How long off and how are you sleeping?

[[De...]]

Wellness,

 

I had been sleeping each night too, but was struck with stress and have had lousy sleep the past week. It is SO frustrating!!!!  I'm waking up in the middle of the night again.  I feel like my system is so vulnerable to the slightest stress and takes me off guard.

 

[[we...]]

I started sleeping about three weeks ago, but not last night. I'm still exhausted, but it is less, , but I know that I am healing now. It took 6 1/2 months to start sleeping

[[...]]

hi wellness - i am in my 3rd month and struggling but the sleep thing is pretty good.  i sleep from aabout 10 to 3 - wake up - drink a little grape juice and go back to sleep.  i think a lot of it is because i think i can sleep now.  i really had it before that i couldn't and that made it worse..xoxo

[[ma...]]

I jumped on July 4th, so I'm off a little over 2 months.  I've been in insomnia hell ever since, sleeping anywhere from 0 to 3 hours a night.  I can count on one hand the number of times I've gotten more than 3 hours' sleep.  Those are "good" nights at 4-5 hours sleep.

 

I've tried gazillion things to help me sleep, with little improvement.  Seems I just have to ride this out if I can.  Right now I don't have much alternative.  It's awful.  I'm really concerned about the effects on my overall health.

 

Mal

[[Su...]]

I jumped on July 4th, so I'm off a little over 2 months.  I've been in insomnia hell ever since, sleeping anywhere from 0 to 3 hours a night.  I can count on one hand the number of times I've gotten more than 3 hours' sleep.  Those are "good" nights at 4-5 hours sleep.

 

I've tried gazillion things to help me sleep, with little improvement.  Seems I just have to ride this out if I can.  Right now I don't have much alternative.  It's awful.  I'm really concerned about the effects on my overall health.

 

Mal

 

I experience the very same thing and was VERY concerned about the effects on my health...I am 11 1/2 months off and sleeping 5-8 hours every night. I take 62.5mgs of Trazodone for sleep. I started that about 2 months ago...I just want to assure you that although I felt like I was dying from sleep deprivation, I didn't and have had no real adverse effects from the lack of sleep outside of just feeling like crap.

 

Another person on this from, CMGMelo, went through the exact same thing also...I believe she is 9 months off and is sleeping much better than she was.

 

You are SO early in benzo w/d and I hope it doesn't go the same for you, but this is kind of a long-term problem for many of us...I couldn't take it anymore and decided to go the Trazodone route...however, I had tried it early on in withdrawal and it was useless, even at 150mgs! I am going to try to taper off of it in the next 6 months but really fear that I will be unable to fully come off of it. I'd be happy if I could just get to the point where 50mgs did the job.

 

I had tried EVERYTHING! Chamomille tea, Power to  Sleep, Melatonin, L-Tryptophan, homeopathic drops, Benadryl, Unisom, Meclyzine (sp?)...you name it, I tried it...the Unisom helped more than anything, but again that was AFTER I was 6 months off...I made the mistake of trying Seroquel..don't do that!!! It was AWFUL to come off of!!! and it made benzo withdrawal symptoms 100 times worse!! That's my experience anyway..it makes you sleep, but the rebound insomnia was just evil to deal with.

 

Hang in there,  I was just positive i was never going to be able to sleep again, but I am. You just have to give it more time.

[[de...]]

I am 4 months and 3 days off.  Have no trouble falling asleep, but typically wake up after 4 hours (or 5 hours if I'm lucky).  So usually go to bed around 11 and wake up between 3 and 4.  Wake up with huge adrenaline/anxiety - chest pressure, tingling hands, racing thoughts,etc.  A very unsettling way to start the day. Am trying to get through this with minimal assistance.  Sometimes take melatonin, but not sure if it does anything.  Take magnesium glycinate (400 mg) before bed.  If it gets really bad, I will take some tylenol pm.  Epsom salt baths in the early evening help relax me. 

 

Doctor had me try remeron, but it didn't help much and I started gaining lots of weight and I really didn't want to be on any more meds, so I gave that up. 

