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Anyone tried melatonin for sleep


[le...]

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Just started taking melatonin fir insomnia. Which suffering as withdrawal after being on diazapam short term even though tapered. So far doing nothing, got the stuff they prescribe you, 2 mg meant be slow release. Only been about 3 days but so far done nothing to help. Have trouble getting to sleep so wondering if need faster acting one. Nithing seems work like zopuclone did.
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[bd...]

Hi Leann

 

I have the 2mg “modified” release, not sure if that’s the same as “slow” release in your part of the woods.

 

It worked the first night or two and then did nothing. I haven’t taken it for about 8 months now.

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OK thanks. You have take it 1-2 hours before you go to bed. Might try getting quicker acting ones. I was only on diazapam for couple months because really bad reaction to the flu jab, the insomnia much worse than when was CT’d off zopiclone surprisingly.
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[bd...]

OK thanks. You have take it 1-2 hours before you go to bed. Might try getting quicker acting ones. I was only on diazapam for couple months because really bad reaction to the flu jab, the insomnia much worse than when was CT’d off zopiclone surprisingly.

 

With these medications, nothing surprises me these days.

 

I do hope you find some relief from the insomnia, Leann

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My wife takes these CBD Gummies that have quite a bit of melatonin in them.  https://www.charlottesweb.com/cbd-melatonin-sleep-gummy

 

I was the test subject and they make me snooze within 30 minutes.  I know it isn't that easy while you are going through benzo withdrawal, but they do help my wife.  Another thing that helps is arranging a good consistent sleep routine.

 

1. define a time when you will go to sleep.

2. keep all electronics out of the room when you sleep.

3. Take a hot bath or shower before bed (epsom salt baths help as they increase magnesium).

4. Take Magnesium glycinate to help supplement the magnesium you intake from your diet.

5. make your room clean and dark, quiet, and ready for sleep.

 

Hope this helps.

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I took the 2 mg immediate release about 2 hours before I wanted to sleep -- like 9 p.m. or so.  It worked well. At 11 I was nodding off. But it lost its effectiveness . . . also it gave me a weird hangover feeling in the morning.

 

Leann, taking more is not the answer (also the poster who posted take up to 10 mgs). It's  not a "sleeping pill". It just gives our naturally occurring melatonin a boost. This is a case (melatonin) where more is not better.d

 

I agree with TheWay. Nothing will really help our benzo-induced insomnia until it "fixes" itself. I tried umpteen fixes and they all worked a bit for a while. And then they stopped working. And gave me a hangover. Nowadays I take . . .nothing! I sleep pretty well. But I'm a long way off my benzos and post-taper. So it took sleep a long time to find me.

 

Just thought I'd mention this . . . that your "natural" sleep will come back.

 

Just fyi the best go-to-sleep remedy I found was some random guy/gal on youtube telling me a bedtime story. That and swoony calming music also on youtube. Maybe try those leann. The app called CALM worked also.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Katz

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Unfortunately no amount of sleep hygiene can help with Benzo-induced insomnia.

 

Respectfully, I’d disagree with this assertion. Sure, Cleaning up your sleep process won’t get you solid nights sleep in light of the poor sleep you get from benzo withdrawal, but if done right, it will bring some semblance of calm and peace to your evening which should help calm your nerves and prepare your body to relax. Looking at a computer screen while you try to dose off, or listening to heavy metal or eating right before bed will not get your body into a place of peace that’s required for sleep, Benzos or no benzos.

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I think sleep hygiene is indeed important but unfortunately for benzo brains it is not enough or not efficient like for non benzo brains.
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Unfortunately no amount of sleep hygiene can help with Benzo-induced insomnia.

 

Respectfully, I’d disagree with this assertion. Sure, Cleaning up your sleep process won’t get you solid nights sleep in light of the poor sleep you get from benzo withdrawal, but if done right, it will bring some semblance of calm and peace to your evening which should help calm your nerves and prepare your body to relax. Looking at a computer screen while you try to dose off, or listening to heavy metal or eating right before bed will not get your body into a place of peace that’s required for sleep, Benzos or no benzos.

