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When was the worst of insomnia over for you?


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I know everyone is different but I am wondering how long the worst was for you? My insomnia has become so bad I am barely sleeping and when I do, I don't feel like I am. It is like I am hallucinating. Anyone insight would be great.
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My insomnia was the worst at the time I jumped. The worst part took maybe a month and I slept 2-4 hrs broken sleep a night. Then my sleep started improving and now I sleep roughly 6 hrs a night and can take a nap in addition to night sleep. I do not take any sleep improving drugs but allowed my natural sleep return. I do not say my sleep is great but it is not bad anymore either. Well, in addition to this I noticed I sleep more than I know so it seems to be typical we do not know how much we actuallly sleep. Nowadays I write it down when I go bed in orde to estimate how much I have slept.
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I agree with Thomas.  That was about how it went for me.  You're probably in the worst of it right now.  Hang on...from your signature, it looks like you're about to jump!

 

  :hug:

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Since cold turkey

 

month 1-3 = 1-2 hours per night

month 3-6 = 2-4 hours per night (wake up constantly)

month 6-12 = 4-6 hours per night (wake up 4-5 times per night)

month 12 -14 = 6-7 hours per night (wake up 3-4 times per night)

 

Thats what it has looked like for me over time, with variability, you know, sometimes I would slip up or down a level in terms of sleep as an issue. There was a beautiful 3 week period where my sleep was totally normal 7-9 hours with zero interruptions, i felt so good i thought i was on drugs. I considered that my only perfect window on the sleep front to date.

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Since cold turkey

 

month 1-3 = 1-2 hours per night

month 3-6 = 2-4 hours per night (wake up constantly)

month 6-12 = 4-6 hours per night (wake up 4-5 times per night)

month 12 -14 = 6-7 hours per night (wake up 3-4 times per night)

 

Thats what it has looked like for me over time, with variability, you know, sometimes I would slip up or down a level in terms of sleep as an issue. There was a beautiful 3 week period where my sleep was totally normal 7-9 hours with zero interruptions, i felt so good i thought i was on drugs. I considered that my only perfect window on the sleep front to date.

 

You only took benzos for 7 weeks and are having this hard of time sleeping? Or did you take it 6 months? I'm scared how long mine will take to come back.

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Since cold turkey

 

month 1-3 = 1-2 hours per night

month 3-6 = 2-4 hours per night (wake up constantly)

month 6-12 = 4-6 hours per night (wake up 4-5 times per night)

month 12 -14 = 6-7 hours per night (wake up 3-4 times per night)

 

Thats what it has looked like for me over time, with variability, you know, sometimes I would slip up or down a level in terms of sleep as an issue. There was a beautiful 3 week period where my sleep was totally normal 7-9 hours with zero interruptions, i felt so good i thought i was on drugs. I considered that my only perfect window on the sleep front to date.

 

You only took benzos for 7 weeks and are having this hard of time sleeping? Or did you take it 6 months? I'm scared how long mine will take to come back.

 

I am really thinking and it's just my opinion that many people on this forum may not be sleeping because of other meds they are taking.  There are many reasons for insomnia including Benzo tapering but we must not blame Benzos on our lack of sleep when it could very well be a combination of other things... like meds, caffeine, poor sleep habits, etc. Many things cause insomnia.  Just saying.  :smitten:

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Most definitely there are other factors that contribute to insomnia not just the benzos. Other meds, illnesses, psychiatric illnesses, poor sleep habits, diet, alcohol, caffeine, environment, age, stress, illegal drugs. Reducing the stress, sleep hygiene, and diet has been important changes I have been able to make and seen some progress as well stopping all sleeping aids. From the psychological view, I had the delusion that I couldn't sleep on my own ever after this benzo hell, but I was wrong. Having the courage to make changes has been part of my journey.
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I've mean taking magnesium glycinate 450mg at night and 500mg capsule sometimes two 1000mgs of l tryptophan. Seems to be working but took about 5days to really kick in. Not sure if it will work for you. Or if you even wanted to add supplements.
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Be careful with the amino acids. 1000mg of tryptophan equals one pound of turkey i believe. One can create serious imbalances doing individual amino acids. I did 1ooo mg of tryptophan for a short time and at first it was helping me some, but after two months I was feeling so fatigued. I did a neurotransmitter test and it showed that I didn't need to supplement with tryptophan anymore because I was in the high normal range. Too much of it was causing my dopamine levels to go down hence the fatigue. I am taking b6 now to bring my dopamine levels up a bit. Taking neurotransmitters test is not an exact test though but it can give an idea what the levels are. In fact, I believe benzos doesn't affect the quantity of how much you have in your system, it affects the receptors inn itself, so is more structural I believe. One may have enough neurotransmitters and still have insomnia, or something like that.
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Be careful with the amino acids. 1000mg of tryptophan equals one pound of turkey i believe. One can create serious imbalances doing individual amino acids. I did 1ooo mg of tryptophan for a short time and at first it was helping me some, but after two months I was feeling so fatigued. I did a neurotransmitter test and it showed that I didn't need to supplement with tryptophan anymore because I was in the high normal range. Too much of it was causing my dopamine levels to go down hence the fatigue. I am taking b6 now to bring my dopamine levels up a bit. Taking neurotransmitters test is not an exact test though but it can give an idea what the levels are. In fact, I believe benzos doesn't affect the quantity of how much you have in your system, it affects the receptors inn itself, so is more structural I believe. One may have enough neurotransmitters and still have insomnia, or something like that.

