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I suffer from insomnia, have done since I was a child but have only been treated for it in the last few years. I've tried all the sleep hygiene stuff which hasn't made much difference and many different medicines which have either had very bad side effects (e.g. Ambien) or just not worked very well, or stopped working after I developed tolerance for them.
At the moment I am prescribed Atarax (an anti-histamine) which does send me to sleep but I wake up feeling exhausted. I am also prescribed Opamox (Oxazepam) for my anxiety to take one per day as needed but I only take it on the worst days because it makes me so tired.
Which leads me to my sleep solution, which is to drink 2 glasses of wine or one beer and one glass of wine, then go to bed and take an Opamox then read for 30-40 minutes until it takes effect and then I end up sleeping the whole night and wake up actually feeling refreshed, which I haven't done in years. Do end up getting some pretty scary dreams though.
So this is obviously unhealthy and cannot be a long term solution anyway because I'm not going to be prescribed Opamox forever but how bad is this for me? Am I doing myself damage or putting myself at risk? I'm reluctant to talk to my doctor about this as I'm sure he'll think its a big no-no but damnit I need to sleep at least some nights a week (I don't do it every night).
Have you ever tried light therapy? Especially in those northern countries like Finland, sleep problems are more common due possibly to issues about circadian rhythms.
I think you are at risk for doing this more and more, adding to it. Until the two glasses becomes two bottles. Sure you will have been sleeping, but at what cost?
Haven't tried light therapy, never heard of it before. Will look into it, thanks.
I worry about that risk HighFlyingBird although I'm not so sure about the likelihood as more than two glasses makes my sleep much worse actually but I suppose I develop a tolerance to the two glasses just like I do with meds. Think I'll look into this light therapy thing and ask my doctor about any other non-medicinal approaches to insomnia if I ever get another appointment.
I think you should look at it this way--lack of sleep is probably worse for you than the wine. Besides, studies have shown that even heavy drinkers live longer than teetotalers. This comes to you from a teetotaler, though not by choice.
So this is obviously unhealthy and cannot be a long term solution anyway because I'm not going to be prescribed Opamox forever but how bad is this for me? Am I doing myself damage or putting myself at risk? I'm reluctant to talk to my doctor about this as I'm sure he'll think its a big no-no but damnit I need to sleep at least some nights a week (I don't do it every night).
Why not speak to your doctor regarding mixing alcohol and the medication? "USUALLY" Alcohol only enhances the effect of the medication. I don't have problems with going to sleep, I can't normally stay sleeping for long, Diphenhydramine seems to work well, you can also take Meletonin. I don't like all the possible dangerous side effects of the script sleep aids ... "doing things without remembering the next day" ????
Why not speak to your doctor regarding mixing alcohol and the medication? "USUALLY" Alcohol only enhances the effect of the medication. I don't have problems with going to sleep, I can't normally stay sleeping for long, Diphenhydramine seems to work well, you can also take Meletonin. I don't like all the possible dangerous side effects of the script sleep aids ... "doing things without remembering the next day" ????
Unfortunately diphenhydramine and melatonin don't do much for me. Those side effects of the prescription stuff can be pretty nuts though, I took Ambien for a few days and luckily didn't do anything crazy but started hallucinating one night and ended up in the hospital scared out of my mind.
I've stopped this method now after reading the replies on this thread because I'm scared of getting an alcohol problem but damn the tiredness hits me really bad every afternoon because I'm not getting restful sleep.
Unfortunately diphenhydramine and melatonin don't do much for me. Those side effects of the prescription stuff can be pretty nuts though, I took Ambien for a few days and luckily didn't do anything crazy but started hallucinating one night and ended up in the hospital scared out of my mind.
I've stopped this method now after reading the replies on this thread because I'm scared of getting an alcohol problem but damn the tiredness hits me really bad every afternoon because I'm not getting restful sleep.
With some things even though they are not "addictive" in the classic sense, you WILL build a tolerance and require higher and higher levels to be effective.
Your Primary Doctor may be able to refer you to a Sleep Specialist, something you may not even thought of could be causing your sleep issues.
So this is obviously unhealthy and cannot be a long term solution anyway because I'm not going to be prescribed Opamox forever but how bad is this for me? Am I doing myself damage or putting myself at risk? I'm reluctant to talk to my doctor about this as I'm sure he'll think its a big no-no but damnit I need to sleep at least some nights a week (I don't do it every night).
While there's always a danger to mixing alcohol and benzos, the truth is you're probably not doing yourself any short-term harm with those dosages. Long-term, though, I think you already know that any sleep solution that involves benzos is not only just kicking the can down the road, it's making the can bigger every day. Someday you're still going to have to deal with the underlying issue, and being dependent on benzos will make that harder. It does sound as though you're not taking them every night, though, which is good - and indicates that you do understand what you're dealing with and are trying to handle it in the most sensible manner.
I second the suggestion to see a sleep specialist. I think you might be very surprised at some of the options they may have for you to try. Good luck; I know what a hell that can be.
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