So, I have had a problem falling asleep since I was like 12. They have tried everything for sleep and it doesn't really work. The only thing that honestly helped were benzo's. I have ADHD and I have been told I am hyperactive and inattentive. I am currently only on two medications that are Vyvance (20mg) in the morning (which I wake up at 5:30 to take, then go back to sleep until 6:30-7:00) and Ambien (5mg) at night which I take at 7-9 PM. I have gotten my blood tested and everything. When I wasn't working I would smoke weed to sleep and it was the best sleep I had ever gotten. Those were the best four months of my life (only smoked at night). before and after smoking I would have panic attacks because I would either freak out because I wasn't sleeping or because I was to tired to function. I have worked out and done all that jazz. Eat healthy, no caffeine, and all of that stuff. they gave me Ambein and I am dragging soooo hard during the day. Like I feel wired but I am so tired that I can't even nap. Does anyone know what might help? I am lost and seeing as I have to work I can't smoke weed.
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Mental Health Sleeping at night, tired all day.
- Thread starter Kezia_X
- Start date
Well, my situation is that I sleep well at night, probably thanks to the 200 mgs/10 mls of liquid Sertraline that I take at night and the 1 mg of Klonopin that I take in the afternoon. However, I wake up tired, almost kinda feeling lethargic. My diet isn't great, but I'm working on that aspect of my life, too. I drink caffeine during the day, but that actually seems like it makes me tired, too. My point behind all this blabbering is that psychiatric medications usually make you tired - whatever their purpose. I don't like that part of them, but that's a fact of life. I think that's what's happening with you. Plus, doesn't weed make you sleepy on top of the medication? Despite saying that, maybe you need to be on a higher dose of Vyvance? By the way, I have heard that mixing weed with antidepressants, etc., gives you panic attacks. I hope that my comments help a little bit.
THECATINTHEHAT
Bluelighter
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- Oct 17, 2005
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Stop smoking weed completely, you'll probably be back to a normal sleep cycle within a month.
threeeyedraven
Greenlighter
- Joined
- May 8, 2014
- Messages
- 3
Im sorry to hear about your issues. Mine are similar to yours.
I have had chronic insomnia for two years now. Benzos dont knock me out, and like you I've resorted to smoking joints upon joints just for a peaceful sleep.
I had hyperactivity problems as a child as well. I was diagnosed recently with ADHD but not when I was a kid. My parents did not like the idea of psychiatrists and medications. I am also RXed Vyvanse.....amongst some other things. I've never had insomnia until recently though. I mean yes I was always a night owl...even as a kid in elementary school I would fall asleep around 1 or 2am and always had to pretend to be asleep when my parents came in to check on me. It became easier to fall asleep early as I got older and into high school....first job, lots more HW, waking up at the crack of dawn, more grown up stuff to do, etc. But I was still a night owl. During the summers when I had more free time I usually fell asleep around 4am. I started feeling tired around 2, but I pushed myself til 4 to watch TV, hangout, etc. I slept at that time because I wanted to. I never considered myself to have a problem. But now with my given insomnia, sometimes I wonder if that was a sign that something was off. Although I did not have insomnia, sometimes it took me 3,4,5,6 hours to fall asleep. But that was if I was forced to sleep really early by my parents or something. And like I said- I was a night owl. Some people just cant fall asleep at 9pm. Doesnt mean something is wrong. So Im not really sure if that early behavior was indicative of something. But anyway....
For 2 years now, I've not been able to sleep without medication. A few times I tried because I was so frustrated with taking meds. Those handful of times I went 24-35 hours without sleep aids before inevitably passing out from exhaustion but that does not count as "sleeping without medication", for obvious reasons.
First it was OTC aids. BUT if I drank before bed I could sleep without them. Then, it got to to a point where I could be piss drunk and still needed to combine it with a sleep aid. Im talking 10-15+ drinks. Then, the OTC aids stopped working altogether. I remember one day I was trying to be responsible because I had to wake up early the next day. So I was in bed by 5pm, took a few OTC pills so that I could be fully asleep by 7pm, and awake really early the next day. Hours and hours passed and I didnt fall asleep. I tried more pills. Waited, waited. Tried more pills- nothing. Finally at 2am and about 12 pills (about 1,000 mg) later I passed out. I had ingested so many I was contemplating throwing up, for my safety. But then I feel asleep, so obviously I didnt. At this point I realized there was a BIG problem.
