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I can totally relate to how you feel. The medical profession has very little compassion for people who suffer from insomnia, nor do they consider it a serious problem. Their ignorance & lack of compassion is astounding, so don’t let them make you feel it is all in your head. Many people have gone through this humiliation. You are not the only one.
One other thing, just because so many medical professionals lack compassion & wisdom, that doesn’t mean they all do. There is the odd good one out there.
I have 2 suggestions that may help you.
1. Seroquel. When my doctor suggested that I try this drug I strongly objected because this medication was mainly used for schizophrenia & people with bipolar disorder. It also had many scary side effects. My doctor then informed me that according to his experience the people that suffered these side effects, were mainly those who were on a very high dose & even those were very rare.
If I wasn’t so desperate I don’t think I would have tried it, but I did at 125mg. Anyway to make a long story short I had my first good sleep in a very long time. I have been on this medication for over 12 years, feel great with very little, if any noticeable side effects. Also this medication is not addictive & can be stopped at any time without any withdrawal problems. Another good thing it doesn’t lose its effectiveness. At least for me it didn’t.
I don’t know if this medication would work or even be right for you. Everybody is different. What works for me might not work for you. Talk it over with your doctor, it might be worth trying.
2. One night on, 2 days off. Take sleeping pill first night, then no sleeping pill for the next 2 nights. Hopefully this will help prevent addiction. Two nights of poor sleep you can get away with, but 3 nights will make one dysfunctional.
Another way you do this is by taking 2 different sleeping pills from 2 different families of drugs. Like Zoplicone & Lorazapam. This way you are not staying on any one drug long enough to build up a resistance or get addicted.
Hope this information will be of help to you. If it was please let this forum know.
Thanks for your contribution, Seaman — and I appreciate that you feel let down by the medical community. Medical doctors do not receive much in the way of sleep education during their training — so when they see patients who struggle with sleep, they may not know the best course of treatment to recommend.
Sleeping pills are not the answer. They do not cure insomnia and they come with a number of potential side-effects. They are also not intended for use much beyond a couple of weeks. If you are currently taking prescription medication, do not make any changes to your medication regimen without talking to your doctor first.
A far better alternative to sleeping pills (and the American College of Physician’s recommendation) is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). CBT-I is supposed to be offered as the first treatment for adults with chronic insomnia but unfortunately, this rarely happens.
This is down to a combination of a lack of awareness, and a lack of availability of CBT-I practitioners.
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The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Seroquel is addictive and most people will build a tolerance to it if they use it often enough.
Also most people will experience some bad withdrawl side effects even when tapering off. Whilst not a benzo it is a heavy duty drug that I would put in the same class as Lorazepam and Xanax. People need to be very careful with it.
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