[Steve]

I also was just wondering what some of you take for your insomnia? I know some of you have taken CBT-i and some are into ACT. Do you take pills of any sort?

As for me, I am starting CBT-i next week and also ordered the ACT book just out of curiosity in comparing the two systems. I also take Melatonin which I guess is just for a crutch as I am told it doesn’t really help put me to sleep. I stopped taking prescription pills for it last weekend as I am now getting 4.5 to 5.5 hours sleep both with the pills and without them. I see no sense in taking them if the amount of sleep is the same since I don’t want the addiction problem as well as insomnia. Besides, I never thought the pills gave me a deep sleep anyway. I also don’t take anti-depressants for the same reason as well as because I never thought I had anxiety or panic attacks that caused the insomnia. In truth, I don’t know what caused it. I should state that the 4.5 to 5.5 hours of sleep I do get is never all at once. It is usually broken up over the night into several segments. So how about everyone else? What are you taking, if anything?

[Carls]

Hi

So your sleep has already improved?

I have tried pills etc for my insomnia, including melatonin zopiclone among other supposidly useful remedies none of which have been that helpful but occasionally Zopiclone has given me some sleep unfortunately it can be difficult to be perscribed it.

hope CBT-I works for you.

[Steve]

I first started having insomnia in late November of 2018. I just woke up after only getting four hours sleep and it got worse from there. In January of this year, I went four days on only one hours sleep. That’s when my doctor put me on Lexipro and Klonopin to help my “anxiety” and get me some sleep. I put that in quotes because I never really believed I had any. They just figure of you have insomnia, you must have depression or anxiety and give you the meds. I didn’t take well to the meds and didn’t want to risk addiction so I got off of them. I started to investigate CBT-i and put into practice some of the principals. I think that’s what got me back to the 4.5 to 5.5 hours sleep but I’m really guessing at that because I try not to watch the clock at night so I’m not really sure exactly how much I’m getting. Have you tried CBT-i? How many hours of sleep are you getting?

[Carls]

Hi

Yes the Dr just gave me anxiety anti depressants which is not what I needed therefore didn’t resolve the problem.

I go for weeks on end with as little as a couple of hours a week probably even less than that it’s a nightmare.

Havent tried CBT-I

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by Carls.

[SIimon]

You sleep just 2hours in a whole week for weeks on end?!

Are you sure it is that little? That is sleep deprivation that is off the scale…

[Steve]

I put in another post that it is very hard for me to judge how much sleep I am actually getting because I try not to watch the clock. My main problem now is that I keep waking up. I do go back to sleep after a little while but it means the sleep I am getting is not continuous and is broken up. I am trying to wean myself off of melatonin to see if the grogginess I feel in the morning is from that. (But it could also be just due to the lack of sleep.) I have managed to stop the time delay melatonin and am just taking 3 mgs of regular melatonin. I also take Magnesium Citrate before I go to bed. I have also discontinued Valerian Root but I might try that again down the road.

[Edgar]

I take a self-imposed combination of Valium and melatonin when I wake up in the middle of the night.

But lately things got worse, it’s not nearly as efficient as before, so I’m reporting my sleep problems to my neurologist and seeing what he thinks. Hopefully he will prescribe something else, something more efficient.

[SIimon]

How long have been taking Valium for?

[Edgar]

Hi,

Well, there’s a bit of a story there.

Like I said before, I have multiple sclerosis. I’ve had it for a long time, though I’m still too young for it to cause me any pain or discomfort.

4 years ago, this primary condition -my MS – lead to an epileptic attack. That sort of thing can happen with MS, unfortunately. So, my neuro prescribed three new drugs to treat the epilepsy, and one of those new drugs was Valium, 5 mg , to be taken nightly.

I decided right off the bat that I am not taking the Valium, just the other two drugs – Trileptal and Depachine.

Time went by and I just stored the Valium in my shelf,didn’t even think about using it.

