Does anything work for those sleepless nights?

Hello, since tapering off Clonazepam and getting to 0.25 mg's I'm finding that I don't sleep well. I've been using benodryl occasionally but it's not working very well and it's not a good thing to take on a regular basis. I tried melatonin and it made me sick. I do the nighttime routine... a bath, relax, etc but I'm still not sleeping well. I'm tired of being tired and I wish I wouldn't have ever started taking Clonazepam because I'm suffering big time.  Please help!  :'(

with rating 1-10 (tried myself):

1. hydroxizine 10-20mg (5)

2. doxepin 5-10mg (6)

3. remeron (7) (awful s/x for me, hard to quit I've heard)

4. seroquel 25mg (9)

 

gabapentin works too for sleep maintenance, not induction, but can be also hard to get off after long-term exposure

As loctusOFborg said there isn't much short of another Rx drug that will help you sleep.  You need to decide if another Rx drug is right for you.  Many have their own withdrawal and side effects and another taper to complete.  Some do well on another Rx drug, some don't.  I didn't do well on anything so I took nothing.  It sucked, but I survived and made it through and now I sleep pretty well.

 

The lower you go on your dose while you taper, typically the more symptoms you will see along with less sleep.  After you are off, you will most likely experience "acute withdrawal" a period of 30 - 90 days of intense symptoms and little sleep.  It slowly starts to get better after that.  Wish I had better news, but that is the reality for most.  But you WILL get better and you WILL heal.

i think certain drugs can bridge the period between acute and recovery. Seroquel 25mg did it for me. slept great, then stopped, had no problems.

not sure I would have made it without.  not many drugs are harder to get off then benzos ....

I used hydroxyzine and it worked for me.  I stopped it CT with no major issues.  A couple of times I felt habituated just bc I would get weird skin sensations in my hands at the same time everyday before bed if I didn't take it.  That went away 2 days later after I stopped completely.

I've been off benzos for 5 months and I take 50 mg seroquel. I sleep most nights but it's not well. I feel like hell the next morning. I don't even want to get up but i guess it's helping me atleast get through the night.

I just got (2 days ago) a weighted blanket, per the suggestion of one of the members here.  The first night there was no improvement, but last night I slept better.  I don't know yet at this point if the blanket had anything to do with that, but I am hopeful.  They're much more affordable than they used to be, mine was about 70 US dollars on amazon and delivery was very fast. 

I use a weighted blanket too. I don't know if it truly helps me get more sleep but I like it so that's something.

Stacey,

 

I took seroquel too for about 3 weeks and I always felt totally drugged and out of it the next morning with light sensitivity, tiredness, irritability and eyes that felt like someone punched them, etc.  I quit seroquel and all that went away.  It works for some, but I think I am sensitive to all drugs as I pretty much tried everything for sleep. 

Stacey,

 

I took seroquel too for about 3 weeks and I always felt totally drugged and out of it the next morning with light sensitivity, tiredness, irritability and eyes that felt like someone punched them, etc.  I quit seroquel and all that went away.  It works for some, but I think I am sensitive to all drugs as I pretty much tried everything for sleep.

 

You sound like me. I'm the princess on the 99 mattresses that feels the pea on the bottom.  EVERYTHING effects me.  So for now... I'm taking nothing.  If I could turn back time I would have NEVER taken a phyche med because it has been years of hell for me. I blame Clonazepam for the demise of my broken marriage of 25-years. I'm so sad most days but have learned to accept this as part of my life.  :'(

What truly helped me get back top normal sleep was listening to sleep hypnosis videos on You Tube. I swear by them. I started listening to themj perhaps 5 years ago, when sleep was still almost non existent. They did not work for about a month. But after that, they sure did. I would gradually relax and be able to drift off to sleep. I STILL l;isten to them today.

 

Having a comfortable mattress helps, and adding a memory foam topper helps too.

east

Low dose Remeron can help, 15 mgs or so. I had little trouble discontinuing it. One warning though it can increase appetite and cause weight gain, but most folks with insomnia usually have nausea and weight loss so this can be a good thing. Good luck!!!

 

Low dose Remeron can help, 15 mgs or so. I had little trouble discontinuing it. One warning though it can increase appetite and cause weight gain, but most folks with insomnia usually have nausea and weight loss so this can be a good thing. Good luck!!!

Yes to the Remeron for helping with sleep.  I only have to take 7.5 mg or Less.  Sometimes when it's not working i cut the dose and it kicks in again.  A bit counterintuitive....

I took 7.5 mg. of remeron for quite a while and it worked great.  It stopped working.  I'm down to 3.75 mg., only to keep from withdrawal from it.  Now I use melatonin and it's working great.

I took 7.5 mg. of remeron for quite a while and it worked great.  It stopped working.  I'm down to 3.75 mg., only to keep from withdrawal from it.  Now I use melatonin and it's working great.

 

The interesting thing for with Remeron is that when it stops working -- and it does every now and then for a bit -- I lower the dose and I get to sleep just fine.