 

I respectfully disagree with your analysis.  Benzo-induced insomnia is not a result of keeping the room dark, going to bed at the same time, avoiding electronics, getting out of bed if you can't sleep and doing something relaxing, listening to loud music, eating before bed, etc, etc.  Those suggestions can help with non Benzo insomnia, but Benzo-induced insomnia is a result of down regulated GABA receptors. There is real physical damage to GABA receptors.  GABA, your body's brake pedal, or what makes you calm and relaxed so you can fall asleep is not doing the job since Benzos temporarily take your GABA offline, then all you're left with is Glutamate.  Glutamate is your body's gas pedal or what makes you active and alert or even fight or flight.  That's why most feel wired all the time even when they don't sleep for days. 

 

Normally GABA and Glutamate are in a balancing act so one doesn't take over the other, but Benzos declare the clear winner to be Glutamate by destroying or damaging GABA receptors.  GABA receptors need time to heal and regrow and NO amount of sleep hygiene can heal or regrow GABA receptors or speed up that process.  Time is the healer, not sleep hygiene.  I've been on this forum a long time and never once heard of sleep hygiene helping anyone get sleep when their insomnia was caused from Benzos.  I've tried every sleep hygiene trick in the book when I was in the thick of my WD and only averaging 5-10 hours of sleep per week for months..and nothing worked, especially sleep hygiene and the same is true for all on this forum that suffered from Benzo-induced insomnia.  In fact, I tried every Rx drug designed for sleep and those only worked for a night or 2 and then stopped working.

 

That's because the insomnia isn't from listening to loud music or eating before bed, it's caused from actual damage to your body's GABA receptors.  Also, some people on this forum were encouraged to not only try sleep hygiene, but sleep restriction, CBTi, etc.  All sleep restriction did was to ensure they would have a zero night.  And many people on this insomnia forum have benefited from eating some carbs before bed or even during the middle of the night.  I was taught by some experienced BBs to stay in bed even if you can't sleep (except for using the Loo or getting something to eat).  Your body needs rest and staying in bed gives you the best chance to get that rest and possibly nod off. 

 

The "science" behind Benzo-induced insomnia clearly says sleep hygiene will absolutely NOT help in any way, shape or form.  AFTER sleep starts to return, then sleep hygiene may help some.  Good luck to everyone still struggling with sleep.

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  • 2 weeks later...
[5a...]

Still, I think it's important to maintain a good sleep hygiene; if only not to worsten the insomnia.

 

I think sleep hygiene is indeed important but unfortunately for benzo brains it is not enough or not efficient like for non benzo brains.

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Still, I think it's important to maintain a good sleep hygiene; if only not to worsten the insomnia.

 

I think sleep hygiene is indeed important but unfortunately for benzo brains it is not enough or not efficient like for non benzo brains.

 

Again, you're completely missing the point.  Maintaining good sleep hygiene during Benzo-induced insomnia and expecting it to make a difference is like throwing gasoline on a fire and expecting it to go out.  It will do absolutely nothing because of the reasons i posted above.  It's actual physical damage or destruction of GABA receptors that causes the insomnia.  Keeping a room dark or going to bed at the same time or getting out of bed after 20 minutes to do something relaxing will not help regrow or heal GABA receptors any more than it would help heal a broken leg. 

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Maintaining good sleep hygiene during Benzo-induced insomnia is like throwing gasoline on a fire that you want to put out.

 

No ta good analogy, ThEwAy.

 

Frankly, I found some benefits from establishing good sleep hygiene. Hey, it might not solve things, but it sure didn't hurt. Hardly gasoline on the fire, lol. A dark room, same sleep time every night, no blue light devices just before trying to sleep etc. . . . all good ideas. and the best suggestion I found (an followed) was this: if you get to sleep, wake up and lie there fuming and anxious . . . don't lie there fuming and anxious. After 20 minutes of not getting back to sleep, I went to my auxilliary "sleep station" in my office. My easy chair, my CD player with one of my go-to-sleep CDs cued up, and my cat. After about 45 minutes of this, I got sleepy (again) and went back to my bed. And slept for a while.

 

Yeah, I agree that  broken gaba receptors cause our insomnia and real sleep won't return until the fix themselves, but there are things we can do to help that insomnia. I found things . . . and I can't be that exceptional. Maybe don't be so dismissive, wAy.

