Misc Need advice on legitimate insomnia medication

[nastynick12]

ey guys, its been a while since ive been on here. I use to come on this site all the time a few months ago when i had a pretty substantial dilaudid/oxycontin/roxicodone/opana /fentanyl habit going, but due to the consequences of living that lifestyle i decided it best to enter treatment. I have now been sober for almost 5 months and am having a lot of trouble with getting to sleep and even when i do im exhausted the following day. I have a psychiatrist who is willing to prescribe any number of benzos and the like, but this conflicts with my sobriety, and although i never had a huge problem with benzos, i dont want to have to detox off them when i inevitably build tolerance. Medications i have tried that havent worked are trazadone, seroquel, hydroxyzine, promethazine, and ambien works somewhat but i cant be wondering around walking into walls at my sober living. I am considering gabapentin, or maybe cyclobenzaprine. Also, if there are any low potency benzos that you would reccomend i would be glad to hear. I dont have sleep apnea and have tried antidepressants to no avail. Thank you

 

[comatoserct]

trazodone and seroquel work just fine for me
I'm curious, what were your doses for these?
as far as gabapentin goes, I take it during the day and it doesn't make me sleepy in the slightest. It also has a very steep tolerance curve, and if you get help sleeping from it, by the time you are 2 weeks in, you will need twice the dose you were prescribed to feel the same effects
also, I agree with you about ambien. taking it can certainly get you messed up, and it is a habit forming, dependent drug that you will have to taper off of later. also it causes heart problems as well as other problems when taken for long durations.


I'd say give trazodone or seroquel another try, but with a higher dose. I guess everyones body is different though

 

[nastynick12]

i was on 50 mg each time, but although it did nothing for my insomnia, it made it impossible to get up in the morning once i finally did get to sleep. And i cant deal with the 2 hour haze in the morning. Do you have any experience with any benzos or cyclobenzaprine?

 

[Bezonian]

Personally I find Zopiclone (escitalopram) works great but since it's a nonbenzodiazepine it's pretty habit forming and I wouldn't recommend taking it daily for more than a 1-2 week period. It's tolerance building as well so it should really only be used a couple of times a week.

 

[damagedun]

if you're going to go the benzo route - Halcion (triazolam)

 

[Elisa Dewen]

Personally I find Zopiclone (escitalopram) works great but since it's a nonbenzodiazepine it's pretty habit forming and I wouldn't recommend taking it daily for more than a 1-2 week period. It's tolerance building as well so it should really only be used a couple of times a week.

Zopiclone (brand names are Imovane and Zimovane depending on where you live) is a Z-drug similar to Ambien, Sonata, and Lunesta, and it's a hypnotic. Escitalopram is Lexapro, an SSRI. Also (assuming you were talking about Zopiclone and not Lexapro), it's less habit-forming than most benzos because it's a very selective GABA-A agonist. Though it does have addictive potential.

Also, i was on 10mg of Ambien nightly (that's the max dose recommended by FDA) and never had to taper off.

For the OP: Serax and Lorazepam are "weaker" benzos, as in they're less addictive than other benzos. Another would be Tranxene, a pro-drug (which means is has to convert into the active drug before taking effect, lowering addictive potential as well).

I've tried Cyclobenzaprine, and it has a very, very very bad hangover effect the next morning due to its long half-life. It might work for you, though, and it isn't habit forming or euphoric at all (it's a tricyclic antidepressant, actually, though it's not prescribed for depression).

I was also on Gabapentin for years, and it never had any sedative effect for me, just a kind of space cadet feeling. I wouldn't recommend this.

ETA: Other meds to try that might work are doxylamine (found in OTC Sominex and other sleep meds that can be found in most drug stores).

Have you tried Promethazine? It's similar to Hyroxyzine, but less sedating and far less of a hangover effect. Another I'd recommend are diphenhydramine (Benadryl). That's on the legal side. Otherwise, I'd recommend marijuana. Great anti-insomnia aid if used wisely and not to excess.

 

[debaser]

For the OP: Serax and Lorazepam are "weaker" benzos, as in they're less addictive than other benzos. Another would be Tranxene, a pro-drug (which means is has to convert into the active drug before taking effect, lowering addictive potential as well).

