Waiving the White Flag on my Sleep Problems!!

[Anonymous]

OP, do you get any exercise? My sleep problems improved considerably when I started running every day. "Not having time" isn't a valid excuse (it was always mine).

[Anonymous]

There is extended release melatonin also. (GNC has it.) Have you tried that?

[Anonymous]

I have similar problems- I wake up at 2 or 3 and can't fall back asleep for hours. Two years ago, I found out I had a thyroid issue -- Hashimoto's -- and after I went on synthroid meds my insomnia got a bit better, but I still have that week or so before my period where I have multiple horrible nights.

These days, I take Benedryl each night during that week and it helps me immeasurably. I sometimes wake up but I'm able to fall back asleep. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you get any exercise? My sleep problems improved considerably when I started running every day. "Not having time" isn't a valid excuse (it was always mine).

I don't sleep and exercise every morning at a very high intensity at 530am. God only knows how I manage at this pace!

[Anonymous]

How old are you? Could be perimenopause.

[Anonymous]

I had this exact issue. I was waking up around 3 and not being able to fall back to sleep. I am up at 5 to exercise and would fall asleep at my desk every day. I went to a sleep specialist and she prescribed Trazadone. It is one of the earliest antidepressants that sucked as an AD but made people sleepy. It is a miracle. It's not that I don't ever wake up in the middle of the night, though that has reduced considerably, the sleep I am getting is so much deeper and I am so much better rested than before.

Trazadone is not addictive like Ambien or any of the anti-anxiety meds. I can fall asleep without it. It also costs around $.83 with my insurance. It has been around forever.

Go see a sleep specialist at Georgetown or GW or wherever is closest to you. Seriously, it changed my life.

[Anonymous]

I find that taking a lemon balm capsule before bed helps me go back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night. (I think it's not a good idea if you are hypothyroid, though)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get the pills. Don't cheat yourself out of the rest you need.

I know, this is the conclusion I'm beginning to have to face. I HATE and I mean HATE to have to take any sort of medication for sleep or what not, but I think the alternative is much worse for my body. I have co-workers telling me I look tired and if I'm OK. This is pretty much the last straw for me.

This- I saw a very smart doctor who asked if I'd rather be sleep deprived and suffer the ill effects of dependent on a sleep aid. What a difference and I hate to say it, but sometime you have to Dr. shop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had this exact issue. I was waking up around 3 and not being able to fall back to sleep. I am up at 5 to exercise and would fall asleep at my desk every day. I went to a sleep specialist and she prescribed Trazadone. It is one of the earliest antidepressants that sucked as an AD but made people sleepy. It is a miracle. It's not that I don't ever wake up in the middle of the night, though that has reduced considerably, the sleep I am getting is so much deeper and I am so much better rested than before.

Trazadone is not addictive like Ambien or any of the anti-anxiety meds. I can fall asleep without it. It also costs around $.83 with my insurance. It has been around forever.

Go see a sleep specialist at Georgetown or GW or wherever is closest to you. Seriously, it changed my life.

I take Trazadone as well (only half a pill - so it is super cheap). It's like having your brain turned off. Seriously - it's the best thing ever! You might want to see if this works for you.

[Anonymous]

I am going to second the suggestion to see a doctor and go on meds. They aren't a permanent thing. But once your body gets used to the "2 am, time to wake up" cycle, its tough to break on your own. I went through a terrible bout of insomnia some years ago and I think I had a nervous breakdown over it, honestly. I finally broke down and get meds, and they allowed me to get back on track.
I found Lunesta was better than Ambien for me. Also, there are meds specifically for your problem -- the waking up in the middle of the night issue.
Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My psych prescribes me Klonopin (a benzo) which I use mostly for sleeping. She says it's pretty innocuous when used like that, and probably more benign than Ambien, etc.

+1. Klonopin did wonders for my sleep. No wake-ups.

[Anonymous]

Benzos are serious stuff and I would not start taking them regularly unless you have exhausted other options. CBT did wonders for my life-long insomnia! I had trouble falling to sleep, not waking up, but I think that if you are entering into an anxiety spiral when you wake up, it could really help. I did an online program that I paid like $25 bucks for and it was excellent.

[Anonymous]

I seriously second the PP above with the caution about benzos. Klonopin is NOT something you want to be on long term. It seriously, seriously, seriously can fuck you up even in small doses.

My mom was on Klonopin for nearly 20 years at night. Changing her tiny dose even slightly caused major, major intellectual, emotional, and cognitive problems that would keep her in the hospital and then nursing homes for weeks at a time while she adjusted. The neurologists who saw her late in life were like, "WHO TOLD HER BENZODIAZIPINES WERE OKAY TO TAKE FOR THAT LONG? Look at the widespread atrophy in her brain!" She died recently and seriously, nearly every doctor who saw her commented to me on how awful it was that she took Klonopin for so long.

Google it...it's not benign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I seriously second the PP above with the caution about benzos. Klonopin is NOT something you want to be on long term. It seriously, seriously, seriously can fuck you up even in small doses.

My mom was on Klonopin for nearly 20 years at night. Changing her tiny dose even slightly caused major, major intellectual, emotional, and cognitive problems that would keep her in the hospital and then nursing homes for weeks at a time while she adjusted. The neurologists who saw her late in life were like, "WHO TOLD HER BENZODIAZIPINES WERE OKAY TO TAKE FOR THAT LONG? Look at the widespread atrophy in her brain!" She died recently and seriously, nearly every doctor who saw her commented to me on how awful it was that she took Klonopin for so long.

Google it...it's not benign.

This is not a normal experience-at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I seriously second the PP above with the caution about benzos. Klonopin is NOT something you want to be on long term. It seriously, seriously, seriously can fuck you up even in small doses.

My mom was on Klonopin for nearly 20 years at night. Changing her tiny dose even slightly caused major, major intellectual, emotional, and cognitive problems that would keep her in the hospital and then nursing homes for weeks at a time while she adjusted. The neurologists who saw her late in life were like, "WHO TOLD HER BENZODIAZIPINES WERE OKAY TO TAKE FOR THAT LONG? Look at the widespread atrophy in her brain!" She died recently and seriously, nearly every doctor who saw her commented to me on how awful it was that she took Klonopin for so long.

Google it...it's not benign.

This is not a normal experience-at all.

I agree. My brother was on Klonopin for years and at a very high dose, something that would completely knock me unconscious. He did take them to sleep, he took them when he woke up to function! He ended up weaning off it to see what would happen. It took him 2 months, but he certainly did not need to be hospitalized or have any neurological problems. He had to go off it because his depression is worse than his anxiety and the benzos were depressing his system too much. He now is only on the depression meds and has continued to hold down a good job and be a productive member of society. He's actually a business owner!