Insomnia is debilitating

[[Mi...]]

Just passing the 3 week margin. The first week was a nightmare then I took Seroquel and it helped for almost two weeks.  The past few nights it is no longer working, and I am super anxious over not sleeping.  I am in my mid 60's and not sleeping at all during the night is torture.  Wishing I was myself again and feeling so much grief for my old way of life.  Lots of tears today.  

[[Bu...]]

Hello @[Mi...],

Oh, I am so sorry about the insomnia.  It was/is by far my worst symptom.  I know how frustrating and frightening it is to lay there and just not sleep.  Mine is getting better with time though, and I am sure it will for you too.  

Can I ask what you are 3 weeks from?

[[or...]]

@[Mi...] I know how rotten insomnia can be. I've had experience with that. For me, using Unisom (sleep tabs, not  the gels) was a godsend. It's a sedating antihistamine and works well. You can order it from Amazon. It will stop working after a few weeks, though as  you develop tolerance to it. I spelled it off with CBD marijuana, NOT THC. CBD is not psychoactive and will not get you "high". It's not a sleeping pill either, but reduces bp and calms you down so you can ease into sleep. I've found it works quite well. You can order CBD gummies or tincture from Lazarus Naturals or Charlotte's Web online. They are both reputable sources.  Normal sleep WILL return, but I found I had to help it along. I couldn't tolerate the insomnia. Best to you, and I hope this helps. 

Katz

[[Ca...]]

That sounds terrible, I'm so sorry. But I too am in my mid-60s and go on these crying jags but last maybe five or six hours. I do take Baclofen when I have it I don't right now. Plus it's kind of helped when I Vaped in the past, don't have any of that either. I'm just got so much depression and anxiety and I'm so stressed that is hyper stressed over just about anything. But being bored out of my mind and having insomnia is a really troubling situation. I do have my cat with me, bless her heart. But it's heartbreaking that I can't give her my old self. I'm more or less an empty shell and can't remember my self. Sort of wondered if the benzo ordeal can drive me to insanity. That just scares the daylights out of me.

[[An...]]

On 07/06/2024 at 20:40, [[M...] said:

Just passing the 3 week margin. The first week was a nightmare then I took Seroquel and it helped for almost two weeks.  The past few nights it is no longer working, and I am super anxious over not sleeping.  I am in my mid 60's and not sleeping at all during the night is torture.  Wishing I was myself again and feeling so much grief for my old way of life.  Lots of tears today.  

Hang in there, Michelle. You are still very early in withdrawal. Praying things slowly start to get better for you.🙏

[[Mi...]]

On 07/06/2024 at 17:24, [[B...] said:

Hello @[Mi...],

Oh, I am so sorry about the insomnia.  It was/is by far my worst symptom.  I know how frustrating and frightening it is to lay there and just not sleep.  Mine is getting better with time though, and I am sure it will for you too.  

Can I ask what you are 3 weeks from?

 

[[Mi...]]

I got off an antidepressant and started getting horrible insomnia.  Long story short I took ambien for almost 7 months and Temazepam for 2 weeks, weaned with Clonopin just a small dose.  But, not sure if insomnia is caused by depression and I need to stabilize on an antidepressant. But having a very difficult time on all the ones I have tried.  It is a nightmare and the anxiety of getting on a new medication makes it even worse.  I have tried CBN and it does not help, the Doxepin has not helped and it is like Unisom, pot totally causes paranoia, and part of me is unsure if I need to go back on a small dose of Clonopin .125 while trying to get balanced on an antidepressant.  The not sleeping for nights at a time makes it difficult to live.  Thank you all for the encouragement and caring.  

[[Ne...]]

Try not to stress over not sleeping.  Even when you are awake, your body is resting.  And often times when you feel you are awake, you may actually be getting some sleep.  What has helped me is listening to calming music 30 minutes in bed with deep breathing, a 1 mg of melatonin, and one capsule of magnesium glycerinate.  As your sleep starts to improve, you may slip back into nights of little or no perceived sleep but better nights will fall into the non-linear path to healing.  I use to hate night time as I feared the wakeful nights but my body has some way of making sure that I will get enough sleep.  Trying not to stress over not sleeping was the biggest game changer for me.

