Z-Drug Support Group (Lunesta, Imovane, Zimovane, Ambien, Sonata, Zopiclone)

[[GA...]]

Thought I would let people know that it is possible to slow taper off of Ambien without cross tapering to Valium.  I recently completed my taper off of 10 mg of Ambien.  I decreased my dose by 5% every three days for about five weeks and was able to go from 10 mg to 5 mg.  It wasn't that bad although I had two bouts of nausea and vomiting.  When I got to 5 mg, it became easier so I increased my cuts to 10% and then when I got to 4 mg, I cut .5 mg per night.  I took one 25 mg. tablet of benadryl which seemed to help with sleep.  I also take 50 mg of Vistaril (hydroxyzine) which is an antihistamine similar to benadryl but it works a bit differently. It helps me back to sleep if I wake up in the night.

 

Now I am ready to tackle the taper off of 1.75 mg of Ativan.  My doctor is going to cross taper me to Valium.  I hope this will encourage those who are kindled like me and have to go slowly with the taper off of a Z drug while also on another benzo.

 

Congratulations and keep up the good work! I remember when you first came here and you asked me for some specific advice, which I always hate to give because if it doesn't work out shame on me! But I think you understood that things work differently for different people.

 

One of the best pieces of advice I picked up here was if you are taking two drugs, one short half-life and one long or intermediate half-life, get off the shorter one first, the longer one will help ease the symptoms of withdrawal from the  shorter one. That longer one works quietly but steadily in the background kind of like the antivirus system in your computer!

 

I'm curious as to how the crossover to Valium goes. I've never taken it, but from what I've read from some of the posters here, it is the most sedating of the benzos, sometimes TOO sedating. Which isn't too bad if you're using it at night!

[[bu...]]

Thought I would let people know that it is possible to slow taper off of Ambien without cross tapering to Valium.  I recently completed my taper off of 10 mg of Ambien.  I decreased my dose by 5% every three days for about five weeks and was able to go from 10 mg to 5 mg.  It wasn't that bad although I had two bouts of nausea and vomiting.  When I got to 5 mg, it became easier so I increased my cuts to 10% and then when I got to 4 mg, I cut .5 mg per night.  I took one 25 mg. tablet of benadryl which seemed to help with sleep.  I also take 50 mg of Vistaril (hydroxyzine) which is an antihistamine similar to benadryl but it works a bit differently. It helps me back to sleep if I wake up in the night.

 

Now I am ready to tackle the taper off of 1.75 mg of Ativan.  My doctor is going to cross taper me to Valium.  I hope this will encourage those who are kindled like me and have to go slowly with the taper off of a Z drug while also on another benzo.

 

So happy to hear!!! Go slow with Ativan and you will be fine 

 

[[al...]]

Thought I would let people know that it is possible to slow taper off of Ambien without cross tapering to Valium.  I recently completed my taper off of 10 mg of Ambien.  I decreased my dose by 5% every three days for about five weeks and was able to go from 10 mg to 5 mg.  It wasn't that bad although I had two bouts of nausea and vomiting.  When I got to 5 mg, it became easier so I increased my cuts to 10% and then when I got to 4 mg, I cut .5 mg per night.  I took one 25 mg. tablet of benadryl which seemed to help with sleep.  I also take 50 mg of Vistaril (hydroxyzine) which is an antihistamine similar to benadryl but it works a bit differently. It helps me back to sleep if I wake up in the night.

 

Now I am ready to tackle the taper off of 1.75 mg of Ativan.  My doctor is going to cross taper me to Valium.  I hope this will encourage those who are kindled like me and have to go slowly with the taper off of a Z drug while also on another benzo.

 

Good for you Gardenlady.

 

Was Ambien working for you prior to starting your taper or did you become tolerant to it and experiencing inter-dose withdrawal symptoms? I always felt that you could probably taper off of Ambien if you had not run into trouble with it. I just don't see being able to do it once you crossed  the line and all hell starts breaking loose.

