Insomnia

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What happens when the insomnia is physically making you sick and you can’t tough it out??? 

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@[Br...] - Each of us knows our own limits and how far we can push ourselves.  And each of us has to make our own decision about what to do if we feel we've reached out limit.  

In my own case, I found I couldn't handle the physical symptoms of intense anxiety I had during withdrawal.  So I used propranolol.  I knew going into it there was a risk of developing dependency on the propranolol and that I'd have to taper it.  But I weighed the pros and cons and I just knew I couldn't tough it out and I needed some help.

You'll weigh your own decision.  No matter what you decide you will continue to move forward toward healing and one day this rough time will be behind you.

 

 

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@[Br...] i have to try something for sleep i really don’t want to but i can’t keep going on like this i had health issues prior to this so they’re ten fold when i don’t sleep 

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I understand.  Insomnia is brutal and so is having to worry about the impact on your health issues. 

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@[Br...] i am going to try trazodone i think this is the least harmful option to try to start with 

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@[Br...] I tried Trazodone and I didn't like the hungover feeling in the morning. I dropped it and tried Unisom Sleep Tabs (OTC, no doc's scrip needed). They worked much better for me. Also tried melatonin (low dose). CBD marijuana was also helpful -- you just have to try different things and be prepared the mix and match as most things stop working in time. Good luck . . . I know how rotten insomnia can be. 

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@[or...] i literally can’t feel sleepy or tired at all just sick but my body never crashes even though i feel so sick it’s horrible. i do take low dose melatonin it barely does anything ive tried unisom in the past when i had less horrible sleep issues and it didn’t work then so i doubt it would now sadly. i can’t use marijuana it gives me really bad anxiety but cbd is different? 

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@[Br...] yes CBD is indeed different. No psychoactive properties at all. (Marijuana revs me up, too.) You ought to be able to find "sleep gummies" CBD  in just about any health food store or at any MJ dispensary.  

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@[or...] thank you so much for all the advice

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@[Br...] you are most welcome. I hope the CBD gummies (or another edible) work out for you.

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Trazadone worked for a bit than it stopped you also withdraw from trazadone too so wouldn't recommend it

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How long have you been off?  In my experience and from being on this site on and off over 7+ years, I found that nothing much short of another Rx drug will help with sleep.  Melatonin is not very sedative and is actually used to regulate your circadian rhythm.  Nothing worked for me for more than a day or two except Seroquel, but that left me with a nasty "hung over" type feeling the next day with a lot of brain fog.  I was put on Trazodone before Benzos and it did not work either.  Some people have success with Hydroxyzine or low dose Mirtazepine.  IMO, insomnia is the worst symptom and I had about 15 other symptoms along with the insomnia.  Do what is best for you, but please avoid all future Benzo use.  Peace! 

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@[Th...] what dose of seroquel helped you? 

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100mg of Seroquel seemed to work the best for me.

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@[Th...] thank you so much i think im going try trazodone first and hopefully it helps because i feel like this is more mild 

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I have done one-off seroquel a few times. It will make you sleep.

I also agree that insomnia will drive you mad after a while and you will do almost anything for sleep. Look at what happened to poor Michael Jackson at the end.

@[Br...], I hope the traz works for you until natural sleep slowly comes back.

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I've been awake for 22 days. Seroquel didn't work, nothing did. Torture.

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@[Br...], Please let us know how things go for you with trazodone.

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@[Br...] it did not help sadly 

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@[Br...] How many nights did you try it?  I wonder if it takes time to "kick in".

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@[Br...] i tried 25 mg once and it barely did anything then i tried 50 mg and it actually made my heart race really bad and clogged my nose and i didn’t sleep at all off that and i think i’ve been worse off since then 

Edited November 21 by [Br...]

[[An...]]

Bree, are you sleeping any? I think you are talking about perceived sleep, not actual sleep. Consider buying a FitBit to track. It is remarkably accurate IMO.👇

Quote

One myth when it comes to insomnia is the misconception that people with insomnia do not sleep at all. “People with insomnia will report that they don’t sleep at all, but that’s physically impossible, as you can’t go night after night without sleeping

Many people with insomnia think they sleep much less than they actually do. They often misjudge how long it takes for them to fall asleep and how often they wake up during the night.

[[Th...]]

I agree.  There were several nights when I thought I had another zero night or a night of no perceived sleep only to learn the next day that my wife witnessed me snoring or breathing loudly a few times during the night.  While sleep is no where close to ideal, you are most likely getting some sleep and "Microsleep" or brief periods of sleep measured in seconds, not minutes or hours will sustain you somewhat until sleep starts to return. 

According to WebMD:

"Microsleep refers to episodes of sleep lasting less than 30 seconds. Often, you aren't aware of them. You may have multiple episodes of microsleep close together, as you try — and fail — to stay awake. ‌

Often in microsleep, your brain flips rapidly between being asleep and being awake. Each sleep period lasts only a few seconds. A period of sleep needs to last at least a minute before the brain can register it."

 

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Trazodone didn't work for me at all and made me feel like I had a severely stuffed up nose so I stopped taking it after a few nights although some claim it works for them?

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Yep, you are sleeping enough to keep you alive whether you think so or not. Unless you are suffering from some rare medical condition like Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) for example, there are powerful brain mechanisms at play that you have no control over that will force enough sleep to keep you alive. If you truly were not sleeping any, you would literally go crazy and die after some period of time.