For those of you that just don't get WD Insomnia?

If you are relatively new to Benzo Buddies and/or the Insomnia Forum, I would like to take this opportunity to spell out a few things that could save you some "pain" down the road.

 

1)  Benzo induced WD insomnia is similar to having a traumatic brain injury caused by a car accident.  The big difference is that your Benzo induced "brain injury" will heal and repair itself over time. 

2)  Benzos down regulate your Gaba receptors.  Gaba is what slows things down, makes you calm and relaxed.  Glutamate is what makes you active and alert.  Both work at the same time.  However, your chemically "damaged" brain causes Gaba to not work.  So Glutamate takes over. Thats why you are TIRED, but WIRED at the same time.  For a much better explanation, read this great post by Parker:  http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=66397.0

3) Your Sleep "Switch" is temporarily broken.  It will repair and heal itself, but it takes TIME.  Nothing but Time and prayer will help.  Other non-Benzo drugs could help you to sleep during your WD.  You have to decide if they will work and if it is worth the risk of possibly having another WD to deal with from that drug?

4) Nothing short of another Rx drug will help you to get any sleep early on in your Benzo WD.  Some natural or OTC may work for some people?  Sometimes OTC and Natural supplements may stop working for you?  Best to only take them a few times per week if they do work for you.  However, most "natural" supplements and oils can safely be used every night for most people.

5) You are NOT permanently broken and will heal over time.  Don't expect to put a time line on how long it will take for your sleep or symptoms to improve.

6) 99.9% of the time you don't have some other underlying medical condition that is causing your insomnia or other symptoms.  It is all Benzo WD related.

7) Your WD is UNIQUE to you.  A lot of the symptoms are universal along with the insomnia, but it typically plays out for you differently than for other people.  So if one person starts sleeping again by month 12, that doesn't mean you will.  It could take longer or it could take less time.

You will go through periods of good sleep and reduced symptoms...WINDOWS....only to be followed by crappy or no sleep and increased symptoms...WAVES. 

9) Symptoms and sleep WAX (increase) and WANE (decrease) as you progress through WD.  It is very NONLINEAR and VERY UP and DOWN for some time for most.  Symptoms could disappear for some time only to REAPPEAR later on in your WD.  New symptoms you never had could appear out of the blue at any point during your WD

10)  Everyone will heal and get their SLEEP and LIFE back.  TRUST the process.  Stop Googling INSOMNIA SITES.  Stop FIXATING and WORRYING about SLEEP.  You can't add a SINGLE MINUTE by WORRYING or FREAKING out.  TIME will heal you.  YOU WILL HEAL.

 

I get it the Way, But guess what ITS NOT WITHDRAWL ANYMORE! I'm back to October 2014 RIGHT BEWFORE The Bezo State with my Insomnia that I started out with, wanna know what...the Benzos for the past few years Probably Kept me alive, Getting off them now and reverting back to Pre Benzo State will just make me worse and worse, yeah I seen what you did there with the "M" Thing!

 

No I don't have SFI...I haven't said I did in a long time but I do Indeed Believe I am NOT in Withdrawl anymore and Im just back to my Pre Benzo Insomnia that will never go away

 

When I first Started My Insomnia I was like I am now, Cant sleep I was up 50+ hours at the Start which Caused me to Go to Benzos, so Guess what...there is No WD anymore, its just back to the "WAY THINGS WERE" State that CANNOT be Fixed

 

And Now that I been off the damn pills its just a Downhill Slide now unlike when I first started to get the meds to help now I stop then and I Am MUCH WORSE then when I was on them so yeah whatever

 

If the Way was still around 3 years from now I come back and Say its all still **** of Course his stupid ass Comment would be "UHHH ITS STILL WD MARK! ITS STILL WD MARK"!!!!!