 

Yes, that can happen. I cycle supplements. And also dont think all of the trytophan gets thru the blood brain barrier.  And I'm also an advocate of  not using a whole a lot of things during this withdrawal to know what causes what.  But that magnesium I keep using, have not had an issue with it.

I can't drink caffeine its makes me anxiety go thru the roof. And I love coffee (espresso). It really sucks. Thanks for that feed back on trytophan.

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I’m calling on my Benzo Buddies for help! I’m weaning Klonopin that I was put on initially for insomnia/anxiety. I took 0.5mg/night & 0.125mg/morning. I’m now down to 0.125mg am & 0.125mg pm. I just started having insomnia 2 nights ago. My question is, did all of you experience this in your taper? Does it eventually go away? I’m nervous I’m going to be right back where I started. I take Lexapro 20mg as well every am. Any & all advice is appreciated!
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I’m calling on my Benzo Buddies for help! I’m weaning Klonopin that I was put on initially for insomnia/anxiety. I took 0.5mg/night & 0.125mg/morning. I’m now down to 0.125mg am & 0.125mg pm. I just started having insomnia 2 nights ago. My question is, did all of you experience this in your taper? Does it eventually go away? I’m nervous I’m going to be right back where I started. I take Lexapro 20mg as well every am. Any & all advice is appreciated!

 

I started Ativan last September because I was having anxiety about sleeping after surgery. I still didn't sleep with it and have been fighting for sleep since then. I'm also tapering klonopine and am down to .05 at night and yes, I feel like my brain never shuts off. They say when our gaba unregulates, we will be fine.

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I’m calling on my Benzo Buddies for help! I’m weaning Klonopin that I was put on initially for insomnia/anxiety. I took 0.5mg/night & 0.125mg/morning. I’m now down to 0.125mg am & 0.125mg pm. I just started having insomnia 2 nights ago. My question is, did all of you experience this in your taper? Does it eventually go away? I’m nervous I’m going to be right back where I started. I take Lexapro 20mg as well every am. Any & all advice is appreciated!

 

I think that just about everyone on this forum experienced insomnia either during their taper or after they jumped. These drugs tend to make the sleep issues and anxiety that they were originally prescribed for worse when they are removed from the equation. The anxiety usually doesn't last too long, but it is pretty common for the insomnia to drag on for a very long time. It will eventually resolve itself, but there may be a lot of peaks and valleys along the way.

 

Many people then wonder if they are just completing a full circle and ending up back where they started before they were prescribed their drugs. I think that in truth a lot of transformation takes place along the way, making us better equipped to deal with our problems without having to resort to medications.

 

I also want to add that when my withdrawal insomnia first hit hard I was prescribed Lexapro to combat anxiety. It made me feel very alert and great, but it took away what little ability to sleep that I had. I found out that insomnia was a listed side-effect so I stopped taking it. You may be long used to the drug now so it is not adding to your sleep problems, but on the other hand, now that you are clearing yourself of sedating benzos, it may be causing problems. It is all about balance and benefits vs risk. Depression can be very heightened during benzo withdrawal and sleep deprivation. Drugs like Lexapro can either help or hinder, but in my experience, the amount of sleep that you can get is the greatest factor.

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Hey all,

 

Look back at the people’s signatures of those still having sleep dues and those that made it past. Ativan use affects sleep architecture more severely than other Benzos. They can’t be compared. I am just now understanding and trying to accept that. 

