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Need help with serious insomnia

mr.buffnstuff

mr.buffnstuff

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Joined
Oct 19, 2010
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1,124
Ok my gf suffers with insomnia the doc keeps fobbing her off, occasionally giving her zopiclone which put her to sleep but she just wakes up again. She's back there on Monday but is there anything out there that can put her to sleep and keep her asleep. She's right on the verge of losing it. She's taking a few weeks off but needs something to put her out just for the odd nights sleep here and there.

Before all the 'try lavender oil' or 'she needs CBT' etc

She needs something immediately, she's tried every trick in the book. I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't as serious as this.
 
phengran/promethazine - its available OTC with pharmacist's discretion
stuff used to knock me out even when i was using etizolam, makes you feel so groggy the next day tho
 
mr.buffnstuff said:
Ok my gf suffers with insomnia the doc keeps fobbing her off, occasionally giving her zopiclone which put her to sleep but she just wakes up again. She's back there on Monday but is there anything out there that can put her to sleep and keep her asleep. She's right on the verge of losing it. She's taking a few weeks off but needs something to put her out just for the odd nights sleep here and there.

Before all the 'try lavender oil' or 'she needs CBT' etc

She needs something immediately, she's tried every trick in the book. I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't as serious as this.
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Is it anxiety that's keeping her awake change in shift patterns or something else? I jump a lot of time zones and melatonin seems to really help reset me for shift. Zopi is my usually remedy for insomnia when travelling or if I'm thinking to much about tasks the next day, but very infrequently so I only need one of the small tabs docs usually perscribe. I'm quite sensitive to Zs so need very little. Met people that do need 7.5mg to stand a chance.

Benzos if I am stressed anxious or need to be available next day after recreational drugs but that's a slippy slope and one that will come to an end once my RC collection is gone.

TBH I cheat and lazy sometimes when I know the answer is fresh air and exercise, lots of it. Has she actually tried lots of exercise reduction of brain activity IE no tv phone PC at least an hour before? It's kind of tough to answer without knowing the cause.

Docs are usually quite good with me. Used to happily give me Zs on request cos they can see I use it purely for its purpose and not as recreational (not that they are much cop Tbf) by my repeat prescription pattern, and I was totally honest about why I wanted them.
 
Christ, Ive unwittingly become something of an expert in this subject thanks to my own Bz and sleep problems. I certainly would not reccomend benzos due to how incredibly habit forming they are, and the inevitable tolerance issue that will go with that and w/e a person may try to do to to keep the dose low (eg taking pregabalin 30 mins before the Bzs which massively boosts the hypnotic effects of benzos, things like Preg itself are also addictive/habit forming and subject to huge tolerance issues.)

There are so many different non Bz meds to help with sleep from Melatonin to Diphenhydramine to many of the other first generation of antihistamines. From the AHs I have personally tried Dimenhydrinate, Promethazine (Phenergan), Diphenhydramine, Hydroxyzine, and Loratadine (Claritin) aswell as Atarax, aswell as others which I couldn't see listed on the Wikipedia page. They all make one drowsy, though only the Diphens and Dimens are strong enough to knock one out for the whole night ime.

Clonidine too which is not made for the purpose of insomnia but truly does knock a person clean out for the whole night (at least!!) your g/f would only need 50 mcg. It is usually available in either 100 mcg tablets from some foreign online pharms or at 25mcg from uk online pharms. The Dr should prescribe Melatonin, which is meant to be a more natural way of inducing sleep, as it is the hormone related to the sleep wake cycle, if your g/f isn't naturally producing enough Melatonin (research suggests getting out in the strong sunlight (on the 1 day in 30 that the mornings are actually sunny in the UK) asap after rising in order for your body clock to get a 'proper reset'. I cannot think of a good reason why a Dr wouldn't prescribe it as the 'natural way' isn't always possible, if your g/f works shifts or its never bright enough in the day w/e you are.

As with every drug that ive ever encountered tolerance is an absolute bastard if she does decide on any of the above, it would be ideal not to use a single substance more than once a week or so, that way hopefully avoiding building up ridiclous tolerances to any one substance and thus making them permanently innefective. Tolerance may drop initially after a break but very quickly climbs right back up to where it was at the worst point in time. A problem I have found with virtually every substance under the sun.

Ofcourse a strong sedative strain of hash is one of the best non physically habit forming remedies.
 
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Hydroxyzine. Available from doctor. Anti-histamine, not benzo. Only English word with x,y,z consecutively in its name.

If Claritin sends you to sleep, I'm the Queen of Sheba.
 
I thought you were Stephen Fry or Gyles Brandreth, from your first sentence. :p:D

You're probably right about Clarityn, I'd scrub that off the list, I vagually recalled it making me drowsy at work when i took it for hayfever but have never used it for trying to help with sleep at night, unlike everything else I listed, apart from Melatonin which i have also not tried (yet). I'm sure I will be trying to get some sooner rather than later.