I saw a p-doc for the first time and she immediately put me on something heavy. She said she suspected something like Ambien or Lunesta would not be strong enough given my stories. I was not RXed a sleeping drug, but something used off label for sleep in very severe cases (I wont say what it is because its terrible and you are better off without it). It was damn strong. And it did knock me out. It was more like a tranquilizer than a sleep aid. It gave me a lot of issues. Sure it put me to sleep which was a relief. I didnt have to worry anymore about if its going to take 10 f*cking hours for me to fall asleep once I lay down. But it put me to sleep for about 12-20 hours at a time and caused a lot of depression and lethargy. I started being late all the time and missing important meetings because I simply could not wake up. Even in the afternoon. During the winter, when I woke up it would be dark outside. During one x-mas break I went to see my family (I barely ever see them) and for the month straight I was there I usually woke up around the time they were eating dinner. I never really got to see them or spend time with them. It was heartbreaking and depressing. I would wake up when it was dark, then just stay in my room doing nothing because the day had already ended. Do it all again the next day. Even if I woke up when it was still light out Im not sure I would have the energy to do anything. I could sleep for 15 hours and still wake up tired because it is that damn strong. Sometimes if I woke up at 5pm or so I would eat something, and just immediately lay back down...just loafing around, watching TV, and feel ready to sleep again maybe 6 or 7 hours later. Its not made for sleep. Taking it everyday like that for so long did its damage. Let me refrain from a sob story- but yea I definitely demanded a change.
My doctor suggested Rozerem. It was weird, but I liked it. Its in the Melatonin family. Didnt make me sleep for crazy hours, and I didnt wake up feeling lethargic or depressed. I got some f*cking scary delusions as I was falling asleep though, and WICKED, vivid, really long nightmares once I did fall asleep. Lasted about 5 days. I was so freaked out I discontinued. A couple weeks later I decided to try it again since it helped my sleep so much. I didnt experience the delusions again, but I still have vivid nightmares. Its not always bizarre, scary as sh!t nightmares anymore. Sometimes they still are. Sometimes they are just vivid dreams. Still annoying, even if they are just dreams- but its getting better. I think they may be so vivid they are making me begin sleep talk, which sucks with a room mate because I have no idea what I could end up saying haha. Thank goodness for no more hallucinations and delusions though. Those kept me awake in a weird limbo state, unable to sleep which defeats the purpose anyway. I was so out of it....in that heavy way you feel that one second before you are about to pass out and fall asleep.....except I felt that way all night....semi-conscious, and terrified. This happened about 3 times. Hopefully never again. Some people dont seem to grow out of it. If you try it, hopefully you will grow out of them quickly.
You have to take it on a really empty stomach. Its actually in the directions not to have a high fat meal prior. As you know, how much is in your stomach affects absorption no matter what drug you take, but with Rozerem its really important. I try to make sure not to eat for 3 or 4 hours before. Times that I ate an hour or two before, thinking I'd be okay, it took much longer and I had trouble staying asleep. Its in the Melatonin family so it works on your hormones, its a much more natural way to approach insomnia......but like all things natural it takes more work. Sometimes I get annoyed when I wake up at night and have to try going back to sleep but I much prefer it this way than the other drug I was on.
Some people dont fall asleep on it at all. From what I read online, anyways. I dont have the luxury of taking Rozerem wherever, whenever and knowing I will shortly pass out, like with my other RX. I have to put in the effort to make it work. Sometimes I sleep all the way through, sometimes I wake up a few times. I think its might mostly be because I have an obnoxious room mate who comes in and out of the room 3-5 times a night after I've already fallen asleep and its really hard on me as someone with insomnia to be abruptly woken up then have to try and go back to sleep, then be abruptly woken up again so on and so forth. I cant sleep through a tornado anymore like my previous RX allowed me to do.