 

I really wouldn't mind only getting 4 or 5 hours of sleep - it's just the way that I wake up and having to deal with all the symptoms.  It makes me exhausted even before my day starts.

 

Just as an FYI, I work full time and my job is currently extremely stressful so being tired all the time is not really conducive to doing good work...

 

 

[[ma...]]

Have  you tried the sublingual melatonin? I use Source Naturals 2.5 and most nites it really works and even makes me a bit sleepy. I use it to go to sleep because that is my biggest problem but others have used it in the middle of the nite. you might try that. I also use Calms Forte or Rescue Remedy Sleep spray. The REscue seems to work better for me. Both are inexpensive and I use them in the middle of the nite when I wake up. The more time that goes by, the better your sleep will get. I know that isn't what  you want to hear but the older members keep saying it and it is proving to be true. I am almost 8 mos off and I am finally noticing I am sleeping a bit better. Still need to use something to go to sleep...epsom salts baths, magnesium oil spray, oat straw tea and melatonin but I feel better about that than taking the unisom.

If I am desperate for sleep and busy the next day I will take a unisom. It works tho am a bit groggy the next day. For me it is worth it for sleep. Also take it if I am hyped up and can't relax.

Oh, I also find relaxing cd's on my ipod help for middle of the nite awakenings. Either guided imagery or relaxing music or rain sounds from Insight CD.

Good luck.

[[ji...]]

I WAS sleeping well the last ten days, but last night I think my window shut tight. I took Unisom which has worked in the past but it did not work at all. I felt anxious and weird and wide awake with a heightened awareness that I wasn't sleeping. I don't know what happened. I really thought I was starting to see progress.

[[re...]]

One thing to consider is getting enough natural sunlight each day.

 

I was getting 8+ hours a night and then because of work I've been exercising indoors in the morning and skipping my daily outdoors time-  sure enough my sleep has gotten choppy again.  I've read that we really need natural light to modulate our circadian rhythm.

 

No matter how busy work gets I'm really going to try and make the effort to get outdoors.  I think the sleep formula that works best for me is 1. plenty of exercise  2. outdoor time  3. small nutritious meals- omega 3s

 

 

 

Wishing you all Restful- Restorative Sleeeppppppp 

 

B

[[ma...]]

Hi Jittery. Sorry you had such a bad nite. Sometimes when we are too wired, even the otc drugs don't work. I've had that happen with Benadryl. It was like I forgot to take the pill. It did nothing for sleep. Other nites its great. If you are feeling hyped during the day try to take an epsom salts bath (2 cups at least for 20min and then wash off) It is very relaxing. If you get a chance go read the link Mal sent. I forgot which thread it was. It is about an herbologist. She really loves oat straw for relaxation. Me too. I think it is really helping me. The nite I didn't take it, I didn't sleep at all.

the recording was at a website called ezsleepsolutions. Maybe Mal will see this and tell you which thread it was on.

Did you use the relaxing cds?

[[ma...]]

Hi all,

 

Here's the link to the Susun Weed interview on sleep.  I'll post it on the new thread as well.

 

 

http://www.ezsleepsolutions.com/interviews/exclusive-interview-with-susun-weed/

 

 

Mal

 

[[Zu...]]

I'm almost 8 months off and have been fortunate to have slept mostly fine during my withdrawal, but I think the A/D that I was on was contributing to me sleeping well (and feeling sleepy most of the day, too).  I am now slowly tapering off the A/D and I am having a difficult time getting a good night's sleep.  I'm experiencing some trouble falling asleep, sleeping very lightly, and also waking up in the middle of the night with racing thoughts.  Hope this goes away soon...

[[we...]]

I almost &predict when I'm not going to have a good night sleep. It's almost as if I feel too tired or too exhausted. During those nights my sleep is really really choppy. If I can somehow relax before going to bed, that seems to help.

[[ma...]]

Zugora,

 

I read your signature line and I'm suffering from the same kinds of symptoms you are.  About a month after jumping, which was early August, the depression became debilitating for me as well and I tried amitryptiline hoping it would help both with mood and sleep.  I took it several years ago and it helped, but this time it actually made me more anxious so I stopped taking it. 

