Insomnia :(

Hello all,

I am hoping to get some help with my current situation! I was placed on Ativan for extreme panic attacks (heart rate would go as high as 200 BPM) and for GAD. I took 9 one mg pills and 13 0.5 mg pills over the course of 2 months. I took them as needed. I took the last pill 6 days ago. Prior to that I had not taken one since October the 8th. I think I got very setback by drinking on the night of my wedding (October 27) coupled with a few bad sleeps. After not sleeping for 5 nights I completely broke down and ended up in the ER. There I was prescribed Zopliclone and Zoloft. I have been taking 7.5 mgs of Zopliclone each night for 5 days. Should one continue on Zopliclone? Or am I further setting myself back? I need to sleep, I have a family and a job and when I don’t sleep I loose the plot big time!!! Should I start Zoloft? Dreadful anxiety got me into this boat

Benzos work on Gaba.  Alcohol also works on Gaba.  Gaba is what makes you relaxed and calm so you can sleep. 

Zoloft is an AD and usually takes at least 2 - 4 weeks for it to start working

Zopiclone is a Z class drug that is not a Benzo, but pretty much works the same way

All drugs are a dead end road.  They will all quit working and they all run the risk of having a nasty withdrawal that could last for a long time

Most doctors are clueless when it comes to Benzos and Benzo withdrawal.  They don't believe it even exists or if they do, that it doesn't last longer than 2 or 3 weeks.

You have to decide what is best for you.  But in my opinion, drugs are never the answer.

Read some of the success stories on this forum and maybe that will help you decide?

I agree with TheWay. There really isn't any safe sleeping aide available. All of them stop working eventually, and the longer you take them, the deeper the hole you dig yourself.

In addition to doctors having no idea about benzos, they really have no idea about any drug that affects the nervous system. If you don't believe me, do some reading about the drugs you were prescribed, then ask the prescribing physician how they work to test their knowledge. They probably won't be able to tell you.

If you want help with sleep, I'd see a sleep psychologist or get a book on CBT for insomnia if you're on a tight budget. The reality is that you're probably going to have a tough time for a little while, but you should be able to re-establish normal sleep within a few months. Trust me, it is much better to go through a tough time for a few months than become dependent on pills and spend years on disability. As TheWay said, lack of sleep will not kill you in the short term. It won't even really kill you in the long term. There isn't much difference in people with long term extreme chronic insomnia (less than 5 hours sleep per night) and people who sleep 7-8 hours in terms of mortality, oddly.

If you do go the drug route, try and take them for as short a time as possible, then taper off slowly.

Hello all,

 

I am hoping to get some help with my current situation! I was placed on Ativan for extreme panic attacks (heart rate would go as high as 200 BPM) and for GAD. I took 9 one mg pills and 13 0.5 mg pills over the course of 2 months. I took them as needed. I took the last pill 6 days ago. Prior to that I had not taken one since October the 8th. I think I got very setback by drinking on the night of my wedding (October 27) coupled with a few bad sleeps. After not sleeping for 5 nights I completely broke down and ended up in the ER. There I was prescribed Zopliclone and Zoloft. I have been taking 7.5 mgs of Zopliclone each night for 5 days. Should one continue on Zopliclone? Or am I further setting myself back? I need to sleep, I have a family and a job and when I don’t sleep I loose the plot big time!!! Should I start Zoloft? Dreadful anxiety got me into this boat

I suffered for years with insomnia (due to anxiety and then due to benzo withdrawal).

I found something to help me.

I talk about it in this link http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=212666.0