[[ga...]]

Thought I would let people know that it is possible to slow taper off of Ambien without cross tapering to Valium.  I recently completed my taper off of 10 mg of Ambien.  I decreased my dose by 5% every three days for about five weeks and was able to go from 10 mg to 5 mg.  It wasn't that bad although I had two bouts of nausea and vomiting.  When I got to 5 mg, it became easier so I increased my cuts to 10% and then when I got to 4 mg, I cut .5 mg per night.  I took one 25 mg. tablet of benadryl which seemed to help with sleep.  I also take 50 mg of Vistaril (hydroxyzine) which is an antihistamine similar to benadryl but it works a bit differently. It helps me back to sleep if I wake up in the night.

 

Congratulations Gardenlady--I know you were having a tough time, sounds like things are doing okay now? I'm curious about why you are crossing over to Valium--are you really uncomfortable on the Ativan?

My last dose of Ambien was about 5 days ago and withdrawal anxiety kicked into today with a ferocious punch.  I have been shaking and hyperventilating all day.  I don't know how long this will last, but it's incapacitating.

 

My doctor suggested cross tapering to valium and I agreed since I am dosing with Ativan 3 times a day and would like to eliminate doses throughout the taper rather than keep dosing three times a day with Ativan.  I have interdose withdrawals on Ativan and am still experiencing anxiety.  Also, dry cutting has become a challenge because my gram scale won't calibrate correctly (nor will its new replacement) and trying to cut and weigh 21 doses a week of Ativan without an accurate scale is a scary thought. 

 

Do you think I should reconsider tapering off of Ativan directly?   

[[ga...]]

Thought I would let people know that it is possible to slow taper off of Ambien without cross tapering to Valium.  I recently completed my taper off of 10 mg of Ambien.  I decreased my dose by 5% every three days for about five weeks and was able to go from 10 mg to 5 mg.  It wasn't that bad although I had two bouts of nausea and vomiting.  When I got to 5 mg, it became easier so I increased my cuts to 10% and then when I got to 4 mg, I cut .5 mg per night.  I took one 25 mg. tablet of benadryl which seemed to help with sleep.  I also take 50 mg of Vistaril (hydroxyzine) which is an antihistamine similar to benadryl but it works a bit differently. It helps me back to sleep if I wake up in the night.

 

Now I am ready to tackle the taper off of 1.75 mg of Ativan.  My doctor is going to cross taper me to Valium.  I hope this will encourage those who are kindled like me and have to go slowly with the taper off of a Z drug while also on another benzo.

 

Good for you Gardenlady.

 

Was Ambien working for you prior to starting your taper or did you become tolerant to it and experiencing inter-dose withdrawal symptoms? I always felt that you could probably taper off of Ambien if you had not run into trouble with it. I just don't see being able to do it once you crossed  the line and all hell starts breaking loose.

Ambien never worked well for me and made me feel sicker the longer I took it.  Also, I was on 10 mg which is double the dose recommended for a woman.  It's a harsh drug and I will never take it again.  In my opinion, if one has reached tolerance or having inter dose withdrawal, those are all the more reasons to get off of it.  In fact, I don't see any reason for anyone to be on it considering how dangerous it is.

[[ga...]]

Thought I would let people know that it is possible to slow taper off of Ambien without cross tapering to Valium.  I recently completed my taper off of 10 mg of Ambien.  I decreased my dose by 5% every three days for about five weeks and was able to go from 10 mg to 5 mg.  It wasn't that bad although I had two bouts of nausea and vomiting.  When I got to 5 mg, it became easier so I increased my cuts to 10% and then when I got to 4 mg, I cut .5 mg per night.  I took one 25 mg. tablet of benadryl which seemed to help with sleep.  I also take 50 mg of Vistaril (hydroxyzine) which is an antihistamine similar to benadryl but it works a bit differently. It helps me back to sleep if I wake up in the night.

