Prescription Sleep Medications?

I have problems sleeping, I can't have a regular nights sleep more than once every 48 hours. No matter what over the counter teas like valerian root, or even pills like ambien, and benzos don't help me fall asleep actually ambien and benzos are like a stimulant to me for some reason, maybe since when I was younger i used to use them recreationally.

the only thing that has helped in the last 8 years is alcohol and now it's taking it's toll on me. i have to drink 6-8 a night, 8 will give me a normal nights sleep feeling refreshed in the morning but, even 6 now if i get a normal night sleep it's fine but, the thing is the less I drink then the earlier I wake up and the less amount of sleep I get. i think my mind plays tricks on me since when i'm in bed i'm always thinking and cannot get to sleep or feel sleepy at all but, then i'll say to myself ok so i can't go to sleep then maybe i can try to get some work done so i'll turn on the laptop and all of a sudden i'm feeling groggy my eyes feel strange and don't feel fresh, then i'll think i'm tired and try to go to bed, as soon as i lay in bed, my mind switches back on and thoughts continue racing and not feeling sleepy or tired anymore.

so i'm wondering are there any pills out there besides benzos or the type that can give you a high that can just make you feel really sleepy and go to sleep. since i can't keep drinking like this but, i have to be able to get my nightly sleep and feel fresh in the mornings to work and function properly.

are there doctors that specialize in insomnia and sleeping disorders that could prescribe me something? or if I went to a general practioner?

Hi, abcd123! You could try asking your general practitioner about seeing a specialist, tell them you feel like you really need it and that it's influencing your life a lot. They will hopefully send you to the right person, if you explain what is going on.
Good luck and let us know how you're doing!

Hi,
Racing thoughts is a common issue related to insomnia. Trying to kill enough brain cells with alcohol to stop the thoughts is not the best approach.

However, putting your mind at rest is a difficult task, and I sympathize with your efforts. I highly recommend meditation, but the results come slowly. Still, it is good to get started so the results can be there eventually.

I understand that 'eventually' is not the answer you crave. You need some help tonight. That's how I always feel when I can't sleep. I tried ambien, and it did nothing at all. I took lunesta, and it worked quite well. See your physician about getting a lunesta prescription and try it. A friend of mine did not respond to lunesta, but he did respond to ambien. The effects vary a lot from one person to another.

Since you are not adverse to altering your brain chemistry, try another approach. Get some cool packs from the drug store and wrap them in a towel. Put the towel and cool packs inside the pillow so that you can sleep on a cool pillow during the night. A small drop in temperature can drastically change the chemical reactions in your brain, and might slow your mind enough to sleep. You can adjust the temperature by adding or removing layers of towel. It should be cool, not cold. If it is too cold, you will not only wake up, you will have a headache. Keep it comfortable. This is what is working for me right now. If that does not work, try adding a little heat instead. The solution to insomnia is unique for every person.

I require a combination of things to sleep. I take chamomile tea, an herbal concoction, and valium for restless legs. Meditation and the cool pillow are also very important. If I miss any of it, I don't sleep well or sometimes I don't sleep at all. I'm doing better than I used to. I usually get 7 hours in bed, but I wake several times. Nowadays, I can get back to sleep after I wake. The result is imperfect and relatively complex. It is worth it. Keep searching for the combination that works best for you. Don't expect a perfect night's sleep from any one thing. Just strive for the best you can find. I had a lot of failed treatments to get where I am. Keep hope and keep experimenting.

Gary M

Thanks for the advise. I didn't know Lunesta was for insomnia despite how many commercials I've seen, guess I never really paid attention thought it was probably for depression.

Well, losing brain cells was not really the issue with alcohol but, now it's taking a major toll physically, my stomach is all messed up and i don't know how much worst damage i've done.

i'm not the type of person to do meditation, just don't have patience, i have to always be doing something probably the reason i have insomnia since i can't just stay still or be calmn, i always have to be active and doing something it's like i'm on speed or something every waking moment.

what did you mean by 'altering brain chemistry' as long as it's not something like benzos that could make me feel 'good' then I should be fine, just want something to make me sleep but nothing OTC works, valerian root tea (first time I tried it drank two 32oz glasses of it) didn't work, just felt groggy the next day but, then again i didn't get enough sleep, have tried melatonin pills high mg and taken many to try to sleep, nothing works. there's no way i can meditate there's no way for me to slow down my thought process and again i don't have the patience.

i will still try the cold pack / pillow method. i hate sleeping in a warm/hot environment, i have a fan that is pointed directly at my head/face. i keep it on all year even in the winter. then again, i do live in texas so it gets really hot here.

i really hope lunesta will work but, i'm guessing it probably won't, would be a miracle if it did. i'll follow up if it does or not.

thanks again

Meds might take a bit of time to start working, try to be more patient, really do all you can.