Rozerem definitely has more of a natural sleep feeling which is something I will have to learn to work with and get used to. I have not had that feeling in a long time and I am sure you have not either. I've forgotten whats its like. Natural sleep is not always easy. You actually have to develop good sleep hygiene and bedtime practices in order to fall asleep. Though, I do think it would be worlds easier if I did not have a room mate. She is an a$$. When she was away for the weekend I didnt wake up in the middle of the night, and it didnt take me too long to feel sleepy. Slept like a BABY. I still had to put a lot of effort in though. Since it is Melatonin based I had to be really disciplined about turning off the lights around the time it started getting dark outside- like 9pm. No heavy eating prior. Make sure not to be up in bed focusing on anything. Have to just lay down and relax like a person would if they wanted to go to bed. I dont know how it is on Ambien for you, but on the RX I was on, I could do anything and fall asleep. Sometimes I would take my meds, take a shower and by the time I got out I was ready to pass out. Or take my meds and run to the grocery store, then pass out as soon as I got back. Cant really do that with Rozerem. I layed down, played some shows I've been needing to catch up on, and waited to fall asleep.
I feel like a baby having to learn how to fall asleep all over again. I have not needed to put work into going to bed in a very long time.
Also, the point of the drug is to work on your sleep-wake cycle so that one day, thats just becomes the time you fall asleep naturally. For people like us, if that ever happens it will probably take a very long time. But I havent slept on my own for 2 years, so time seems irrelevant now. As long as it happens eventually. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever fall asleep again without medication, but I am hoping. I dont know what Rozerem will do for me in the long run but I know for sure chemicals that force you into a coma are not made to EVER help you sleep again on your own.
You should give it a try. Being on RX for insomnia makes you forget how to properly prepare for bed. Really put in effort if you try Rozerem. Be strict with the bedtime rules. Try it for like 2 or 3 weeks even if you feel its not working or if it gives you any freaky hallucinations. For me it helped me sleep on the first day. But everyone is different and the drug has mixed reviews. I was also really strict about the "rules" listed above, and my room mate was not around to bother me. I think being aware of your sleep environment is really important with Rozerem. Some people trying Rozerem and not having good results might be switching over from heavier drugs like the ones we have used, and are frustrated because its not an instant knock out pill. Dont get me wrong, (if you dont have any hallucinations or nightmares like I did) you will get a nice, heavy wave come over that gives you that knock out straight to sleep that you've been waiting for, just like with the other sleep aids you and I are used to. It just takes a little more to get there.
Also, just to let you know- 1 pill is the prescribed dose (8mg). But my doc prescribed two (16mg), so thats what I take. Ive never tried just one. Right now I am living off samples my p-doc was nice enough to give me because my insurance is giving me a hard time. For some reason they are saying they will either pay for only one pill a night, or if I want 2 (like my doctor is prescribing), they want me to try two different classic sleep aids (probably like Ambien or something) FIRST and then have my doctor write a report stating they did not work, before they cover my 2 pills a night. Im not sure why. My doc says Rozerem is not expensive and not addictive, or likely to be abused. I've gotten high doses of controlled substances without a bat of an eye from my insurance. Go figure. Just letting you know you may run into that. Hopefully you have a doctor willing to work with you through that process, or even better, hopefully your insurance doesnt give you that problem at all!
Sorry for the long post, I just think we have a lot of similarities and I knew it can be frustrating when people give answers without much insight or thorough perspective.
Good luck to yourself, and to me as well!! I am still new to Rozerem. Will post an update in a couple of weeks.
I have had chronic insomnia for two years now. Benzos dont knock me out, and like you I've resorted to smoking joints upon joints just for a peaceful sleep.
I had hyperactivity problems as a child as well. I was diagnosed recently with ADHD but not when I was a kid. My parents did not like the idea of psychiatrists and medications. I am also RXed Vyvanse.....amongst some other things. I've never had insomnia until recently though. I mean yes I was always a night owl...even as a kid in elementary school I would fall asleep around 1 or 2am and always had to pretend to be asleep when my parents came in to check on me. It became easier to fall asleep early as I got older and into high school....first job, lots more HW, waking up at the crack of dawn, more grown up stuff to do, etc. But I was still a night owl. During the summers when I had more free time I usually fell asleep around 4am. I started feeling tired around 2, but I pushed myself til 4 to watch TV, hangout, etc. I slept at that time because I wanted to. I never considered myself to have a problem. But now with my given insomnia, sometimes I wonder if that was a sign that something was off. Although I did not have insomnia, sometimes it took me 3,4,5,6 hours to fall asleep. But that was if I was forced to sleep really early by my parents or something. And like I said- I was a night owl. Some people just cant fall asleep at 9pm. Doesnt mean something is wrong. So Im not really sure if that early behavior was indicative of something. But anyway....