 

Yeah Im TheWay! I was on 4 different Meds and pretty big doses yet basically after a Year I am almost healed! Mark was on 1 pathetic MG of Ativan and well hes having still a ton of issues! You only can apply to yourself for your own Meds and Healing, First off the 4 meds you were on NONE were Ativan so for you to assume how ativan works is a joke

 

Plus you don't have a stupid ass ******* Cough that ****** you the **** off daily like Me, During the day and of course at night where Teamed with my in your Opinion "WD Insomnia" That I still for some reason Have makes my sleep MUCH worse, yeah you try sleeping hacking and coughing every 10 seconds and having to sit up sometimes to swallow....

 

I go to the ******* Doctor and half the people don't know why, My Insurance don't cover it and I sure as hell cannot afford it so With My dumb luck I have to put up with this crap till at least June when I switch my Insurance, but then I am sure once I see the stupid Doctor with my usual Bad luck nothing will work and Ill have this crap till I die

 

You May be trying to help people here, last time I checked though your not a Doctor, unless you have a phd which I doubt

 

6) 99.9% of the time you don't have some other underlying medical condition that is causing your insomnia or other symptoms.  It is all Benzo WD related...with the exception of the person mentioned above.

 

Yeah That Tip right there is ABSOLUTE BS! I had the Damn Insomnia Before getting on the Benzos to begn with so your telling me my Insomnia that Started before the Benzos is still Benzo WD Related?! Seriously how the **** does that make any sense at all?!

 

Edit: Profanity removed

Wow. Just wow. Lol  I'm on the fence with mine. I hope it's benzo related. Mine just went away after a surgery and causes panic so I got on benzos..however, my mom said she started working at night and tried to sleep during the day and it got her sleep rythum all messed up. She said would lay for days before she got on restoril which has worked for her 30 years. She hasn't taken it the last 5 days and got no withdrawl except no sleep. I'm all confused. I don't know what to think.

GOOD POST! 

Mark, are you having any other withdrawls other than insomnia? If so, I would say it's benzo related. If not, I would say insomnia. I'm going with benzo related for me because I keep a medication and sleep log so I can see a clear pattern. I have heart palpitations, nerve pain, dizziness and different things so mine is most likely benzo related although it does scare me that I could have caused myself insomnia. I've never had it before so I don't know if my sleep thingy is broken.

nope its just Insomnia which is Why its not Benzo related which is why TheWay is Wrong and I am rigth when I say Im back to Pre Insomnia Benzo issues which means its never gunna go away

You haven't been off benzos very long have you? How long did you take them and did they help?

Wait...you could have insomnia because you're coughing all night. What's causing that?

Dont know, its not my lungs, the Dorcot told me its upper respatory cough like in my head mostly, as I said I need to see a Specialist but I cannot till June when I can switch to a new insurance that they accept

 

The Cough is Part of it I know for sure, I couch clear my throat like every 20 seconds so it keeps me awake and not able to stay calm and rested, so Im gunna suffer until I get it taken care of

 

Benzos I was on them for over 2 years Ativan Mostly, I got off for 11 months but during that I was taking Pamelor, its not a Benzo but works same way, then I went back from Septermber till Early December on Attivan again, So From About December 10th till now I havent took any more, I been trying to sleep with nothing or Nyquil and It was ok but having a tough time now

 

The Ativan Worked maybe From 2014 till Early 2016 then Quality got worse

You did better than me. None of the benzos worked on me for more than a couple of weeks. I think it's a combination of benzo withdrawl and cough because anytime you just stop a benzo, most people can't sleep. The cough is adding to it though. Before benzos, was your brain just not shutting down? Did you even get sleepy? I don't get sleepy. I'm kind of numb. I think I got so stressed out that my brain got stuck in fight or flight mode.

was sleepy but couldnt sleep, Really Sleepy past 2 days only got 5 hours total for sleep so im a mess

Take a little bit of remeron. Not a lot but I slept 7 hours last night and usually do if i take it. That's a miracle for me because there's not much that will put me out.

Ive tried that, sadly I tried alot, I was on that and while it helped sleep I got annoying brain zaps from it

I don't care for it either really. I got really blurry vision but I found that 3mg worked pretty good. I can't take any more than that.