 

Now I am ready to tackle the taper off of 1.75 mg of Ativan.  My doctor is going to cross taper me to Valium.  I hope this will encourage those who are kindled like me and have to go slowly with the taper off of a Z drug while also on another benzo.

 

Congratulations and keep up the good work! I remember when you first came here and you asked me for some specific advice, which I always hate to give because if it doesn't work out shame on me! But I think you understood that things work differently for different people.

 

One of the best pieces of advice I picked up here was if you are taking two drugs, one short half-life and one long or intermediate half-life, get off the shorter one first, the longer one will help ease the symptoms of withdrawal from the  shorter one. That longer one works quietly but steadily in the background kind of like the antivirus system in your computer!

 

I'm curious as to how the crossover to Valium goes. I've never taken it, but from what I've read from some of the posters here, it is the most sedating of the benzos, sometimes TOO sedating. Which isn't too bad if you're using it at night!

Now I'm wondering if I should reconsider crossing over to Valium.  I take Ativan 3 times a day and tapering off of that many doses would be very tedious.  Also, I have a lot of anxiety...even on Ativan in addition to interdose withdrawal, so was hoping that Valium might be more effective and allow me to eliminate doses as I taper and be a less complicated taper since it doesn't require dry cutting.  Perhaps this is naive thinking, though.

[[me...]]

Now I'm wondering if I should reconsider crossing over to Valium.  I take Ativan 3 times a day and tapering off of that many doses would be very tedious.  Also, I have a lot of anxiety...even on Ativan in addition to interdose withdrawal, so was hoping that Valium might be more effective and allow me to eliminate doses as I taper and be a less complicated taper since it doesn't require dry cutting.  Perhaps this is naive thinking, though.

I keep forgetting that you've been on Valium before. If you liked it, than that probably would work fine for you. (Many buddies find out they don't like how they feel on it). I usually don't think it's a good idea to cross-over, unless you are having a lot of interdose symptoms, which it sounds like you probably are.

 

Can't recall if Ativan is available in a liquid formulation, but that also could be an option if dry cutting is becoming a pain. Hopefully things smooth out for you in the next day or so. I'm sure that they will, but probably good to hold for a bit?

[[Li...]]

I want to wish you all a wonderful Christmas en a good new year, without z-drugs. I am still struggling with taking zopiclone or not. Even though I just take a quarter tablet, I think in the new year I have to be strong and make the decision to never touch it again. Jerry

[[ca...]]

Wanted to wish everyone happy holidays and happy and healthy new year. 

Carem

[[bu...]]

Thought I would let people know that it is possible to slow taper off of Ambien without cross tapering to Valium.  I recently completed my taper off of 10 mg of Ambien.  I decreased my dose by 5% every three days for about five weeks and was able to go from 10 mg to 5 mg.  It wasn't that bad although I had two bouts of nausea and vomiting.  When I got to 5 mg, it became easier so I increased my cuts to 10% and then when I got to 4 mg, I cut .5 mg per night.  I took one 25 mg. tablet of benadryl which seemed to help with sleep.  I also take 50 mg of Vistaril (hydroxyzine) which is an antihistamine similar to benadryl but it works a bit differently. It helps me back to sleep if I wake up in the night.

 

Now I am ready to tackle the taper off of 1.75 mg of Ativan.  My doctor is going to cross taper me to Valium.  I hope this will encourage those who are kindled like me and have to go slowly with the taper off of a Z drug while also on another benzo.

 

Congratulations and keep up the good work! I remember when you first came here and you asked me for some specific advice, which I always hate to give because if it doesn't work out shame on me! But I think you understood that things work differently for different people.

 

One of the best pieces of advice I picked up here was if you are taking two drugs, one short half-life and one long or intermediate half-life, get off the shorter one first, the longer one will help ease the symptoms of withdrawal from the  shorter one. That longer one works quietly but steadily in the background kind of like the antivirus system in your computer!