For 2 years now, I've not been able to sleep without medication. A few times I tried because I was so frustrated with taking meds. Those handful of times I went 24-35 hours without sleep aids before inevitably passing out from exhaustion but that does not count as "sleeping without medication", for obvious reasons.
First it was OTC aids. BUT if I drank before bed I could sleep without them. Then, it got to to a point where I could be piss drunk and still needed to combine it with a sleep aid. Im talking 10-15+ drinks. Then, the OTC aids stopped working altogether. I remember one day I was trying to be responsible because I had to wake up early the next day. So I was in bed by 5pm, took a few OTC pills so that I could be fully asleep by 7pm, and awake really early the next day. Hours and hours passed and I didnt fall asleep. I tried more pills. Waited, waited. Tried more pills- nothing. Finally at 2am and about 12 pills (about 1,000 mg) later I passed out. I had ingested so many I was contemplating throwing up, for my safety. But then I feel asleep, so obviously I didnt. At this point I realized there was a BIG problem.
I saw a p-doc for the first time and she immediately put me on something heavy. She said she suspected something like Ambien or Lunesta would not be strong enough given my stories. I was not RXed a sleeping drug, but something used off label for sleep in very severe cases (I wont say what it is because its terrible and you are better off without it). It was damn strong. And it did knock me out. It was more like a tranquilizer than a sleep aid. It gave me a lot of issues. Sure it put me to sleep which was a relief. I didnt have to worry anymore about if its going to take 10 f*cking hours for me to fall asleep once I lay down. But it put me to sleep for about 12-20 hours at a time and caused a lot of depression and lethargy. I started being late all the time and missing important meetings because I simply could not wake up. Even in the afternoon. During the winter, when I woke up it would be dark outside. During one x-mas break I went to see my family (I barely ever see them) and for the month straight I was there I usually woke up around the time they were eating dinner. I never really got to see them or spend time with them. It was heartbreaking and depressing. I would wake up when it was dark, then just stay in my room doing nothing because the day had already ended. Do it all again the next day. Even if I woke up when it was still light out Im not sure I would have the energy to do anything. I could sleep for 15 hours and still wake up tired because it is that damn strong. Sometimes if I woke up at 5pm or so I would eat something, and just immediately lay back down...just loafing around, watching TV, and feel ready to sleep again maybe 6 or 7 hours later. Its not made for sleep. Taking it everyday like that for so long did its damage. Let me refrain from a sob story- but yea I definitely demanded a change.
My doctor suggested Rozerem. It was weird, but I liked it. Its in the Melatonin family. Didnt make me sleep for crazy hours, and I didnt wake up feeling lethargic or depressed. I got some f*cking scary delusions as I was falling asleep though, and WICKED, vivid, really long nightmares once I did fall asleep. Lasted about 5 days. I was so freaked out I discontinued. A couple weeks later I decided to try it again since it helped my sleep so much. I didnt experience the delusions again, but I still have vivid nightmares. Its not always bizarre, scary as sh!t nightmares anymore. Sometimes they still are. Sometimes they are just vivid dreams. Still annoying, even if they are just dreams- but its getting better. I think they may be so vivid they are making me begin sleep talk, which sucks with a room mate because I have no idea what I could end up saying haha. Thank goodness for no more hallucinations and delusions though. Those kept me awake in a weird limbo state, unable to sleep which defeats the purpose anyway. I was so out of it....in that heavy way you feel that one second before you are about to pass out and fall asleep.....except I felt that way all night....semi-conscious, and terrified. This happened about 3 times. Hopefully never again. Some people dont seem to grow out of it. If you try it, hopefully you will grow out of them quickly.
You have to take it on a really empty stomach. Its actually in the directions not to have a high fat meal prior. As you know, how much is in your stomach affects absorption no matter what drug you take, but with Rozerem its really important. I try to make sure not to eat for 3 or 4 hours before. Times that I ate an hour or two before, thinking I'd be okay, it took much longer and I had trouble staying asleep. Its in the Melatonin family so it works on your hormones, its a much more natural way to approach insomnia......but like all things natural it takes more work. Sometimes I get annoyed when I wake up at night and have to try going back to sleep but I much prefer it this way than the other drug I was on.
