Insomnia - looking for hope

Hi Buddies,

I have been on here for a while because my journey has been long.  It has had highs and lows.  I had been on Klonapin for 12+ years that was prescribed for insomnia.  When I realized how messed up benzos make people I wanted to get off them.  I had tried some therapies that made me think I was ready.  It took me about a year to slowly get off.  I was off for about 6 months.  Then I couldn’t handle the insomnia anymore.  So I went back on.  It helped me sleep for a while...until it didn’t...so I super slow tapered again (crushed in milk) and have been Benzo free for 2 months. I am in the trenches with insomnia again. 

Any long term users have a similar experience?  When did you sleep like a normal human?

I take Ambien as needed which has been a lot lately.  I know Ambien is bad-but I have literally laid in bed entire nights (0 hours-0 minutes of sleep).  That sends me into a tizzy and I realized was worse than just taking stupid Ambien.

Anyone have words of wisdom?

Thanks!!

I'm in the same boat. I have heard Remeron is safer than Z class drugs (ambien, lunesta, etc...) I am about to try. Maybe ask around the Remeron board...I can't deal with this s/x. I took Klonopin for 12 yrs too--at night--1 mg--for sleep...

I've used unisom (doxylamine succinate) pills to help with sleepless nights.  I bought these pills at my local supermarket.  I have the 25 mg pills which I cut into quarters, so roughly 6 mg per pill, and I take one 6 mg pill when I can't sleep.  Sometimes I'll take 12 mg if I'm having a rough night.  Doxylamine succinate doesn't create dependency but people can develop tolerance if the pills are taken often, which is why I'm cutting the 25 mg pills into 6 mg pills.

 

Melatonin has also been helpful.  Generally less is more with melatonin, no need to take 10 mg pills.  Some people take 1 mg melatonin every night and this works for them.  Best wishes!

 

 

Hi bluepill-you are indeed in the same boat that I am in!  I actually have used Remeron in the past.  I was on it for a good while.  I do feel it helped me the first time I went off Klonapin.  I tried it again and no luck.  It does increase your appetite , which is not a big deal compared to sleep, just keep an eye out.

KraMai-I have tried Melatonin too and it has never worked for me. I have only tried doses higher than 1mg so perhaps that is worth a try. 

Thank you both so much!

You're welcome! 

 

I jumped almost 2 months ago and all sxs were gone about a week before I jumped.  I started sleeping at least 5 hours per night in late November and this has continued to this day.  The doxy and melatonin have been helpful for when I can't sleep and/or wake up during the night.  I'm lucky that I don't have any lasting sxs from tapering my benzo ...   

Kra: WOW-- What great news. Congratulations to you!

 

Sally: Dr did mention an rx Melatonin. Not sure what it is but...

Hi Buddies,

I have been on here for a while because my journey has been long.  It has had highs and lows.  I had been on Klonapin for 12+ years that was prescribed for insomnia.  When I realized how messed up benzos make people I wanted to get off them.  I had tried some therapies that made me think I was ready.  It took me about a year to slowly get off.  I was off for about 6 months.  Then I couldn’t handle the insomnia anymore.  So I went back on.  It helped me sleep for a while...until it didn’t...so I super slow tapered again (crushed in milk) and have been Benzo free for 2 months. I am in the trenches with insomnia again. 

Any long term users have a similar experience?  When did you sleep like a normal human?

I take Ambien as needed which has been a lot lately.  I know Ambien is bad-but I have literally laid in bed entire nights (0 hours-0 minutes of sleep).  That sends me into a tizzy and I realized was worse than just taking stupid Ambien.

Anyone have words of wisdom?

Thanks!!

I had to jump in on this. You have messed up you brain and insomnia comes with w/d. You will not sleep normal until you stop the drugs and let your brain heal. Sorry but it is the truth.

My words of wisdom (having succesfuly withdrawn and healed from severe benzo addiction and hardcore insomnia) would be:

 

It may take longer than youd like to heal and recover, specifically the insomnia. Abandon all expectations about a timeframe. Stick to the plan of staying off......no matter what.

 

Do this and you will succeed.