 

I'm curious as to how the crossover to Valium goes. I've never taken it, but from what I've read from some of the posters here, it is the most sedating of the benzos, sometimes TOO sedating. Which isn't too bad if you're using it at night!

Now I'm wondering if I should reconsider crossing over to Valium.  I take Ativan 3 times a day and tapering off of that many doses would be very tedious.  Also, I have a lot of anxiety...even on Ativan in addition to interdose withdrawal, so was hoping that Valium might be more effective and allow me to eliminate doses as I taper and be a less complicated taper since it doesn't require dry cutting.  Perhaps this is naive thinking, though.

 

Tough call, I had all the same issues as you but I could never decide if there would be a benefit to crossing so tougher it out. I dry cut lol the way with a bad scale!!! I survived, I had interdose withdrawal and the 3 dose issue. I might say what I did about it on my progress log? I will try to remember to check. I know I just shrunk one dose at a time until I got to 2 doses no then finally 1 dose. I would play with times I took it also if that makes sense?

 

I hope you are ok no  Ambien soon. Hang in there, hold for at least a week maybe? Big hugs!!!

[[GA...]]

Thought I would let people know that it is possible to slow taper off of Ambien without cross tapering to Valium.  I recently completed my taper off of 10 mg of Ambien.  I decreased my dose by 5% every three days for about five weeks and was able to go from 10 mg to 5 mg.  It wasn't that bad although I had two bouts of nausea and vomiting.  When I got to 5 mg, it became easier so I increased my cuts to 10% and then when I got to 4 mg, I cut .5 mg per night.  I took one 25 mg. tablet of benadryl which seemed to help with sleep.  I also take 50 mg of Vistaril (hydroxyzine) which is an antihistamine similar to benadryl but it works a bit differently. It helps me back to sleep if I wake up in the night.

 

Now I am ready to tackle the taper off of 1.75 mg of Ativan.  My doctor is going to cross taper me to Valium.  I hope this will encourage those who are kindled like me and have to go slowly with the taper off of a Z drug while also on another benzo.

 

Congratulations and keep up the good work! I remember when you first came here and you asked me for some specific advice, which I always hate to give because if it doesn't work out shame on me! But I think you understood that things work differently for different people.

 

One of the best pieces of advice I picked up here was if you are taking two drugs, one short half-life and one long or intermediate half-life, get off the shorter one first, the longer one will help ease the symptoms of withdrawal from the  shorter one. That longer one works quietly but steadily in the background kind of like the antivirus system in your computer!

 

I'm curious as to how the crossover to Valium goes. I've never taken it, but from what I've read from some of the posters here, it is the most sedating of the benzos, sometimes TOO sedating. Which isn't too bad if you're using it at night!

Now I'm wondering if I should reconsider crossing over to Valium.  I take Ativan 3 times a day and tapering off of that many doses would be very tedious.  Also, I have a lot of anxiety...even on Ativan in addition to interdose withdrawal, so was hoping that Valium might be more effective and allow me to eliminate doses as I taper and be a less complicated taper since it doesn't require dry cutting.  Perhaps this is naive thinking, though.

 

I probably just overlooked it before, but I didn't realize you were taking Ativan 3x per day. WOW! That's what I always think when I hear about anyone taking benzos more than once per day. WOW!

 

Isn't it psychiatrists mainly who prescribe multiple daily dosages? For anxiety disorder? I started taking Ativan once per night for panic attacks and it worked well but I was taking it only once per day, at bedtime. These drugs are so powerful it amazes me to think about people taking it 3X a day.

 

The different benzos have their specialty. Klonopin is good for treating patients having seizures. Ativan and Xanax are best for treating anxiety. Although I've never taken Valium, those that have often say it is especially good at sedation.

