burning thingling head/ scalp what is so painful I'm not able to sleep or wakes me up every hr or half hr.

I just don't know what to do or take. Tried Tylenol too but dos not do anything for my head pain.

Try to go for walk every day again dos not helping me.

I just don't know what to do.

Thank you for trying to help me. Wishing a very fast recovery for you.

Vica

[[Ho...]]

Hi Vica.

 

I know exactly what you mean by that severe anxiety with the burning scalp. I get burning all over my chest and arms and it lasts all day and night. Valerian and Passionflower plus chamomile helped but I think the are not recommended since they act of GABA receptors.

 

7 weeks ago I went on Paxil and even though I have always stayed away from medications I was so desperate that I decided to try it for the insomnia and anxiety. It helped me sleep. Before that I was sleeping 1 hour a night sometimes and would just lie on the cold concrete floor in my basement and burn with anxiety. Horrific! Now I can sleep most of the night even when I have severe anxiety or akathesia. It is strange but somehow it helped. I also believe that alot of my issues are worse because of early menopause.

 

I sent you a PM by the way!

[[Vi...]]

Hi Vica.

 

I know exactly what you mean by that severe anxiety with the burning scalp. I get burning all over my chest and arms and it lasts all day and night. Valerian and Passionflower plus chamomile helped but I think the are not recommended since they act of GABA receptors.

 

7 weeks ago I went on Paxil and even though I have always stayed away from medications I was so desperate that I decided to try it for the insomnia and anxiety. It helped me sleep. Before that I was sleeping 1 hour a night sometimes and would just lie on the cold concrete floor in my basement and burn with anxiety. Horrific! Now I can sleep most of the night even when I have severe anxiety or akathesia. It is strange but somehow it helped. I also believe that alot of my issues are worse because of early menopause.

 

I sent you a PM by the way!

Thanks for writhing me back. 

I send you pm

[[si...]]

Its a long way to healing and there is not short cut. But healing there is (in near future if 2 years can be considered near).

 

I exercise only in a pool (in a gym) or in the sea. When im in the sea I find the cold water (the pool is warm in comparison) alleviates body aches or migraine and surely the numb of cold takes away the shakes/tremors of withdrawal (not for ever, but even 2-8 hours of alleviating tremors makes me feel happier).

 

So cold shower or cold swims seem to give me a break from my symptoms but as I said elsewhere in this forum this is not advisable for people who haven't'check yet if their cardiovascular systems can take the cold shocks (i checqued my heart is ok but my brain and my GI not ok...).

 

I also wrap myself with cold compresses when I feel indigestion and migraines and vertigo. It helps again. I also wear glasses to look at computer screen when I have migraine. I read that some pc screens can decrease melatonin but im not sure about my laptop's screen.

 

I dont have a job, but due to restleness after reducing my daily dose of lorazepam I find myself trying to merely walk or just be out, in the house I get more depressed even with all comforts.... Going out also makes vitamin D for me since I live in a sunny country. Dont want to take so many supplements, I already take htp5-melatonin-vitamin c and sometimes a multivitamin (but I start doubting its health effects), I try hard to eat healthy but at this stage and due to stomach issues im not sure what to eat. I must eat every 2 hours a little bit of food because my blood sugar flactuates and it helps with my withdrawal symptoms. When I eat i feel calmer as if I took a drug. So eating frequently (but a few bites) keeps me energized and feeling less weak. (but yes its bothersome as to what to eat... I snack on cereal bars which have a lot of sugar, and boiled potatos/fish with mayo, avoid veges and legumes cause they bloat me etc).

 

My biggest challenge is to tackle stress/anxiety and depression which hit me hard every morning and also around 15.00 (not sure why). The rest of the day I am ok up to very ok. At night i look forward at my 1mg benzo and sleep. Each morning is pure hell though due to the stomach issues and the tremors that only go away when I breakfast and take 0.5 of my daily ativan dose.

