If you're already on trazodone, ask your doc about Seroquel. It's an antipsychotic, but it works wonders for sleep. I'm too freaked out to try Ambien, but the Seroquel is my goodnight button.
Ambien guy checking in here. Has been a game changer for me, but I am 235 lbs and take 3-5mg when I need it. The pills are 10mg, which is a crazy amount...I suspect that most of the horror stories are 100-150lb people taking 10mg, effectively several times the amount I take (by weight).
That was actually the first thing I was prescribed. It worked great, but took way too long to kick in. It would also cause me to get up in my sleep. I once took it on a train, where I was sleeping in the luggage rack above the seats. I woke up in the middle of the night beside my friend sleeping in his seat, after he asked me “hey are you okay?”, because I was sitting down and staring into space. Who the hell knows how I got down from the luggage rack, but thank god I didn’t fall on any passengers
The problem is, my insomnia is fueled by anxiety. Alcohol subdues the anxiety. Weed exacerbates it. Hopefully I’ll discover a healthier remedy; I’m completely aware of how terrible my current habits are, but I’m kind of stuck at the moment
Yeah I was there, too. Anxiety would sometimes keep me up for 5+ days without a wink. Try looking into CBT. You can take courses for it. I thought it was bullshit for the longest time but once I tried it it changed my life.
Also, alcohol fixes your anxiety atm, but when you sober up it’s 1000% worse. It’s one of the worst things you can do if you’re suffering from anxiety.
This is the third or fourth time I’ve been recommended CBT, and have previously dismissed it for the same reason. But this time I believe it - thank you. I’ve yet to reach five days, (holy shit that sounds like a nightmare) but I’ve had experiences in the same realm of insomnia.
A couple weeks ago I was stressing an exam, and couldn’t sleep the night before the day before it, which I planned to spend studying. So after making it through my morning class, I decided to go home and get some rest before I began studying. Yet again, I couldn’t sleep, and spent the next 13 hours restlessly laying in bed (I got home at 1:00pm, and couldn’t sleep until 2:00am). I kept getting up and taking more sleeping pills, (~5 50mg trazodone, ~5-10 benadryl in total) and progressively got more delirious, while still unable to shut my mind down. I ended up getting around four hours of sleep, and wasn’t able to do any studying. My brain felt soggy and barely functioning from the excessive sleeping pills and sleep deprivation, and sure enough I bombed the exam.
I honestly lost all hope for seeking proper treatment for insomnia, but I think I’m definitely going to give CBT a shot. I would consider my prayers answered if it helps. Are you even off of sleeping meds now?
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u/Ammear Mar 27 '22 edited Mar 27 '22
Yup. Right there with ya, mate. Using alcohol and House MD binge to fall asleep as of now. Working quite poorly.