 

And it is one of the longer half-life benzos there are. So if I were taking multiple doses of benzo per day (it still boggles my mind) I'd consider the Valium. At least on a trial basis to see how it works. If you are falling asleep on the job the next day, then, maybe it isn't going to work for you. But being able to get by on just one pill a day would be an accomplishment in and of itself.

[[Li...]]

Hi,

I really have to quit with the zopiclone, my sleep is getting worse and worse... I wake up quite early and my sleep is thin...It really worries me. Sport helps but is not the solution. I will look on the internet for help...

Jerry

[[wa...]]

Hi,

I really have to quit with the zopiclone, my sleep is getting worse and worse... I wake up quite early and my sleep is thin...It really worries me. Sport helps but is not the solution. I will look on the internet for help...

Jerry

Get help wherever you can.  What dose are you on now?  WBB

[[Li...]]

Hi,

I really have to quit with the zopiclone, my sleep is getting worse and worse... I wake up quite early and my sleep is thin...It really worries me. Sport helps but is not the solution. I will look on the internet for help...

Jerry

Get help wherever you can.  What dose are you on now?  WBB

 

Hi wbb,

My dose is 1/4 of a 7.5mg tablet. Luckily I discovered last night that my sleep improves by tacking a vitamin D tablet before going to bed. I slept deeper and woke up later. I am not feeling super good now but I will go swimming later today. J.

[[wa...]]

Light - if you have been at this dose for at least 14 days - consider cutting that in half if you can  and see how you feel.  Your sleep is going to be rocky for awhile probably.  Good the D works.  I can't take it at night.  No afternoon caffeine helps, too.  Good for you to keep trying.  WBB

[[Se...]]

Hi,

I really have to quit with the zopiclone, my sleep is getting worse and worse... I wake up quite early and my sleep is thin...It really worries me. Sport helps but is not the solution. I will look on the internet for help...

Jerry

 

Jerry,

 

This was the situation for me on zopiclone, my sleep was getting worse and worse and I was feeling very unwell inbetween doses.

 

There is only one way forward when this starts to happen - start tapering off.  Unlike some of the others on this thread, I found that for me, tapering was the best way.  This past year, I've started my taper on my very last medication - trazodone - and I am going exceedingly slowly bearing in mind I've been on it for 8 years.  I started out this year on 100 mg and I'm down to about 20 mg.  I'm going to take the next 12 months to come off the 20 mgs.  I am so very respectful of the harm done by withdrawal from these medications and I don't want to rock my "sleep boat" as I'm really sleeping well these days.

 

I've noticed in this last year that despite my increased stress levels since going back to work full time in August, that my sleep just continues to consolidate.  I'm sleeping really well these days - most night straight through from about 10 to 7 so 9 hours of deep sleep.  It is such a stark contrast to when I was on the sleeping medications and not sleeping at all most nights.

 

I'm continuing on with my sleep regimen - I take magnesium, 0.4 mg of liquid melatonin, 4,000 IU of Vit D and 100 mg of 5HTP.  I have added Vit K this year for muscle pain, dropped out the calcium ascorbate (and my muscle pain started to decrease as soon as I did this), added Coenzyme Q10 for muscle pain as well.  I have to say, since going on this muscle pain protocol and dropping out the calcium, month over month my excruciating muscle pain has ebbed from my body.  I feel the best that I have in years and I attribute it to the muscle pain protocol that I started in July.

 

The other thing I did this July was add L-Tyrosine to the mix - 100 mg.  That made a profound difference in my mental alertness and every strangely to my mood although I wouldn't have said that I was depressed in any way before the L-Tyrosine.  So interesting to me.  I think I was low in dopamine and noradrenaline and the L-Tyrosine made a big difference to the way I feel.  I ran out before Christmas and interestingly, by Christmas my mood had dropped.  Bought some more yesterday and within 1 hour of taking it, I could feel my mood pick up.  So I'm really intrigued and glad that I circled back around to my copy of Julia Ross' book "The Mood Cure" mid year and started judiciously adding amino acids to my mix.  I think that years os supplementing 5-HTP for sleep had steered my neurotransmitter mix towards serotonin and away from the catecholamines.  Interestingly, dopamine plays a role in balancing excess glutamate, so it may have helped in that regard as well.