A lot of the insomnia symptoms are also from us taking a bunch of stuff to sleep and stopping. My brain is all confused.

only thing I been taking is like Nyquil for sleep as while its still not that good for you its better then taking RX Benzos again, I didnt take Nyquil the past 2 nights as I was trying to test myself, but it failed, 3 hours maybe sleep then 2 if that early this morning in 2 days so I feel a mess, Prob take a little nyquil tonight and hope for a little more rest

3mg mirtazapine/remeron makes me doze through the night. No solid sleep. 7.5mg gives me between 1-3hrs of sleep followed by dozing until morning, and a daylong hangover.

 

I only take it 1-2 times a week.

Wow. Just wow. Lol  I'm on the fence with mine. I hope it's benzo related. Mine just went away after a surgery and causes panic so I got on benzos..however, my mom said she started working at night and tried to sleep during the day and it got her sleep rythum all messed up. She said would lay for days before she got on restoril which has worked for her 30 years. She hasn't taken it the last 5 days and got no withdrawl except no sleep. I'm all confused. I don't know what to think.

 

Stacey,

Simple things seem much more complicated and confusing when going through withdrawal and associated sleep deprivation. Here is a simplified timeline of what commonly happens to most of us here on BB:

 

1. for whatever reason, we take a benzo or z-drug longer than we should have.

2. sometimes we get off the drug too fast.

3. severe insomnia sets in.

4. time heals us, but it may take awhile.

5. sleep returns and we get our life back.

6. sometimes we end up better off than previously thanks to the drug-free coping skills learned along the way

 

The process only proceeds forward beyond stage 3 if you stay away from all benzos and z-drugs (probably alcohol as well).

 

 

Wow. Just wow. Lol  I'm on the fence with mine. I hope it's benzo related. Mine just went away after a surgery and causes panic so I got on benzos..however, my mom said she started working at night and tried to sleep during the day and it got her sleep rythum all messed up. She said would lay for days before she got on restoril which has worked for her 30 years. She hasn't taken it the last 5 days and got no withdrawl except no sleep. I'm all confused. I don't know what to think.

 

Stacey,

Simple things seem much more complicated and confusing when going through withdrawal and associated sleep deprivation. Here is a simplified timeline of what commonly happens to most of us here on BB:

 

1. for whatever reason, we take a benzo or z-drug longer than we should have.

2. sometimes we get off the drug too fast.

3. severe insomnia sets in.

4. time heals us, but it may take awhile.

5. sleep returns and we get our life back.

6. sometimes we end up better off than previously thanks to the drug-free coping skills learned along the way

 

The process only proceeds forward beyond stage 3 if you stay away from all benzos and z-drugs (probably alcohol as well).

 

So should I just stop my taper? I didn't sleep at all tonight and I can't handle this. I do this almost every night  and end up taking something else to sleep. This is too much torture for me to handle.

I get it the Way, But guess what ITS NOT WITHDRAWL ANYMORE! I'm back to October 2014 RIGHT BEWFORE The Bezo State with my Insomnia that I started out with, wanna know what...the Benzos for the past few years Probably Kept me alive, Getting off them now and reverting back to Pre Benzo State will just make me worse and worse, yeah I seen what you did there with the "M" Thing!

 

No I don't have SFI...I haven't said I did in a long time but I do Indeed Believe I am NOT in Withdrawl anymore and Im just back to my Pre Benzo Insomnia that will never go away

 

When I first Started My Insomnia I was like I am now, Cant sleep I was up 50+ hours at the Start which Caused me to Go to Benzos, so Guess what...there is No WD anymore, its just back to the "WAY THINGS WERE" State that CANNOT be Fixed

 

And Now that I been off the damn pills its just a Downhill Slide now unlike when I first started to get the meds to help now I stop then and I Am MUCH WORSE then when I was on them so yeah whatever

 

If the Way was still around 3 years from now I come back and Say its all still **** of Course his stupid ass Comment would be "UHHH ITS STILL WD MARK! ITS STILL WD MARK"!!!!!

