[CarolynS]

Hi! I am very much still struggling in my insomnia journey, but reading success stories gives me hope! I have only been struggling for 4 months but it came out of nowhere and it’s been bad. Lots of sleepless nights, lots of 2-3 hour nights. I’m currently weaning off of Seroquel (ugh, I’m so mad my doctor gave it to me, wish I’d never taken it- side effects are horrible and it doesn’t even guarantee me the best sleep anyway). I’m down to a pretty low dose but anxious to be off completely, although that thought scares me to death. I cannot fathom being able to sleep on my own. I get more anxious the closer to bedtime I get, and even when I’m nodding off on the chair, the second I get into bed I get complete performance anxiety and wake right up. Any tips for me on either of these? Anyone been on Seroquel and gotten off successfully? I think I am too preoccupied by the number of hours I get each night. I realize my first step is probably letting go of this, huh?

[GenieB]

I was first given trazadone, xoloft and now only on seroquel. I am also slowly transitioning off seoquel. I feel like I can fall asleep without seroquel but still taking it. I wake up a couple times at night. Sometimes I am able to fall back to sleep after a few attempts.
I am tired during the day and force myself to take walks, exercise and socialize. Faking being normal is exhausting.
My sleep window is 11pm – 5am. I do not know how much I sleep. I wish I didn’t feel so tired and foggy during the day.
I also get anxious when night arrives.
Thank you for sharing CarolynS!

[Martin Reed]

Hello Carolyn and welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing that you’ve found the success stories helpful — as you have seen, you are not alone!

It makes complete sense that you experience lots of difficult thoughts and feelings such as fear when you consider eliminating the medication completely — that’s your brain doing its job and looking out for you.

It sounds as though being focused on the number of hours of sleep you might (or might not!) get is something that’s not proving to be helpful. With that in mind, perhaps shifting your focus a little (maybe toward things you can directly control) might be more helpful?

So, for example, instead of trying to control your thoughts and feelings (or your sleep) — all things your experience might tell you cannot be directly or permanently controlled — you might practice acknowledging and making space for all that stuff to do what it’s going to do anyway, while committing to doing things that reflect who you are, who you want to be, and that help keep you moving toward the life you want to live.

If you can become more skilled in doing things that matter, independently of sleep and independently of the difficult thoughts and feelings your mind generates, perhaps all of those things might start to lose some of their power and influence. And, with less power and influence, perhaps they might require less of your attention and less intervention!

I hope there’s something useful here!

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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.

[CarolynS]

Thanks so much for your responses, both of you! I really appreciate the advice and support.

[Author]

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