 

I've considered trying other A/D's but fear I'm only postponing the inevitable.  I also don't want to contend with any other possible side effects because my system has gotten so worn down and fragile from the benzo w/d.  I just can't handle any more problems.  My insomnia's horrendous, with a good night being 4 hours sleep.  There are some nights when I don't sleep at all, which never happened to me before benzos.  I'm only 2 months off where you're almost 8 months, so maybe you will experience some sleep problems coming off the A/D but not as intensely as you might have earlier on.  That was my thinking in taking the amitryptiline, that it would get me through the worst part and then I could slowly wean off the A/D--unfortunately it didn't work. 

 

I hope you're sleeping better soon.

 

All the best,

Mal

[[...]]

susan weed was interesting..wish i could remember what that affirmation she said was - part of it was "I am 100% satisfied....and"

[[we...]]

Sleep history since January 20th 2011, last ativan dose, all times are approximate.

 

For the first two weeks after my last lorazepam dose, I slept very little.  Over the next several weeks I slept in 5, 10, and 15 minutes increments, mostly hypnagotic sleep, waking me up with sounds, bangs, jerks, panic attacks, and adrenaline rushes when I slept at all.  I had many, many nights of zero sleep, sometimes getting only four hours of disrupted sleep in 72 hours.  After a few weeks, I started getting some nights containing a couple of hours of deep sleep.  Sleep hygiene helped, but did not increase this amount of sleep.

 

Months 2-3, I started dreaming regularly, but still had many nights of zero hours of sleep, I was typically sleeping three or four hours a night, still divided in small increments of time of less than one hour.  I was still shaking violently, and getting regular adrenalin rushes during the night.

 

Around April month 3-4, I started getting regular periods of deep sleep a couple of times a week.  The remaining sleep was still disrupted, and I had regular nights of zero hours. Around this time, I started “cycling”; one night sleeping six or seven hours discontinuous, and the other night sleeping zero, one or two hours. This cycling lasted several weeks.

 

Months 4-5 I was still waking up most nights with adrenaline rushes and my heart pounding, typically between 1 and 4 am, this subsided by month 8.  Around this time , what I can best describe as my sensation to pain started to come back after eight months of little or no sensation in most of my body. 

 

During the next couple of months, whatever sleep I did get was interrupted by pain, mostly in my upper back, shoulders, neck, arms, lower back, and sciatic pain in both legs. I took the maximum allowable dose of acetaminophen throughout the night. My doctor prescribed an NSAID, but unfortunately it didn't help.

 

In month 7 I suddenly started getting one or two nights of 5+ hours of contiguous sleep a week. One of those nights was at the sleep clinic. The rest of the nights I slept as little as one hour and as much as four hours but always broken. I still took acetaminophen at night to sleep.

 

At nine and a half months off, my sleep is improving but still disrupted with several awakenings lasting several minutes, sometimes hours, most nights. I have vivid and lucid dreams during the night. I feel I'm getting some deep sleep almost every night, however I have intense fatigue throughout the day every day and never feel rested.  Sleep is very erratic, with no discernible pattern. I cannot nap during the day.

I average about 5 to 6 hours a night.

[[ji...]]

Wellness,

 

I'm glad your sleep is improving but I'm sorry it's happening so slowly. I have resorted to trazadone at night to sleep. In acute wd it did nothing and made me feel worse. But I tried it again and now it works with little side effects for some reason. With it I can sleep 6-8 hours most night if the baby isn't up a lot. Last night I slept 10 hours (broken) but it was like heaven to feel so rested. I think I'm in a window right now..only slight twitching and no anxiety. I'm having such a stressful time I had to resort to meds or I would have lost my mind. I'm scared of having to eventually taper though. Hang in there.... I hope you can see more improvement very soon.

 

 

Jittery

[[we...]]

Jittery, I am not anti-medication by any means. I think sleep will help you heal faster and make you more functional in the short term. I think that is a key. We would all like to be medication free. There will be a time for that. I'm glad you're getting some relief.

