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Long-term use of sleep meds
11 years ago, my partner of 14 yrs, who is now deceased(2018) who had severe chronic illnesses was 3000 miles away and became deathly ill and could not return. I was devastated and did not sleep for three consecutive entire nights. I felt I was having a breakdown.
My psychiatrist prescribed both .5 mg of Ativan and 25 mg of hydroxyzine Pamoate and it worked like a charm. About five years ago, I must’ve built up a tolerance because it was not working and I wasn’t sleeping well so I took an extra 25 mg of hydroxyzine pamoate, which the doctor allowed, and which worked for a while…a couple years ago I incorporated 5-10 mg of medicinal cannabis gummies(legal in my state)…Fast-forward to today… I take 50 mg of hydroxyzine pamoate, .5 mg of lorazepam, 2 mg of melatonin, along with magnesium and a cannabis, gummy for sleep(5-10mg)….
About a month ago, I traveled to Europe for 16 days and when I returned, I was unable to sleep. I attributed it to the jet lag, but it has been over a month and I’m taking all these meds, but not sleeping thru the night. Sometimes I can’t fall asleep, sometimes the liquid melatonin under the tongue would work, but that stopped as well. When it did work I’d fall asleep but wake up to use the bathroom and I could not fall back asleep. Sometimes I will get 2 to 3 hours sleep then up for a few hours and if I’m lucky fall semi-consciously asleep in the morning., but often I can’t fall asleep again. Many days I have no energy. Prior to my trip I was going to the gym 3 to 4 times a week. I’ve been to the gym only three times since returning because I don’t have the energy. Sometimes I’m just unable to get off the couch or sometimes I don’t feel motivated to get a shower and start my day. I feel as though I am becoming depressed from lack of sleep. I’ve tried to wean myself or taper off of the Ativan but as soon as I reduce it even by a quarter of a milligram, I don’t sleep. My PCP just switched the lorazepam to a liquid form so I only take .25 of the liquid as it’s more concentrated so it helps me to fall asleep but I’m waking up between 12 midnight & 2am and up for 4-5 hrs and can’t fall back asleep.
I’m at a total loss how get off these meds and fall asleep naturally. I was a good sleeper prior to the incident I mentioned earlier. I’m 73 yrs old , and in good health.. but feel it’s declining from lack of sleep. PCP wanted me to take ambien, but that scares me. I need some advice or suggestions to taper off. Thank you for letting me vent and taking the time to read my post.
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@cindisue I have to agree that sleep is very essential for your health and physical wellbeing, in my experience sleep was always difficult for me to get enough, I can fall asleep but staying asleep is the biggest challenge. I used to stress so much and I tried different medications to help but the side effects always outweigh the benefits, today I take 10 mg. of Amitriptyline and 0.5 mg. of Ativan to help me and I also take RSO which is a cannabis oil and it helps out along with the other drugs. I did a lot of research on sleep and the different drugs that are available to help you but as a senior female you’re always advised to be careful with these drugs because of the risks associated with memory loss and other factors, I also read that Ativan interferes with REM sleep and over time this can be very detrimental, it seems that nothing comes without a risk factor.
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1 Reaction@cindisue with all due respect, I think you should not be making recommendations about medications unless you’re in the medical profession. As we’ve discussed before, what works for one person may not work for someone else. Telling someone to insist on upping amounts or on asking for certain meds is precarious.
I think it’s fine to say what works and what doesn’t work for you, and to maybe ask doctors about alternatives. We all know that doctors have biases for and against different treatments, so getting second medical opinions can be helpful.
In saying all that, it’s great that you’ve found what works for you, as I have. Lack of sleep is debilitating.
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3 Reactions@cindisue I certainly agree with that. Where I live doctors are so reluctant to prescribe a controlled substance of any kind including medication that one needs for sleep.
Pharmacists seem to be in agreement with them. Sometimes they’re so rude about it it seems like they are trying to make you feel like you’re asking for cocaine. The needs of the patient are secondary to the rule book.
For @kayraymat
I took trazadone for about 13 or 14 years. I had no serious no serious side effects. I was made aware by the doctor of the possibility of one that would only affect a man. An erection that would not go away. Thankfully I did not experience that.
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3 Reactions@toren123
OUCH!
What were the side effects that were not serious?
@cindisue
Sounds like you need to find a different pharmacist for sure.
I quit using the one at the groc. store because she always looked
spaced out.
Now I use Walgreens & they have been great.
I don't think cocaine helps with sleeplessness..... 🙂
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1 Reaction@frouke I take 1mg Ativan every night and 30mg Amitriptyline and I must get great REM sleep.....because I feel well-rested and fantastic everyday. Can't believe everything you hear! I just get sick of this med (Ativan--a benzo med) being bashed. It is working very effectively for me and my sisters as well as a few others I know that take it. No side effects either.....and yes.. I know it's addictive. So is Trazodone or any other sleep med you take nightly. Including Over the counter Benadryl.
@cindisue, I don’t have anything against medication but in my case, I don’t react well enough to take whatever I want. I have been taking Amitriptyline for years but I can’t tolerate more than 10 mg because I get an unpleasant feeling, as for Ativan I have been taking them for over twenty years and I would definitely have a problem trying to stop them now.
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1 ReactionI recently went to a sleep medicine clinic, on the advice of my PCP, about not being able to fall asleep - which I’ve been dealing with for years. I was seen by the PA (what does it take to see a physician these days??). I gave her the Mayo Clinic’s list of sleep meds, with notes on the ones I’d taken, what worked and for how many years, what didn’t work and why, etc. The first thing she said was “we don’t prescribe Z drugs.” Ok. She tried me on Quviviq, which had sketchy results (had to take it for a month, per her directions.). My go-to medication before was Sonata, which was wonderful - got to sleep in a reasonable amount of time, slept well, no after effects. Except it quit working after 4 years. I’ve been off it now for 6 months, trying other solutions that aren’t working. Does anyone know if you can take a break from a sleep medicine like that, and then resume it with good results (please say yes!!). I’m 76, and Z drug or not, I’m about to give up on everything else….
@glaustin I don't know the precise answer to your question about a break from a medication, but I can tell you that the liver metabolizes pretty much every drug that can legally be prescribed. At some point, your system is rid of it, but it might take as much as three months....not six. Amiodarone, a somewhat toxic, iodine-infused drug used to regulate arrhythmic hearts, takes weeks to reduce its system-presence down to near-zero, as an example of such a drug. But once you remove a stimulus that doesn't actually do damage to an organ, or that doesn't have an inordinate half-life, one lasting a year or more (again, I know of no such drug), your system 'should' reset and become accustomed to being free of that stimulus...or influence. I am by no means a medical expert...at all...in anything....but I do know quite a bit about the body's stress response and how to improve its reactivity and its overall health when under duress. Removing a stressor lets the body calm and return to a new stasis, or level of alertness and responsiveness. This means it becomes sensitive again to the stressor if it appears again. I don't see why it wouldn't be largely the same with your preferred sleep aid. If nothing else, would it not be worth a trial at this later point? You have nothing to lose....in my uneducated opinion.
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2 ReactionsThat’s kind of the page I’m on. Thanks for your thoughts. I’m definitely ready to be able to sleep again!
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