Some people dont fall asleep on it at all. From what I read online, anyways. I dont have the luxury of taking Rozerem wherever, whenever and knowing I will shortly pass out, like with my other RX. I have to put in the effort to make it work. Sometimes I sleep all the way through, sometimes I wake up a few times. I think its might mostly be because I have an obnoxious room mate who comes in and out of the room 3-5 times a night after I've already fallen asleep and its really hard on me as someone with insomnia to be abruptly woken up then have to try and go back to sleep, then be abruptly woken up again so on and so forth. I cant sleep through a tornado anymore like my previous RX allowed me to do.
Rozerem definitely has more of a natural sleep feeling which is something I will have to learn to work with and get used to. I have not had that feeling in a long time and I am sure you have not either. I've forgotten whats its like. Natural sleep is not always easy. You actually have to develop good sleep hygiene and bedtime practices in order to fall asleep. Though, I do think it would be worlds easier if I did not have a room mate. She is an a$$. When she was away for the weekend I didnt wake up in the middle of the night, and it didnt take me too long to feel sleepy. Slept like a BABY. I still had to put a lot of effort in though. Since it is Melatonin based I had to be really disciplined about turning off the lights around the time it started getting dark outside- like 9pm. No heavy eating prior. Make sure not to be up in bed focusing on anything. Have to just lay down and relax like a person would if they wanted to go to bed. I dont know how it is on Ambien for you, but on the RX I was on, I could do anything and fall asleep. Sometimes I would take my meds, take a shower and by the time I got out I was ready to pass out. Or take my meds and run to the grocery store, then pass out as soon as I got back. Cant really do that with Rozerem. I layed down, played some shows I've been needing to catch up on, and waited to fall asleep.
I feel like a baby having to learn how to fall asleep all over again. I have not needed to put work into going to bed in a very long time.
Also, the point of the drug is to work on your sleep-wake cycle so that one day, thats just becomes the time you fall asleep naturally. For people like us, if that ever happens it will probably take a very long time. But I havent slept on my own for 2 years, so time seems irrelevant now. As long as it happens eventually. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever fall asleep again without medication, but I am hoping. I dont know what Rozerem will do for me in the long run but I know for sure chemicals that force you into a coma are not made to EVER help you sleep again on your own.
You should give it a try. Being on RX for insomnia makes you forget how to properly prepare for bed. Really put in effort if you try Rozerem. Be strict with the bedtime rules. Try it for like 2 or 3 weeks even if you feel its not working or if it gives you any freaky hallucinations. For me it helped me sleep on the first day. But everyone is different and the drug has mixed reviews. I was also really strict about the "rules" listed above, and my room mate was not around to bother me. I think being aware of your sleep environment is really important with Rozerem. Some people trying Rozerem and not having good results might be switching over from heavier drugs like the ones we have used, and are frustrated because its not an instant knock out pill. Dont get me wrong, (if you dont have any hallucinations or nightmares like I did) you will get a nice, heavy wave come over that gives you that knock out straight to sleep that you've been waiting for, just like with the other sleep aids you and I are used to. It just takes a little more to get there.
Also, just to let you know- 1 pill is the prescribed dose (8mg). But my doc prescribed two (16mg), so thats what I take. Ive never tried just one. Right now I am living off samples my p-doc was nice enough to give me because my insurance is giving me a hard time. For some reason they are saying they will either pay for only one pill a night, or if I want 2 (like my doctor is prescribing), they want me to try two different classic sleep aids (probably like Ambien or something) FIRST and then have my doctor write a report stating they did not work, before they cover my 2 pills a night. Im not sure why. My doc says Rozerem is not expensive and not addictive, or likely to be abused. I've gotten high doses of controlled substances without a bat of an eye from my insurance. Go figure. Just letting you know you may run into that. Hopefully you have a doctor willing to work with you through that process, or even better, hopefully your insurance doesnt give you that problem at all!
Sorry for the long post, I just think we have a lot of similarities and I knew it can be frustrating when people give answers without much insight or thorough perspective.
Good luck to yourself, and to me as well!! I am still new to Rozerem. Will post an update in a couple of weeks.