 

 

BTW, my chronic insomnia was severe and took YEARS to resolve. Of course, it got better and better with time, but my recovery after jumping took YEARS. My sleep is fantastic now. 

Although there are a few unfortunate folks on this site who have had it worse, my withdrawal insomnia ranked pretty high on the misery chart and Ambien is what gave it to me. Please don't fool yourself into thinking that Ambien is going to help you with a benzo withdrawal. Your brain doesn't know the difference between Ambien and benzos so you are just throwing a whole lot of gasoline on the fire and will have to pay a higher and higher price in the end. Once such sleeplessness sets in, it doesn't seem that anything but acceptance, time and staying off of the drugs will end it. I tell you all of this based on personal experience and after having read similar experiences from countless others on this website.

Ambien acts in a way that’s very similar to how benzos work on the brain, and continuing to use them is only going to prolong the insomnia, alas.

 

If you can stick to the OTC remedies others have mentioned, your CNS can begin to repair itself, and gradually natural sleep will be possible.

 

It took me a year to get there, but after not sleeping more than an hour or two a night for nearly two years, I can now sleep and even oversleep. Never thought I would again, but it finally happened.

 

Just give your GABA receptors a chance to return to normal, and you’ll get there, too. 

I slept couple of hours after I jumped. Then sleep become longer something about 4 hours a nigh. Now I stay in bed 7.5 hours. My sleep is broken so I wake up maybe 2-3 times a night and total sleep is maybe 5-6 hours. So it has beome better in 4 months but is still quite broken. Can't wait for 1 yea 2 years marks in order too see if it is better; refering to Leslie's post.

Thanks all. I did not take the Lunesta. I may have to take the Remeron on occasion to break severe cycles. It’s just my reality right now unfortunately

I know this is a tough phase. The suffering can be immense and you want to believe there's a way to ease your pain, some shortcut. Many of us have been there. I sought shortcut after shortcut and took so many drugs, really complicating my recovery. I think our brains go into a kind of shock and become both resistant to sedating medications and overreactive to any stimulus-probably the whole thing with lack of adequate GABA and excess glutamate. After two years in benzo wd, only getting *any* sleep every other night when I took amitriptyline I finally decided to get off of it and see if I could heal. I went months and months with only minutes at a time sleep and feared I would never sleep on my own again or would go insane first. It was terrifying as it was so easy to believe I would be different and had a permanently damaged brain. But even this brain, exposed to polydrugging for some 28 or so years, eventually learned to sleep. It's still figuring out how to do restful sleep but I'm grateful for any capacity to sleep. It will continue to deepen with time.

 

Please newbies, learn from those of us who made mistakes. Get off the benzos and z-drugs, stay off, and minimize or avoid other drugs. Our body/minds know how to heal. We just need to practice patience (may not feel it, but you can live it) and acceptance over however long it takes and believe. We can all take on the X-files motto of "I want to believe" to mean, "I want to (or I choose to) believe I will heal." We will. You will. Dare to hope.

Hello MTfan,  Your post is encouraging and gives me hope, as I really needed it.  My sleep has been up and down, mostly down.  I see that you are on HRT...I was on bio-identical progesterone and decided to get off , as it might prolong my withdrawal.  Do you have the same concerns? 

 

Have you tried any supplements that have helped you sleep?  Magnesium/Calm?, Melatonin ?

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENCOURAGMENT.....WE ALL NEED IT, ESPECIALLY US NEWBIES!

 

I stopped my Amitriptyline about 2 weeks ago, slow taper , after being on it for 7 years.  Do you think I am getting a double whamy withdrawal?

Off clonzapam for 7 months , after being on it for 7 years.

 

 

Runnergirl,

 

I have an entire cabinet filled with supplements, including the ones you mentioned. So much money! None of them truly helped with sleep and many had lousy side effects. Taking supplements also reinforces to the brain that we have to take a pill to sleep.

 

I think it's very likely you're in the double whammy zone. You've done great getting off the drugs. This will get better for you if you'll give it time. I know it sucks now. You're going to make it. The same determination and strength that helped you get off the pills will help you endure until life is better.