 

:nono:

 

Katz

 

 

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OK Katz, in your earlier post on this thread, you agreed that nothing but time can help with Benzo-induced insomnia!

 

You wrote:

"I agree with TheWay. Nothing will really help our benzo-induced insomnia until it "fixes" itself. I tried umpteen fixes and they all worked a bit for a while. And then they stopped working. And gave me a hangover. Nowadays I take . . .nothing! I sleep pretty well. But I'm a long way off my benzos and post-taper. So it took sleep a long time to find me."

 

 

And you found sleep benefits from sleep hygiene during the thick of your Benzo WD?  You of all people should know that no amount of sleep hygiene can fix Benzo-induced insomnia or it wouldn't be Benzo-induced insomnia.  It's not being dismissive, it's about not giving false hope to the endless stream of people that find their way to this site and experience Benzo-induced insomnia.  Getting out of bed to get sleepy somewhere else never worked for me ever during Benzo-induced insomnia and I've never heard of it working for anyone else that had insomnia as their primary WD symptom.  After sleep starts to return, then sleep hygiene can help.  I had close to 70 zero nights over a nine month period and it never mattered if I got up after 20 minutes and went to a different location, or read, or listened to relaxing music or did something else relaxing.  If you're not going to sleep, then you're not going to sleep due to damaged GABA receptors and not from not being in the right state of mind or relaxed enough.  If it were really that easy, many people would have never ended up on Benzos in the first place, like I did, as I took them for sleep.

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[bd...]

Hey everyone

 

I think the most constructive way to work through discussions like this… is to see it as a platform to offer-up potential options that one might try, rather than a one size fits all approach…

 

It’s best if we understand that we’re all wired differently, so while one option or practice may work well for one individual, it may or may not work so well for the next….

 

It may also depend on various commitments one may have… whether one is in a situation where they must maintain employment and continue to support others around them. In such a case, it may be worth trying all the various options or practices to see what works best for that particular individual.

 

I’m in a situation where (although I still have commitments to meet) I am afforded the luxury of sleeping whenever I like (much of the time), so I feel no need to adhere to any type of sleep hygiene or regimen. I’m lucky to be reasonably stabile most of the time, so I sleep when I feel tired, and that’s pretty much the extent of it. I purposely afforded myself permission to live this way whilst going through this process, much like I was a shift worker (always rotating shifts), and this works for me, but only because I have the luxury to do so. Unfortunately, many others have commitments, others who rely on them, and if I myself were in that particular situation and started a thread such as this… I would avoid all the debate over what works and doesn’t work, and simply try all the potential above options to see what worked best on a personal level.

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The day sleep hygiene can touch Benzo-induced insomnia where insomnia is the primary or number one WD symptom, is the same day the world will have no person suffering from hunger, no poor people and zero pollution.
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Then I hope to survive this because I'm not even halfway taper yet and I haven't slept due to medications and medical mismanagement since August 2022. Only very light short sleeps here and there.
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  • 4 weeks later...

Just started taking melatonin fir insomnia. Which suffering as withdrawal after being on diazapam short term even though tapered. So far doing nothing, got the stuff they prescribe you, 2 mg meant be slow release. Only been about 3 days but so far done nothing to help. Have trouble getting to sleep so wondering if need faster acting one. Nithing seems work like zopuclone did.

 

Hi love, So sorry you're struggling with sleep. I know how debilitating it can be. We need rest.

I just shared some of my best tips for sleep with another member. Will share with you also - but to start by answering your question, yes I use melatonin. I use the brand called '21st century' I get it off amazon. I buy the 10mg tabs and split in half. Supposedly the LOWER doses actually enlist better sleep.

 

When I was in treatment a really awesome therapist shared a couple tips with me that have always worked for me when I implement and practice consistently:

 

-100 calorie snack before bed with both protein and carbs. A good one is apples with peanut butter or maybe saltines with a nut butter or even coconut oil. Whatever you like to snack on, just protein plus carbs. This releases chemicals that tell our body it's time to sleep.

 

-Hot shower or bath one hour before bed - as the body cools down, hormones are released that make us tired.

I have a few other tips and tricks but don't want to overstep. Feel free to PM me any time.

Wishing you well... and better sleep.