 

It has been an interesting year for me, I have moved signficantly towards true healing at coming up on 4 years off in May.  Getting off this poison allowed me to slowly but surely get my life back.  It was the very best thing I could have ever done for myself.  Looking back, I can clearly see that it was causing so many problems for me, probably right from the start.  How I wish I had never gone down that road or had quickly come off within a short period.

 

Wishing all of you z-threaders the very best and hope for true healing in the New Year.  Hold on - I promise that it will get better.  The first few years off, my sleep was pretty rocky, very up and down with periods where it would unravel.  The biggest difference was that the exhaustion started to lift - I rested and didn't freak out when my sleep took a turn for the worst.  And that profound exhaustion that dogged me for years on the z-drugs started to truly disappear.

 

Sending hope and healing out to all of you.

 

 

Ali

[[Li...]]

Hi,

I really have to quit with the zopiclone, my sleep is getting worse and worse... I wake up quite early and my sleep is thin...It really worries me. Sport helps but is not the solution. I will look on the internet for help...

Jerry

 

Jerry,

 

This was the situation for me on zopiclone, my sleep was getting worse and worse and I was feeling very unwell inbetween doses.

 

There is only one way forward when this starts to happen - start tapering off.  Unlike some of the others on this thread, I found that for me, tapering was the best way.  This past year, I've started my taper on my very last medication - trazodone - and I am going exceedingly slowly bearing in mind I've been on it for 8 years.  I started out this year on 100 mg and I'm down to about 20 mg.  I'm going to take the next 12 months to come off the 20 mgs.  I am so very respectful of the harm done by withdrawal from these medications and I don't want to rock my "sleep boat" as I'm really sleeping well these days.

 

I've noticed in this last year that despite my increased stress levels since going back to work full time in August, that my sleep just continues to consolidate.  I'm sleeping really well these days - most night straight through from about 10 to 7 so 9 hours of deep sleep.  It is such a stark contrast to when I was on the sleeping medications and not sleeping at all most nights.

 

I'm continuing on with my sleep regimen - I take magnesium, 0.4 mg of liquid melatonin, 4,000 IU of Vit D and 100 mg of 5HTP.  I have added Vit K this year for muscle pain, dropped out the calcium ascorbate (and my muscle pain started to decrease as soon as I did this), added Coenzyme Q10 for muscle pain as well.  I have to say, since going on this muscle pain protocol and dropping out the calcium, month over month my excruciating muscle pain has ebbed from my body.  I feel the best that I have in years and I attribute it to the muscle pain protocol that I started in July.

 

The other thing I did this July was add L-Tyrosine to the mix - 100 mg.  That made a profound difference in my mental alertness and every strangely to my mood although I wouldn't have said that I was depressed in any way before the L-Tyrosine.  So interesting to me.  I think I was low in dopamine and noradrenaline and the L-Tyrosine made a big difference to the way I feel.  I ran out before Christmas and interestingly, by Christmas my mood had dropped.  Bought some more yesterday and within 1 hour of taking it, I could feel my mood pick up.  So I'm really intrigued and glad that I circled back around to my copy of Julia Ross' book "The Mood Cure" mid year and started judiciously adding amino acids to my mix.  I think that years os supplementing 5-HTP for sleep had steered my neurotransmitter mix towards serotonin and away from the catecholamines.  Interestingly, dopamine plays a role in balancing excess glutamate, so it may have helped in that regard as well.

