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I have severe anxiety and I do a variety of strategies to help with it. One is to get more sleep, because when I get a lot of sleep I have less anxiety, but I also struggle to stay asleep at times.... So I started using Zzz-Quil to help me sleep better.
I live with my bf and he thinks I use it too much, as I pretty much use it almost every night now to make sure I sleep. But if I don't use it, I typically wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep, often I wake up and have anxiety then that keeps me up longer.
My father is an alcoholic, but I don't use substances. I've never even taken a sip of alcohol, never a puff from cigarettes, I avoid taking things like Tylenol if I have a headache...I only take medication prescriptions if it is severe. I even avoid the pill. I don't even eat candy or junk food....literally none. I only have 1 can of Pepsi a month, other than that everything I drink is water....and I stay extremely fit. So I am in good physical health and don't have substance issues of really any kind.
So...I don't really know if it is a problem per se that I use it so much, but he thinks it is a bad habit forming and that I am dependent on it and will eventually build a tolerance to it and need more and more...he also says that since I am a short and very thin girl that I shouldn't do the full dose, which usually I go a little under the lines anyways.
I have severe anxiety and I do a variety of strategies to help with it. One is to get more sleep, because when I get a lot of sleep I have less anxiety, but I also struggle to stay asleep at times.... So I started using Zzz-Quil to help me sleep better.
I live with my bf and he thinks I use it too much, as I pretty much use it almost every night now to make sure I sleep. But if I don't use it, I typically wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep, often I wake up and have anxiety then that keeps me up longer.
My father is an alcoholic, but I don't use substances. I've never even taken a sip of alcohol, never a puff from cigarettes, I avoid taking things like Tylenol if I have a headache...I only take medication prescriptions if it is severe. I even avoid the pill. I don't even eat candy or junk food....literally none. I only have 1 can of Pepsi a month, other than that everything I drink is water....and I stay extremely fit. So I am in good physical health and don't have substance issues of really any kind.
So...I don't really know if it is a problem per se that I use it so much, but he thinks it is a bad habit forming and that I am dependent on it and will eventually build a tolerance to it and need more and more...he also says that since I am a short and very thin girl that I shouldn't do the full dose, which usually I go a little under the lines anyways.
Any thoughts?
I would think that 50mg is a pretty heavy dose for a smaller person like you. A 25mg dose should be plenty. You might even try breaking a 25mg tablet in half and taking just the half tablet before bedtime. I've found that if I wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble going back to sleep, taking one Tylenol tablet will usually do the trick and get me back to sleep within 30 minutes.
I'm not a doctor and don't mean to offer medical advice. Just telling you what seems to work for me... a male who is considerably bigger and probably considerably older than you. Soothing music might help, but it's sometimes just hard to quiet an active mind. Good luck.
I have severe anxiety and I do a variety of strategies to help with it. One is to get more sleep, because when I get a lot of sleep I have less anxiety, but I also struggle to stay asleep at times.... So I started using Zzz-Quil to help me sleep better.
I live with my bf and he thinks I use it too much, as I pretty much use it almost every night now to make sure I sleep. But if I don't use it, I typically wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep, often I wake up and have anxiety then that keeps me up longer.
My father is an alcoholic, but I don't use substances. I've never even taken a sip of alcohol, never a puff from cigarettes, I avoid taking things like Tylenol if I have a headache...I only take medication prescriptions if it is severe. I even avoid the pill. I don't even eat candy or junk food....literally none. I only have 1 can of Pepsi a month, other than that everything I drink is water....and I stay extremely fit. So I am in good physical health and don't have substance issues of really any kind.
So...I don't really know if it is a problem per se that I use it so much, but he thinks it is a bad habit forming and that I am dependent on it and will eventually build a tolerance to it and need more and more...he also says that since I am a short and very thin girl that I shouldn't do the full dose, which usually I go a little under the lines anyways.
Any thoughts?
Self medicating is addictive behavior. Full stop, end of story.
When you find something that works, you will become addicted very quickly.
You sound psychologically addicted, its a matter of time finding your sedative of prefernce.
You do use substances, you abuse them.
He's right but doesn't know the full scope, I am a recovered addict alcoholic.
I remember drinking nyquil to ease my anxiety.
Thanks for the replies, I tried no Zzz-Quil per my bfs request and as you can see I am posting at 4AM and I've been up over an hour...Arghhh!
Of course you're up.
Stop listening to this guy. Your boyfriend is an idiot. Sorry, but it's the truth. You never take a crutch away without replacing it with something else that works. Hellllo? She's got crippling anxiety, you lunk! You think that's just going to go away?
It would be far better to transition from a medicinal sleep aid to a non-medicinal sleep aid, such as guided meditation that deals specifically with anxiety. I know meditation sounds woo-woo, because I used to think that too. But there's solid science behind it. Here's a concise explanation of guided meditation and why it works:
Zzzz-Quil is just benadryl - it's an antihistamine and it's mostly harmless. That said, it probably shouldn't be taken over a long period of time. If you google benadryl long term effects, it might help you realize when it's stops being a helpful sleep aid and when it might cause more problems. For example I found this from Livestrong:
What are the long term effects of Benadryl if taken daily?
Long-term use of Benadryl often affects mental cognition, especially in the elderly. Confusion, periods of inability to focus or concentrate, and anxiety are some symptoms experienced, as are agitation, moodiness and impatience. Depression and fatigue may also be evident.
So, as you can see, your anxiety might actually get worse if you take it long term. You might try mixing it up with some other sleep aids - have you tried melatonin? It's a natural substance made by your body so it's relatively safe. Another important supplement that will help with sleep as well as anxiety is magnesium. Do some research of the best type of magnesium to take - it's relatively cheap but some forms are more absorbable than others and magnesium citrate makes a great laxative so you don't want too much of that!
Short answer - yes, you shouldn't take it long term and you should do some research on alternatives.
Try one or two peanut butter and Miracle Whip sandwiches with a large glass of milk, just before bedtime. That combination makes me sleepy no matter what time of day it happens to be.
I have severe anxiety and I do a variety of strategies to help with it. One is to get more sleep, because when I get a lot of sleep I have less anxiety, but I also struggle to stay asleep at times.... So I started using Zzz-Quil to help me sleep better.
I live with my bf and he thinks I use it too much, as I pretty much use it almost every night now to make sure I sleep. But if I don't use it, I typically wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep, often I wake up and have anxiety then that keeps me up longer.
My father is an alcoholic, but I don't use substances. I've never even taken a sip of alcohol, never a puff from cigarettes, I avoid taking things like Tylenol if I have a headache...I only take medication prescriptions if it is severe. I even avoid the pill. I don't even eat candy or junk food....literally none. I only have 1 can of Pepsi a month, other than that everything I drink is water....and I stay extremely fit. So I am in good physical health and don't have substance issues of really any kind.
So...I don't really know if it is a problem per se that I use it so much, but he thinks it is a bad habit forming and that I am dependent on it and will eventually build a tolerance to it and need more and more...he also says that since I am a short and very thin girl that I shouldn't do the full dose, which usually I go a little under the lines anyways.
Any thoughts?
ZZ-Quil is benadryl. It has a known off-label anti-anxiety effect as well as working as an anti-histamine. If you suffer from anxiety, you are likely finding the benadryl to be a huge relief.
In general, you don't want rely on taking a pill to help you sleep though, they do tend to be habit-forming, even if the substance is not particularly addictive.
My advice is to treat the anxiety under the advice of a doctor. You are self-medicating with benadryl already, and finding some relief, so stay strong and get some more help. You are not alone out there.
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