Then, I started having this increased insomnia thing, this early morning awakening. At first, it was waking me up at around 5:30, after about 7 hrs of sleep. After about 2-3 months I succumbed and took a Valium to try and get back to sleep. It worked great, but  I didn’t want to get hooked so I made a deal with myself. I will only take it when I wake up waaay to early, like 3 or 4. If I wake up at 5:30 or 6, I won’t take it.

For about a year and a half it worked pretty well. I only took the Valium once or twice a week when I got much less than 7 hrs of sleep.

Now, I’ve been waking up around 4 in the morning most nights, and thus I have been taking Valium most nights.

So to answer your question in short – I have been taking it for about 3 years, but not for epilepsy, as it’s been prescribed. I take it for sleep. The first two years I took it only on occasion, but the last year I take more often than not.

But I have to point out – my early awakenings started for an unknown reason. It was only after about a couple of months of this that I even tried Valium. So I can’t say Valium was the trigger. It may have, however, contributed to this shift from 5:30 to 4, which is why I’m going to try to quit.

Quit, or change to something else.

[SIimon]

I made another post after my other one but it is awaiting moderation?

Anyway you are clearly now dependant on the valium and like all benzos they lose their effectiveness over time and you have t take more to get the same benefiy. It’s a zero sum game as eventually you’ll have to stop and your insomnia will more than likely be even worse than now.

You can get ones more aimed at sleep like xanax and lorazepam but getting off these is very, very, very difficult and harder than detoxing from valium.

If I were you I’d taper off the valium VERY slowly…

 

[Steve]

Hi Edgar. I have to agree with Slimon that you are now dependent on the Valium and have reached the point where your current dosage no longer works for you. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to start taking benzos is because I would have to increase my dosage after awhile. While it is tough to get off of Valium if you want to, it also is one of the easier benzos to get off of.

[Edgar]

Thanks to both of you for your advice.

I am dependent on Valium, I suppose. But my doc had wanted me dependent on it anyways, so…

My dosage isn’t big, usually I split the pill and take 2.5 mg, I think it’s more a placebo effect than anything else.

In any case I’m not upping the dose, you’re absolutely right. What saddens me is the fact that even without Valium I will still wake up too soon.

But like you said, Steve, at this point I might as well stop taking it, it does me no good anyways.

 

[Steve]

Edgar,

 

Just a warning to you. YOU CANNOT JUST STOP TAKING A BENZO THAT YOU ARE DEPENDENT ON. Bad medical things can happen such as a seizures, convulsions and even death! Slimon is correct. You need to do a slow taper. Talk this over with your doctor.

[delv-x]

Hello, my two cents.

– Melatonin has little to no effect unless you want to reset your circadian rhythm or have sleep phase disorder. Melatonin can make you groggy and leave a hang over effect in the morning. Studies show that it may help you fall asleep a few minutes faster but doesn’t really help with the amount of sleep overall

– Valerian root probably helps for those with the occasional sleep issue. Quality and dosage varies. It is safe but the effectiveness is questionable.

– Diphenhydramine is probably the best over the counter option. It makes you groggy and may help you sleep although not refreshingly. There is usually a hang over effect and I wouldn’t suggest dosing in the middle of the night because of that.

There are plenty of prescription options and all have their pros/cons.

The best first line option is CBT-i. If you are sleeping 5-6 hours of broken sleep, CBT-i techniques will help consolidate that. After a few weeks you may only be sleeping 5-6 hours but less broken and more restorative. Then hopefully you will be able to push another hour or so or more.

 

[SIimon]

You may already know this but Benzos such as valium lose their effectiveness over time and you then have to take more to get the same effect….and then there is the withdrawl to deal with 🙁

You can get other benzos more specific for sleep such as Xanax or Lorazepam but imo you really don’t want to go down the path any long term benzo use but especially these two due to their short half life’s. In fact people often switch to valium when trying to come off these two Benzos…

[Author]

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