What I meant by altering brain chemistry is rather simple, and probably too simple. If you go back to high school chemistry, you will remember that cold tends to slow chemical reactions. I suppose the most familiar example is a car battery which uses a chemical reaction to generate electricity. When the temperature drops, the cranking power goes down. Warm the battery up and the power returns.

I took the absurd leap to say that cold will slow the chemical reactions of you brain and that might slow the racing thoughts. Whatever the actual effect might be, it helps me.

As for the meds, Jasmine right. Give it a bit of time. Also, don't give up something just because it does not have enough effect. All the herbals have very mild effects, but adding them together with other treatments such as meditation and maybe the cool pillow, could add up to a decent therapy.

I understand why you think the meds won't work after so many have failed. Try to be a bit more optimistic, and there is a very practical reason for it. You have no doubt heard of the placebo effect. People take a sugar pill thinking it is some active medicine and they feel better because they expect to feel better. In general, this accounts for about 16% of the effectiveness of drugs. There is the opposite effect called nocebo. A person expects the drug to fail and it does fail even though it should have worked. There are few studies on this, but let's say it causes a 16% failure where it should have worked. Basically, you put yourself in a 32% hole with a pessimistic attitude. You don't have to go all polyanna and believe everything is wonderful and its going to work, but give the pills an even break. Make an effort to search for the positive and you might find something worth while. There is no complete cure, but improvements are still better than suffering the full ailment. You could collect an nice array of things that each work a little, and taken together, provide substantial relief.

It is a long slog and it takes energy. You sound like the energetic type which makes me think you can get through this.

Just so you know, the alcohol made me sick too. That was a long time ago, and I don't drink at all now.

Gary M

wow i can't believe it. i went to the dr. on friday to get lunesta and it's actually working so far but, i have had to take 4mg each night, instead of 2 the prescribed dose and it seems most people take 3. it does give me weird dreams but, i guess at least their not nightmares like i've had with xanax.

i dont know how long it's going to last, i hope i don't build a tolerance but, i think based on how these types of pills like ambien works that i probably will. i guess it's all i can do for now, take it until i build a tolerance then stop for a while.

i guess this part is for a different forum but, obviously due to drinking so long i'm an alcoholic but the last 2 days i switched to non-alcoholic beer and before i sleep taken a lunesta and been able to fall asleep rather quickly and even if i have to wake up in the middle of the night (not as much anymore because don't have to pee as much because of the alcohol) i'm able to fall asleep again and get a normal nights (more than that i think i've slept about 10 hours each the last 2 days) sleep.

Congratulations! I took Lunesta for 6 years before I developed a tolerance so you should be set for quite a while. Even better news is the patent for Lunesta expires in the next year so generics will be available at a lower price.

Every drug effects people in a different way. My side effect was a metallic taste in my mouth when I woke. I never had any dreams with Lunesta. I mean to say the sleep studies showed I did not dream at all.

Now that you can get some rest, you will find you have the energy to tackle other problems which appeared while you were too exhausted to be bothered fixing them.

All my best wishes while you get things restarted.
GaryM

Well, I'd like to say thanks since if it wasn't for your advise that I really didn't know what was going to happen to me health wise if I continued with my habits. My aunt just passed away last of week unexpectedly and they said it was because of chriossis and that alcohol abuse could have contributed it. so it kind of put me in gear to try and find a solution again to my sleeping problem so I can focus on eliminating my own bad habits.

I kind of noticed that metallic taste thing also and have others mention it also, I only notice it when I take a drink of something but, it's something I'm more than willing to deal with for the time being. I only hope I can go 6 years with this, that would be great. In the past if I took ambien daily by 2 weeks I couldn't feel it's effects anymore. Really hope it's not the case.

I was shocked at the cost also, I don't have insurance either. That's more great news about it being generic in the near future.

Just wanted to say thanks again!

GaryM wrote:Congratulations! I took Lunesta for 6 years before I developed a tolerance so you should be set for quite a while. Even better news is the patent for Lunesta expires in the next year so generics will be available at a lower price.

Every drug effects people in a different way. My side effect was a metallic taste in my mouth when I woke. I never had any dreams with Lunesta. I mean to say the sleep studies showed I did not dream at all.

Now that you can get some rest, you will find you have the energy to tackle other problems which appeared while you were too exhausted to be bothered fixing them.

All my best wishes while you get things restarted.
GaryM

Abcd, I'm sorry about your aunt. You will get something to help with your sleeping soon, you'll see. Try to stay positive, I'm glad you're finding answers here.