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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

GBL Why can´t I sleep even though i didnt use for a month?

G

Gdk

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 9, 2013
Messages
51
Heres the deal.

I have been using GBL pretty regularly over the past year and a half. Normally I would use it on the weekends and basically for an entire weekend at a time. I would take workdays off and have never suffered from any WD symptoms after only using it for at weekend. Even after using it for 10 days straight at festivals would I have no WD symptoms afterwards.

Then, sometime during April this year, I had a traumatic personal experience that stupidly led me to spending 4 days straight dosing every 2-3 hours and going to sleep after every dose. (I was so depressed and traumatized that i basically just wanted to sleep constantly).

After those days I started having trouble sleeping even if I would only use G occasionally. Me being a fool then embarked on a summer of festivals, where I dosed alot. I didnt do it round the clock daily, but close. I had a day off here and there but definately drank too much for a period of 3 weeks.

I would like to add that even though i have definately been doing it too much and too often during the summer, I have never had any other WD symptoms than insomnia.
So gettin a bit embarrased about realizing how much G I had been doin over the summer, naturally I wanted to take a good break from it altogether and figured that my insomnia would disappear after a few weeks. But I havent touched G for more than a month now and it is still virtually impossible for me to sleep at night. On nights where i dont take either Xanax or Zopiclone, I am lucky to get any more than an hours sleep.

Have i somehow destroyed my GABA system completely or am I simply just taking longer time to recover from insomnia than most G users?

Any valuable insight would be greatly appreciated, as I am starting to get a little nervous for my ability to sleep long term!

Regards
 
Hey g0to and thanks for the fast response.

Your explanation makes sense, and is more or less what I thought. So to combat the PAWS, will complete abstinence from the drug be my only choice. Or will it be possible to do the drug like once a month still and still be in recovery?

I do use cocaine a cpl of times a week but not more than a few lines over a whole week. And I drink coffee daily. And I smoke weed daily as well.
 
Ive always been a hearty sleeper and just used G for having fun and partying. Have never had a addiction problem. Could go on for 10 days straight and never feel and WD symptoms or bad sleep. Even when I stopped using it after going over board this summer, did I not experience any WD at all!! except for the persisting insomnia.
 
Another question if you can answer it?

Would I be better off using Xanax or Zopiclone to help me sleep? I have both on hand and know not to use them daily and replace one problem with another. But when i do use them, which would be better in terms of rebuilding the damaged GABA B system?
 
Well, I don't think describing your gaba system as damaged is really correct or helpful, you just need time for it to return to a comfortable homeostasis.

Taking the zopiclone would probably be best to use as an occasional sleep aid, neither the zopiclone or xanax function primarily through the gaba-b receptors that ghb (and related drugs, gbl etc) activates but I still imagine taking benzos on any regular basis would slow the rebalancing of your gaba system. It might help to try some sedating antihistamines for sleep instead of the gaba related drugs too, things like promethazine, diphenhydramine, hydroxyzine etc

Your sleep issues could also have been triggered by this but are now primarily caused by anxiety or fear of being unable to fall asleep also. Do you experience lots of negative thoughts or these sorts of worries when trying to sleep?

In this case mindfulness meditation can be helpful to quiet your mind.
 
Thank you for your response Quere.

Well thats sounds a little comformting if youre saying that my GABA system is not permanently damaged.

Regarding the antihistamines, i have actually have relative succes with meclozine tablets. (more potent promethazine tabs require prescription). Hydroxyzine is also prescription meds here . So which would you say is more potent of the two? Meclozine or diphenhydramine?

I have also been thinking about this as having become more of a psychological issue in the form of anxiety of not sleeping. I do spend a fair amount of the day and the minutes i lay my head down, thinking about if i can sleep. I have been taking either a half or a whole 7,5mg zopiclone the past week. Some days half a pill is enough and some days i need a whole one.
 
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It's terrible for sleep anyway as you get a stimulating dopamine rush a couple hours later.

I don't think you can permanently damage your GABA system (despite what people claim). The body has an amazing ability to regenerate and heal. Like most addicts claim their veins are gone/collapsed forever, but they come back if you stop using them for a while (I have had phlebotomists confirm this).
 
Try to avoid zopiclone and Xanax whilst you return to normal, especially if the antihistamines work.
As long as you keep your use below once every 2 weeks, the difference between zopiclone and Xanax is minimal.
Zopiclone works more on gaba b and Xanax is more gaba a, so I suppose the Xanax may be better, but again avoid both as much as possible.
 
I´ll try to get a prescription for promethazine as Im sure my doc would rather prescribe that, than more zopiclone. Right now im trying to decrease my intake and 0.5 mg xanax can put me to sleep. Gonna try .25mg tonite.
 
Just saw that dipenhydramine is available as a cough syrup in a 2.8g/ml solution. Gonna buy a bottle tomorrow. If i get the promethazine as well, will I need to be cautious with mixing the two?
 
Aside from the drug itself, you've also 'broken' your body clock (circadian rhythm) by forcing yourself to sleep at irregular and unnatural times of the day. It can take quite a while for that to recover - many months for some. You need to be extremely consistent with your sleeping times and just lie there and shut your eyes (ensuring total darkness) even if you can't fall asleep for hours and hours. Eventually it will recover. Avoid relying on other drugs to achieve sleep too - it will likely just compound the problem and prevent you achieving a proper, deep sleep.

Exhausting yourself through intense exercise during early daylight hours can be extremely helpful and restorative, btw.
 
Gdk said:
Just saw that dipenhydramine is available as a cough syrup in a 2.8g/ml solution. Gonna buy a bottle tomorrow. If i get the promethazine as well, will I need to be cautious with mixing the two?
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Well i don't see a problem with mixing them in the sense of taking for example, promethazine one night and dipenhydramine the next but there isn't really any reason to be taking both at once, just try a higher dose (read the instructions on the pack) of one rather than taking both which may result in additive effects, a higher incidence of anticholinergic side effects etc
 
Gdk said:
Thank you for your response Quere.

Well thats sounds a little comformting if youre saying that my GABA system is not permanently damaged.

Regarding the antihistamines, i have actually have relative succes with meclozine tablets. (more potent promethazine tabs require prescription). Hydroxyzine is also prescription meds here . So which would you say is more potent of the two? Meclozine or diphenhydramine?

I have also been thinking about this as having become more of a psychological issue in the form of anxiety of not sleeping. I do spend a fair amount of the day and the minutes i lay my head down, thinking about if i can sleep. I have been taking either a half or a whole 7,5mg zopiclone the past week. Some days half a pill is enough and some days i need a whole one.
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Yeah I mention that because as a teen I had an episode of severe insomnia where I had no sleep (apart from microsleeps perhaps) for around five days and my body was in so much pain and fatigue while my mind was completely unraveling and for years after that I had to take sleeping pills not because I couldn't sleep per se but because when I went to bed I was so anxious and wrapped up in trying to sleep because of how horrible insomnia is.
 
Gdk said:
I´ll try to get a prescription for promethazine as Im sure my doc would rather prescribe that, than more zopiclone. Right now im trying to decrease my intake and 0.5 mg xanax can put me to sleep. Gonna try .25mg tonite.
Click to expand...

You dont need a prescription of promethazine off ur doc, just search ebay !!
 
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