 

Back to your question, I still ponder over kirkland antihistamines that used to help me when I withdrew from tranxene. I never abused them one was enough to help me fall asleep once I started naturally to feel tired and sleepy. But at this stage im still on benzos and I cannot take antihistamines for any reason. I have to go off the benzo first and that will last months. Unlike tranxene before (i did cold turkey), this time I cannot do cold turkey. When I dont take benzos, first night i sleep less hours, next day I feel at the brink of fainting due to so much inner tremors (maybe at the brink of life-threatening epilepsy although im not epileptic at all), and third night I dont sleep at all. As you see, I tried already cold turkey from ativan and failed and endagered myself too. Im sad that ppl at the hospital though im crazy or hypochondriac ,few nurses and doctors do understand the symptoms of not getting my dose of benzos.

 

I try hard to find the right diet, find money from relatives to pay better doctors, and find inner strength to go through difficult time alone (i have no support from friends or family). My mind is what bothers me most. All the rest , provided they are not life-threatening, I can manage (tremors, stomachaches, sleeping less than 8 hours), but my depression and my anxiety are two things that scare me most, cause I dont find easy ways out of them. For migraine/vertigo I can wrap a cold compress around my head and it helps. For fatigue I can go float in a pool or in sea for 1 hour. For my stomach I can abstain from bad food and eat nutritious food for a week and water and feel better. But for my mental/emotional issues...there is no easy fix. Exercise does help a little only, 40 minutes after starting to walk or swim I start feeling euphoric (due to endorphines I assume), but I need to devote 30-40 minutes for them to kick, as they need time. If I have panic attack days I cannot exercise at all which means I cannot take the benefits of cardio.

 

Exercise /getting physically tired typically helps a person sleep better. But if done near the hours of sleeping then it can keep someone from falling asleep. Used to do this mistake a lot as a teenager who loves sports. Now I know I must exercise either morning or mid-day not in afternoon (hours before sleep).

 

I feel also great when somehow my mind is locked to something new, a new person, a new book, a new hobby. But being mentally affected by drugs, my skill at anyting is reduced, and my ability to focus to write an essay for my part time university studies is also reduced. My university has some understanding of my problem but the essays and tests cannot be avoided. I just suffer low grades and barely pass the modules, which means I will get a very low grade on the degree with makes me wonder why I study in the first place, but I find studying makes me talk to people (im socially isolated as i dont work) and thats help me.

 

Also its proven scientifically that learning a new skill or /and reading books with new ideas, develops the brain and protects it from getting ill...

[[si...]]

I just read your signature Vica, Remeron was a scary experience to me. I was taking 2-4 mg ativan at the time. My doctor suddenly said I also take Remeron.

 

I think, but not sure, I took only the remeron. What happened next was one of the scariest situations in my life. I was on my bed unable to stand up for 4-5 hours as if I got vegetated. I was feeling intensely sleepy but without ability to actually fall asleep. My body seemed stuck to the bed. I would say its similar with people who have drunk 1 bottle of whisky and feel incapacitated for hours just lying down and eventually throwing up.

 

Not sure why I reacted like this, as I said I didn't even combine it with a dose of lorazepam. Or maybe I did (hm, I dont remember well).

 

I threw all the remerons I was given in the garbage bin. That was really scary experience... I naturally avoid alcohol all my life so my only problem is the ativan and the reasons I take ativan (Post traumatic stress and anxiety and depression). My doctor insists that I take Paxil but I cannot when I read only it will cause me new dependency. I want to find natural ways to boost my mood.

 

I am sure you go slow with remeron taping and once off remeron something tells me your body and mind will be better off. Withdrawal symptoms take different time in different people. But every day on lower dose or once off them, without a dose, you are really regenerating yourself and healing. The body has amazing self-healing powers by itself, positive thinking give it extra boost )))

[[Vi...]]

Sleep can definitely be a problem during withdrawal.  It was my biggest challenge.  I tried melatonin - it did nothing for me until I had been off benzos for a few months.  The most common antihistamine (diphenhydramine - found in benadryl, zzzQuil, Tylenol PM, etcetera) did very little for me.  Doxylamine (found in Unisom) worked a little bit, but I would still get very little sleep, and the doxy left me feeling really groggy the next morning.  I even used cannabis which helped some, but it depended on the strain (and cannabis is definitely not for everybody as it can add to anxiety in some individuals). 

