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Benzos I really need some advice asap. I am having BAD insomnia...

2muchpain said:
i live in the uk, we have the nhs, don't need insurance. I also occasionally work in a very high class version of a job that means actually if insurance covered it i'd be paid if you know what i mean! So i get it now and again! Unfortunately my illness prevents me from doing many 9-5 jobs. And a lot of the treatment i get like acupuncture and osteopathy i have to pay for myself. Even though i worked all my life before i was ill and paid my national insurance i get hardly anything in state benefits.
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Wow that really sucks, sorry to hear that.
 
it's alright. We do what we can to get through life. I've been able to join a gym, pay for treatment, and generally live a fairly good quality of life which i wouldn't if i couldn't earn money this way. I hope people don't judge me too much.
 
I doubt your doctor will give you these but: Midazolam (used in dentists offices to knock out patients) and Triazolam (i believe this is exactly 2x the potency of Xanax).

And while you've probably tried this, you should really take some Melatonin and Benadryl, and even a bit of pot if you have to, along with your benzos.

Have you tried Ambien?
 
Ambien has a cross tolerance with benzos, and if I remember correctly, I stated that somewhere in a previous post in this thread, so it doesn't work with me. I also take melatonin... and as far as pot is concerned, I am trying to stay away from that.
 
I don't know if you have read the first part of this thread but I will never touch Seroquel again. It is the worst drug I have ever been prescribed. Period. I hate it. I despise it.
 
^ For serious :X I wish I had never taken that crap. I lacked any form of emotion for almost a year... that is inhumane punishment
 
My biggest problem is getting to sleep, once asleep I am fine for 6 to 8 hrs. For 6 yrs ambien worked great, but became less and less effective. As expected I guess. I have jumped around on different meds but currently take temazepam 30mg capsules as needed. They work sometimes. Cant take diphenhydramine as it causes my skin to crawl even at regular doses. Not sure why unless I am just alergic. Anyway, has any suggestions worked ?
I do sometimes make a couple coctails about an hr after taking a promethazine 25mg. That works sometimes and no hangover.
 
My doctor is not working with me. I want to try Temazepam 15-30mgs but he is worried I will become addicted to it... this is not cool. I literally have to take 1.5mgs of Ativan, 3mgs of chewable Melatonin, and Unisom 25mgs, just to feel slightly sleepy...
 
Temazepam may be a good choice. Maybe mix 1-3 beers in with the benzos to make it stronger. Try something other than drugs, seems you're relying 100% on the drugs to even get 'sleepy'. First of all, exercise, second of all, regular sleep/rest pattern. I don't care if/when you fall asleep, go to bed at midnight at the latest and get out of bed at 8-10pm. If you lie there all night, and just start to sleep at 7am, say, fuck it, get out of bed, go to bed at 10-midnight the next night. When you took the Ambien, I'm hoping you actually went to bed after taking it, and relaxed as it was kicking in...All these drugs, you don't just sit there and pass out, you need to try to sleep as well.

Anyways, if you aren't exercising, start, it will make you sleepy, coupled with the drugs = knock out. If you aren't going to bed on a regular schedule, start, and use the first few mornings to kick start your sleep pattern as I said.

Drugs worked for me, but you gotta be trying hard to sleep...You should meditate as well, that helps. No video games/computer/tv 1-2 hours before bed, read a book or something, just relax.

Grr...Take all of my advice, and you'll be laughing in a week or two. Drugs won't work forever.
 
vortex30 said:
Temazepam may be a good choice. Maybe mix 1-3 beers in with the benzos to make it stronger. Try something other than drugs, seems you're relying 100% on the drugs to even get 'sleepy'. First of all, exercise, second of all, regular sleep/rest pattern. I don't care if/when you fall asleep, go to bed at midnight at the latest and get out of bed at 8-10pm. If you lie there all night, and just start to sleep at 7am, say, fuck it, get out of bed, go to bed at 10-midnight the next night. When you took the Ambien, I'm hoping you actually went to bed after taking it, and relaxed as it was kicking in...All these drugs, you don't just sit there and pass out, you need to try to sleep as well.
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First of all, let me say thank you for your advice and the time you have spent helping me! All advice is greatly appreciated.

I don't drink alcohol so that is not an option. I especially don't want to mix my benzos with alcohol. I do enjoy a beer every few weeks but that is about it.

"Regular sleep patterns" aren't an option for me in my current situation as much as I'd like them to be.

I do exercise now and have taken all electronics and stimulants out of my room except for my alarm clocks/lamps/air filter. All that is left in there is my bed and my table, along with a bookshelf/nightstand/dresser. When I took the Ambien, I literally did not feel anything. I took 4 of them.

If I get in bed when I am not tired I will not be able to sleep the entire night. I lay in bed and turn from side to side until I can't stand it anymore and get up to do something because I go stir-crazy. This is from personal experience and it has been proven to me from enough attempts to know it is the simple truth for my body.

