[JR]

Hi all. I’ve been having Insomia for 2 decades. I’ve been on all the medications you can think of. My insomia was due to a medical condition, then escalated when another occurring problem happened to me physically. I’ve now started seeing a psychologist. I’m still on meds, afraid to come off. Can’t do without them. But am afraid if I stop I won’t be able to sleep hence function at work. Help?

 

[Trish27]

Hi. I understand your fears. I have been going through the same thing. I also get Psychological Services and take Xanax for anxiety in addition to Ambien for sleep. I was afraid to quit anything for a long time until my cognitive abilities and memory suffered.

Over a period of six months I have reduced my Xanax from 3 * 0.5 mg per day to 2 x 0.25 mg per day. In the last 10 days I have also reduced my Ambien from 10 mg at bedtime to 5 mg.

I have been following the sleep recommendations offered here and it has helped tremendously.

The first week was hell but unlike you, I do not work and I honestly do not know if I could have done it if I had to report to a job. The sleep programs recommend that you do not call into work  or blame your inability to function on insomnia. I do not entirely agree with that because when a person is going through withdrawal symptoms, hasn’t slept, and can’t think straight, I think it is impossible to work and dangerous to drive. So I don’t know how you would handle that except to maybe start with the Sleep hygiene and instructions without reducing the medication and then after a while start with medication reduction during a vacation or else reduce at a slower rate and therefore it won’t be so difficult.

It takes a lot of commitment and patience. This last week has enlightened me to the fact that poor sleep habits contributed more to my inability to sleep than reducing my sleep medication had. When I had previously tried to reduce my Ambien, I could never sleep but after implementing new sleep habits, I am actually sleeping on half a tablet which is huge for me. I am obviously not where I want to be yet, but I believe it will happen with perseverance. I wish you the best. I would be happy to go through it with you if you want to try.

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum, JR. Are you implementing cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques with your psychologist? CBT-I techniques are not the same as “sleep hygiene” — sleep hygiene is not an effective treatment for chronic insomnia!

As pointed out by Trish, it can be very helpful to discuss and implement a tapering-off plan with your doctor to help you come off the sleeping pills. The fact of the matter is, sleeping pills don’t generate sleep — but the longer we take them, the more we can come to believe that they do, and that we can’t sleep without them.

Sleeping pills can help eliminate some obstacles to sleep (for example, sleep-related worry and anxiety) but they don’t generate sleep. Even when we take a sleeping pill, any sleep we get is still generated by our own body.

Most clients I work with choose to naturally taper-off any sleeping pills they are taking (with their doctor’s permission) as they start to regain confidence in their ability to sleep while implementing CBT-I techniques.

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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.

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