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Respectfully, no amount of sleep hygiene is going to help anyone that has Benzo-induced insomnia. There are no tips, tricks or shortcuts that suddenly heal damaged or destroyed GABA receptors, which is the reason for the insomnia in the first place. Time is the healer and true healing almost always happens after you are completely off of Benzos.  Some fortunate souls are able to heal while doing a slow taper but that doesn't happen a lot. While you are still on Benzos and if you haven't reached tolerance, then it's possible that your current dose still has sedative/sleep effects?  I've been on this forum a long time and never came across anyone that said sleep hygiene helped their Benzo-induced insomnia.  After your GABA receptors heal/regrown, then sleep hygiene can help. Good luck.
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never came across anyone that said sleep hygiene helped their Benzo-induced insomnia. 

 

Wrong. Just wrong. I keep telling you it helped ME. Yet you want to say the above. Oh well. Believe what you want. I don't "get" what you "get" about denying my reality.

 

  :idiot:

 

Katz

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@[ K...]

 

With all respect and humbleness, I am asking that you please explain to everyone suffering from Benzo-induced insomnia, not the regular "garden variety" insomnia that has ZERO to do with damaged or destroyed GABA receptors, how sleep hygiene suddenly puts GABA and Glutamate back in balance?  The "science" and facts behind Benzo-induced insomnia is that GABA receptors or what makes you calm and relaxed, so you can sleep, are temporarily taken offline by the Benzos.  Glutamate, or what makes you active and alert or even fight or flight, is normally in a balancing act with GABA so one neurotransmitter system doesn't over take the other.  But with down regulated (damaged or destroyed) GABA receptors, Glutamate ends up being the dominant active neurotransmitter.  Hence, people experience varying degrees of insomnia depending on how damaged or destroyed their GABA receptors are.  And most feel wired all the time even after days of no sleep.  No amount of sleep hygiene can fix that.  Only TIME can heal or regrow damaged GABA receptors.  It would be no different than saying if I have a broken leg and I keep my house temperature at 65 degrees, the leg will heal faster. Not possible, and sleep hygiene cannot touch true Benzo-induced insomnia.  It can work for normal, non-Benzo isomnia that isn't the result of damaged or destroyed GABA receptors.  Given the endless stream of people new to BB or the insomnia board "false hope" is reckless and unkind. 

 

None of the "serious" insomniacs on this forum, MTFan, Siggy, Alohafromhawaii, etc, were ever helped by sleep hygiene during the worst part of their WD.  Not everyone gets insomnia as a WD symptom and many have it a lot more "mild" compared to others.  If nothing short of another Rx drug can induce sleep for those in Benzo-induced insomnia, then how is sleep hygiene going to help their sleep?  AFTER your sleep starts to return and you get a decent amount of sleep each night, THEN sleep hygiene can help some people.

 

And if you're convinced that you had Benzo-induced insomnia and somehow sleep hygiene helped you, then please list what sleep hygiene steps you took and how much it helped your sleep vs. not doing sleep hygiene.  In my experience, no one with "genuine" Benzo-induced insomnia (or insomnia as their primary WD symptom) ever received additional or extra sleep by practicing sleep hygiene.  And you specifically wrote earlier in this thread that:

"I agree with TheWay. Nothing will really help our benzo-induced insomnia until it "fixes" itself. I tried umpteen fixes and they all worked a bit for a while. And then they stopped working. And gave me a hangover. Nowadays I take . . .nothing! I sleep pretty well. But I'm a long way off my benzos and post-taper. So it took sleep a long time to find me."

 

Which part of the "umpteen fixes" that you tried (including sleep hygiene) helped you get additional sleep?  I tried every known sleep remedy, Rx, OTC and herbal/natural that my budget would allow or my doctor would prescribe, and like you, some that did work, only worked for a few days.  I will admit that Seroquel worked for about a week until I started developing psychotic episodes and nightmares, so I stopped that too.

 

My goal is to not give "false hope" to the continuous stream of people that find their way to the insomnia board about getting past their Benzo-induced insomnia by trying sleep hygiene when the Ashton manual says insomnia slowly resolves over 6-12 months for most, but for many it takes 18-24 months and some even longer.  That doesn't mean sleep is entirely missing or bad for those lengths of time, it slowly improves, but is very up and down.

 

Good luck to everyone still struggling with Benzo-induced insomnia

 

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