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No sleep or sleep meds

Posted by cherawgirl @cherawgirl, Sep 15, 2023

I have been unable to sleep since stopping Ambien (5 months ago) and Ativan(2 months ago). I have not slept for over 2 hours a night. I understand I supposedly have rebound insomnia, however I have had a sleep problem since I was very young. I have researched this question on the web but only found answers that sleep aids ARE BAD!

My question is: What is worse? No sleep or sleep using sleep meds?

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gramps | @gramps | Nov 2, 2023

I guess there's a reason Apple products are expensive. My Garmin band was a gift from my employer - looks like they chose the cheapest model.

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kawanhee | @kawanhee | Nov 2, 2023
In reply to @rubyredsky "I too take lorazepam for sleep. Works great most evening but sometimes not at all. Wondering..." + (show)
Profile picture for rubyredsky @rubyredsky

I too take lorazepam for sleep. Works great most evening but sometimes not at all. Wondering if I am starting to develop a tolerance to this drug. 1.0 mg worked for a long while but now I am finding that I need 1.5 mg. May I ask how many mg you are taking?

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I was taking .5 mg lorazepam for sleep and it eventually stopped working. I did not want to continue to increase the dose so I weaned off it

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rubyredsky | @rubyredsky | Nov 2, 2023
In reply to @kawanhee "I was taking .5 mg lorazepam for sleep and it eventually stopped working. I did not..." + (show)
Profile picture for kawanhee @kawanhee

I was taking .5 mg lorazepam for sleep and it eventually stopped working. I did not want to continue to increase the dose so I weaned off it

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Are you now sleeping naturally or doing something else?

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1 reply
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kawanhee | @kawanhee | Nov 2, 2023
In reply to @rubyredsky "Are you now sleeping naturally or doing something else?" + (show)
Profile picture for rubyredsky @rubyredsky

Are you now sleeping naturally or doing something else?

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I am taking 7.5 mg of mirtazapine. It’s not a benzodiazepine like lorazepam and my doctor is more comfortable with this drug

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1 reply
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cindisue | @cindisue | Nov 3, 2023
In reply to @kawanhee "I was taking .5 mg lorazepam for sleep and it eventually stopped working. I did not..." + (show)
Profile picture for kawanhee @kawanhee

I was taking .5 mg lorazepam for sleep and it eventually stopped working. I did not want to continue to increase the dose so I weaned off it

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I am taking .5 to 1mg of Lorazepam too for sleep....just started a couple months ago...my question is What did you switch to? Or are you now taking no sleep meds for sleep?

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Profile picture for cindisue
cindisue | @cindisue | Nov 3, 2023
In reply to @kawanhee "I am taking 7.5 mg of mirtazapine. It’s not a benzodiazepine like lorazepam and my doctor..." + (show)
Profile picture for kawanhee @kawanhee

I am taking 7.5 mg of mirtazapine. It’s not a benzodiazepine like lorazepam and my doctor is more comfortable with this drug

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kawanee....how is the Mirtazapine working for you? I have a bottle but haven't tried it yet since I'm currently taking Lorazepam

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kawanhee | @kawanhee | Nov 3, 2023
In reply to @cindisue "kawanee....how is the Mirtazapine working for you? I have a bottle but haven't tried it yet..." + (show)
Profile picture for cindisue @cindisue

kawanee....how is the Mirtazapine working for you? I have a bottle but haven't tried it yet since I'm currently taking Lorazepam

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Working well

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raye | @raye | Nov 3, 2023

Have you had an overnight sleep study? I did, and love my sleep doc.
Have you absolutely stopped the intake of any and all caffeines?
Decaf is not non-caf. No colas, no green or black teas, no chocolate. Life can still be worth living without chocolate. I know that’s hard to imagine, but try it.

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concheetah | @concheetah | Nov 7, 2023
In reply to @reillyg1013 "I asked my Dr. that exact question when she told me I had to stop taking..." + (show)
Profile picture for reillyg1013 @reillyg1013

I asked my Dr. that exact question when she told me I had to stop taking alprazolam. Even taking one a night, I seldom got more than 5 hours of sleep ( I’ve been taking for over 10 years) . So I cut down to .25 mg and got less than 2 hours a night. So I tried supplementing with melatonin - no luck, cannabis- still no luck. Thus, I posed your question to her & I never got a real answer, so I went back to my .5 mg and started getting some sleep. Everything you read says how important sleep is. If I had a disease they would treat it, so why do Drs. resist treating insomnia?

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this is funny because my family doctor put me on 0.5mg of Xanax for sleep. Supposed to be as needed. That was over a year ago and now I need it every night. She doesn’t see a problem with that.
However, I am seeing a therapist for chronic anxiety and depression and I cannot get any meds for that until the family doc gets me off Xanax. I went to ge a second opinion from a psychiatrist and got the same answer: no one will talk to me about any antidepressants or any meds at all until the Xanax is out of the picture.
It seems using it as a treatment for sleep is a no-no because its addictive.

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1 reply
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concheetah | @concheetah | Nov 7, 2023
In reply to @raye "Have you had an overnight sleep study? I did, and love my sleep doc. Have you..." + (show)
Profile picture for raye @raye

Have you had an overnight sleep study? I did, and love my sleep doc.
Have you absolutely stopped the intake of any and all caffeines?
Decaf is not non-caf. No colas, no green or black teas, no chocolate. Life can still be worth living without chocolate. I know that’s hard to imagine, but try it.

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I never thought of this!! I eat so much chocolate.

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