Benzos i need a benzo that keeps me asleep

[SKL]

Didn't read all of above and agree with some reservations about using BZDs for this indication, but that having been said, an old school and fairly obscure suggestion: Dalmane (flurazepam.) Strong hypnotic with a ridiculous T1/2, also good next day anxiolysis.

 

[shreddedlettuce]

i tore my ACL 4 years ago and im still having my 4th surgery on it in a few months. tht shit pisses me off

What pain/other medication are you taking during the day?

This is an important fact that is often overlooked, so please update us on all the medication that you take besides benzos (regardless, just tell us what meds you are on even if it is only aspirin).

Thx

 

[bigmac155]

What pain/other medication are you taking during the day?

This is an important fact that is often overlooked, so please update us on all the medication that you take besides benzos (regardless, just tell us what meds you are on even if it is only aspirin).

Thx

i was taking 15 mg of percocet for the first 3 weeks after surgery, other than that i dont take anything else. (i havent taken a perc since july) so right now i only take the xanax, but i clearly want something better

 

[shreddedlettuce]

Ok, July is only one month ago, I'm not suggesting anything with that statement except that since you stopped taking the percs( well done on that by the way), it is only natural that one month later you are suffering from insomnia.

Trying to find a chemical substitute to combat this might be counter-productive and in fact could be a factor in making natural sleep seem like an impossibility when in fact natural sleep has been absent for a few months/weeks.

Trial and error with benzos (short or long acting) is compounding this and not finding a solution is kinda like the last straw.................. "am I ever going to be able to get a good night's sleep" thoughts don't help at all and not finding answers would cause insomnia in most people.

IMO, you have been on opiates for a legitamite reason and now that you are not taking them anymore, which leads to insomnia, is causing further stress/anxiety when it comes to going to sleep,
It isn't your fault, and as soon has you can accept this and stop looking for a "magic pill" that will restore your sleeping patterns "overnight", you will hopefully be able to achieve your natural sleeping patterns again over time.

I would suggest speaking to a medical professional about your insomnia as well as your pain management that you went through.
Natural sleep should be your goal, and working together with a professional and not expecting results overnight can only be of benefit.

Don't think of this as a punishment, and if you need to take sleeping pills for a short period of time, so be it.

I hope you understand where I am coming from, and wish you the best ( even though I don't think you need any luck as IMO, this insomnia began as a result of using the correct medication, but maybe not considering what would happen when the medication is no longer required).

I think "closure" of all these events will eventually relieve the "insomnia" and ultimately with the help of a professional you will be able to sleep again without the need of medication that would just make "closure (by closure I mean being able to fall asleep without those negative thoughts and feelings that are preventing this from happening), and this is where a medical professional is vital. Just start from day one (took percocet, stopped taking them, can't sleep now, am having another operation soon etc), the more facts you give to the right person will make things so much easier on you.

I hope this helped a little, and am sure that you will give it some thought at least.

SL

 

[bigmac155]

Ok, July is only one month ago, I'm not suggesting anything with that statement except that since you stopped taking the percs( well done on that by the way), it is only natural that one month later you are suffering from insomnia.

Trying to find a chemical substitute to combat this might be counter-productive and in fact could be a factor in making natural sleep seem like an impossibility when in fact natural sleep has been absent for a few months/weeks.

Trial and error with benzos (short or long acting) is compounding this and not finding a solution is kinda like the last straw.................. "am I ever going to be able to get a good night's sleep" thoughts don't help at all and not finding answers would cause insomnia in most people.

IMO, you have been on opiates for a legitamite reason and now that you are not taking them anymore, which leads to insomnia, is causing further stress/anxiety when it comes to going to sleep,
It isn't your fault, and as soon has you can accept this and stop looking for a "magic pill" that will restore your sleeping patterns "overnight", you will hopefully be able to achieve your natural sleeping patterns again over time.

I would suggest speaking to a medical professional about your insomnia as well as your pain management that you went through.
Natural sleep should be your goal, and working together with a professional and not expecting results overnight can only be of benefit.

Don't think of this as a punishment, and if you need to take sleeping pills for a short period of time, so be it.

I hope you understand where I am coming from, and wish you the best ( even though I don't think you need any luck as IMO, this insomnia began as a result of using the correct medication, but maybe not considering what would happen when the medication is no longer required).