 

Please someone who was on Ativan and is now sleeping, prove me wrong. I would love to see some success stories!!

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Hey all,

 

Look back at the people’s signatures of those still having sleep dues and those that made it past. Ativan use affects sleep architecture more severely than other Benzos. They can’t be compared. I am just now understanding and trying to accept that. 

 

Please someone who was on Ativan and is now sleeping, prove me wrong. I would love to see some success stories!!

 

There is one girl on YouTube that talks about taking Ativan (blonde headed girl named Amanda) she said it took her about 4 months to feel better. I don't know. Most people were on xanex. I took all of them trying to get off ativan. I got insomnia after a surgery but I was prescribed Ativan and I never could sleep after that so I thought I got bad insomnia. That's how I ended up on restoril.

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Yaa my doctor prescribed me klonopin and restoril at the same time.  What a idiot both him for being negligent and me for not checking Restoril out on the internet before I took it.  Didnt think I needed to double check his work.  Now Im paying the price.
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My mom has taken restoril for 30 years or longer and never had a problem with it, so that's why I was ok taking it. I didn't know I was going to have a different reaction.
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  • 5 weeks later...

Since cold turkey

 

month 1-3 = 1-2 hours per night

month 3-6 = 2-4 hours per night (wake up constantly)

month 6-12 = 4-6 hours per night (wake up 4-5 times per night)

month 12 -14 = 6-7 hours per night (wake up 3-4 times per night)

 

Thats what it has looked like for me over time, with variability, you know, sometimes I would slip up or down a level in terms of sleep as an issue. There was a beautiful 3 week period where my sleep was totally normal 7-9 hours with zero interruptions, i felt so good i thought i was on drugs. I considered that my only perfect window on the sleep front to date.

 

You only took benzos for 7 weeks and are having this hard of time sleeping? Or did you take it 6 months? I'm scared how long mine will take to come back.

 

I am really thinking and it's just my opinion that many people on this forum may not be sleeping because of other meds they are taking.  There are many reasons for insomnia including Benzo tapering but we must not blame Benzos on our lack of sleep when it could very well be a combination of other things... like meds, caffeine, poor sleep habits, etc. Many things cause insomnia.  Just saying.  :smitten:

 

fair enough. For me it was definitely the benzos. I worked shift work on wards where I drank 2 red bulls and 3 coffee's each day and went home and slept fine. Also my degree taught me about sleep hygiene so it wasn't poor sleep hygiene. I even worked on the respiratory ward with sleep specialists so I knew this field/area inside and out (It was mandatory because I was advising patients). All those things that cause insomnia never caused me to have insomnia. I took the benzos because I could not initiate sleep during the day/change my circadian rhythm on a whim. biggest mistake of my life. My gift of being a deep sleeper has been gone ever since. There are no other variables it could be.

 

I live like a monk now. No stimulants of any kind. Warm lighting after 6, no blue screens/lights. routine behaviour. schedule to the hour maintained. vegan food (high carb low fat). routine exercise. no blue light breaches from dusk till dawn. daily meditation. I even train myself in sleep restriction and other sleep therapies periodically. use heavy sleep blankets. blah blah blah. I even went to the outer limits of the evidence supported science and tried clinical hypnotherapy (thats the most "alternative medicine" there is that still has a decent evidence base in the literature)

 

None of it works in isolation. Only after doing every single one of these things do i sleep. And even then, time is the biggest impact on sleep. Mine has gotten way better over time.

 

Time did help. For me the diagnosis is one of exclusion. Benzos is the only reasonable evidence-based conclusion because time is the biggest predictive variable. i control for all the other variables

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Since cold turkey

 

month 1-3 = 1-2 hours per night

month 3-6 = 2-4 hours per night (wake up constantly)

month 6-12 = 4-6 hours per night (wake up 4-5 times per night)

month 12 -14 = 6-7 hours per night (wake up 3-4 times per night)

 

Thats what it has looked like for me over time, with variability, you know, sometimes I would slip up or down a level in terms of sleep as an issue. There was a beautiful 3 week period where my sleep was totally normal 7-9 hours with zero interruptions, i felt so good i thought i was on drugs. I considered that my only perfect window on the sleep front to date.

 

You only took benzos for 7 weeks and are having this hard of time sleeping? Or did you take it 6 months? I'm scared how long mine will take to come back.

