Temporary sleep fix for me at least

Symptoms Physical
#1

Hello all,

I’m new around here unfortunately. been lurking for a bit over 6 weeks now. I crashed and had a whole host of problems, all mental. At this time, some have alleviated but I remain with terrible sleep and a dibilatating clogged ear feeling. The feeling makes me reclusive and unmotivated to do anything. Cant enjoy anything, you know the drill. sometime its lifts and I feel absolutely normal but the lifts are rare and unpredicatable. I havent done up a member profile post but will soon.

Anyway, I get 0 hours sleep most nights without any medication. Mostly it is punctuated with body jolts as I drift off or adrenal rushes. I suspect it is an issue with Gaba or gabaa receptors. I tried Ambien and it had very little or no effect. I would initially take half a xanax and that seemed to help me get a slight bit of sleep but the clogged ear feeling would be afwul the next day. This was when things were worse about 5 weeks ago.

My doctor prescribed me dalmane (flurazepam) since ambien wasn’t working. I’m not sure who knows this already but flurazepam is a benzo with a very long half life, so much so that i can sleep 3/4 hours the night after taking one on my own. This for me has essentially been an insta-fix. I sleep 8 hours and the clogged ear feeling is faded the next day. If I take dalmane 3 nights in a row I basically feel back to myself on day four/five (no clogged ear). After finishing my script I would slowly over a couple of days return to my chronic insomnia and debilitating clogged ear feeling. The results of the flurazepam lead me to believe the blocked ear feeling is a manifestation of low gaba or gaba receptor problems being expressed physically.

I know, unfortunately Flurazepam is not something I can take long term since it is a benzo and I dont want to get addicted or reliant incase it hampers any natural recepter repair or incurs more health issues. Just wanted to know if anyone else out there had tried Flurazepam and were their results similar to mine? I wonder also if a prolonged script would encourage the receptors or rather damage their ability to recover.

Please share any theories or experiences

1 Like
#2

Benzo’s are a gateway to HELL. They cause the very problems people use them to solve! The so-called “Non-Benzos” are no better. Dependence can develop in a few days with some. Tolerance develops very quickly and you need more and more to achieve the same effect. Many of the celebrities you hear dying from addiction innocently start with benzos.

Wikipedia is often lame but their page kind of gets it pretty well

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_dependence

benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php

Insomnia isn’t a medical problem, eventually you’ll fall asleep. If you want a little help Take dietary supplement 3mg Melantonin goo.gl/A7AAcz

If you go to a MD, their toolbox is primarily PILLS, and they often don’t take into account the repercussions of the path they’re setting you on.

1 Like
#3

Agree, this will make things much worse in the long run.

#4

Not to beat a dead horse, but if you say you get 0 sleep without medication, it’s quite possibly because your body is now dependent on benzos. If you’ve been using them a few weeks/months, that’s very possible. Weaning yourself off may be unpleasant, you do it very very gradually. There’s a whole science to that but it can be done. Hopefully that isn’t the case, but you’re a relatively young guy and i’m just aiming to help you possibly avoid a second problem in addition to PFS.

#5

Hi, i want to say, based on my last improvement in sleep: take care of your back…

Apparently adequate posture, mattress, stretching, addressing any pain, can help you sleep better, with less awakening and returning berrer to sleep

Doctors will prescribe easily pills for sleep, increase.dosages when they dont work, withouth ever asking you how is your back. If ure waking up with pain discomfort or stiff lumbar muscles something is off and can influence ur sleep. For me it was hard making the connection, especially since sports were masking these symptoms. Now that ive stopped for a meniscus ibjury i started getting back pain everyday. Went and buy a new mattress and im sleeping better (from 5 hours before to 8-9hours now) for a couple days.

#6

I appreciate it xptriado, but my back is definately not the root of the problem here. I know benzos aint the solution guys. I take this sleeping pill when Im deperate. i.e. havent slept in days… Trying to find a safer route to sleep now, have ordered some melatonin online and I’ll try taking it with some valerian root and see how I get on. Thanks guys.