[[Su...]]

Wellness,

 

I'm glad your sleep is improving but I'm sorry it's happening so slowly. I have resorted to trazadone at night to sleep. In acute wd it did nothing and made me feel worse. But I tried it again and now it works with little side effects for some reason. With it I can sleep 6-8 hours most night if the baby isn't up a lot. Last night I slept 10 hours (broken) but it was like heaven to feel so rested. I think I'm in a window right now..only slight twitching and no anxiety. I'm having such a stressful time I had to resort to meds or I would have lost my mind. I'm scared of having to eventually taper though. Hang in there.... I hope you can see more improvement very soon.

 

 

Jittery

 

 

I had to do the same thing (resort to Trazodone)...I tried it early off too and it didn't do a thing...but at about 9 months off benzos I tried it again and it did work well. I was originally taking 100mgs but now I am at 50 mgs. How much do you take Jittery?  I did a very slow taper from the 100 to 50mgs w/out incident. I plan to get off the remaining 50mgs by having a compounding pharmacy make it and do a slow taper that way.

[[ji...]]

Hi sunny,

 

Thank you for the info! I take between 100-150mg to sleep. I also have to take 25mg of benadryl. Some nights are better than others. I'm hoping by spring I can start to taper the traz then the benadryl. I'd like to get more info about your taper at some point. I'm going to sleep doc next week so I hope he doesn't contraindicate the two together we shall see I guess. It's better than not sleeping!

[[de...]]

besides waking up with anxiety and/or panic attacks, i've been sleeping much better since off benzos.  i'm almost five months off. 

[[Su...]]

Hi sunny,

 

Thank you for the info! I take between 100-150mg to sleep. I also have to take 25mg of benadryl. Some nights are better than others. I'm hoping by spring I can start to taper the traz then the benadryl. I'd like to get more info about your taper at some point. I'm going to sleep doc next week so I hope he doesn't contraindicate the two together we shall see I guess. It's better than not sleeping!

 

You should find that the longer you are off benzos the less Trazodone you will need. I cut a 50mgs tablet into 1/8ths and took one 1/8th away every week until I got down to the 50mgs I am currently at. However I have been cold turkeyed off Trazodone before and it was NOT pretty! So the last 50mgs I will do a taper off a compounded form of it. I don't care if it takes me a whole year to get off of it, I am not going to throw myself into any withdrawal just so I can say I am "medication free"...I've been through hell, am currently coming out the other side, and not about to do anything to mess that up!

 

After Thanksgiving I will see the doctor who agreed to help me taper off of it and work with a local compounding pharmacy. I hope they will agree to take is as slow as I am wanting to.

[[we...]]

Sunny, I remember how much trouble you had sleeping, how is your sleep now?

[[Su...]]

Yes, sleep was HORRIBLE for me..but I am sleeping very good now! I average 7 hrs a night...except for the week before my period. Then it all goes crazy! But as soon as I start my cycle, it's back to sleeping good. To be at such a low dose of Trazodone (that's a low dose for me, I took 100mgs for years before this nightmare started) and still sleep good really speaks to the healing that has taken place in my brain.

 

I am 13 1/2 months off now and am doing really well. The only lingering thing is the nervousness that has been ongoing, but has lessened in intensity a lot! I am now going to a hormone specialist, and am waiting to get my test results back...it seems I have super low progesterone and he thinks that is why I stop sleeping the week before my period. The jury is still out as to what I'm going to do about that, but I am weighing my options carefully right now.

 

You hang in there! It really does get SO much better!!!

[[Ti...]]

Hi Sunny,

 

I am taking 25mg now of Serouquel for 4 days now and am wondering how long the rebound insomnia lasted for,

and how bad was it.  I can't sleep more than 2 hours without it and can't take anything else for sleep or it makes

my w/d sxs way worse.  Also, if I don't take it I have horrible nausea.

 

Also has anyone else noticed the w/d sxs are worse the week before there period and once it starts it gets better?

 

Tink