[[Bu...]]

@[Mi...], I'm sorry, I want to try to help, but I am a little confused about your timeline. I just want to make sure that I understand correctly. 

You had insomnia previously and now you are in your third week of it again?

And you are not taking anything right now? 

[[Ca...]]

Yeah that's rough going I know so well. I do take Baclofen and have Vaped certain types of that. Seroquel gives me flu symptoms and antihistamines give me terrible depression. I still take antidepressants and Gabapentin but I hope to get off those at some point. As for now I'm healing from a broken ankle and hanging out with the cat. It's about all I can do for the moment and avoid stress at all times.

[[Mi...]]

On 10/06/2024 at 08:11, [[B...] said:

@[Mi...], I'm sorry, I want to try to help, but I am a little confused about your timeline. I just want to make sure that I understand correctly. 

You had insomnia previously and now you are in your third week of it again?

And you are not taking anything right now? 

I took Paxil for 20 plus years, got off of it this summer and 

 

On 10/06/2024 at 08:11, [[B...] said:

@[Mi...], I'm sorry, I want to try to help, but I am a little confused about your timeline. I just want to make sure that I understand correctly. 

You had insomnia previously and now you are in your third week of it again?

And you are not taking anything right now? 

Taking Doxepin 150 mg and Seroquel 35 mg and still not sleeping.  Have a hx of depression, have had genetic tests done that shows I do not make enough serotonin in my gut.  Typical sign of low serotonin is insomnia for me.  Have tried a few ADs and they have not helped relieve the insomnia.  Was put on Ambien for sleep and it made me super sick.  Weaned off and not sleeping.  Trying my very best to cope. Going to try transcranial magnetic stimulation.  It is something that is utilized instead of ECT.  It is non invasive but takes 8 weeks daily for 20 to 30 minutes.  I have to move to California from Hawaii to get it done.  I have heard mixed results but do not know what else to do at this point.  

[[Mi...]]

On 07/06/2024 at 17:24, [[B...] said:

Hello @[Mi...],

Oh, I am so sorry about the insomnia.  It was/is by far my worst symptom.  I know how frustrating and frightening it is to lay there and just not sleep.  Mine is getting better with time though, and I am sure it will for you too.  

Can I ask what you are 3 weeks from?

I took Ambien for almost 7 months trying to get on an AD that worked for me.  So far nothing has helped the insomnia. I weaned off of Ambien 2 months ago but used Klonopin .125 mg for a few weeks and got a little sleep.  Have been off of that for 3 weeks.  Really not sure if it is from withdrawl or just low serotonin.  In the past I took Paxil.  Every time I tried to go off of it I got horrible insomnia.  This summer I got off of it and within 8 weeks the insomnia kicked in.  Was unable to go back on Paxil and no other meds helped so was put on Ambien.  Feeling very fragile.  Very little sleep.  No appetite, force myself to eat, swam in the ocean today but feeling overwhelmed since I have not found the flow.  

[[Mi...]]

On 08/06/2024 at 22:02, [[C...] said:

That sounds terrible, I'm so sorry. But I too am in my mid-60s and go on these crying jags but last maybe five or six hours. I do take Baclofen when I have it I don't right now. Plus it's kind of helped when I Vaped in the past, don't have any of that either. I'm just got so much depression and anxiety and I'm so stressed that is hyper stressed over just about anything. But being bored out of my mind and having insomnia is a really troubling situation. I do have my cat with me, bless her heart. But it's heartbreaking that I can't give her my old self. I'm more or less an empty shell and can't remember my self. Sort of wondered if the benzo ordeal can drive me to insanity. That just scares the daylights out of me.

Oh my, I am so sorry you are feeling the way you feel too.  Thank heavens for sweet cats that lay on our beds and purr.  I may try to get transcranial magnetic stimulation, they say it helps some people with depression, anxiety, insomnia, it is worth a try since it is non invasive.  So many of the medications are harsh on my body.  Praying for your well being.

[[Mi...]]