 

 

Regarding insomnia, I wanted to post my experience last week with an adrenal supplement my complementary doc prescribed me recently. I held off taking it because I read some posts about excess glutamate affecting WD, and I told him I was going to try to avoid free glutamate for a week and see if that helped my sleep. I did that and saw some progress with sleep. A week later I started the adrenal supplement, slowly at first. Gradually I increased the dose to two tablets per day. Whew, sleep went away, and that wired feeling came back, along with a big dose of anxiety! When I don't sleep, appetite is nonexistent, and weight loss has been a big problem as well. So, last week, I was back to being a basket case!

 

Since Friday, I have been off all supplements, including the L-Tryptophan and melatonin he had me taking. Slept 4-6 hours every night! The appetite returned, but now I am noticing more fatigue, and cannot exercise. Feeling better today, but that was not a fun ride.

 

There is wisdom here among you. I'm getting the cotton out of my ears!

 

Tigereye

Hi MTfan,  You are right....all of the supplements and money!!!  I have a cabinet full too!...I HAVE NOT BEEN SLEEPING WELL AT ALL..OR LACK OF IT....THE OTHER NIGHT UP ALL NIGHT...IT IS SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND ALL OF THIS....I LITERALLY CANNOT FUNCTION DURING THE DAY....YOUR STORY GIVES ME HOPE....BUT DAY IN AND DAY OUT....IT IS FRUSTRATING....LAYING AND LAYING IN BED ALL NIGHT NOT SLEEPING...I FEEL LIKE I AM LOSING MY MARBLES.  I PLUG ALONG EACH DAY, BUT HAVE NO 'OOMF' TO DO ANYTHING.  I JUST HOPE MY BRAIN IS NOT DAMAGED PERMANENTLY.

 

 

Runnergirl, I am the same boat as you are. I tried a lot of supplements and got zero help with the insomnia. Once or twice, I did sleep some the first time I took them, then the next night back to nothing. I just gave up and am trying to weather the storm until it blows itself out. Everyone says it does.

It was a lot of money, but I was willing to try if it did give me some desperately needed sleep.

One thing I didn't do after the last and final taper off of clonazepam, was to ever let another pill cross my lips.

Runnergirl, I am the same boat as you are. I tried a lot of supplements and got zero help with the insomnia. Once or twice, I did sleep some the first time I took them, then the next night back to nothing. I just gave up and am trying to weather the storm until it blows itself out. Everyone says it does.

It was a lot of money, but I was willing to try if it did give me some desperately needed sleep.

One thing I didn't do after the last and final taper off of clonazepam, was to ever let another pill cross my lips.

 

Insomnia will wax and wane, but it will improve the further away you get in time.  For me it started to improve around month 7.  I would stay way from Ambien, it will sabotage your recovery, it acts on GABA receptors the same way as benzos.  For me a big help is Benadryl 25mg.  I don't take it every night though, only when insomnia rears its ugly head.  Hope you get some relief soon.

THANK YOU EVERYONE, I MEAN EVERYONE, ON THIS SITE FOR YOUR WORDS OF ENCOURAGMENT

 

ONE DAY AT A TIME....   THIS SITE IS A BLESSING! 

 

:smitten:Runnergirl!!!! 

I take epsom salt bathes ..theres one that has sleep epsom salt ...put in bath and stay in it up to 20 minutes...also take magnesium liquid without calcuim ..it helps me relax and sleep

I take epsom salt bathes ..theres one that has sleep epsom salt ...put in bath and stay in it up to 20 minutes...also take magnesium liquid without calcuim ..it helps me relax and sleep

 

Yes, warm epsom salt baths are good, they help me with nerve pain and sleep.

ginger I am glad your insomnia improved after month 7. There is hope. 

I am having the same issue of no sleep for many nights and sometimes dipping into ambien to survive.  If I don't sleep my symptoms the next day are really horrific of severe pounding heart ( really severe) and gasping for breath , very weak and dizzy. I have tried mirt but stopped having any affect, and antihistamines work with only some mild effect.  Its just awful.  If my day time symptoms were not so bad I think I could cope better. There have been days were I have not slept for 3 days at a time.  I do take a few herbs like avena sativa, some niacin and melatonin and still no sleep.

Running out of hope here.