 

The best thing that I did for myself was to learn to not worry about being awake all night.  On those (frequent) nights when I couldn't fall or stay asleep, I'd just find something mellow to do.  Sometimes, I'd manage to fall asleep watching something boring on the TV (golf channel, for example).  A lot of the time, I simply didn't sleep more than an hour or two (broken).  I'd still get up and go to work.  Yes, I was a space case, and yes, I felt lousy, but if I paced myself, I could get my work done.

 

Exercise helps some people, but I rode my bike 100k yesterday and was awake at 4:45 am this morning like usual.  I still think exercise is a good idea, but it doesn't always result in more sleep.

 

I'd stay away from valerian.  It works somewhat like a benzo (binding to GABAA)

Hi bad, thank you for writing me back.

I wish I would just able to lying in bed like you. I have sever burning head / scalp and I'm not able to sleep bc the pain. If I would not have a pain I would not care how much I sleep.

I'm happy for you to able to go to work. You are strong men. I thought I'm a strong women too but this pain just to much to work with.

I don't see the light 

Thanks again

Vica

[Guest [ba...]]

Vica - there was a stretch when I had searing, burning pain in my feet, and it was impossible for me to get comfortable in bed.  So I understand what you mean.  All I can see is that the pain eventually went away, and I was able to relax more in bed.

[[Vi...]]

Vica - there was a stretch when I had searing, burning pain in my feet, and it was impossible for me to get comfortable in bed.  So I understand what you mean.  All I can see is that the pain eventually went away, and I was able to relax more in bed.

Ohh thank you but I can't belive it will go away for me. I'm 16.5 months out and is just getting worst and worst not better. My night was getting better in 14 months and now I'm up all night with severe anxiety burning squeezing head scalp. I can't take this anymore.

I know this is not withrawl anymore. I have to go on some medication I have no other choice to save my life. I hope is not to late.

Love and healing

Vica

[[ph...]]

I'm no expert, Vica but I think it could still be withdrawal. I'm new here but I think withdrawal can last that long, unfortunately.

[[Vi...]]

I'm no expert, Vica but I think it could still be withdrawal. I'm new here but I think withdrawal can last that long, unfortunately.

I hope you right, bc that means it will end one day.

Thanks for writhing me back.

Love and healing to you

Vica

[[Es...]]

When I know I’m not gonna sleep. I just don’t go to bed. I try to do stuff at home. If you don’t have to get up for work. It’s no big deal not sleeping at night. I cannot find a better distraction from anxiety than household chores with my wireless headphones on. Listening to self-help books. Someone keeps talking to me and my sick brain gets rewired. The more I manage to get done - the more functional and satisfied I feel. Then, I just feel so sleepy I think I’d lie down with my Kitty for half an hour. I wake up after 6 hrs. I never go to bed when I feel rested.

[[gi...]]

What do you do?

Do you taking some natural sleeping aid? If yes would you tell me which one?

Should I go on some sleeping pills? NOT benzo!!! Would it mess up my healing?

How you able to function without sleep?

All suggestions welcome

Vica

 

I do my Sudoku puzzles

Play with my cat

Write letters

Take long hot baths

 

Sleep was non-existent at the beginning of my withdrawal.  But now it's slowly coming back, usually can fall asleep for few hours.  But once in a while I encounter sleepless night, so the above come in handy.

[[Vi...]]

To ginger, Estee, Thank you for writing me back!

I wish I would able to read or do puzzles.

My anxiety so bad it causes so much pain in my head is burning and squeezing all day. I can't focus on anything, is taking all my energy. Now my hearts hurting all the time and my fair is I developed some heart condition. I'm checking my heart rate all the time and is high and most of the time is in the yello which means something wrong.

My biggest fair benzo and remeron withrawl will kill me. 18 months out and I'm not getting better.

I had some better nights lately but days are horrible.

I'm losing hope

Love and healing to you all

Vica