Need help with insomnia

Hey guys. how do you deal with insomnia? I’ve not been able to sleep properly for a year. I can feel tired and sleepy but my body won’t go to sleep and when it does I wake up after 2-3 hours.

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Try (not all at the same time):

-Magnesium glycinate
-CBD
-Melatonin
-Yogi Soothing Carmel Bedtime Tea

Also make sure you sleep in a room that is 68 degrees or less, and no electronics 2 hrs before bed

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Trazodone is a drug that will put you to sleep, however it will make you gain weight.

You could also try benzodiazepines and something like Ambien, however they are controlled substances and might be hard to get.

Another good drug might be Rozerem. It’s not a controlled substance but you need a prescription.

cause me havoc now, the likes of trazadone can be very dangerous for some 2 pills nearly out me in the grave. I developed new sides which remain today. Mindfulness, calming strategies, reading, potatoes or turkey can help out you out. CBD oil gave 8 hours zzzz but crashed me same with melatonin and only 2mg stay safe

Also check out what you’re eating as it can play havoc with symptoms

I’m not condoning its use because I know AD can be dangerous as Lazarus has rightly warned. With that disclaimer, mirtazapine has been a lifesaver for me.

@LazarusRy when I was on trazodone I gained a lot of weight. I was also drowsy the next day. But if you can’t get to sleep, trazodone will definitely put you to sleep.

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I was on that drug for a while, I gained a ton of weight unfortunately.

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I would do some research on the drug Rozerem. It works on melatonin receptors in the brain. Unfortunately melatonin supplements don’t work for me.

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It didn’t put me to sleep and it brought new permanent sides. PFS isn’t a one shoe fits all

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@LazarusRy Rozerem didn’t work for you and gave you more permanent side effects?

Benzos and Z-drugs are safe but you can create tolerance fast and withdrawal can be a bitch for some people but I have never heard of anyone crashing from them

“I have never heard of anyone crashing from them”

Be careful. Look here: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php

There you will find many people who have a similar situation to us (crash, and moreover, cognitive, sexual and physical disorders).

Benzodiazepines have been a life saver for me since I have severe anxiety and other issues that benzodiazepines have helped. But yes, tolerance grows rapidly. I’ve been on them for 14 years.

@Nate95 I developed cold limbs, nerve damage, night sweats and further intolerances on the back of 2 trazadone pills, these symptoms remain. Bearing mind I’m pretty far down the road with this disease. I never took Rozerem but a number of drugs were tried.
In the first year paroxetene helped greatly prior to me knowing I had PFS but I’m now 20 years in. Drug intervention can be very dangerous for us.

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I had total insomnia for 6-7 months post crash with 0 hours sleep most nights. All I could do for those months was close my eyes, relax as much as possible and let my mind wonder. This was actually just about restful enough to work without using any brain power, but was a complete nightmare and I was the dumb guy.

From month 7-20 my sleep gradually improved to where it is now with 6-7 hours of not amazingly restful sleep, but it’s a world of a difference. I now can work using my brain.

Plenty of things helped me:

  • Thoughts and sleep never mix. You need to clear your mind and I do this by focusing on the gentle hum of a cheap air purifier at night.

  • Be aware that sleep helps with getting more good sleep and the small improvement can snowball into a large one.

  • Forget how good sleep used to be, think about those successful people who hardly ever sleep and be happy with your challenge. Worrying over sleep is really bad for sleep in PFS

  • keeping a regimental bedtime / wake time routine. I did this even when I slept 0 hours a night

  • No technology or at least block the blue light an hour before bed. The small excitement that comes with watching TV seems just as bad as the light interference

  • Keep a good temperature

  • No caffeine. As someone from England, I had to switch from black tea to Rooibos (redbush) tea and I actually really like it now. I add splash of milk into it as I would with your normal tea

  • do nothing exciting 1 hour before bed

There are massive risks with taking drugs, if you do go down that route maybe aim to only use them 1-2 times a week and rotate them if using more than one.

What the actual fuck! Never touch benzodiazepines. It has the worst effects. Try supplementing fish oil to reduce anxiety and depression and use melatonin after that if u still cant sleep.

@sawpalmettoextract benzodiazepines have saved my life. I take them responsibly for the last 14 years and have never had many problems. I have yet to find any over-the-counter supplements that actually work for anxiety insomnia or depression. Definitely not the ideal medication but the only medication that helps me with the above.

@Nate95

Hey . Glad to hear that benzodiazepines worked for you. During my recent insomnia crash when I was at my worst Xanax is only thing I tried that would give me any sleep

Benzodiazepines are prescription strength positive allosteric modulators of the GABA receptors. Allopregnanolone and 3a-diol are also positive allosteric modulators of the GABA receptors. I have high amounts of both in my urine. Ronnie99 has post accutane syndrome and he also has high amounts of 3a-diol in his urine. I’m very interested in seeing what someone levels of Allopregnanolone and 3a-diol are in their urine who gets better on benzodiazepines. Would you please consider joining the experiment in this tread:

We are not taking anything here so no risk of getting worse. We are just running urine hormone metabolite tests. It’s $370 USD to have the urine 3a-diol and Allopregnanolone tested. This will also include several urine neurotransmitter results. I can walk you through whole thing.

Additionally I’m flagged low in pregnenolone sulfate which is a negative allosteric modulator of the GABA receptors. The GABA receptors need a proper balance of positive and negative modulation to function properly. I believe there is something to this but more data is required

Melchangi’s study found low Allopregnanolone and 3a-diol in spinal fluid of PFS patients. However I have high amounts in my urine of both and Ronnie99 has high amounts of 3a-diol in his urine. I’m wondering if the reason why Melchangi’s PFS patients had low amounts of Allopregnanolone and 3a-diol in their CNS is because their bodies are getting rid of it in the urine

Thisisarealbummer also had high Allopregnanolone in his urine. Thisisrealbummer also claims to have had spinal fluid testing that showed down regulated GABA receptors…note that thisisarealbummer did not get the sexual sides. He got cognitive sides only

Seeing that we know you respond positively to artificial positive allosteric modulation of the GABA receptors (benzodiazepines) I think that having your levels would be beneficial

Which sides that did you get and which sides specifically do the benzodiazepines help ?