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Interesting. This evening it seems as if a lot of people are worrying about insomnia. I sure can relate to that. When you go off benzos by ANY means or ways, insomnia may be quite severe. People, this is very normal and nothing for you to worry about even though you feel like crap. Not sleeping IS awful and you cannot help wonder if you will ever sleep normally again.

I started taking benzos for what I thought was chronic insomnia. And I took way too many benzos for that reason and for thirty long years. Well, I did sleep well all those years but at such a high price.

It might help for you to review the basics of how benzos do their work on your brain and what happens when you get off benzos either by CT or taper.

The fear center of your brain (the amygdala) is gonna go a bit crazy, causing insomnia and fear and anxiety. That part of your brain has to heal a bit before you will be able to sleep normally. Your amygdala is the source of almost ALL of your WD symptoms.

All of us have to learn new skills to deal with anxiety, insomnia and other normal skills of daily living. And all of you can do this, if you just give it enough time.

east

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Eastcoast,

 

I'm absolutely amazed by the drugs and dosages you came off of. Well done! You must have gone through hell and gained a lot of wisdom. Thank you for encouraging all of those still in the thick of it all.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Thank you East Coast for your much needed encouragement.  I am still having horrible insomnia.  I hardly ever get sleepy, and if I do sleep, it does not feel normal to me.  Sometimes I cannot fall asleep , and if I do, when I wake up in the middle of the night, I feel wide awake.  I too, am up there in age, 58 , …...doctor put me on Bio-Identical progesterone...stayed on that for 4 weeks....it made my insomnia worse.... after I went off.....I slept pretty good for a week....then back to horrible sleep....I don't know what is going on! 
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I, too, rarely felt sleepy, and that lasted about 5 years. No lie. I listened to sleep hypnosis videos and they did help me fall asleep. I did not YAWN for over a year!!! Really! The first time I did yawn I was amazed, because I had not noticed I no longer yawned at all. God almighty, these drugs are pure hell. And do so much damage.

 

Runner, I honestly believe that people over 50 tend to do well with benzo wd and recovery. We have more experience and wisdom, and can use all of that to get through BWD. Almost all of my best "buddies" are older women who had awful withdrawals. A few men as well.

 

I tried a lot of safe supplements to try to ease my insomnia. NONE of them worked. NOTHING worked except tose sleep hypnosis videos on YouTube. It took a few months for them to sink into my benzo addled brain back then, but eventually they DID help... a lot.

 

I wish more decent research had been done on benzos and how they do affect our brains. But so far, that has not happened.

east

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Please help  I posted to East coast personally to (thank you)

Last night I broke down and too klonipin to help with sleep.  was on larazapam in 2012 and klonipin 2017.

 

Insomnia and severse anxiety.

 

Is there anything safer than klonipin to help with sleep.  I tried natural stuff, not helping. 

 

I'm scared, went thru hell, especially the first time with larazapam. 

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Please help  I posted to East coast personally to (thank you)

Last night I broke down and too klonipin to help with sleep.  was on larazapam in 2012 and klonipin 2017.

 

Insomnia and severse anxiety.

 

Is there anything safer than klonipin to help with sleep.  I tried natural stuff, not helping. 

 

I'm scared, went thru hell, especially the first time with larazapam.

 

OH please whatever you do don't go back on benzos!! They gave me trazodone for sleep and it works. There are other options too. Some people take seroquel. I don't know, I'd try the other options but I'd never go back on benzos if I get off.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Was trazadone given while still tapering ?  I can’t sleep now going on weeks.  This is in really increasing my symptoms I think

 

Mrtn yes it has been give to me while I'm still tapering. You are still tapering aren't you? Maybe slow down the taper too, I don't know how fast you're cutting. Trazodone is not a miracle drug but it does help me sleep. Only 25 - 50 mgs. No more.

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I wish more decent research had been done on benzos and how they do affect our brains. But so far, that has not happened.

east

 

There seems to be a decent amount of research done on benzo withdrawal, but it doesn't look like you can freely read more than the abstracts:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal_syndrome#References

 

And, I don't know if I would understand them if I could access them!  :sick:

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Think I guess you are right. I personally do not feel enough REAL, long study research has been done, or if it HAS been done, we are not allowed to read it. I can only guess the drug companies have hidden it away somehow.

I truly do feel that the American public has been mislead about benzos and many other drugs. This is not right, but this does happen in a country that claims to care for everyone. Phooey on that!

east

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Think I guess you are right. I personally do not feel enough REAL, long study research has been done, or if it HAS been done, we are not allowed to read it. I can only guess the drug companies have hidden it away somehow.

I truly do feel that the American public has been mislead about benzos and many other drugs. This is not right, but this does happen in a country that claims to care for everyone. Phooey on that!

east

 

We know from observation and experience that who are we to come between a pharmaceutical company and its profits. Big pharma is beholden to its shareholders and bottom line, not patients. While patients, I mean customers, are sick and dying they are just finding new ways to line up new customers. Capitalism and medicine don't mix!

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