On 10/06/2024 at 02:57, [[N...] said:

Try not to stress over not sleeping.  Even when you are awake, your body is resting.  And often times when you feel you are awake, you may actually be getting some sleep.  What has helped me is listening to calming music 30 minutes in bed with deep breathing, a 1 mg of melatonin, and one capsule of magnesium glycerinate.  As your sleep starts to improve, you may slip back into nights of little or no perceived sleep but better nights will fall into the non-linear path to healing.  I use to hate night time as I feared the wakeful nights but my body has some way of making sure that I will get enough sleep.  Trying not to stress over not sleeping was the biggest game changer for me.

Thank you,  I get super depressed from the insomnia, but I always try to put one foot in front of the other.  How long did it take you to get a normal nights sleep routinely, like at least 6 hours.  

[[Th...]]

Unfortunately looking for an Rx drug to help with sleep is a dead end road as they all stop working at the current dose given enough time.   Then your only option is to increase your dose to get the desired effect, but even then, no matter how much you increase your dose Benzos will eventually stop helping you sleep. And drug induced sleep is not the same quality as "regular" sleep.  Benzos are only supposed to be prescribed for 2-4 weeks maximum, but countless doctors prescribe them for years and even decades.  I went on Benzos for some bouts of insomnia I never experienced before in my life until I was in my early 50s.  I was on 4 different Benzos over a 6 month period and got hit with brutal insomnia along with at least 15 other symptoms including depression, anxiety, claustrophobia, burning skin, tinnitus, etc.  

It took about 10 months for my sleep to come back to where I was averaging 4-6 hours most nights.  Ashton says insomnia generally resolves for most in 6-12 months, but my experience on this forum shows that most people see significant insomnia relief somewhere around month 18 off.  That doesn't mean your sleep is horrible for 18 months and then as if a switch was flipped, it changes to 6+ hours per night.  It's very gradual and very up and down.  You could sleep better for days, weeks or even months only to cycle back through insomnia again for days weeks and months.  Eventually it evens out given enough time.  I've averaged 7+ hours per night over the past 5 years.  

Maybe you already tried CBD and OTC remedies such as Unisom, etc?  I had good success with Seroquel, but did not like how it made me feel the next day so I stopped taking it.  If your insomnia is not Benzo-induced, then CBT-i could help?  

Peace.

[[Bu...]]

@[Mi...], You've been through so much medication-wise.  I wonder if you might just need some time for things to settle, though I know how hard it is to do nothing.  I keep thinking that it seems like there should be something I can do, but for me anyway, I think it's just going to be time.

[[Ca...]]

18 hours ago, [[T...] said:

Unfortunately looking for an Rx drug to help with sleep . . 

Maybe you already tried CBD and OTC remedies such as Unisom, etc?  I had good success with Seroquel, but did not like how it made me feel the next day so I stopped taking it.  If your insomnia is not Benzo-induced, then CBT-i could help?  

Peace.

Same - Seroquel sort of helped with sleep but I'd wake up with flu symptoms, for few hours, was really awful. If I vape it's sativa which does help a bit. Indica gives me too much anxiety, paranoia at first. Baclofen and sativa is the best I can do to get Into a dream state. But nothing is perfect. I'm 8 years out, still having insomnia, every other day. There is no silver bullet for Benzo brain damage. 

[[Mi...]]

22 hours ago, [[B...] said:

@[Mi...], You've been through so much medication-wise.  I wonder if you might just need some time for things to settle, though I know how hard it is to do nothing.  I keep thinking that it seems like there should be something I can do, but for me anyway, I think it's just going to be time.

When I was in my early 40's I went into depression with panic attacks and insomnia brought on by a verbally abusive spouse and I was super sensitive.  I was put on K and Temazapam and an AD.  It took awhile but I weaned off everything and do not remember having horrible insomnia.  I was given a book by a doctor on benzos that discussed how most people need to be balanced on an AD to get off of them.  I think I have that engrained in my head since it worked for me.  This time around it was because I got off an AD and I stopped sleeping like clockwork when it was out of my body, six weeks later.  I have not found the balance with ADs or anything yet but I am still trying.  I start transcranial magnetic stimulation on Monday, it has had mixed results.  It is non invasive and my insurance company gave me the okay.  

[[Bu...]]

@[Mi...], I really hope the TMS gives you some relief. ❤