"Weaker benzos" don't mean they're not addictive in high enough doses.

 

[Vaya]

Serax isn't a benzodiazepine with much therapeutic value in terms of being a hypnotic benzo; one poster above mentioned Halcion (triazolam) - this is a very, very potent benzo (average dose is 0.125-0.25mg at bedtime), which works wonders, but another that I'm currently prescribed is Restoril (temazepam), which is a very hypnotic benzo.

I applaud your sobriety and choice to get sober, man. That is SO hard to do, believe me I'm well aware of how going to meetings and working the steps go and getting of my drug of choice (opiates) goes, it can be a horrendous experience. That's why I'm gonna say that, despite my success with Restoril, the general consensus that I have heard (and that I agree with) is that it's one of the more euphoric benzos, with a pretty low therapeutic index relative to other benzodiazepines, and IME feels the most like an opiate that a benzo ever will (besides Rohypnol, perhaps). So I'd stay away from that, and recommend one of the Z-drugs, or Trazadone, or Seroquel in conjunction with 3-8mg of melatonin and deep breathing to relax and oxygenate your body and brain.

Good luck to you, and HAPPY 5 MONTHS!!!

~ vaya

 

[kokaino]

For the OP: Serax and Lorazepam are "weaker" benzos, as in they're less addictive than other benzos. Another would be Tranxene, a pro-drug (which means is has to convert into the active drug before taking effect, lowering addictive potential as well).

Serax is a weak benzo, but lorazepam is most definitely not and this has nothing to do with mg to mg potencies. Lorazepam is a powerful anxiolytic, powerful anticonvulsant, good muscle relaxant, good sedative with very powerful amnesic properties. Oxazepam (Serax) has all those qualities, but is a much milder drug.

To the OP, as far as benzos go for sleep aid in the U.S., the best on the market are temazepam (Restoril) and triazolam (Halcion). Those two are the most powerful benzos commercially available in the U.S.

 

[drewbocop]

My sister was prescribed triazolam for a while .5mg at night for sleep. Shit made her insane! And she's a very somber, calm person. They probably shouldn't have scripted her that much with no tolerance. So be careful with that one.

Restoril (temazepam) is my personal favorite, but like others said it is very abusable also. Benzos probably aren't your best bet, and for a long term solution you probably aren't going to find anything great considering what you've already tried. Good luck!

 

[comatoserct]

i was on 50 mg each time, but although it did nothing for my insomnia, it made it impossible to get up in the morning once i finally did get to sleep. And i cant deal with the 2 hour haze in the morning. Do you have any experience with any benzos or cyclobenzaprine?

When I was on seroquel, I was taking 200mg a night. It took a while to kick in, so I would take it 2-3 hours before bed. I would only recommend this route if you have 8+ hours to devote to sleep every day.

I'm currently on 300mg trazodone per night, and it kicks in within 30 minutes. In fact, if I crush these up in my mouth instead of swallowing whole, they can kick in within 10 minutes. I usually sleep 6-7 hours, and when I wake up, I feel awake and rested.

Just a thought

 

[deal trees]

Has OP tried Melatonin? This drug works wonders.

 

[Korn3x]

i know this kind of goes against sobriety, and not sure if you're at a house or not, but marijuana has always done wonders for any insomnia i've had. altho this opens up another can of worms i guess..

have you tried exercising and eating healthy? make sure you're getting like a good 30-45 mins of physical activity in a day, even more if you can. also make sure not to eat too soon before you go to bed. maybe try not to eat anything past 6 or 7 o'clock. i've had a few friends who can't eat anything a few hours before bed since all the calories give them too much energy and keep them awake.

have you tried tryptophan? i think they make tablets for it, but you can also get some from meats such as turkey and roast beef, as well as other meets. a google search will bring up the appropriate levels in each.

i also find a glass of milk to help a lot when trying to fall asleep. some people even find that heating their milk up in the microwave for a little bit helps too.

lastly, some calming music helps with my insomnia. if i wake up in the middle of the night and try to fall asleep on my own it won't happen. if i put on a long song from pink floyd i'll be out within a couple minutes. i listen to the song "echoes" a lot.

before i got into pink floyd i used to listen to a lot of soothing trance before bed as well, which always did wonders for me.

hope one of those tips helps (try the latter ones before hittin the trees tho)

 

[Droppersneck]

Has OP tried Melatonin? This drug works wonders.

until you build a tolerance and have to rail like 20mgs like me

 

[paranoid android]

until you build a tolerance and have to rail like 20mgs like me

K thats a new one lol. But if it works for ya go for it. Can't be worse then some of the other drugs used.