#7

I tried dozens of sleep meds and they didbt work…

What i never ended up trying (and in my case ut would have prob helped) : baclofen. Increases stage 3 and 4 sleep and is a muscle relaxer workibg at gaba b.

#8

My opinion is that clogged ear feeling, if u already got it checked by a doc and he found nothing, resultd from glutamate excitoxicity.

This would mean that there would be an imbalance between glutamate and gaba, which oppose eachother.

By takibg flurazepam you are shiftibg back the balance towards gaba. However, benzos arent the way to go here. You should read the chaper on Amy Yasko’s book, referribg to glutamate gaba balance to understand what you must do. The bool is called pathways to autism and is free.

I think this is a good supplemebt to help you, ive been wanting to order it before…m.iherb.com/Country-Life-Gluten- … blets/1671

Thats got gaba and inositol (5ht2a antagonist) and some b6 to absorb it better…

You could also try tianeptine, it blocks glutamate.

#9

I have extreme tinnitus and hearing loss since pfs, what can cause this?

#10

I dont know what to blame in your case because it seems quite severe. You can check the same as i told before…

Or maybe some comprimised 5ar3 system? I dont know, just an idea. If it was that i donteven know how you could check its function.

#11

Hi bagelboy,

How are you doing now any improvements ?

#12

hey mark. I have improved for sure but still have problems. Anxiety and panic has gone. I am taking 10mg lexapro and that has helped tremendously with the pressure in my ear. The uncomfortable feeling still returns often but nowhere nears as bad. Perhaps that means it is a result of anxiety but I can’t be sure. Apperantly lexapro raises gaba levels so it could be that too. I am taking olanzapine (zyprexa) for sleep and I get 6 or 7 hours sleep with it. It is a drug for bipolar people but it is used off label and in smaller doeses to induce sleep. I’d recommend you try it mark, I know your big issue is sleep.

My big thing right now is dry, sore eyes. seems to come and go randomly but have it at least once a day for extended periods. Drops dont seem to help.

Funnily enough, and i don’t know peoples opinion on the matter here but, Alcohol has been helpful I feel. When I drink the issues go away completely and it generally seems to make me feel back to normal the day after. Maybe its not good in the long run but maybe its also encouraging a recovery?

Oh and body spasms I’ve still got but have found magnesium sups. really really sorts them out.

#13

I’m following the post. Also have terrible insomnia problems

#14

I’ve just come across these posts and wondered if anyone has worked out a way to reduce/get rid of this blocked ear sensation? It always comes on when I notice my symptoms have got worse and feels like my ear/brain is blocked.

#15

Hi! My blocked ear sensation is completely gone and I have no doubt why. I started taking lexapro a few months ago and it completley fixed it. Doc told me lexapro is a gaba agonist so I believe the blocked ear sensation is a result of gaba. There was an occasion where I didnt have any lexapro for a couple days and the blocked ear sensation came back. I’m so sure it is what is treating it. Worth investigating my friend!

#16

Lexapro is an SSRI. Its not a good idea to take SSRI’s they are almost as dangerous as Finasteride.

#17

viewtopic.php?f=6&p=99516#p99516

Try 2 mg of melatonin with 500 mg of tryptophan 30 minutes before bed.

#18

Is that supposed to help with the blocked ear sensation as well?

#19

Hi bagelboy,

How are you doing now ?

Any updates on your situation ?

#20

Hi bagelboy

I also had severe insomnia after stopping Propecia. I took benzo for two weeks. It was the only medication that allowed me to sleep. Gradually I have gone over to taking Gaba supplements and Valerian pills. I am able to sleep 8 hours on most nights. I am not sure if these helped or that the insomnia side effect went away naturally(hope it does not come back…) but it is definitely worth a try.