No sleep or sleep meds

My situation is exactly like yours. Can you share what sleep meds you tried that you don't want to take again? I currently take 2.5mg melatonin and 75-100mg Trazodone which help me fall asleep, but I wake after a few hours and most often can't fall back asleep. I'm also trying THC 15mg and CBN 12mg sleep gummies, but they aren't helping much. My sleep Dr only recommends hypnotic drugs, where you can sleep walk and not remember it, so I don't want to take those. I see a different Dr next week and am quite sure she will recommend the same meds. I am getting desperate to find something that helps me.

Asking you the same questions I asked cherawgirl: My situation is exactly like yours. Can you share what sleep meds you tried that you don't want to take again? I currently take 2.5mg melatonin and 75-100mg Trazodone which help me fall asleep, but I wake after a few hours and most often can't fall back asleep. I'm also trying THC 15mg and CBN 12mg sleep gummies, but they aren't helping much. My sleep Dr only recommends hypnotic drugs, where you can sleep walk and not remember it, so I don't want to take those. I see a different Dr next week and am quite sure she will recommend the same meds. At this point, I am getting desperate to find help.

Ambien 5 mg, but only helped get to sleep. Wake after 2 hours and can’t get back to sleep.

Ramelteon(sp?) which is a fancy melatonin like prescription med. did nothing to help me.

Ativan. Helps sleep anxiety but is habit forming and you build resistance easily.

I’m thinking about Lunesta or Dayvigo.🤷‍♀️

I have had sleep issues for many years myself. They worsen as I get older. The long covid has made it even worse. I have a prescription for Ativan but allow myself only one night a week because, like you said, it is habit forming and I build resistance easily. I sometimes take CBD gummies or an OTC sleep aid. I take melatonin every night in addition to whatever else I take. No matter the case, I'm awake 2-4 hours every night, with maybe one night our of 10, I get 7 hrs. or so.

You've really been put through the wringer...
For decades I took lorazepam. Then a doctor took me of it and gave me Mirtazapine. Later a sleep doctor gave me Clonazepam, and when that stopped helping another sleep expert told me I could use brotizolam, that when that stopped working I could switch back to Clonazepam. Right now I am happy to be off all this garage but am concerned about the other effects of not sleeping well.
Last night I took the 10 mg melatonin and the "natural" remedy, slipped from 10:30 to 3:30, did meditation for an hour, eventually fell asleep around 5, till 7. now I'm feeling drowsy but more or less functioning. So I got the hours but apparently the sleep quality was not good. But what can I say: if I'm tired for the next 30 years I will have lived to be 100! 😊

I will put a word out there about melatonin. I had a psychiatrist who was very knowledgeable about drugs and natural supplements who told me that the most effective dose is .5mg and no more. Apparently more is not better. Also best not to take it every night. My best sleep was when I was taking Klonopin 1 mg at bedtime. I always slept through the night and had many dreams. I didn't know this drug was bad for our brains. Now that I'm off it for the most part (I have some 0.125mg tablets I take occasionally), my sleep has been rough, but it is improving. I take mirtazapine 7.5mg nightly Sometimes I have difficulty falling asleep even though I feel very tired. I use this time to meditate or pray, and even if I am lightly dosing for hours, if I stay relaxed, I eventually fall asleep for about 6 hours. I feel alert and ready for the day when I wake up. Same for when I wake too early or in the middle of the night. I just meditate and pray. I do fine the CBD/THC gummies helpful, but don't take every night. I wish I could just sleep unaided but I have had insomnia for a very long time. I tried practicing CBT-I but it doesn't work for me because it requires you to get out of bed if you are awake 20 minutes. I was up and down all night and it just fueled my anxiety and made it impossible to fall asleep. I'm better off staying in bed with lights out because I will eventually fall asleep.

I believe strongly that getting enough quality sleep is very very important for some of us. You should try to find a sleep aid that helps you get the quality and quantity of sleep you need. Have you tried over the counter stuff like Benadryl....or Unisom? Walmart has a Walmart brand sleep aid that is the exact same thing as Benadryl. 25-50mg of diphenhydramine. Try it. Good luck.

I understand about not wanting to get out of bed....I dont like doing thst either. How does the mirtazapine work? That is one I'd like to try....my sleep issues sound alot like yours....taking lorazepam now and it's helping alot.

Clonazepam worked like a charm for 15 years, then I couldn't have it anymore (doctor's choice, but my research convinced me that long-term benzo use has its risks). Mirtazapine is a tricyclic antidepressant which is sedating at very lose doses, but acts as an antidepressant and appetite stimulant at higher doses. I would say the effect is mild and inconsistent but I do think it helps. Seems to be a safe drug.

Cindi sue, I am a long term insomniac (50 years) which only gets worse the older I get. In answer to your questions, I tried Mirtazapine, and maybe it is just my psychology, but I had terrible nightmares. When I complained to the psychiatrist, he upped my dose and the nightmares got worse until the third time the dose got upped and my nightmares took on the style of horror movies. I had never had a nightmare before that drug and I don’t have them now. I have been on everything from OTC drugs through probably a dozen RX drugs. Ambien was the best although I never got a full 7 hours sleep - only about 5. It too finally stopped working and now I make sleep cocktails out of a few different types of rx drugs which get me about 3 hours sleep and when I wake up I take a few more and get another 3 hours sleep. While on Ambien, I never sleep walked, ate or drove although I have read about that happening to some people. I am planning on asking my doctor for an Ambien CR rx since I have not had any ambien in at least 6 months. Maybe I’ll get lucky.