Tricyclics like doxepin and amitriptyline help insomnia in low doses and so does mirtazapine. Seroquel helps too but i think it's a tad heavy to go to a anti-psychotic right away. It would be pretty much the same as suggesting 50mg's of thorazine to sleep. Actually that does work well lol

Anti-histamines like diphenhydramine and hydroxyzine help alot of people atleast at first so they are worth a shot.

 

[mr. mudd]

cyclobenzaprine isn't an anti-depressant (amitriptaline is)--cyclobenzaprine aka flexoril is a muscle relaxant. it knocks my girlfriend out but I get a paradoxical restlessness reaction from it.

I hear Unisom 2 is quite good, but I can't find it anywhere. if you're five months clean I say just exercise till you sleep.

 

[nastynick12]

I have already gone through hydoxyzine, promethazine, doxylamine, diphenhydramine and all otc sleep aids. I have also gone the herbal route with valerian, melatonin, skullcap, st johns wort, GABA, Taurine, L-Tyrosine/B6, hops extract, Glycine, Passion Flower extract, Chamomile extract....etc
so what im hearing is lunesta or serax, because my doctor specifically advised against lorazepam, so im guessing halcion will also be a no. But this was only the doctor who reccomended me to the psychiatrist who specializes in sleep, so well see what he says.

does anyone have experience with zanaflex?

 

[nowdubnvr6]

I have quite an experience with zanaflex. I was prescribed it heavily after breaking my back and pelvis in 08. In low doses it really did nothing for me but in the higher doses around 12mg-20mg i would be quite relaxed and doze off pretty easily. I havent heard of it being prescribed much though. Soma is also another great non-narcotic muscle relaxant that has put me to sleep many of times.

 

[drewbocop]

does anyone have experience with zanaflex?

I do. My dad used to get heaps of it from his VA and I had free roam. I used to take a couple of them when I couldn't sleep and it was okay. Helped me fall asleep but wasn't incredibly strong or anything.

 

[moonshield06]

I have great experiences with using Trazodone as a treatment for insomnia. It is the only medication I have used for sleep that has not left me groggy/sleepy the next day, and it has never given me any side-effects like vivid dreams, and things of that nature. I take 150mg 30m before bed, and within 45m I am passed out like a baby. I do not wake up through the night, I do not toss and turn... and the best part of it is that I wake up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to start my day. I've had sleep problems my entire life. My mind is always racing, and I always wake up every other hour tossing and turning. My problem isn't falling asleep, but staying asleep. Trazodone has fixed those problems.

It's technically an anti-depressant of sorts, and it's non narcotic or controlled. Most doctors will have zero problems prescribing it. It packs a decent punch. I've used it to get sleep during opiate withdrawals, and it worked great. I liked it much better than Seroquel.

Basically, I've gotten the best sleep of my life when using Trazodone. Even better than a benzo. I am also prescribed 1mg klonopin twice a day for my anxiety, and sometimes I just use that for sleep since it does the job as well...but I find myself waking up in the middle of the night when I take a klonopin for sleeping purposes. I don't have that problem with the Trazodone.

Edit: Just to verify, I definitely would not try to use a benzo for a sleep aid. If you're taking it daily it can be habit forming, and I doubt you're looking for a benzo addiction just to combat insomnia. That is why I recommend trazodone because it is very good sleep medication, it WILL make you tired, and it's non habit forming so doctors do not have any issues prescribing it. Trust me, if you take it, you'll be sleeping within an hour and you'll be very rested when you wake up. It's a very relaxing medication. The one side-effect it gives me is a sweet tooth. About 30m after I take it, I start craving sweets. Not a terrible side-effect