Unisom Experience?

[[El...]]

Does anyone have experience with Unisom? I recently tapered off of 6.25 mg of Ambien in early October and went through some rebound insomnia. I tried Unisom at the beginning of my taper and it didn’t work.  Now, 28 days later, I tried it again and it seems to be working with 5-6 hours of sleep the past few days. I know this medication is not intended to be used long-term and will lead to tolerance. Has anyone experienced Unisom withdrawal or tolerance? 

[[Th...]]

I use it about one night every few months for those one-off nights where I just can't seem to fall asleep.  I've never taken it nightly or for consecutive nights, so I am not sure if there would be WD or not? For the first year or 2 after my WD, it never worked for me.  Each person is unique and the only way to know is to see how you react to it.  I know that it makes me feel totally groggy and "hung over" the next day with brain fog for about 3-4 hours after I wake up.

I think all Rx or OTC "drugs" eventually lead to tolerance for most people.  IMO, I'd try taking as low a dose as possible and perhaps not every night?  Good luck.

[[me...]]

Hi I've just read if you go into prison(not advising it tho lol) they c/t everyone regardless of how many drugs they are on just read a book about it wouldn't mind a padded cell I'd be supervised.fed and watered and cheaper than a rehab centre 🤗🤗🙏

[[El...]]

On 01/11/2023 at 08:01, [[m...] said:

Hi I've just read if you go into prison(not advising it tho lol) they c/t everyone regardless of how many drugs they are on just read a book about it wouldn't mind a padded cell I'd be supervised.fed and watered and cheaper than a rehab centre 🤗🤗🙏

@[me...], i guess that’s one unfortunate way to beeline to recovery! And, I would think Unisom would be the last thing the prisoner would be thinking about!

[[or...]]

@[El...] I used Unisom when I tapered off my Ambien.  I used a few other things as well (melatonin, CBD, camomille tea) but Unisom worked best. I took half a 25 mg sleep tab. I did indeed get good sleep . . . but it made me feel a little hangoverish in the morning. That soon passed with a cup of coffee, but the other downside is that I developed a tolerance to it (surprise, surprise) and it started to work not so well. I switched my sleep aids around, and came back to Unisom after about 6 mos when it worked as before. Let me just add that "natural" sleep did indeed come back for me, once I stopped trying sleep aids. But I found it pretty effective for a short-term use. If I felt I needed a sleep aid nowadays for a night or two, I'd try Unisom again.

[[El...]]

@[or...], @[Pa...], and @[An...], are OTC sleep aids preventing my natural sleep from coming back? This would include Unisom, Benadryl, Valerian, and magnesium (not all taken together). I can’t seem to find any discussion threads on this topic, so I’m asking the experts☺️. I tapered off Flurazepam in July and Ambien in October, so I realize my brain/body is still adjusting. However, I have been taking comfort meds that I thought were safe, but maybe they’re not. I really have no w/d symptoms other than insomnia. I am able to sleep a few hours, but this is because I use a Benedryl or Unisom. 

[[Pa...]]

Hi @[El...], I don’t think they are, at least not in the way a z-drug or benzo would.  I believe you’re still very early in recovery so if using these crutches are helping you get some sleep, I wouldn’t worry about it because that will of course make sleep even more difficult to achieve.  

I believe you’ll eventually get back to your normal sleep routine, which might not have been good to begin with and if you’re like me, it was never great but it’s a lot better than sleep during and after benzo’s and z-drugs.  

 

[[Th...]]

15 hours ago, [[E...] said:

@[or...], @[Pa...], and @[An...], are OTC sleep aids preventing my natural sleep from coming back? This would include Unisom, Benadryl, Valerian, and magnesium (not all taken together). I can’t seem to find any discussion threads on this topic, so I’m asking the experts☺️. I tapered off Flurazepam in July and Ambien in October, so I realize my brain/body is still adjusting. However, I have been taking comfort meds that I thought were safe, but maybe they’re not. I really have no w/d symptoms other than insomnia. I am able to sleep a few hours, but this is because I use a Benedryl or Unisom. 

Here is my experience.  I am not a doctor nor is this medical  advice.  Magnesium is OK long-term and it has been for me.  I randomly take Valerian and I am not sure about the long-term use of that supplement.  Unisom and Benadryl are a different story.  You can develop tolerance to the current amount you are taking and over time, it's possible that these will stop working for you if taken nightly.  Do your best to only take as needed.

Ashton says sleep returns for most in 6-12 months.  Some people take less time but many take more.  18 months seems to be the sweet spot.  That doesn't mean sleep is horrible for 17 months and 29 days and then on the 18th month it is magically better.  It is a slow process that is very up and down...like the stock market.  Fortunately for me my sleep started to come back very well (4-5 hours most nights) around month 10 off.

Good luck!  Peace!