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...
I went off of Ambien CR 12.5 mg, which I've taken for about 6 years. It worked beautifully. So why did I go off of it? Am I nuts? Probably. My reasoning was that I was under a lot of stress when I started (grad school) but that's over. Yes, I have a stressful job (who doesn't?), but I wanted to go off of it so as not to be addicted to benzos for any longer than I already am.
Melatonin (3 mg) works to get me to sleep, but not keep me to sleep. My NP said Valerian root helps to keep some people asleep, so I could combine that if the Melatonin doesn't work by itself. Great! Well, I called back today to let her know I need to know how much Valerian, in what form, and when to take it in respect to the Melatonin. She has gone on vacation and the staff left a msg with someone else. I've heard nothing. I am resorting to taking 2.5 mg valium instead (I am TRYING to get off of the synthetic stuff!), which does work when I wake up at 3am.
Does anyone else have advice as to how much to take, in what form, and when to take it in respect to the Melatonin?
Melatonin (3 mg) works to get me to sleep, but not keep me to sleep. My NP said Valerian root helps to keep some people asleep, so I could combine that if the Melatonin doesn't work by itself. Great! Well, I called back today to let her know I need to know how much Valerian, in what form, and when to take it in respect to the Melatonin. She has gone on vacation and the staff left a msg with someone else. I've heard nothing. I am resorting to taking 2.5 mg valium instead (I am TRYING to get off of the synthetic stuff!), which does work when I wake up at 3am.
Does anyone else have advice as to how much to take, in what form, and when to take it in respect to the Melatonin?
Sadly valerian stopped working for me so I had to go back on sleep meds for a few years. Now I take over the counter alteril and 2x / week I take temazepam.
That said, valerian root and melatonin are two of the most commonly prescribed "natural" sleep aids out there. I've tried 'em both.
Valerian root is quite stinky, to be blunt. It's typically found in capsules. However, I found it in tea form that was deodorized, and gave it a try. First night I drank it before bed, wham! It knocked me out and I slept great. But I think there was a something of a placebo effect going on, because thereafter I got mixed results. Also got mixed results with melatonin.
In the end, both were ineffective for me to use on a long term basis, because neither got to the true root of the problem ... which for me (and most people) is some combination of bad sleep habits and excessive worry about the idea of sleep. Effectively treating the true roots of my insomnia was key for me making it better.
Full disclosure: supposedly, you need to take valerian for several weeks to get consistent results, which I didn't do. Also, neither melatonin nor valerian are regulated as drugs in the U.S., and so there can be wide variations in potency, purity, and quality. If you do go this route, suggest buying established brands from reputable companies.
And P.S. as I understand it, ambien is classified as a hypnotic-sedative drug, not a benzo. Either way though, you're right to not want to get addicted. To anything.