 

I am really thinking and it's just my opinion that many people on this forum may not be sleeping because of other meds they are taking.  There are many reasons for insomnia including Benzo tapering but we must not blame Benzos on our lack of sleep when it could very well be a combination of other things... like meds, caffeine, poor sleep habits, etc. Many things cause insomnia.  Just saying.  :smitten:

 

fair enough. For me it was definitely the benzos. I worked shift work on wards where I drank 2 red bulls and 3 coffee's each day and went home and slept fine. Also my degree taught me about sleep hygiene so it wasn't poor sleep hygiene. I even worked on the respiratory ward with sleep specialists so I knew this field/area inside and out (It was mandatory because I was advising patients). All those things that cause insomnia never caused me to have insomnia. I took the benzos because I could not initiate sleep during the day/change my circadian rhythm on a whim. biggest mistake of my life. My gift of being a deep sleeper has been gone ever since. There are no other variables it could be.

 

I live like a monk now. No stimulants of any kind. Warm lighting after 6, no blue screens/lights. routine behaviour. schedule to the hour maintained. vegan food (high carb low fat). routine exercise. no blue light breaches from dusk till dawn. daily meditation. I even train myself in sleep restriction and other sleep therapies periodically. use heavy sleep blankets. blah blah blah. I even went to the outer limits of the evidence supported science and tried clinical hypnotherapy (thats the most "alternative medicine" there is that still has a decent evidence base in the literature)

 

None of it works in isolation. Only after doing every single one of these things do i sleep. And even then, time is the biggest impact on sleep. Mine has gotten way better over time.

 

Time did help. For me the diagnosis is one of exclusion. Benzos is the only reasonable evidence-based conclusion because time is the biggest predictive variable. i control for all the other variables

 

I know you had told me your sleep was better. Have you not gotten better with your sleep?

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Since cold turkey

 

month 1-3 = 1-2 hours per night

month 3-6 = 2-4 hours per night (wake up constantly)

month 6-12 = 4-6 hours per night (wake up 4-5 times per night)

month 12 -14 = 6-7 hours per night (wake up 3-4 times per night)

 

Thats what it has looked like for me over time, with variability, you know, sometimes I would slip up or down a level in terms of sleep as an issue. There was a beautiful 3 week period where my sleep was totally normal 7-9 hours with zero interruptions, i felt so good i thought i was on drugs. I considered that my only perfect window on the sleep front to date.

 

You only took benzos for 7 weeks and are having this hard of time sleeping? Or did you take it 6 months? I'm scared how long mine will take to come back.

 

I am really thinking and it's just my opinion that many people on this forum may not be sleeping because of other meds they are taking.  There are many reasons for insomnia including Benzo tapering but we must not blame Benzos on our lack of sleep when it could very well be a combination of other things... like meds, caffeine, poor sleep habits, etc. Many things cause insomnia.  Just saying.  :smitten:

 

fair enough. For me it was definitely the benzos. I worked shift work on wards where I drank 2 red bulls and 3 coffee's each day and went home and slept fine. Also my degree taught me about sleep hygiene so it wasn't poor sleep hygiene. I even worked on the respiratory ward with sleep specialists so I knew this field/area inside and out (It was mandatory because I was advising patients). All those things that cause insomnia never caused me to have insomnia. I took the benzos because I could not initiate sleep during the day/change my circadian rhythm on a whim. biggest mistake of my life. My gift of being a deep sleeper has been gone ever since. There are no other variables it could be.

 

I live like a monk now. No stimulants of any kind. Warm lighting after 6, no blue screens/lights. routine behaviour. schedule to the hour maintained. vegan food (high carb low fat). routine exercise. no blue light breaches from dusk till dawn. daily meditation. I even train myself in sleep restriction and other sleep therapies periodically. use heavy sleep blankets. blah blah blah. I even went to the outer limits of the evidence supported science and tried clinical hypnotherapy (thats the most "alternative medicine" there is that still has a decent evidence base in the literature)

 

None of it works in isolation. Only after doing every single one of these things do i sleep. And even then, time is the biggest impact on sleep. Mine has gotten way better over time.

 

Time did help. For me the diagnosis is one of exclusion. Benzos is the only reasonable evidence-based conclusion because time is the biggest predictive variable. i control for all the other variables

 

I know you had told me your sleep was better. Have you not gotten better with your sleep?

 

Yes stacey heaps. I slep 12 hour last night with only one awakening. Time did that. That was my only point

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