 

Yeah Im TheWay! I was on 4 different Meds and pretty big doses yet basically after a Year I am almost healed! Mark was on 1 pathetic MG of Ativan and well hes having still a ton of issues! You only can apply to yourself for your own Meds and Healing, First off the 4 meds you were on NONE were Ativan so for you to assume how ativan works is a joke

 

Plus you don't have a stupid ass ******* Cough that ****** you the **** off daily like Me, During the day and of course at night where Teamed with my in your Opinion "WD Insomnia" That I still for some reason Have makes my sleep MUCH worse, yeah you try sleeping hacking and coughing every 10 seconds and having to sit up sometimes to swallow....

 

I go to the ******* Doctor and half the people don't know why, My Insurance don't cover it and I sure as hell cannot afford it so With My dumb luck I have to put up with this crap till at least June when I switch my Insurance, but then I am sure once I see the stupid Doctor with my usual Bad luck nothing will work and Ill have this crap till I die

 

You May be trying to help people here, last time I checked though your not a Doctor, unless you have a phd which I doubt

 

6) 99.9% of the time you don't have some other underlying medical condition that is causing your insomnia or other symptoms.  It is all Benzo WD related...with the exception of the person mentioned above.

 

Yeah That Tip right there is ABSOLUTE BS! I had the Damn Insomnia Before getting on the Benzos to begn with so your telling me my Insomnia that Started before the Benzos is still Benzo WD Related?! Seriously how the **** does that make any sense at all?!

 

Edit: Profanity removed

 

Mark,

 

You know perfectly well this post is unacceptable and is clearly against our forum guidelines for proper response to members.  You will notice I removed the profanities!  It is offensive and is upsetting to some of our members

 

•Be polite towards, and respectful of, your fellow Buddies. We do not tolerate attacks upon fellow members.

 

•Please do not post profanity - disguised or otherwise - at this forum. Members will have differing sensitivities to the use of swear words, so it is better to avoid their use altogether.

 

Rules and guidelines:

 

Magrita

 

 

Mark,

 

For which of my 50+ positive and encouraging posts that I made to you deserve this type of response?  Since you did say rude and vulgar things, I am going to respond to each of your points in a “respectful” and, if I can, “positive” way.  My intention was to try to give you HOPE or at least to help you COPE with what you are going through.

 

I get it the Way, But guess what IT'S NOT WITHDRAWL ANYMORE! I'm back to October 2014 RIGHT BEWFORE The Bezo State with my Insomnia that I started out with, wanna know what...the Benzos for the past few years Probably Kept me alive, Getting off them now and reverting back to Pre Benzo State will just make me worse and worse, yeah I seen what you did there with the "M" Thing!

 

This site is used to support those going through Benzo WD.  If your WD is over, then perhaps it’s time to find a site that deals with the “everyday” type of insomnia that millions of people around the world face on a daily basis? You never listen to any advice you’re given and when people try to encourage you, you constantly say you are broken and beyond repair.  Your responses are always NEGATIVE.  When I tried to use some tongue-in-cheek humor to take your position that you are indeed broken, you got really upset and unloaded on me with a bunch of profane, rude, UNIFORMED responses.  Benzos are short-term solutions to sleeping problems, merely band aids.  They didn’t save you.  The type of sleep you get with a Benzo is not restorative.

 

No I don't have SFI...I haven't said I did in a long time but I do Indeed Believe I am NOT in Withdrawal anymore and Im just back to my Pre Benzo Insomnia that will never go away

 

Again, you need to read what you are writing.  Your own words condemn you.  “Insomnia that will never go away.”  You are not UNIQUE.  You don’t have some undiscovered form of insomnia that no one else in the world has.  Even if it is no longer WD insomnia, it can be treated without drugs and you can get a decent amount of sleep back.  You should seriously consider counseling or at least looking into CBT for insomnia.  That is supposed to work “better” than drugs for most people.