I think "closure" of all these events will eventually relieve the "insomnia" and ultimately with the help of a professional you will be able to sleep again without the need of medication that would just make "closure (by closure I mean being able to fall asleep without those negative thoughts and feelings that are preventing this from happening), and this is where a medical professional is vital. Just start from day one (took percocet, stopped taking them, can't sleep now, am having another operation soon etc), the more facts you give to the right person will make things so much easier on you.

I hope this helped a little, and am sure that you will give it some thought at least.

SL

i appreciate every u just said and i agree with u to some bit but there is a misunderstanding here. let me clarify. i started having this insomnia before i started taking the percs. this insomnia started over a year ago. so i really think the percs have nothing to do with it honestly. but going back to the negative thoughts at night i completely agree. i know that making my mind race at night only keeps me up. but my main issue is staying asleep. just last night i went to bed at 3 am. i woke up at 6, then 7 then 8, then 10. without medication. how could one fix someones problems of waking up in the middle of the night if u think its the negative thoughts, but im in sleep mode when im sleeping and not thinking. i think that only applies to falling asleep. do u get what im saying?

 

[Zerwas]

Have you tried Melatonin? I also agree with the consensus on Benzos.
Other options: Chloralhydrat, Amitryptiline, Promethazine.

 

[shreddedlettuce]

i appreciate every u just said and i agree with u to some bit but there is a misunderstanding here. let me clarify. i started having this insomnia before i started taking the percs. this insomnia started over a year ago. so i really think the percs have nothing to do with it honestly. but going back to the negative thoughts at night i completely agree. i know that making my mind race at night only keeps me up. but my main issue is staying asleep. just last night i went to bed at 3 am. i woke up at 6, then 7 then 8, then 10. without medication. how could one fix someones problems of waking up in the middle of the night if u think its the negative thoughts, but im in sleep mode when im sleeping and not thinking. i think that only applies to falling asleep. do u get what im saying?

Yes I do, and thank you for the info about the insomnia before the percocets.

I appreciate it and understand fully.

When you are in "sleep mode", your subconscious is in control.
You cannot control this unless you wake up "rebooting" your conscious mind and then finding it difficult to fall back into a "peaceful" sleep.

I know the feeling and it sucks.

What I meant about the meds, was that maybe you managed to experience peaceful sleep or whatever you want to call it.
I may be completely wrong in your case, but from personal experience I always wish for a "dreamless" sleep purely because the damn dreams I have sometimes are things I do not want to be thinking about.

I also then am awake, try get another 1 or 2 hours and feel like shit when I have to go to work or even just get out of bed.

But deep down I know what the messages are that are waking me up, but I just don't want to deal with them.
And because I try and bury the thoughts/dreams or whatever is waking me up, I am not making any progress to rectify simple life issues.
I'm talking about me now, so please don't take this the wrong way.

Whatever is going on in your head that is causing you to wake up constantly is not going to go away by using sleeping medication ( yeah it goes away initially when you fall asleep, but IME it is always there when I wake up).

The only time I feel well rested and positive when waking up are the times when I go to bed exhausted, but in a good way. And these times are few and far between.

So all I am trying to say is that maybe there is an issue that is bothering you and maybe you need quite a few sleepless nights in order to eliminate these thoughts (negative/positive whatever..........) but by taking benzodiazepines and expecting to get a full night's rest and to wake up feeling refreshed has never worked for me or anyone else that I know for that matter.

Therefore I made the suggestion about speaking to a medical professional about what you are going through simply because IMO it is the most positive and productive way in getting clarity.

It is just a suggestion and not an instruction at all.

I can say with confidence, however, that having to rely on benzodiazepines for "sleep" for most of my life has definitely had a negative effect for me in the sense that I am still avoiding issues that could have been "obliterated" years ago and I just had to share this with you.
And I am talking decades here.

I hope you see the positives that I am trying to say here, as that is the only reason why I felt the need to respond to your original post.

Best of luck.

SL

 

[bigmac155]

Yes I do, and thank you for the info about the insomnia before the percocets.

I appreciate it and understand fully.