 

It has been an interesting year for me, I have moved signficantly towards true healing at coming up on 4 years off in May.  Getting off this poison allowed me to slowly but surely get my life back.  It was the very best thing I could have ever done for myself.  Looking back, I can clearly see that it was causing so many problems for me, probably right from the start.  How I wish I had never gone down that road or had quickly come off within a short period.

 

Wishing all of you z-threaders the very best and hope for true healing in the New Year.  Hold on - I promise that it will get better.  The first few years off, my sleep was pretty rocky, very up and down with periods where it would unravel.  The biggest difference was that the exhaustion started to lift - I rested and didn't freak out when my sleep took a turn for the worst.  And that profound exhaustion that dogged me for years on the z-drugs started to truly disappear.

 

Sending hope and healing out to all of you.

 

 

Ali

 

Hi Ali,

Thx for your story. I am not planning to take extra suplementa, I already have trouble with vit D,  helps much with sleeping, but the next day I am not feeling good. Yesterday I bought a a bottle of vitamin D for 20 euro. So a lot of money wasted because i think I will quit with it again. I will go to the fitness later today, hopefully that that makes me feel better.

Jerry

[[...]]

Hey Ali.

 

 

When did you notice you started getting deep sleep?

 

I'm quite certain I don't get deep sleep right now.

 

I can fall asleep, sometimes quickly, often times it takes a while. But I wake constantly through the night.  Pretty much every hour.  I dream.  I remember them vividly.  But I'm quite sure I just bounce between dreaming and semi-alert.

 

Im not really taking much.  melatonin helps with sleep latency sometimes, but even with small doses, I feel a sort of hangover the next day. And it doesn't keep me asleep. even the timed release stuff.

 

Do you think the magnesium, vit D, and 5htp greatly improve your quality of sleep?

[[me...]]

I have to point out that Seeking is currently taking trazadone, a very sedating drug. I just recently reinstated amitryptiline, a very similar drug, not quite as sedating. Even at a very tiny dose (2.5 mg) I can feel the change in my sleep--it is much easier to fall asleep, stay asleep and sleep is deeper.

 

 

 

[[Se...]]

Thanks Meowie, I should have added that to my post.  I am down to about 1/3rd of a 50 mg pill so about 17.5 mg more or less.

 

The thing is, that early on in withdrawal I was on way more Trazodone - often up to 150 mg - but my sleep was very erratic.  That is why I don't attribute the improvements in my sleep to Trazodone but to the natural consolidation of my sleep as I've gotten better, particularly after 24 months.  The first 24 months, I'd have stretches where my sleep would "unravel" again and I'd be up during the night or have difficulty falling asleep.  As the months and now years have gone by, these periods of "unraveling" have decreased dramatically.

 

I know that getting off the z-drug and staying off was key to this healing.  Also, optimizing my Vitamin D levels helped dramatically.  It is interesting to me that since I started on the supplements for my muscle pain in July, my sleep has improved even further so I think that a lot of mitochondrial healing is taking place.  One interesting side note is that it took me until this year to see an improvement in my adrenal fatigue - my cortisol and cortisone levels have been in the toilet even though the bioidentical hormones helped every other hormone status, they refused to budge.  As the z-drugs impair your ability to synthesize hormones by impairing your ability to reach the very deep levels of sleep where hormones are made, this made sense to me.  That it took until 3 years off the medication until my adrenal hormes started improving was shocking both to me and my doctor.

 

I just know that there are many avenues to explore to improve sleep but, for me, optimizing my hormone levels was key.  I don't think my sleep would have recovered without that part as I was so hormonally depleted.

 

I don't find small amounts of Trazodone to be sedating at all - at least it doesn't feel that way to me at under 20 mgs.  With the z-drug, I could feel the onset of action.  On this low dose of Trazodone, I don't really feel anything.  I have no doubt that it is helping and that it did help but it doesn't explain why, when I was on massive doses of Trazodone, I could have nights where I didn't hardly sleep.  What has helped my sleep is getting my hormones balanced, getting through protracted withdrawal, and I believe repairing my mitochondria through diet primarily, bio-identical hormones and through judicious use of some supplements/vitamins as I could tolerate them.

