Insomnia Support Group

Insomnia is a symptom, rather than a disease, and is characterized by inadequate quantity or quality of sleep. People with insomnia complain of difficulty falling or staying asleep, which results in significant impairment of daytime functioning. Insomnia is categorized as transient (shorter than one week), short-term (one to three weeks) or chronic (longer than three...

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AlwaysTired 10/23/2017

... trying to step away from the Benzodiazepines I've been on for nearly five years ...

This is the first forum I've found that related to insomnia! I hope to find others that can relate ... not wishing insomnia on anyone, but imagine more people deal with it than we know!

My insomnia started several years ago - when I was working 3rd shift as a supervisor - I assumed the reason I wasn't getting sleep was due to the fact I had to sleep during the day rather than the evening. When I switched into a 2nd shift supervisor role, the insomnia continued, and I attributed it to the stress of dealing with associates that reported to me and not being able to "turn off the switch" when I got home. It was while I worked 2nd shift that I told my physician I wasn't sleeping - it was also that same visit when, without batting an eye, I was prescribed Temazepam. I do not recall receiving any verbal warnings of the hazards ... I did read the pamplet that was included with the meds, but I was just so anxious to try it (and get some SLEEP!) that I promptly forgot the warnings ... The first night I took that "magic pill" - I laid down when it was dark outside and did not wake up again until daylight! O M G - I felt like I had won the lottery that next morning!! What a difference a night of sleep can make!!

Fast forward five years - I'm now working "normal" hours - 7:30am to 4pm - have no direct reports and my work and home life are pretty darned good - and for the most part, stress free however ... the T-pam no longer is doing the trick. I'm weaning myself off (I have a new physician that is working with me) and have a 6 weeks "program" to be completely off of the drugs.

I had been taking 30mg capsules - am now taking 15 mgs - will do so for 2-3 weeks. Then go down to 7.5 for 2-3 weeks and then nothing.

Last night was day 4 of taking 15 mgs and it was an awful night ... pretty sure the fact that I'm stressed about stopping the meds when I try to go to sleep is not did not help. It is like a vicious cycle ...! Even though I wasn't sleep well with the 30 mg I think I found comfort in knowing they *might* kick in sooner or later (usually later - like 3 hours before the alarm goes off in the AM!)

I have essential oils on order (I was using them faithfully and then forgot to put a reorder in so have been out for awhile) - I take a nice long hot bath before bed - and my bedroom is very dark. I use a fan for white sound ... and I sleep alone (hubs snores like a freight train - we've been married nearly 38 years, he now has his own bedroom - lol) it isn't always my mind that races ... it feels like it is my body not being able to relax - which is crazy to me!

I guess I'm just here to connect with others that suffer ... sometimes knowing we are not alone in a battle can help!!

Thanks in advance for listening (reading ...) - looking forward to getting to know fellow-insomniacs!

sonnycamehome 10/23/2017

My situation is a little different than yours, but I wanted you to know that you are not alone in suffering from insomnia. It sounds like you are doing everything right, by tapering off your med slowly under the guidance of your Dr, and I do believe that it's possible for you to get a good night's sleep even though you've been suffering for a long time. For me, the best thing I did was study and learn CBT sleep training methods. You can talk to your Dr about this or look it up online. It includes things like setting a consistent sleep/wake schedule, no electronics before bed, exercise during the day, etc....it sounds like you are already setting up a sleep conducive environment so that's great, you may just need a few other tools to help you out. There are other people on this board who are more well spoken than me, and who explain CBT sleep training better than I have, but I wanted to give you a little bit of hope that good sleep is possible with the right tools and a little practice.

Wishing you all the best :)

Hypnos07 10/23/2017

Thank you for posting this if for no other reason than to help warn others about the risks and dangers of benzos. We've heard many horror stories from others posting in this group.

I agree with Sonny about using CBT sleep training methods, this is typically what's first recommended by docs for primary insomnia. In your case with the shift work, that is very challenging even for the best sleepers. So what's happened to you is understandable.

Sounds like your new doc will be a big help in tapering off the benzos. You might consider CBT to help you strengthen your sleep system and address any nonmedical issues that might still be disrupting your sleep.

Good luck.

AlwaysTired 10/31/2017

Update - I weaned myself off of the sleep meds quicker than anticipated and thankfully, have had no serious issues with withdrawal ... I am on day 4 of not taking any meds and cannot even describe the difference I feel .. I didn't realize how groggy I really was when I woke up and how foggy my head was throughout the day. I had been struggling with anxious feelings doing the most mundane things for 3 or 4 years - and now those feelings are gone for the most part - it is crazy to me to think the meds were probably playing roles in my life that I didn't even realize.
I am struggling with sleep - getting about 90 minutes before waking up ... having a hard time falling back asleep. I think I've gotten 5 1/2 or 6 hours for the 4 nights. I am coming to the realization that I might not require 8 hours of sleep - and when my body is tired enough I will sleep. If I lay in bed for 30 minutes or so - I get up and then go back to bed when I'm tired.
Anyways - I feel like I'm on the upswing right now!

JasonEternal 11/06/2017

I'm glad to hear that you're doing better. It helps others like myself to know that natural sleep can return. I've been on Zopiclone myself for a straight 16 days, and had to wean off the rebound insomnia effect, and have been terrified that my sleep would never return to normal :( I did manage to get 5 or 6 hours every second night, but I went back to the doctor to get myself some Apo Quetiapine to help sleep. Still trying it, and it's worked for the past two nights...so fingers crossed! If you're able to find a way to get out of a 5 year cycle, then that gives people like myself hope. Thank you ^_^

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