[mspeekay]

OK so which medications have you been prescribed? Have you had good results or bad experiences? Maybe in time there could be a topic for the most popular meds as I think people often search forums for people’s experiences of them.

I was first prescribed Zopiclone (could be called something else in the US). Apart from the fact I couldn’t function the day after I took it, it gave me horrendous nightmares. The doctor told me she’d had another patient with the same side effect. In all the nightmares I was trapped in some way and couldn’t move. In many of them I believed I was awake although people thought I was in a coma. Not nice at all.

After that, I was prescribed Zolpidem. No major side effects but still really groggy the next day, and often have a headache. I try not to take them unless I’ve gone a few days without much sleep and I’m desperate. I’m fortunate (in this case) to live on my own and work from home so I can sleep when I need to.

Anyone else got any experience to share?

[yamerias]

I found something really odd with sleepers, and that was I would take them and I'd still not sleep until the morning…damn annoying!

[Kazcita]

I've been quite lucky with Zopiclone; no real side effects apart from minor 'spaced-outness' for a brief period the next morning. Temazepam was absolutely useless; if anything, it actually increased my sleeplessness 😕 I also took another benzo at one point though I don't remember the name. It was OK at first, but wore off very quickly. I take Diazepam sometimes for anxiety and find that it can sometimes have a sedative effect, but only at a fairly high dose and only if I'm really exhausted anyway.

I've been taking nueroleptics since November for mental health reasons. One of their many side effects is sedation, at least in the initial weeks. The first one that I took was Olanzapine, which seemed to work quite well vis a vis sleep, but since it didn't for much else I was taken off it last month. I'm now taking Quetiapine, which certainly is a strong sedative – but unfortunately the sleep is not deep or restful, and is plagued by unpleasant, vivid dreams.

Still. Grateful for any slumber on which I can get my hands!

[bbuggs209]

I take Ambien but it doesn’t always work. When that happens I take 1/4 of Clonazepam if it isn’t too  close to when I have to get up. I know it’s not safe but I do it.

[reneegavin]

I have found gabapentin to work if used occasionally and taken about 2 hours before sleep.  What has worked best for me was actually progesterone (generic prometrium).  Of course this would only help the women who had low levels.

[Soocki]

I  was taking Zolpidem ER ( Ambien) for years and had gotten dependant and it eventually stopped working on occasion plus was no longer covered. So about 6 weeks ago I stopped taking it. Naturally my sleep stopped and that’s why I’m trying this CBT. It’s great information and a lot of it I knew and was trying. It’s not working consistently for me but I’m hanging in. I too would take 1/4 clonazipam when I woke too early so I could get back to sleep. Unfortunately I’m out of it and still trying to stay off the Zolpidem. It’s all very very hard. 🙁

[Kenny]

I was taking 10mg of Lexapro for 12 years and it worked great. I wanted off of it and thought there would be a natural cure. I was a fool.

[jillyrunpee]

Gabapentin used to help give me a couple or three hours of sleep if I took it once a week, but even thst seems to have stopped working. I might need to increase the dose and again, just try once a week.

I try to mix up supplements and meds, but only benzos or ambien really help, and only for 2-3 hours, and I have to go to Mexico to get it.

Pot helps a little bit, it might give me an hour or so of sleep – I wish something would help, or that drs would prescribe the things that actually help.

Trazedone makes my heart beat like a heart attack or something, so that’s not really helpful. I am getting to the point after a year of insomnia that I will chance a heart attack if I could just get good sleep!

 

[Soocki]

I too took Gabapentin but I gained a lot of weight. Took it for neuropathy and it did not help much. Probably needed a higher dose. My sleep is hard as my feet burn, I have itching and tinnitus. I tried stopping Zolpidem Er and ended up with my GERD going out of wack ( tummy problems) Now have to have an upper GI series to see what’s causing it. I’m back on the sleeping pill cause lack of sleep made everything worse. I hope when they rule out anything serious I can try CBT 1 again. I hate taking Meds with all their many awful side effects. Wish there was something that works without harm. But lack of sleep is in itself very harmful. CBT1 is just very hard when you have health problems :(.

 

 

 

[jillyrunpee]

Yeah, this program is very tough. I wish I could have faith that it works, instead of trying yet another system that might fail. It’s almost like we should take a life break for the 8 weeks and only focus on the program…not have travel or late night events?

[Martin Reed]

Look at it this way, Jilly —if you don’t try the course, then it definitely will not work. If you try the course and it doesn’t work for you, you get your money back (the success rate for graduates of my insomnia coaching course is over 95% as of the day I write this post). So, by giving the course a try you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

On a separate note, I do not recommend taking a life break or changing aspects of your life such as travel or work for the eight weeks of the course. That’s because we want to reintroduce the idea that sleep is a normal part of life and doesn’t need specific accommodations (other than the cognitive and behavioral techniques you will learn during the program).

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

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.

[jillyrunpee]

I know we are supposed to try to get off the meds, but while we get there, what have people tried, and what works or doesn’t?

When I can get a benzo, it works. It is very hard to get them.

And it’s even harder to get ambien, which also works.

Gabapentin used to work for me when I would restrict it to once a week, but no longer helps, even in large doses.

Sometimes I can get an hour or two of sleep from pot – there is a little relief from Sativa, and some from a certain kind of Indica. I don’t like pot, and it’s embarrassing to use it, but it’s legal in my state and I’ll do ANYTHING to get some sleep. Sometimes I use a vaping cartridge, sometimes a pipe, and the most helpful are the edibles. I had to have my nephew show me how to use pot. I had no idea.

Sometimes if I drink a lot I can get a nice night of sleep. Like I said, I am willing to do anything now.

Painkillers don’t help me sleep, but they do allow my to not care much about it, when I can get some.

Trazadone used to give me heart palpitations, but now my body has adapted and I might get an hour or two from those.

Melatonin does nothing. I am going to try the sublingual kind next. It’s hard to find in drugstores, but I found some at Amazon.

Muscle relaxers do nothing.

Antidepressants and anti psychotics do nothing.

I have more to add but I’m wondering what helps people.

 

[Author]

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