Is there Anyone Out There

[[Iw...]]

Is there anyone out there that has had a similar experiance to mine. I am almost 6 months off and almost completely healed. I have felt pretty good for the last 3 months. I took K for about 4 years just ocassionally then ended up having to take daily for about a month and then went c/t. The only symptoms I have left are some feelings of breathlessness at times (although this is almost unnoticeable), panic attacks while driving (I feel this is getting much better) and then insomnia. I sleep well for a few days then I am back to sleeping only every other night. My insomnia is wierd as I actually have the worst insomnia on the days I feel the best. I go lay down to sleep but know it is no good as I feel that I should be running a marathon. I don't feel really anxious only energetic. Now as the night goes on and I don't sleep then I do get somewhat anxious. It is very frustrating and I just wanted to know if other short termers still have problems with insomnia after 6 months. If I knew that this is still a symptom that could heal and not permanent I think I could handle it a lot better. 

[[...]]

Yes it does get better.

 

One person takes K for months, no problem. Another intermittently and gets hooked. It's a highly individual thing.

 

So it seems implausible to be having insomnia this far out from taking a short course of K, but it happens.

 

You know I took benzo at bedtime for sleep. Now that I'm all healed, I'm back where I was pre-benzo: some nights I sleep well, some I don't. There are far worse things in life. If  you lower your expectations, you will be happier.

 

It WILL get better. In the meantime, you could inquire about Propranolol from your doctor. It would help that revved up feeling and be something you could use for intermittent anxiety. It's a beta blocker, no effect on GABAs, it slows down heart rate and lowers BP and can be used on an as needed basis.

 

You''re gonna be OK. As Bob Marley sings, "Every little thing's gonna be alright!"

[[Ca...]]

I am 4 1/2 months off of sleeping pills. Taken throughout the day and at night.

 

I hardly sleep at all. I usually can count on 3 broken hours of sleep and once in a while I get 4 hours but I wonder if mine is worse than some because what I got addicted to was sleeping pills.

 

I don't actually know how I'm surviving it. I am taking 1/2 of a Unisom every night and a Relax and Sleep (natural sleep aid with valerian and passion flower)

Doesn't help much but it's better than like Glyn.  Not sleeping at all for 5 days.

 

C

 

 

[[Iw...]]

Thanks for the replies. I may just try Propranolol.

[[...]]

Hi Carol,

 

Congrats on being FREE from those sleeping pills.  I too am addicted to them.  I am tapering off of ambien.  For an entire year I only slept for about 2-3 hours a night and some nights I didn't sleep at all.  I was at 15 mg at that time.  I did take 20 mg on a couple of occasions because I was just so tired of waking up after only 2 hours of sleep so I would take another one.  I refused to do this any longer so I embarked on this journey to taper off.  At first the taper from 15 to 10 was rough.  Only got about 4 hours of sleep a night.  Had to add trazodone to help.  Here I am 4 months later and I am down to about 7 mg and I sleep about 5 hours a night.  On the weekends though when I don't have to be up early I sleep 7-9 hours!!!  I would be ok with my sleep staying like this after I am successfully off.  I know 5 hours isn't a lot, but my body seems to have adjusted to it.

 

I hope to hear good news from you.  It would be nice to know that people learn to sleep again on their own!

 

D