 

I remember being on a tricyclic years and years ago when I went through my first clinical depression - these are very powerful drugs even at low doses.  From what I remember from that time, Trazodone doesn't even come close.  But that is just my experience.  I'm very respectful of these drugs though and that is why I'm taking such a long time to taper this last medication.  I don't want to rock my sleep having gone through such lengths to get to this place.  But I know that long term, staying on these drugs is injurious to brain health so I'll be relieved to get off them.  One baby step at a time.

 

 

Ali

[[GA...]]

Light - if you have been at this dose for at least 14 days - consider cutting that in half if you can  and see how you feel.  Your sleep is going to be rocky for awhile probably.  Good the D works.  I can't take it at night.  No afternoon caffeine helps, too.  Good for you to keep trying.  WBB

 

Regarding the Vitamin D - my doctor told me he sees a lot of patients that are low on Vitamin D, in fact a recent blood test showed that I was suffering a deficiency. After I started taking a modest amount daily, the level came up to normal. So regardless of whether it helps your sleep or not, it's important to get an annual physical including a blood test. You might be surprised at what the test shows, and if you have a deficiency of Vitamin D or anything for that matter, you can get it corrected.

[[El...]]

Hi, Ive been on ambien since 2010-11  5 MG and jumped 4-5 November. Tapered over 2-3 weeks.

First month went OK, then I hit a huge wave that lasted for nearly 3 weeks. I'm now 8 weeks of.

In the beginning I had mostly all physical symptoms, after 3 weeks the psychic came.

[[me...]]

Hi, Ive been on ambien since 2010-11  5 MG and jumped 4-5 November. Tapered over 2-3 weeks.

First month went OK, then I hit a huge wave that lasted for nearly 3 weeks. I'm now 8 weeks of.

In the beginning I had mostly all physical symptoms, after 3 weeks the psychic came.

 

Elbette--very sorry to hear you are having issues, what exactly are you experiencing? How is your sleep? There might be some things you can do to ease symptoms.

[[...]]

I want to wish you all a wonderful Christmas en a good new year, without z-drugs. I am still struggling with taking zopiclone or not. Even though I just take a quarter tablet, I think in the new year I have to be strong and make the decision to never touch it again. Jerry

 

A Happy New Year to you and all here!  2017 will be my first year, z drug free, since 1998. 

[[El...]]

Meowie, during tolerance IT was mainly neck backpain and increasing stress, nausea, Jaw grinching, fatigue or lethargy. Depression due to not understanding what was wrong with me. Under and after tapering i GOT tinnitus, ear pressure,  inner vibrations/trembling, bloodsugar issues, cold and burning feeling, sweating, extreme nausea, loss of appetite, heart palpations, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, sleepapnea, muscle tightness, stomach issues and many more... now my sleep has improved, i USE meditation hypnoses apps, eating/drinking heavy smoothies containing boiled vegetables, avocado, peanutbutter, banana, coconutfat and proteinpowder IT has helped enormous for my sleep and my inner vibrations...I sleep now around 5-6 hours, not completely peacefull But better.

Lately or now i have In the mornings for 3-4 hours  racing intrusive thoughts, mild anxiety( Ive used many meditation and breathing videos and apps. ) and mild DP/Dr. They re mild But very scary when they arrive.

During the day I'm always freezing and later In the afternoon I'm burning and sweathing, I'm quite stable these last 2 weeks, small waves popping In with racing heart, anxiety pop UPS for a minute or two, a new symptom I had last two days is eyelid twitching 😉

My worst symptom now is the neck pain,  apathy, lethargy fatigue feeling 🙃 And the fear for the next big wave😬

 

Im 2 month out Januaryjanuary and I hope im on my way to recovery 🎈

Sorry my bad english, im danish😎