[pfield]

Hi all – found this fantastic website last November and my first post explained that my GP had decided to “wean me off Temazepam” after 20 years “for my own benefit”, which caused me an inordinate amount of stress and worry because Temazepam had always worked really well for me. I ended up seeing a specialist doctor who explained about the day after effects of these older style tablets (which I had never had a problem with i have to say) and said that newer drugs had a shorter half life (so basically were less inclined to cause side effects the next day). Anyway, he prescribed a half dose of Temazepam and a half dose of Zopiclone (also called Imovane or Zimovane in other countries) for 1 month, and I have now switched to 7.5mg of Zopiclone and cut out the Temazepam altogether, and it is working fine for me so far (2 weeks in). I have always suffered from early awakening at 1am – 3am, so having one of these helps me get back to sleep and feel completely normal the next day. I have a new GP now who has been really understanding and has issued me with a repeat prescription and said “see you in 6 months”. He seems happy to keep me on this new medication indefinately, so long as it is working for me. I can't tell you all how releived I am to have to have resolved this issue and found a solution that works. I had to write a letter/statement about my history and the effects that insomnia had had on my wellbeing before being originally prescribed sleepers 20 years ago to get my point across to the doctors. I also came off sleepers for 2 weeks and kept a day/night sleep diary recording how I had slept and the effects that it had on me the next day, which also helped give the doctors some insight into the life of an insomniac – it was also strangely theraputic to write it all down – it made me feel like I had some “proof” to show people to help them understand the effects insomnia can have on a person and all aspects of their personal and professional life (you all know what it feels like but the wider world really doesn't have a clue). It really helped my wife understand how it affected me and changed her perspective on things completely (she was actually sympathetic for once!!) Fingers crossed this continues to work and good luck to you all with finding something which can help you manage your own issues. Best wishes from (rainy) London.

[Mike Hooker]

Hey, all,

It's been a long time since I wrote a post for this forum, so I thought I'd respond.

I've taken Temazepam, off and on, for almost seventeen years. I've taken one each night for the past nine months because of the shift I was working.

Last night I didn't take one and was awake until 5 a.m. Fortunately I'm on vacation this week and was able to sleep until ten this morning. Five hours of sleep is better than no sleep. It's not the best, but I can function well enough to get through the day.

Before I started working evenings/nights, I didn't need the Tamazepam. But, after having insommnia since 1979, I'm so scared of not sleeping that I take sleeping pills that I know can be addicting–just to guarantee that I'll sleep.

I've worked evenings/nights for the past eight years. Starting next week (1/30/12) I'll be changing jobs, returning to day shift. My shift will start at 7 a.m. during the winter and 6 a.m. during the summer months. Those early hours are a nightmare for most insomniacs; they might send me right back to the Tamazepam. I hope not. We'll see.

[Martin Reed]

Thanks for sharing. I'd be interested to hear whether anyone else has had a positive experience using Zopiclone. I'm moving this thread to the insomnia forum, rather than the introductions area so that more members will come across it.

It's nice to hear a more positive story every now and again.

—

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[1949Molly]

'pfield' wrote on '24:

Hi all – found this fantastic website last November and my first post explained that my GP had decided to “wean me off Temazepam” after 20 years “for my own benefit”, which caused me an inordinate amount of stress and worry because Temazepam had always worked really well for me. I ended up seeing a specialist doctor who explained about the day after effects of these older style tablets (which I had never had a problem with i have to say) and said that newer drugs had a shorter half life (so basically were less inclined to cause side effects the next day). Anyway, he prescribed a half dose of Temazepam and a half dose of Zopiclone (also called Imovane or Zimovane in other countries) for 1 month, and I have now switched to 7.5mg of Zopiclone and cut out the Temazepam altogether, and it is working fine for me so far (2 weeks in). I have always suffered from early awakening at 1am – 3am, so having one of these helps me get back to sleep and feel completely normal the next day. I have a new GP now who has been really understanding and has issued me with a repeat prescription and said “see you in 6 months”. He seems happy to keep me on this new medication indefinately, so long as it is working for me. I can't tell you all how releived I am to have to have resolved this issue and found a solution that works. I had to write a letter/statement about my history and the effects that insomnia had had on my wellbeing before being originally prescribed sleepers 20 years ago to get my point across to the doctors. I also came off sleepers for 2 weeks and kept a day/night sleep diary recording how I had slept and the effects that it had on me the next day, which also helped give the doctors some insight into the life of an insomniac – it was also strangely theraputic to write it all down – it made me feel like I had some “proof” to show people to help them understand the effects insomnia can have on a person and all aspects of their personal and professional life (you all know what it feels like but the wider world really doesn't have a clue). It really helped my wife understand how it affected me and changed her perspective on things completely (she was actually sympathetic for once!!) Fingers crossed this continues to work and good luck to you all with finding something which can help you manage your own issues. Best wishes from (rainy) London.

