Insomnia: What does it mean that the drugs don't work?

Posted by amicocercante @amicocercante, Dec 10, 2021

Hello, I have a friend who cannot get a full night's sleep. He hasn't had a full night's sleep in nearly eight years. He has tried all of the heavy-hitter medications that doctors prescribe for sleep (Flurazepam, Lorazepam, Ambien as well as a long list of other anti-psychotics/anti-depressants) but not one of these drugs can keep him down for more than a few hours, and they never do so reliably. So my question is, why? What circumstances could possibly make someone immune to the effects of these highly potent pharmaceuticals?

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John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Dec 10, 2021

Hello @amicocercante - I know it has to be hard for your friend when they struggle to get the sleep they need and nothing seems to help. You will notice that we made a slight change to your discussion title to better describe the topic of the discussion so that other members with experience can find it. It sounds like your friends insomnia falls into the treatment resistant category. Here is some information I found that may help until others with experience can share suggestions.

-- Patients With Treatment-Resistant Insomnia Taking Nightly Prescription Medications for Sleep: A Retrospective Assessment of Diagnostic and Treatment Variables: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2983459/
-- Treatment-Resistant Insomnia: When Sleeping Pills Don’t Work: https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/treatment-resistant-insomnia-sleeping-pills