 

When I first Started My Insomnia I was like I am now, Cant sleep I was up 50+ hours at the Start which Caused me to Go to Benzos, so Guess what...there is No WD anymore, its just back to the "WAY THINGS WERE" State that CANNOT be Fixed

 

Again, more negativity from an uninformed person.  How do you know it “CANNOT be Fixed?”  Thousands of others were able to significantly improve their non-drug related insomnia without taking more Rx drugs, or even OTC sleep aids, such as Nyquil.  You just need to find the people and/or resources that can help.  As I, and many others have said, FIXATING on your sleep issues is not healthy.  Fixating on any issue is unhealthy.  You need distraction.  You need acceptance and then you need another plan.  You repeat the same things over and over.  I am not trying to be mean or rude, but the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over, but expecting different results.  You need to do something different to help treat your insomnia.  What you have been doing for the past 4 years, aside from Benzos, is not working.

 

And Now that I been off the damn pills its just a Downhill Slide now unlike when I first started to get the meds to help now I stop then and I Am MUCH WORSE then when I was on them so yeah whatever

 

That’s exactly how the WD works that you claim you no longer have. 

 

If the Way was still around 3 years from now I come back and Say its all still **** of Course his stupid ass Comment would be "UHHH ITS STILL WD MARK! ITS STILL WD MARK"!!!!!

 

No, I most likely will not be around this forum 3 years from now.  I might not even be on this forum any longer after today?  I don’t have to be here.  Neither do all of the other people that are here out of the kindness of their heart.  We don’t get paid. We thought we could help some people through WD as we made it through ourselves.  You are completely uninformed about WD.  At least consider reading the Ashton Manual on WD or visiting other parts of this forum to gain a more informed perspective.

 

 

Yeah Im TheWay! I was on 4 different Meds and pretty big doses yet basically after a Year I am almost healed! Mark was on 1 pathetic MG of Ativan and well hes having still a ton of issues! You only can apply to yourself for your own Meds and Healing, First off the 4 meds you were on NONE were Ativan so for you to assume how ativan works is a joke

 

Again, you are completely uninformed about Benzos.  All benzos do pretty much the same thing to Gaba receptors in your brain and body.  They all down regulate them.  I don’t need to be on Ativan or (Lorazepam-generic drug name) to know that if affects your Gaba the same way as the Benzos I took.  And I didn’t take “high doses”  Again, you are uninformed and ignorant when it comes to Benzos and Benzo doses.  I didn’t even take a total of 100 Benzos in the little over 11 weeks I was on them.  You took over 800 1mg of Ativan in your 28 months on them. 

 

Benzos are Benzos except for their half life and what they are designed to treat, so no it is completely ignorant to say I can only apply what I took for myself and my healing.  Below is a list of common Benzos and their equivalent to 10mg of Valium, which by the way I only took for a few days.  I only took 1mg of Klonopin for 22 days and 30 mg of Temazepam for 28 days, and you will find out that is not a “high dose.” 1mg of Ativan = 10mg of Valium

 

Benzodiazepines:  Half-life (hrs) [active metabolite] Approximately Equivalent Oral dosages (mg) Market Aim

 

Alprazolam

(Xanax, Xanor, Tafil)

6-12 hours

0.5mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic

 

Bromazepam

(Lexotan, Lexomil)

10-20 hours

5-6mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic

 

Chlordiazepoxide

(Librium)

5-30 [36-200] hours

25mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic

 

Clobazam

(Frisium)5

12-60 hours

20mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic,anticonvulsant

 

Clonazepam

(Klonopin, Rivotril)5

18-50 hours

0.5mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic, anticonvulsant

 

Clorazepate

(Tranxene)

[36-200] hours

15mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic

 

Diazepam

(Valium)

20-100 [36-200] hours

10mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic

 

Estazolam

(ProSom, Nuctalon)

10-24 hours

1-2mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

Flunitrazepam

(Rohypnol)

18-26 [36-200] hours

1mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

Flurazepam

(Dalmane)

[40-250] hours

15-30mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

Halazepam

(Paxipam)

[30-100] hours

20mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic

 

Ketazolam

(Anxon)

30-100 [36-200] hours

15-30mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic

 

Loprazolam

(Dormonoct)