I have been taking Temazepam, Seroquel and Ativan for about 5 years now. I recently tried going off Ativan (only 2mgs) and had disastrous results. I'm just so tired (no pun intended) even thinking about my chronic insomnia.

[Margaret]

Has anyone had any experience with Trazodone? My doctor said it could be used for sleep and would also be an anti-anxiety med. I can recommend it but only in very tiny doses since it seems to make me sleep all the next day if I take the 25 ml recommended dose. I took half of that the next night, same thing. For a week now I have been taking tiny bites off the last 1/4 tablet and am getting excellent results and feel pretty optimistic the next day. Everyone is different so some people might need to take more. I read about this med on the internet and it seems that you have to go off of it gradually even though my physician said it was “not addictive.” Dunno….

Margaret

[Hamster]

'Margaret' wrote on '29:

Has anyone had any experience with Trazodone? My doctor said it could be used for sleep and would also be an anti-anxiety med. I can recommend it but only in very tiny doses since it seems to make me sleep all the next day if I take the 25 ml recommended dose. I took half of that the next night, same thing. For a week now I have been taking tiny bites off the last 1/4 tablet and am getting excellent results and feel pretty optimistic the next day. Everyone is different so some people might need to take more. I read about this med on the internet and it seems that you have to go off of it gradually even though my physician said it was “not addictive.” Dunno….

Margaret

I took trazadone for years and years. It worked really well until around 8 mos. ago. It helped me stay asleep but didn't help with the initial falling asleep-for that I needed clonazapan. I think it stopped working because my anxiety just got so bad and I built up a resistance to clonazapan. I have been off trazadone for about 6 mos and am having lots of trouble sleeping. But I just felt like I had been on it for too long and it really wasn't working all that well towards the end. I switched to ambien – which I cannot take with clonazapan and it was horrible! I didn't sleep at all on it and began to feel very depressed- even suicidal. I did some research on it and that can happen so I immediately stopped taking it. My 73 year old Mom takes ambien and sleeps well but she does sleep eat sometimes while on it.

I did like trazadone but just felt that I néeded to take a break from taking it after so many years. I did go off it gradually but not drastically gradually- just took one half for 2 weeks and then a quarter for 2 and then none. I was weepy for awhile and can't sleep but it did not have really bad withdrawal like some meds- the SSRI drugs can be horrible to get off of.

All in all I give trazadone a thumbs up in light of what's out there drug wise. I didn't have any issues with being sleepy the next day when I took it- well maybe I did in the beginning but that was like 10 years ago and I don't actually recall.

Good lick!

[Hamster]

'Hamster' wrote on '10:

I took trazadone for years and years. It worked really well until around 8 mos. ago. It helped me stay asleep but didn't help with the initial falling asleep-for that I needed clonazapan. I think it stopped working because my anxiety just got so bad and I built up a resistance to clonazapan. I have been off trazadone for about 6 mos and am having lots of trouble sleeping. But I just felt like I had been on it for too long and it really wasn't working all that well towards the end. I switched to ambien – which I cannot take with clonazapan and it was horrible! I didn't sleep at all on it and began to feel very depressed- even suicidal. I did some research on it and that can happen so I immediately stopped taking it. My 73 year old Mom takes ambien and sleeps well but she does sleep eat sometimes while on it.

I did like trazadone but just felt that I néeded to take a break from taking it after so many years. I did go off it gradually but not drastically gradually- just took one half for 2 weeks and then a quarter for 2 and then none. I was weepy for awhile and can't sleep but it did not have really bad withdrawal like some meds- the SSRI drugs can be horrible to get off of.

All in all I give trazadone a thumbs up in light of what's out there drug wise. I didn't have any issues with being sleepy the next day when I took it- well maybe I did in the beginning but that was like 10 years ago and I don't actually recall.

Good lick!

I mean good lUck! 😮

[Margaret]

Thanks for writing all that, Hamster. It was very helpful. I think my anxiety/sleep problems are not so bad that I need to take Trazadone. It does sound like it IS addictive, in its own way although not so bad as some.

Margaret

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