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Old 10-10-2010, 07:26 PM
 
1 posts, read 2,214 times
Reputation: 10

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HI!
K, I have a long story so I'll summarize.
I've had trouble sleeping since I can remember, mainly around the age of 7 or 8ish (parents divorced).
Flash forward -- 20 years old.

Did pain killers for a while, a year? Now on Suboxone-detox.
Doc told me to take benadryl to sleep. Started at 2 a night, ended up 7 or 8 a night... Now down to 4-5ish. (within a year) (and he didn't know how many i ended up taking)
New doc, same clinic, prescribed me Ambien. Side effects : Nausea, faintness, dizziness, and a few others... it really sucked.

When I try to sleep, it's like i can't shut off my brain. It escalates.
Close my eyes, look up and an hours passed and I get nervous. This continues, and the later it gets the more anxious I get. I hear my dogs and boyfriend sound asleep, half snouring. I push them to shut them up, but then it continues -- making me more nervous/anxious!

I can't apply anxiety to my daily life, I can't separate the stress from anxiety and I'd love to know the symptoms of it so I can sort of diagnose myself. I can relate to it with sleep.

Not prescribed -- I've taken xanax before and I LOVE it. It makes me happy, relaxed, and puts me to sleep. However, it takes about 1 1/2 - 2 (white/yellow ones) to put me out. I've tried it once at work before, a tiny amount... I love the relaxing feeling I get, yet I'm capable of working.

NOW - I'm NOT looking to become addicted/dependent on anything -- if that's possible. INPUT PLEASE?
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Old 10-10-2010, 07:31 PM
 
Location: SW Missouri
15,853 posts, read 35,044,864 times
Reputation: 22694
If you have not tried melatonin then you should. It works great and has no side effects and is not habit-forming. You buy it at health food stores (WalMart even has it). Give it a try.

20yrsinBranson
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Old 10-10-2010, 07:55 PM
 
1,530 posts, read 3,934,031 times
Reputation: 539
sounds like you have anxiety, you could also try sleepytime extra tea with valerian in it. works great for me . i take xanax too on occasion and i too love it but am afraid of it because it is addicting so i dont take it regularly. however i think you need to see another doctor for severe anxiety and see what they can put you on.
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Old 10-11-2010, 01:13 PM
 
13,976 posts, read 25,864,248 times
Reputation: 39857
Insomnia is horrible. I've tried everything. Currently I'm getting by with two Unisom tabs, two 300 mg tabs of melatonin, and a Motrin pm. I had mixed results with Ambien. It works great the first couple of days, but then the affects lessen quickly. I am one of those people that end up wired instead of drowsy from Benadryl. My favorite is Lunesta, but our insurance doesn't cover it, and it costs $$$$$.

I do not suffer from anxiety or stress. I just ...can...not ...sleep!
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Old 10-11-2010, 01:23 PM
Status: "Springtime!" (set 21 days ago)
 
Location: Jollyville, TX
5,858 posts, read 11,868,531 times
Reputation: 10882
Try magnesium. I used to have horrible insomnia - I would wake up and could not go back to sleep. I called it freight-train-brain. Now, I take 200 Mg of magnesium every night. I sleep better than I ever have. It's an important mineral and it's not habit forming in any way. I also take my calcium at night along with the magnesium.

Melatonin has also worked for me, but be careful with the dosage. Most are sold in 3mg tabs but I find I only need 1mg. Another natural remedy to try is 5HTP.
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Old 10-11-2010, 08:27 PM
 
948 posts, read 3,348,383 times
Reputation: 693
Default insomnia

I had a long bout with it in college. I was later found to have a thyroid disorder, but anxiety and worry contributed to my sleeplessness big time. As a woman in my 40's now and with stress beyond belief I would offer my younger self some advice--you're about the age I was so this should fit for you.

Stop taking the pills for a cure or fix. You don't want to get to the point where you're taking pill A to fix pill B's side effects. Your list of pills will only keep growing--and to what end? Get outside everyday and do something physical--walk, ride a bike, jog, swim, etc. No excuses, we all get tired, don't feel like it, blah, blah, blah. Physical activity will beat Prozac any day. Stick with it and you'll like the added bonus of getting a better looking body. Do it early enough in the day so that you're really tired by bedtime.

For the anxiety, you have to set aside some time to dig and figure out if something is truly eating away at you or if you just grew up in an anxious family and this is how you learned to face the world. That will be some feat, but worth it to tackle this now while you're still young and have the will to change it.