Good to see you back again, anyway. ;)
 
Thanks for the info people! Gives me plenty to look at for her.
She doesn't know the cause either and the doctor hasn't been too interested in finding out sadly.
She's tried melatonin but no joy.
Zopiclone will put her to sleep for an hour but that's all.
I'll start doing some research on all that has been suggested above,

Thanks
 
Sorry to be all NEw Age, but for me, meditation helps. Not the CBT type, but closer to trance work.
 
consumer said:
Exercise is the best way to cure insomnia imho. Any kind of drug is a short term fix but exercise is a lifestyle change that produces results.
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She kick boxes and does weight training with me, she is actually really good at both as it happens.
This is far more serious than healthy eating and excercise.

We know drugs are a short term fix but as long as there is a way she can get a few hours sleep sometimes it's a better start than not sleeping for days on end and feeling suicidal.

Docs on Monday for her, she is not leaving without at least a means to an end be it CBT or whatever else it is.

I feel so sorry for her :( this morning she wasn't awake when I messaged her I was worried but she messaged at half 11 to say she's ok, hopefully the zopiclone have worked and she's been able to sleep a bit. I really hope so! :(
 
Nytol instants (Diphenhydramine) work, but beware of long term use (Alzheimer's link), or taking too much (sinister delirium).
 
I can feel my brain sizzle when I even think about that stuff. I used to love the delirious state from it but it is really nasty. I never found it much good for sleep, mind you.
 
I remember having a dream on it once which was sort of like how I'd imagine deciding to hoof a massive line of ket whilst on Diphenhydramine. It had a very weird abstract, demented amd sinister narrative, which I couldn't convey to even myself.

Usually it's fine though. If we're short on benzos and somebody has a box then my friends and I all find it pretty effective for sleeping after stimulants.

Like I say though, that dementia link is certainly disconcerting.
 
Hopefully your GF's insomnia is just a short term thing and it's sorting itself out.

If it's a long term thing it's likely linked to other health issues and her GP is the only way to access help for that.

As a long term insomniac that is part of a mental health disorder I've suffered loads of problems with lack of sleep. It really impacts on your functioning badly. However, it's resolved as part of the management and medication of my disorder. It's the only way to tackle it, if it's a part of a bigger issue.

If it's drug related temporary doing as suggested in this thread can certainly tide you over.

Typically though, sleep will come. Good sleep hygiene and routine are crucial. That takes discipline and a strong will to want to be "healthy".

Really hope the GP can help and she's ok. Let us know how she gets on and if sleep comes back for her.
 
koneko said:
Hopefully your GF's insomnia is just a short term thing and it's sorting itself out.

If it's a long term thing it's likely linked to other health issues and her GP is the only way to access help for that.

As a long term insomniac that is part of a mental health disorder I've suffered loads of problems with lack of sleep. It really impacts on your functioning badly. However, it's resolved as part of the management and medication of my disorder. It's the only way to tackle it, if it's a part of a bigger issue.

If it's drug related temporary doing as suggested in this thread can certainly tide you over.

Typically though, sleep will come. Good sleep hygiene and routine are crucial. That takes discipline and a strong will to want to be "healthy".

Really hope the GP can help and she's ok. Let us know how she gets on and if sleep comes back for her.
Click to expand...

I had never taken insomnia seriously before, not untill I saw the impact it really has :( feel so sorry for her!
 
If the doc is willing to listen, then chlormethiazole. Its an OLD remedy, old, old antiquated stuff but christ, it will put a horse on its ass. Intermediate acting, barb-esque, minus memory fucking AMPAr blockade. Do NOT drink on it unless very used to the drug, and even then in small amounts only. Otherwise, nitrazepam is probably best option of the benzos, long acting, and strong on the hypnotic side, actually does what it says on the tin, unlike temazepam,diazepam etc.

Melatonin is VERY hard to get here, believe it or not. Or can be. I tried it, and it failed, but I had to go through sleep EEGs and everything to even try it. Beats me why, and the doses used here arer insufficient (such as 3mg XR, ala circadin) Only of any potential use with circadian rhythm entraining. But yes, chlormethiazole. Even my 70-something-odd year old GP said to me its fucking ancient why the hell are you on that, but he wrote it up himself haha. Not about to change now. Use it for seizure prophylaxis, despite it not being licensed. Still, does the trick, often KO's me.

Alternatively SHORT term, CWE of dihydrocodeine tabs, paramol, one box if no opiate tolerance, light antihistamine to prevent distraction through itching. Should do the trick=D but of course, buyer beware, smack-lite.:P

I'd be inclined to avoid promethazine, its one of the phenothiazine antipsychotics, only with low potency. Nasty, and can cause akathisia serious enough if your susceptible to it you'd want to rip your eyes out with a rusty pike hook if it would just end it. And if diphenhydramine is foul, and it sure is, promethazine is a thousand times worse.
 
I'll get her to ask for the nitrazepam sounds like they're what she needs.

Don't understand the CWE bit though? Never known DHC or codeine to help with sleep? I have tones of codeine as I get it on script
 
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