6-12 hours

1-2mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

Lorazepam

(Ativan, Temesta, Tavor)

10-20 hours

1mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic

 

Lormetazepam

(Noctamid)

10-12 hours

1-2mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

Medazepam

(Nobrium)

36-200 hours

10mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic

 

Nitrazepam

(Mogadon)

15-38 hours

10mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

Nordazepam

(Nordaz, Calmday)

36-200 hours

10mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic

 

Oxazepam

(Serax, Serenid,

Serepax, Seresta)

4-15 hours

20mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic

 

Prazepam

(Centrax, Lysanxia)

[36-200] hours

10-20mg = 10mg Valium

anxiolytic

 

Quazepam (Doral)

25-100 hours

20mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

Temazepam

(Restoril, Normison,

Euhypnos)

8-22 hours

20mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

Triazolam

(Halcion)

2 hours

0.5mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

Non-benzodiazepines

with similar effects

 

Zaleplon

(Sonata)

2 hours

20mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

Zolpidem

(Ambien, Stilnoct, Stilnox)

2 hours

20mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

Zopiclone

(Zimovane, Imovane)

5-6 hours

15mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

Eszopiclone

(Lunesta)

6 hours

(9 in elderly) hours

3mg = 10mg Valium

hypnotic

 

All these drugs are recommended for short-term use only (2-4 weeks maximum). See 1988 Guidelines.

Half-life: time taken for blood concentration to fall to half its peak value after a single dose. Half-life of active metabolite shown in square brackets. This time may vary considerably between individuals.

 

These equivalents do not agree with those used by some authors. They are firmly based on clinical experience during switch-over to diazepam at start of withdrawal programs but may vary between individuals.

 

Market Aim: Although all benzodiazepines have similar actions, they are usually marketed as anxiolytics (a), hypnotics (h) or anticonvulsants (e).

 

In the UK clobazam (Frisium) and clonazepam (Rivotril) are licensed for use as anti-epileptics only.

 

These drugs are chemically different from benzodiazepines but have the same effects on the body and act by the same mechanisms.

Plus you don't have a stupid ass ******* Cough that ****** you the **** off daily like Me, During the day and of course at night where Teamed with my in your Opinion "WD Insomnia" That I still for some reason Have makes my sleep MUCH worse, yeah you try sleeping hacking and coughing every 10 seconds and having to sit up sometimes to swallow....

 

I never argued against your cough.  I even tried to help by giving you a link for 21 natural cough remedies.  You need to seek professional help for this.

 

I go to the ******* Doctor and half the people don't know why, My Insurance don't cover it and I sure as hell cannot afford it so With My dumb luck I have to put up with this crap till at least June when I switch my Insurance, but then I am sure once I see the stupid Doctor with my usual Bad luck nothing will work and Ill have this crap till I die

 

More negativity.  Not sleeping sucks, but how you deal with it is just as important.  However, acceptance of your situation is only something you can when you are ready for it.

 

You May be trying to help people here, last time I checked though your not a Doctor, unless you have a phd which I doubt

 

I do have a Phd. in Educational Technology, but that is a moot point for this forum.  Medical doctors are the reason almost all of us are on this forum.  Almost all of them do not understand nor do they recognize Benzo WD.  If they did, they would know better than to prescribe Benzos for more than 2-3 weeks.  In addition, they would understand the horrendous WD symptoms these drugs can create along with severe insomnia.  If you find a Benzo-wise doctor, you are lucky indeed.

 

6) 99.9% of the time you don't have some other underlying medical condition that is causing your insomnia or other symptoms.  It is all Benzo WD related...with the exception of the person mentioned above.

 

Yeah That Tip right there is ABSOLUTE BS! I had the Damn Insomnia Before getting on the Benzos to begn with so your telling me my Insomnia that Started before the Benzos is still Benzo WD Related?! Seriously how the **** does that make any sense at all?!

