OTC:
Doxylammine Succinate (brand name is Unisom)
Diphenhydramine (brand name is Benadryl)
Melatonin [not a sedative; worth trying; 1-3mg] a natural hormone that affects your bodies circadian rhythm, ie your inner clock. The melatonin, in theory, triggers your body to start preparing for sleep, ie. induce drowsiness, lower heart rate, lower core temp. But in practice it may leave a bit to be desired. Some people it works great, some people get no effect, some people get effin werid dreams!
then there's the 'Herbal OTC' stuff:
Valerian (usually in capsules)is very mildy Gaba-ergic. If you need 6+mg xanax then chances are you'd need to be taking huge dosages of valerian. 2000mg ish. Which is probably not recommended.
Kava Kava, strange one. Not sure its exact mechanism, I guess its also a mild gaba-ergic. I never ahd good effects from it. I think generally its better not in otc capsule form but if you can get the fresh plant/root form a local store or something of that nature.
Skullcap is another one, and Passion Flower, Lemon Balm, Chamomile, Spearmint etc. These can often be found in tea form or in a capsule combination with valerian. You can buy them as bulk herbs and make your own tea bags. I recommend Chamomile, Hibiscus, Lemon Balm and Spearmint.
I personally recommend you give you GABA receptors some breathing room. If you have a naturally high tolerance to benzos, then don't rely on them for sleep every night. You tolerance will simply sky rocket to levels you just don't want.
Give melatonin a serious shot, its cheap so it won't break your bank. But keep in mind, less is more with melatonin. So if you try 2-3 nights with 1-3 mg. And its not working, then don't increase the dosage. You get no more added effect from it by taking 6+mg. They sometimes market "Maximum Strength 10mg tabs" thats BullSHIT. you never need a dose that high. Its active in the 300 microgram range, so generally 1 mg is sufficient, and up to 3mg is standard. Above that is overkill and you are getting no more out of it then you would with lower dosage.
Try alternating with some anti-histamines. Maybe one night take only 2 mg xanax, but also take 20mg doxylammine. Or xanax plus some benadryl. You could also take a few ibuprofen (400mg), this helps me a lot some nights.
As stated earlier, if you are going to use Lyrica, tread lightly at first. Use it to help lower the amount of Benzos you need in a single night. Then maybe the next night try going with some anti-histamines and valerian or something.
IT sounds like you are in my boat, and similar to others who have posted, just a naturally high tolerance to GABA-ergic drugs. Benzos help the best but being addicted to them is not a road you want to go down; do give it some serious thought. I'm doing my best to alternate between benzos, anti-histamines, herbal teas, z-drugs (though they exhibit cross tolerance with benzos), and so far its been keeping my dosages down in reasonable ranges; over the last few months I haven't been needing to increase my dosage. (clonazepam 1-2 mg, Temazepam 30-90 mg).
A non-OTC alternative is talking toa doc about Atypical Anti-psychotics or Anti-depressants. Seroquel is a common one, also Trazadone and Mirtazipine. These are powerful sedatives, I believe all via Anti-histamine mechanisms though each one is different in its other effects (5HT-2/3 etc).
I've personally tried all the above except Seroquel.
hope this helps.