When you are in "sleep mode", your subconscious is in control.
You cannot control this unless you wake up "rebooting" your conscious mind and then finding it difficult to fall back into a "peaceful" sleep.

I know the feeling and it sucks.

What I meant about the meds, was that maybe you managed to experience peaceful sleep or whatever you want to call it.
I may be completely wrong in your case, but from personal experience I always wish for a "dreamless" sleep purely because the damn dreams I have sometimes are things I do not want to be thinking about.

I also then am awake, try get another 1 or 2 hours and feel like shit when I have to go to work or even just get out of bed.

But deep down I know what the messages are that are waking me up, but I just don't want to deal with them.
And because I try and bury the thoughts/dreams or whatever is waking me up, I am not making any progress to rectify simple life issues.
I'm talking about me now, so please don't take this the wrong way.

Whatever is going on in your head that is causing you to wake up constantly is not going to go away by using sleeping medication ( yeah it goes away initially when you fall asleep, but IME it is always there when I wake up).

The only time I feel well rested and positive when waking up are the times when I go to bed exhausted, but in a good way. And these times are few and far between.

So all I am trying to say is that maybe there is an issue that is bothering you and maybe you need quite a few sleepless nights in order to eliminate these thoughts (negative/positive whatever..........) but by taking benzodiazepines and expecting to get a full night's rest and to wake up feeling refreshed has never worked for me or anyone else that I know for that matter.

Therefore I made the suggestion about speaking to a medical professional about what you are going through simply because IMO it is the most positive and productive way in getting clarity.

It is just a suggestion and not an instruction at all.

I can say with confidence, however, that having to rely on benzodiazepines for "sleep" for most of my life has definitely had a negative effect for me in the sense that I am still avoiding issues that could have been "obliterated" years ago and I just had to share this with you.
And I am talking decades here.

I hope you see the positives that I am trying to say here, as that is the only reason why I felt the need to respond to your original post.

Best of luck.

SL

when u say a medical professional, does my primary doctor qualify? cause if so, he was completely against prescribing me benzos in the beginning. he knows what im going thru, (the 4 surgeries, the anxiety, and the depression all due from the surgeries). after talking to him about my problems he doesnt seem to know what else to do at this point. he is a very caring doctor and is really against starting someone on benzos bc he really cares about his patients. at this point, after trying several things. i feel like me and him r on the same page as in what else is there to do?

i cant type here and say that the reason im waking up in the middle of the night is bc of my knee. bc to be honest, i really dont know what is waking me up. i dont think anyone could know. yes tearing my ACL is a huge step back in my life and the fact that 4 surgeries r needed just makes it worse. i do admit that in the beginning it was depressing and it was making me anxious but i feel like at this point ive accepted what has happened to me and im moving on. then why am i still not at ease when im asleep? what else cld be bothering me?

and if my primary doctor isnt what u were talking about, maybe u were referring to a therapist or psychiatrist? well ive been there and to be honest, talking about all my problems just makes me look like a fool bc i look more depressed and anxious as i speak to her about it. i really dont believe in going to therapy and that stuff, it actually annoys me

 

[shreddedlettuce]

OK, your primary doctor would not be the "professional" I was referring to and a psychologist/psychiatrist was not what I was referring to either.
Sleep therapy, dream therapy , hypnosis, meditation etc is NOT what I am referring to either, so what professional am I referring you to you are asking....................... well I have no idea.

The only person who can make this decision is you.
You can only make this decision from a position of confidence.
Not knowing why you can't sleep can only be answered by yourself.

It's pointless going to therapy without a goal in mind, and at this point in time you don't know what that is.
But if you really want to solve this issue you need to at least try to put a few pieces of the puzzle together, eg. when you wake up in the middle of the night wishing that you could just close your eyes and fall asleep again but have difficulty in doing so, something is bothering you, and only you would know what that is.

I don't mean that you know the reasons right here, right now, but the issue should become very clear to you when it happens over and over again.
If you ignore it (which is perfectly natural for us humans, I mean why do we want to be bothered with shit that makes us uncomfortable - especially at 5am or whatever), nothing will get resolved.