Quote:
Originally Posted by sapphire_sensational View Post
HI!
K, I have a long story so I'll summarize.
I've had trouble sleeping since I can remember, mainly around the age of 7 or 8ish (parents divorced).
Flash forward -- 20 years old.

Did pain killers for a while, a year? Now on Suboxone-detox.
Doc told me to take benadryl to sleep. Started at 2 a night, ended up 7 or 8 a night... Now down to 4-5ish. (within a year) (and he didn't know how many i ended up taking)
New doc, same clinic, prescribed me Ambien. Side effects : Nausea, faintness, dizziness, and a few others... it really sucked.

When I try to sleep, it's like i can't shut off my brain. It escalates.
Close my eyes, look up and an hours passed and I get nervous. This continues, and the later it gets the more anxious I get. I hear my dogs and boyfriend sound asleep, half snouring. I push them to shut them up, but then it continues -- making me more nervous/anxious!

I can't apply anxiety to my daily life, I can't separate the stress from anxiety and I'd love to know the symptoms of it so I can sort of diagnose myself. I can relate to it with sleep.

Not prescribed -- I've taken xanax before and I LOVE it. It makes me happy, relaxed, and puts me to sleep. However, it takes about 1 1/2 - 2 (white/yellow ones) to put me out. I've tried it once at work before, a tiny amount... I love the relaxing feeling I get, yet I'm capable of working.

NOW - I'm NOT looking to become addicted/dependent on anything -- if that's possible. INPUT PLEASE?
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Old 10-12-2010, 03:21 AM
 
Location: Texas
54 posts, read 111,003 times
Reputation: 36
Sure sounds like you've made a connection between sleep and anxiety.
Assuming you're eating well and treating your body healthily- (little to no caffene, not drinking exessively, plenty of water, exercise, sunshine, good diet etc) perhaps your body needs to learn to sleep w/out help.
above post said much of what I would've.
For a quick fix,You could look into :
Meditation
Valarian root (smells like dirty socks but works REAL well for anxiety)
Melatonin
Seroquil
Chamomile
Skullcap (check herbalist for sleepy teas)
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Old 10-12-2010, 10:07 PM
 
Location: Tucson/Nogales
23,130 posts, read 28,863,992 times
Reputation: 32478
Some thought control is in order here as well.

Need to lock (and close) the windows and doors to your mind.. Look upon thoughts as uninvited guests into your house at night. If someone rang the doorbell at 1am, would you rush downstairs and open the door? Same with thoughts,
you're allowing all these uninvited guest into your house, they're helping themselves to the milk and cookies, and as long as you keep spoiling them, they'll be back again and again, turning on the radio, the TV, banging the drums, etc. As you well know, I'm writing metaphorically.

All thought is entertainment to the mind. And how the mind loves being entertained, sacrificing your health in the meantime. Sleep is very healing to the body.

Easy to do? No! Takes lots of practise to become thought-less.
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Old 10-13-2010, 08:08 AM
 
4,267 posts, read 6,166,813 times
Reputation: 3579
Do you drink coffee during the day or any other caffeinated beverages? Caffeine, even in small amounts gives me anxiety. If I have just one small cup in the morning it will keep me up all night. If I avoid it or just have a little here and there (like the small amount in chocolate, etc) I'm fine. I drank coffee everyday for years before I figured this out.

I second the recommendations for melatonin and magnesium.
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Old 10-14-2010, 08:46 AM
 
90 posts, read 219,385 times
Reputation: 124
I have had severe insomnia for most of my life. I used to get only 4-5 hours of broken sleep every night. Benadryl, Ambien, etc did not work for me.

I finally found a combination that works for me. Most nights, I get 7-8 hours of sleep. I might wake up once or twice, but usually fall back to sleep within 20 minutes.

I take an iron pill every day. I take Melatonin 5 or 6 nights per week and I take Restoril once or twice per week.

Restoril is the only sleep aid that works for me. For some reason, if I do not take it once or twice per week, I start sleeping poorly again.

The only Melatonin brand I like is "Nature's Bounty." I have tried others, but they do not seem to work as well for me.

Also, I only take 1/4 or 1/2 of a 3mg Melatonin pill. I found if I take more, I have nightmares and restless sleep.

No caffeine after 2 pm.

No alcohol. If I have a glass or two of wine, I take a Restoril or I will not be able to sleep.

Another thing I do is set the tv on a sleep timer (volume on low). It actually works! It distracts me so I can fall asleep. I resisted doing this for years because I heard it is bad for sleep. Another insomniac insisted I try it. I am glad I did.

I cannot believe after 20 years of severe insomnia, I am finally able to sleep. It is a great feeling!
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