FREE social network, chat and support for people who can't sleep: insomniacs

Sleeping pills

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A place to share our experiences with both good and bad sleep aids, over the counter, and herbal.

Location: Deroche, BC
Members: 10
Latest Activity: Feb 25

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Comment by Vincent D on January 30, 2011 at 4:15pm: great idea for a discussion group, lets open this subject up and talk about this subject in more detail, i have had good and bad experiences with these and i try to stay away from sleeping pills as i think they are slightly addictive

Comment by Carrie The Insomnolent Hermit on January 31, 2011 at 12:05pm: I only wish I could stay away from them. They are horrible, but they are the only way that my eyes will close for any length of time.

Comment by Carrie The Insomnolent Hermit on February 28, 2011 at 11:06pm: Though I have tried pretty much every sleep aid available, both herbal and prescription, the one I am the most familiar with is Zopiclone, also known as Imomovane and in the States is known as Ambien or Lunesta. They have also come to be known as the "Z" drugs. They are a very fast acting hypnotic and though they are not typically considered benzodiazapines, they have very similar properties.

I have personally battled a very long-standing addiction to Zopiclone and have suffered the very real physical and emotional side-effect that come from the withdrawal. I am happy to discuss this with anyone who is finding themselves becoming very tolerant to this drug, which happens very quickly.

Comment by dond on March 5, 2011 at 9:18am: Hi everyone. My doc prescribed Ambien at my last visit because I had been getting like 1-1/2 hrs of sleep twice a day for the last coupla months. So I came home and looked it up and found a very long blog filled with people's tragic and sometimes frightening experiences from using this drug. My doc asked me nothing about my history and told me nothing about the med. I have not gotten it filled and I don't think I will, though it is tempting.

Comment by Carrie The Insomnolent Hermit on March 25, 2011 at 8:20pm: If you can moderate it and have strong will power, it truly works better than anything I have tried, but the risk is that you can build up tolerance quite quickly and need more and more in order to any sleep.

I'm sorry you are struggling this way-I hate it.

Comment by John o' callahan on April 8, 2011 at 10:37pm: ya ambien is good, but its eliminated from the body quickly so you might find yourself waking up in the middle of the night...tolerance builds up quickly to it also. But theres no hangover effects the day after so thats good.

Comment by Carl Warner on September 2, 2011 at 12:12pm: Maybe I'm a little sicker than most, but my doc has had my on everything BUT the "Z" drugs. Right now I'm taking Serequel, Clonazepam, Lithium, Zonizamide, Wellbutrin, Cytomil, Synthroid, Vitamin D and Testosterone. Most or all of these say they will make me drowsy, and yet I've been awake since 1:00 am ( 3 hours ago).. What's up with that?

Comment by Carrie The Insomnolent Hermit on November 8, 2011 at 2:04am: Oh dear, Carl! Well, I think that some of these can also result in wakefulness, so you may need to double-check which ones would be beneficial to take in the morning, and which ones in the evening. That is a lot of pills. Did your bloodwork give your doctor reason to prescribe Synthroid, Vitamin D and Testosterone?

I am in a similar battle-taking various meds, but trying to narrow them down. I take Citalopram in the am, and currently I have to take Zopiclone 3 x daily (3 tablets each time) and am trying to wean off. I have had seizures again, and been hospitalized for withdrawing too quickly. I also take Seroquel and Oxazepam at night. I also take Dilantin for seizure prevention. Wow, I have quite a list, too! If you have any doubts, please get a second or third opinion, or however many it takes, I had doctors over the last decade insist that Zopiclone is non-addictive, and here I am, 10-15 tablets a day later and seeing an addiction specialist who says that it is an incredibly addictive pharmaceutical.

Take care of yourself!

Comment by Kori F on December 13, 2011 at 9:03am: Tylenol PM does not work. just makes me feel relaxed lol but does not put me to sleep..

Comment by Carrie The Insomnolent Hermit on December 13, 2011 at 9:15am: Hi Kori,

Many OTC medications contain a variant of Benadryl or Gravol (very similar). I could probably eat a box of them without noticing, lol.

The frustrating thing is that the only sleep meds that tend to "work" for most people are by prescription only, and there are many people on here who can share their stories with you about those-including me. I know everyone is different, but I am very happy to share with you what I have learned as I have gone through this process.

How long have you gone without sleep? Does it happen often, or just occasionally? I'm also seeing an addictions/sleep specialist who has some fantastic ideas about sleep, etc.

Take care, and respond or pm any time!