~ Desperate For Sleep ~ Short Term Rx Sleeping Medication ~

I have been tapering off benzos for more than 14 months.  I’m off alprazolam (Xanax) for more than a month.  I’m currently tapering clonazepam (Klonopin).  My current dose is .73mg/day divided into three equal doses.

 

I’ve been taking hydroxyzine (Rx antihistamine) for the past 10 days for incessant nausea, anxiety and sleep.  Unfortunately, despite increasing the doses, it’s failed miserably.  I think it’s actually causing more insomnia.  Sometimes antihistamines do that...paradoxical effect.

 

I have suffered from not only nausea from the beginning, but also severe insomnia.  At best I get 4 hours of fractured sleep at night.  I wake up between 3 and 4:00 a.m. with horrific anxiety, nausea, and more recently, looping thoughts usually in the form a song repeating over and over and over. 

 

I’m scheduled for surgery on Friday morning.  It’s not a huge surgery (umbilical hernia) but has me more anxious than usual.  I will have general anesthesia but should be home the same day.  I’m going to request no benzos as pre-meds.

 

It’s impossible to nap during the day.  As soon as I start to drift off, a feeling of terror washes over me that I can’t even describe. My heart races, nausea increases and anxiety is through the roof. I have no idea why it happens but it does.  I’m so sleep deprived my eyes just close only to be startled by this. I have to force myself to stay awake to avoid this feeling.

 

I know it’s very taboo to go on prescription sleeping “Z” drugs during withdrawal but I don’t think I have a choice right now.  Last night I didn’t sleep at all.  The night before was two hours...if that. I don’t know how my body will heal from surgery in this condition. I’m so desperate for relief I see no alternative but to use a sleeping medication short term (less than a week).  I’ve tried over the counter medications.  They’re all basically antihistamines that wind me up. 

 

If I could just get a couple of good nights sleep before and after the surgery, I think it would be beneficial to my overall healing.

 

It sounds like I’m making excuses just to get on a sleeping pill.  I’ve never used one a day in my life but it’s critical now that I get sleep.  I don’t eat sugar, I don’t use caffeine.  I take mirtazapine but it’s more than likely pooped out on me.  I’ve tried calming teas, meditation, tapping.  I’m at a loss for ideas other than this.

 

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

 

SG

💜

 

 

 

I have the exact same symptoms . Time is the only thing that helps . I still don’t sleep . I am sorry you are feeling unwell . Maybe the surgery will actually get you some deserved sleep .

Best wishes.

Lisa

Im new and no expert buy I feel your pain. I got on seroquel and prozac just to get off the benzos. I use to use mirtazapine but it k8nda stopped working. I don't like seroquel but for now till I get to a better point I've just decided to take it. Maybe ask your doc for a script of seroquel or whatever you feel comfortable with just to get you a little sleep. I hope you feel better, get some sleep and your surgery goes great! God Bless

I have the exact same symptoms . Time is the only thing that helps . I still don’t sleep . I am sorry you are feeling unwell . Maybe the surgery will actually get you some deserved sleep .

Best wishes.

Lisa

 

@tech21 Thank you for your reply!  It’s not an ideal situation; I’m so exhausted and dysfunctional.  Couple chronic insomnia with constant nausea...it’s not a pretty picture. I need to muster some strength for healing.  I’ve lost more than 50 pounds and need every ounce of strength I can get.

 

I’m hoping the hernia repair may alleviate some of the nausea. I’m not so sure it’s even related but it’s become very uncomfortable in the past month or so.  I’m a nervous wreck but hopeful things will go well.

 

Praying for relief.

 

SG

💜

Im new and no expert buy I feel your pain. I got on seroquel and prozac just to get off the benzos. I use to use mirtazapine but it k8nda stopped working. I don't like seroquel but for now till I get to a better point I've just decided to take it. Maybe ask your doc for a script of seroquel or whatever you feel comfortable with just to get you a little sleep. I hope you feel better, get some sleep and your surgery goes great! God Bless

 

@Sunshine2020 Thank you for your input and ideas for medication.  Right now I’m just taking one day at a time but it’s always good to have other options.

 

Thanks for the good wishes!

 

SG

💜

 

I have the same insomnia symptoms as you...and the same things happen to me when I attempt to nap during the day...as soon as my body starts to relax, I wake up in near terror.  May I ask if the mirtrazapine (sp?) worked for you? I was actually just prescribed that a few days ago, but am holding off on using it.  I was given trazadone once and woke up in a severe panic, about a month and a half ago.  Maybe I didnt give it a chance, but i am too fearful to take it again.

Hi Septgirl,

I am so sorry you ate syruggling.like this. I know hoe awful it is. Dame thing happens to me when I take naps. The minute I shut my eyes my.heart goes a mile a minute and my body is trembling and then I have this really disguisting sick feeling. I dont take them anymore. Maybe you could try trazedone. Just a thought. I hope your operation goes well. You will get thru this. I know it is hard but i felt thst same way before and ot has calmed down for now. 

I have the same insomnia symptoms as you...and the same things happen to me when I attempt to nap during the day...as soon as my body starts to relax, I wake up in near terror.  May I ask if the mirtrazapine (sp?) worked for you? I was actually just prescribed that a few days ago, but am holding off on using it.  I was given trazadone once and woke up in a severe panic, about a month and a half ago.  Maybe I didnt give it a chance, but i am too fearful to take it again.

 

Hi @Heyitsmark!  The mirtazapine did work for me for awhile.  I think it kind of pooped out on me for sleep. For me it was definitely more effective (sedating) at lower doses.  I started at 7.5mg at bedtime. I then went to 15mg at bedtime and didn’t see any benefit from the higher dose.  I’m still taking 15mg/day but split the dose...7.5mg in the morning and 7.5mg at bedtime. I don’t really find it sedating during the day.

