You might be expecting a miracle? Going to sleep without drugs.... nearly impossible. That being said, there are lots of herbal supplements to try. It's a hit or miss game. What works today might not work tomorrow.

Over the counter antihistamine with ambien along with a side order of Gabapentin does the trick for me sometimes.

Research Phenibut. I usually get amazing sleep using it. I'm sure there will be others with suggestions. I'm just waiting for my sleeping concoctions to kick in now.

To sleep, I use two OTC medications. I take two Calms Forte tablets and one MidNite tablet. That pretty well knocks me out. And, there is no medication hangover the next morning. You can find these items at CVS and the Vitamin Shoppe. I order Calms Forte in bulk through Amazon which is much cheaper.

For pain, I believe that I previously suggested that you look into Quell. It is a wearable medical device that works for 81% of the people who try it. There is a 60 day money back guarantee. I find it extremely helpful. I started a flare last night, put Quell on and I am back to tolerable pain levels this morning.

I'm sorry that you are feeling so low right now. I hope that you feel better soon.

Valium can cause depression and one gets a tolerance to it rapidly.

Other drugs: some anti-depressants work on pain and are taken at night to help one sleep.

I use trazadone (an old stand-by), a prescription drug, every night for sleep. My sleep pattern (typical in fibro) is that I got to sleep fine but wake up about 15 times a night resulting in the run-over-by-a truck feeling.

There are others.

Melatonin decreases as we age. My function medicine doctor prescribed 10mg but check with your doctor. There are also combination products on the market now that have valerian as sort of valium, chamomille, and other things meant to induce and keep you asleep. You can go onto drugs.com and enter these to make sure they don't clash with what you are already taking.

I've had severe insomnia for many years and tried different things over time. When it's not bad, I use melatonin and Sleepytime Tea. When it's bad, I run the gammit from wintertime rain/allergies using Benadryl or when I can't turn off my brain due to overstress Lorazepam....lately that's a staple and the only thing that seems to work My Internist said no no to Valium for me probably because of my depression.

ALSO, I've had a sleep study done and shown to not get delta or deep sleep hardly at all. I used to take Trazadone nightly and like clockwork, I was out. I woke up refreshed and happy! ....because it's tricyclic antidepressant also. I think it depends on your own bodies makeup and what you are missing/needing. Maybe some testing is in order? They can even do neurotransmitter testing to check these things out.

I'm not a huge fan of sleep medicines that are narcotics. For me, they work for a time, and then stop. The onlly sleep medicine that has ever worked and I have tried every single one on the market is Rozerem and Belsomra. Both don't give a hangover for ME. Belsomra seems to work when absolutely nothing else does as my sleep/wake cycle is backwards. They offer a free 10 day triel.

Just had to put in 2 cents as this is an issue that continues to plague me. ALSO, I have to say, google the sleep foundation website ...they have excellent tips on good sleep habits. I am learning to use the bedroom for sleep only and not tv or reading. It's also a constant battle to go to bed at exactly the same time at night, then you find your body wakes and goes to sleep automatically after about 7-10 days. OK, there's J's full dissertation on sleep, HAHA!!!!
Good luck!

Thank you to all of your suggestions. I will start tonight to use melatonin and maybe a herbal tea like Sleepytime.
What is trazadone? Is that OTC or prescription?
I think I will stick with the natural route for now as I want to get rid of this depression. It's horrible. No more valium for me!!

I second the melatonin. That is what I took for a while until I found some concohction of essential oils that helps. I rub them on my feet and fall asleep pretty quickly. This is from a girl who thought it was all hokey pokey and didn't work. I am a believer now.

Ya, best off the benzodiazapines. They interfere with restorative sleep.

I haven't found a way without prescription meds. Pregabalin (Lyrica) has been a life saver for sustaining deep sleep. Still have difficulty with onset, though.

I can't use melatonin - like Benedryl, which works so well for some, it gives me horrible restless legs. It could be related to my PLM, but all I know is that it makes things worse.

Ambien works well for me, as my issue is getting to sleep, not staying asleep. Once I'm asleep, I'm fine.

Good comment on the Lyrica.....they say our bodies are missing Serotonin because of the pain and that leads to sleep deprivation as well as lack of Gaba. So taking Gabapentin....which I myself am back on fortunately has eased my insomnia greatly. I did testing and my serotonin was rock bottom probably due to several injuries without pain management, so I also took 5htp, a natural supplement.

But again, you should make sure you don't have a problem with these and cross check against other drugs are taking because supplements can interfere with drugs also. We should always say, check with your doctor.