I am relying quite a bit on medicines to help me manage my illnesses, but I do not really have a choice. I take multiple medications for Bipolar I, ADHD, Anxiety, and PTSD (Lamictal 400mgs/day, Fluphenazine 3mgs/day, Xanax XR 1.5mgs/day, Ativan 1.5mgs/day - which I will now be out of after tonight because my doctor won't prescribe me a dose which will be effective at helping me get to sleep... I asked him if he would let me try Temazepam to compare it versus Ativan and he replied with a one sentence email telling me I need to schedule an appointment with him (which the earliest I could get in is March 6th), and he is telling me that he is worried that I am taking benzos "independently," which is not true...). He tells me he is worried about me becoming addicted. I take them as he prescribes with a few times where I have taken my Xanax XR when my anxiety was so much I could barely stand it. It's not like I can call him during the middle of his work day and ask him if I can take a dose of Xanax XR to relieve my overwhelming stress. I know how my body reacts to these medications and when I NEED to take them I do. When my body requires a benzo to prevent a possibly very serious and detrimental manic episode I take one to keep it away... I am no doctor, but I have trained, am certified, and have worked as a Paramedic, and I have also done EXTENSIVE research on these subjects over the past few years - as well as learning first hand from my own personal experience with prescribed medicines (which includes Seroquel, Ativan, Valium, Klonopin, Xanax XR, Adderall XR, Dexedrine, Vyvanse, Strattera, Clonodine, and before he diagnosed me with Bipolar, many SSRIs such as Zoloft, Wellbutrin, and a few others that I cannot remember right now...). I didn't sleep last night even though I took all of my prescribed medications. I am still up. I haven't even taken my Adderall XR 30mgs or Dexedrine that I usually take to help me with my school work in a few days.

vortex30 said:
Drugs worked for me, but you gotta be trying hard to sleep...You should meditate as well, that helps. No video games/computer/tv 1-2 hours before bed, read a book or something, just relax.
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I use breathing techniques that were taught to me by one of my good friends who is a biofeedback therapist. I even put on special meditation music and try hard to relax and focus on my breathing through my stomach. I also read at night but I don't know how else to put this: nothing is working and I need something like Temazepam, I'm guessing about 30mgs based on the equivalency charts that I've seen, to help me get to sleep at night. I don't know what else to do and my doctor isn't help me. I've never, ever tried Temazepam so I don't even know if that will help...
 
Can you excercise basejumper ? Even if no exercise, I do agree with vortex on one thing. At least try to make as full a day you can. Im disabled but I do have exercises I do ( simple as they may be ) from my physical therapist. But some days are really bad and I cant. But I try to "do" something, all day if possible.
Anyway, you could try the oldest legal drug there is, alcohol. Always puts me to sleep, without any drugs. I definately dont take anything except maybe my promethazine since promethazine can make you sleepy also in itself.
The melatonin is a good idea, valerian doesnt work for me but might be worth a try. There is a new natural drug with melatonin/valerian/tryptophan in high doses. Does it work? I dunno just seen the comercial. Please let us know if anything helps ? and, sweet dreams?
 
I actually just saw that commercial no more than 30 minutes ago, I think it is called Restoril if I remember correctly. Check out my above post about the alcohol and exercise info.
 
Got it. Its not restoril. Restoril is another hyptonic I think, similar to ambien albiet not as strong.
Perhaps, with all your meds, no one so far is "really" qualified to help you.
Is there a professional who could chime in ? Offer another alternative ?

BTW, When I used ambien for 5 yrs, I too would at times need to take more than the "10mg" to get to sleep. But I never went over 2 or 20mg. One thing I would do that made them more effective is breaking them in half. They worked faster and stronger, at least for me. But let me caution you. When you take ambien, go to bed immediately. Especially if you take more than the recommended dose. It can cause you do things you wouldnt normally do. Also, dont take anything for sleep until your actually tired and feel like going to bed.
I hope you find relief.
 
I just gotta chime in and say wearing myself out throughout the day has never failed me (other than during stimulant binges of course). A little exercise here and there, do some physical labor like chores around the yard, and generally try to fill your days. I used to have ridiculous insomnia, still do at times, but if my day goes how I'd like it to I can just crawl under the sheets and be knocked out 8 hours guaranteed :)

And before you even go to bed, when you know it's getting to be about that time, try not to get excited about anything. If something's on your mind just try to let it go. I used to be bad about lying there and thinking about random shit like what I wanted to do the next day, so I finally got a notebook where I'd write all that stuff down beforehand so I wouldn't worry about thinking about it later. Calm yourself down before you get ready to go to bed so hopefully your mind won't be racing once you do lie down.


edit: And when I do still have trouble sleeping, I take 4 benadryls and/or I masturbate. Benadryl usually works (not always, and tolerance builds fast) but my tonsils are irritated the next day. I don't think masturbation has ever failed me :p
 
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I have had terrible insomnia for as long as I can remember, but I've never been prescibed anything for it. Usually smoking a whole bunch of pot helps, which is my first choice. The benzos are good if you really need to crash and are all stressed, but you can build up a tolerance quickly. Trazadone usually works. I like seroquel personally, but it does knock me out for about 12-14 hours. My best suggestion is to keep yourself on a schedule and don't let yourself sleep too long. Also, cut down on caffiene during the day, it can make a big difference. I would also try to suggest trying to delve further into WHY you aren't able to sleep and then maybe a solution could be found. I think the best thing is marijuana :-) A few people have said to drink with the benzos. DON'T, it can be pretty dangerous, usually people will black out and it can get you real sick.
 
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