 

It is an antidepressant though I believe most people use it for sleeping. I guess it helps for the depression I’m experiencing during this withdrawal.  I didn’t realize at the time it was prescribed that it can be troublesome to stop taking.  Most people need to wean off of it.  From what I’ve read, it can be difficult to wean but we’re all different.

 

I’ve also read some people benefit from a dose as low as 3.75mg which is 1/4 of a 15mg tablet (can be difficult to split but tabs are scored to split in half). It’s also available in 7.5mg tabs  You may want to try a low dose first.  It might be all you need.

 

Good luck!

 

SG

💜

Hi Septgirl,

I am so sorry you ate syruggling.like this. I know hoe awful it is. Dame thing happens to me when I take naps. The minute I shut my eyes my.heart goes a mile a minute and my body is trembling and then I have this really disguisting sick feeling. I dont take them anymore. Maybe you could try trazedone. Just a thought. I hope your operation goes well. You will get thru this. I know it is hard but i felt thst same way before and ot has calmed down for now. 

 

Hi @Dehytq2...That feeling is terrible when drifting off to sleep for a nap. Strangely, I don’t get that feeling at night when I fall asleep for the few hours I get!

 

Thanks for the trazodone suggestion but I think at this point, I’m going to stick with what I’m on.  I’m too symptomatic now to add/subtract different drugs, wean off of one to go on another.  I was so desperate for sleep and rest for the surgery (had the surgery today...all went well but painful as expected)!  I was prescribed 10 tabs (zero refills) of zolpidem 5mg (generic Ambien) to get me over the hump.  Personally, I don’t feel it’s very effective.  I’m going to give it one more try tonight as I’m in pain AND sleep deprived.  If it doesn’t help tonight, I’m finished with taking it.

 

I always appreciate suggestions so thank you!

 

SG

💜

There's a homeopathic combo remedy  called Quietude that has really helped me in the past. It doesn't work for me now, but it might work for a night or two just to get you over the hump. When it has worked it really knocked me out.  Now I use Unisom (doxylamine.)  It works better for me than Benadryl did.

I'm also having these awful sensations if I try to nap. Sometimes I have vivid dreams in which I feel a profound sadness and grief unlike anything I have ever experienced during waking hours.

 

It's hard for me to wake up from these dreams. Usually a bad dream will make me snap awake, but these seem to go on and on by comparison. So bizarre and unsettling to say the least.

 

I look forward to naps being a luxury again.

sept, I can't remember if I've replied to you about this or not.

 

Pleas, don't take Ambien. It is a powerful hypnotic. And it's so easy to get hooked on it. I don't know anyone who has the will power to take just one or two. I didn't . . . then 11 years later I had to get off the darned thing. It was almost as bad as benzos.

 

The best sleeping and nausea remedy for me was/is indica marijuana. Nothing works better for me . . . and it gives you no morning grogginess.

 

Hmm, I do think I've posted to you about this, so I won't say more.

 

Anyhow, that's my advice. Insomnia is rotten -- I tried just about everything before I found the marijuana.

 

 

Katz

Thanks for your input Katz.  I did take three tabs for the sanity of my impending surgery and the need for a rested body.  The first night it didn’t help.  The second night it helped a little. Last night was a better night I think because of the effects of the anesthesia in the morning. As far as I’m concerned, I’m finished with it now.  My goal was to get some rest before and after after my procedure.  I was prescribed 5mg, 10 tablets, no refills.  I wasn’t looking for a long term insomnia solution with yet another drug.  It served its purpose.

 

Yes, you did send your MJ recipe.  My neighbor let me try her MM tincture which did include indica strain.  I really didn’t find it very helpful for nausea. The past two days I’ve been taking Pepcid.  I think it’s helping a little. It’s hard to tell with all the anxiety from the surgery.  Time will tell.

 

SG

💜

I'm going to just list all the tools I may use only rarely:

 

Tylenol

 

Melatonin

 

Benadryl

 

NSAIDs (almost never. I have stomach problems)

 

Immodium

 

I don't use them too often because I am in the middle of an insomnia episode and they don't really help too well. 

 

It so happens I am tapering off of 3.75 remeron right now. I was on it for over 5 years to taper off benzos. Remeron IMO is a very sticky dangerous drug. It was the original reason I got on benzos.

 

Physical aspects: Exercise, shut down media before bed time.

When I went ct on benzos, I couldn't sleep at all.  The lack of sleep kept building and building.  I was like a zombie at work. My doc prescribed high doses of seroquel (200mg?) and it knocked me out.  After  a while I was reinstated on Xanax and I was able to taper down to 12.5 mg seroquel which I am currently on.  I also take trazadone at night which helps.  I didn't like being on Seroquel but temporarily it got me some sleep.  I also got on amitriptyline which really makes me sleepy.  He tried me on SSRI's and I had extremely bad reactions to them (on the floor shaking hard).  I hope this helps someone. Just my experience as we are all different.

I'm thinking about you, sept. Please tell us how you feel after your surgery.

 

:smitten:

 

Katz

 

 

The insomnia eventually gets better. I found that if I can stop myself from obsessing about not sleeping, I'd often have mini-sleeps. Not great but some rest. Now I am sleeping more.

Drugs aren't the answer. My sleep doctor kept prescribing benzos even after they crapped out - he always had the next magic pill - which never worked or at least not for long. Luckily, he finally recognized he couldn't help me when I brought in the Ashton manual (which he had never heard of) and supports my taper by not cutting my prescription off.