 

Again, your uniformed response only proves your lack of understanding.  This is absolutely true and almost all Buddies on this forum will agree with it, except you.  And here is the context.  When people get all of the symptoms they have besides insomnia, those symptoms are caused by the Benzo’s effect on the nerves, not some underlying medical condition.  If your skin itches or burns and you become sensitive to sound or develop anxiety or muscle aches and pains along with muscle twitches, etc., those are all caused by the Benzos.  Many go in for medical tests as they believe another medical condition is causing the symptom.  Almost all of the time the tests and results come back negative. So it is not ABSOLUTE BS.  Your Glib response shows how little you truly know about this entire WD process. 

 

Because you don’t understand how something works, doesn’t make it untrue.  I know you are frustrated and you truly believe that you are past WD and what you are currently experiencing is just insomnia.  GREAT.  Seek professional help.  Try something different.  Change your attitude and your outlook.  Read the Ashton manual.  Become informed and make informed responses.  Good luck! 

 

You Cant Fix EVERYONE TheWay, even Stacey Knows that, shes on my side when it comes to not being Fixed and living with this until death

You Cant Fix EVERYONE TheWay, even Stacey Knows that, shes on my side when it comes to not being Fixed and living with this until death

 

It’s not really a matter of taking sides, Mark.

 

Those of us who believed we’d die of insomnia (I certainly did), but got our sleep back (amazing, blissful and natural sleep), are simply trying to offer hope – and I say that as someone who once had a baseline of persistent insomnia.

 

This did not happen for me until well after the one year mark. That may sound awful, but the time passed, it was not forever, and I am decidedly not dead.

 

With many years of Ativan use, while polydrugged with Paxil and Adderall, followed by a cold turkey, I had every reason to believe I’d never get better.

 

Surprise, surprise. 

You Cant Fix EVERYONE TheWay, even Stacey Knows that, shes on my side when it comes to not being Fixed and living with this until death

 

Again, as LeslieAsh said, it's not about taking sides.  This site is for helping people get through Benzo WD.  It's not about finding "allies" and then trying to buck what everyone else says as hubris.  You don't need to get people like Stacey in your "camp."  Stacey is not permanetly broken.  Stacey is in the thick of WD with a lot of other intense symptoms besides insomnia.  She never had sleeping problems her entire life until she starting using Benzos, therefore, her outlook is EXCELLENT.  She has a GREAT chance of getting 100% of her sleep back after her WD period ends. 

 

Of course I can't fix everyone.  In fact, I can't fix anyone.  Time is the fixer and the healer.

Wow. Just wow. Lol  I'm on the fence with mine. I hope it's benzo related. Mine just went away after a surgery and causes panic so I got on benzos..however, my mom said she started working at night and tried to sleep during the day and it got her sleep rythum all messed up. She said would lay for days before she got on restoril which has worked for her 30 years. She hasn't taken it the last 5 days and got no withdrawl except no sleep. I'm all confused. I don't know what to think.

 

Stacey,

Simple things seem much more complicated and confusing when going through withdrawal and associated sleep deprivation. Here is a simplified timeline of what commonly happens to most of us here on BB:

 

1. for whatever reason, we take a benzo or z-drug longer than we should have.

2. sometimes we get off the drug too fast.

3. severe insomnia sets in.

4. time heals us, but it may take awhile.

5. sleep returns and we get our life back.

6. sometimes we end up better off than previously thanks to the drug-free coping skills learned along the way

 

The process only proceeds forward beyond stage 3 if you stay away from all benzos and z-drugs (probably alcohol as well).

 

So should I just stop my taper? I didn't sleep at all tonight and I can't handle this. I do this almost every night  and end up taking something else to sleep. This is too much torture for me to handle.

 

Stacy,

I would only advise to consider ending a taping for z-drugs since their half-life is so short in your system, causing all sorts of instability. At least your are heading in the right direction of getting off the drugs. It is going to be hard during the taper, but it might be hard for longer if you jump too soon. If you have not already done so, you might want to head on over to the tapering thread to talk with folks with some experience in the process. This lack of sleep is probably new to you and very distressing, but many of us have been there and done that so we can assure you that you will make it through in one piece.