So next time you wake up when you would rather be sleeping, ask yourself . " What the fuck?" " Man I'm losing sleep over this shit that is going on and I've had enough already"................. Now if you can't remember or prefer not to remember the reason for the interupted sleep, write it down, and forget about it until the next time, then write it down again............ continue to do this until you are ready to move forward and remove/fix/disucuss/ basically JUST DO IT!!!! Because once you accept the fact that this is your brain telling you to fix the problem during you waking hours, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, the faster you can put all this shit behind you and if you need a "life coach" go see a "life coach", if you need to walk into a park and scream your head off then go and scream your head off , ultimately nothing is going make this go away except you and just sort it out ther is a problem that can be fixed and Just fix itl end of story. u will know what is causing the distress and u will know what needs to be done to sort it outl So just do it and don't avoid it, if u can't sort it out on your own then get help from someone who has been tbere,

just

You accept the problem and do you utmost to solve it, it will be so much easier to find the cause and you will know what needs to be done it will become clear to u and Just do itl
Sort/fix the issue and you will be so glad you did, you will solve the dilemma and be a new person once this is done.

you need to just sort out the issue and that's that.

it isn't going to sort itself out, so just find what is causing the angst and that will be that.
If you feel you can't do it alone, then seek help, but solving the issue yourself will make you feel in control and you will sleep like a baby.

I am sorry if this sounds harsh, but it needs to be done and you need to do it.

Good luck.

SL

 

[Kittycat5]

Have you tried Sonata (zaleplon)? Similar to Ambien but shorter 1/2 life means you can redose if you wake up. Halcion (triazolam) is a benzo which you can use similarly but has worse side effect profile so some doctors are hesitant.

What about non-benzo options? There is a melatonin agonist, Rozerem and the new orexin antagonist Belsomra. Also good old hydroxyzine or even low dose TCA like doxepin may help.

 

[Memantine]

I experience the same problem now and then, waking up in the middle of the night multiple times. The antipsychotic Pipamperon helped me fall asleep and stay asleep till next morning. Its a strong 5-HT2A/D4/Alpha1 antagonist that's makes u drowsy and careless(kind of same as weed only no euphoria). I don't know if pipamperon is prescribed all over the world though.

:edit: its not a benzo I forgot to say

 

[Rachella666]

Have you tried Bromazepam? It's a benzo similar to valium and Temazepam. Light but lovely and relaxing. Also I second the Dalmane 30mg, I can't take them as I became immune to them quite quickly, that's the only problem with them, also in on Stilnoct, its Zolpidem and I'm on 15mg, the maximum dose is 10mg, it knocks me for 10, I really hope that you find something to help you, sleep deprivation is a bitch, I wish you the best of luck and really hope you find something that works, keep us posted! XxxRachelxxx

 

[Rybee]

kwih
tie
ah
peen

50mg and you'll hit the pillow like a sledgehammer. IMO, pisses on any benzo bullshit.

 

[Puppydawg]

etizolam (can be bought online) or vallium

 

[bigmac155]

im looking for a drug more along the lines that keeps me asleep, is temazepam that drug?

 

[shreddedlettuce]

Temazepam and Zopiclone have the least adverse effects on REM sleep over other benzodiazepines.
Zopiclone's effects on quality of sleep surpasses Temazepam although and if used correctly for a limited period of time could be the best option.

This has been scientifically proven.

One of many sources is pasted below.

http://www.annalsofian.org/article.asp?issn=0972-2327;year=2010;volume=13;issue=2;spage=94;epage=102;aulast=Saddichha

The underlying cause of the insomnia should be the goal of the treatment and the use of the right medication is benificial with this in mind.

Zopiclone therefore would be my suggestion with temazepam as the only other alternative in this category of drugs.

SHORT TERM USE ONLY, any other attempts will lead to rebound insomnia, which makes the whole process pointless.

Read the source and form your own opinion.

I wish you luck and hope you find the underlying cause of your insomnia in the most positive way possible.

Good luck.

SL

 

[dmtmixalis]

Mirtazapine or trazodone may be more beneficial. As much as I love flirting with gabaergic drugs before zzzzz, I'm always burdened with the same fate, and it's not pretty. Mirtaz and traz aren't addictive in the classical sense.

 

[sullsull]

Good diet and exercise....but if that doesn't work Oxazepam may work to keep you asleep. But if you rely on drugs to keep you asleep its always going to be shit sleep.