[thickntired]

Hi,

I was a drinker & mainly heavy pot smoker. So, I was a very lethargic person. Now with about 45 days sober I have yet to sleep 8 or even 7 hours at night!! I wake up between 3 and 4 am no matter when I go to sleep. Pills don't work as prescribed and I do not want to over medicate again.

So, I feel like I'm going crazy!! I've tried no adderal or caffeine & meds. But I wake up at clock work after about 4-5 hrs sleep. This is getting so annoying.
And I'm afraid of never getting into a natural pattern again.

Has anyone had this problem?? I'm a walking zombie. Grrrrr!!

TnT

[Alter Ego]

Originally Posted by thickntired

Hi,

I was a drinker & mainly heavy pot smoker. So, I was a very lethargic person. Now with about 45 days sober I have yet to sleep 8 or even 7 hours at night!! I wake up between 3 and 4 am no matter when I go to sleep. Pills don't work as prescribed and I do not want to over medicate again.

So, I feel like I'm going crazy!! I've tried no adderal or caffeine & meds. But I wake up at clock work after about 4-5 hrs sleep. This is getting so annoying.
And I'm afraid of never getting into a natural pattern again.

Has anyone had this problem?? I'm a walking zombie. Grrrrr!!

TnT

Yes, and still do.
Problem is i used to smoke pot to get some relatively decent sleep. However i couldn't sleep even before, its been going on for the fifth year now with varying degrees of severity.
For instance i managed to fall a sleep aroound 1 am today, but it was 4 am the 4 days before.
My mind just won't turn off and i fall a sleep only when i've exhausted my batteries.
Over medicating is something i did as well and indeed it is walking on thin ice.

However thinking you will never be able to reach a desired sleeping pattern is quite normal. Everyone has to ventilate somewhere, we are all full of various thoughts, feelings, fears etc. and these things eat us up from the inside out, until one finds a way and a place to cast these things out of him/herself.
As for myself i still haven't found a way, but i did find elopement in blues, wich keeps me quite pleasureable company most of the time.

[minefield]

Hiya,

I feel for you i really do, lack of sleep is totally something that is effecting me to.

Without the dulling effect of weed the brain goes into over drive.

I phoned my GP yesterday about desperately needing sleep, when it took 4 hrs to watch a 30 min prog because i was so dissociated, tired and racing thoughts. I decided it was daft I needed something to take the edge off convinced that with sleep this would be better.

I asked for diazepam but like you over medicate so she said no, but she has changed my med profile instead. I was taking 200mg quatiapine at night, but she has given me some 25mg so I can take one or two in the day as well.

Good news, I finally slept for the first time since quitting, I woke up at 6am but that was just over 6 hours sleep I feel so much better for it.

Have you spoken to your doc? Mb rather than sleep tablets they could tweak your meds to calm the brain down to allow you to relax enough to catch those pesky z's.

Are you getting to sleep ok? Is it the waking up that is annoying you? Are you getting back to sleep after waking up?

Have you spoken to a doc about the waking? What did they say?

[madisgram]

my own experiance was the same as you when i first got sober. it takes a while for our body to get back to a healthy cycle. before that our self-medicating told us when to sleep and when to wake. it's an extended withdrawl from the drugs and alcohol. so hang in there becaule soon you will sleep normally. not all people have this symptom but many do.
hope this helps. i'm glad you've made this decision to be sober. you will never regret it.

[thickntired]

Hi MF,

It's hard to get to sleep and stay asleep. This morning I took a muscle relaxer at 5 am, but that's not a solution just causing a problem. With ambien I'm wide awake after a few hours. I heard it is generic, but I don't know about the time release. I will see my pdoc in a couple weeks and pick her brain. With AA I need to be alert enough to work the program, and if I nap it's often too long and disrupts my sleep more.

Thanks for your reply,

TnTired!!!

[minefield]

Originally Posted by thickntired

Hi MF,

It's hard to get to sleep and stay asleep. This morning I took a muscle relaxer at 5 am, but that's not a solution just causing a problem. With ambien I'm wide awake after a few hours. I heard it is generic, but I don't know about the time release. I will see my pdoc in a couple weeks and pick her brain. With AA I need to be alert enough to work the program, and if I nap it's often too long and disrupts my sleep more.

Thanks for your reply,

TnTired!!!

Then I don't know if it might be a daft idea but why not get online research different processes to attaining a good night sleep, like for example create a night routine, don't eat for x amount of hours first, exercise, meditate, take a bath, only watch light hearted things on tv or music x amount of hours before bed to name just a few. There is loads of advice out there. Make a list of all even silly ones, i would cut and paste into excel. then make a second list. Of ones you like and finally do a process of elimination, rate them. It would also give you a great distraction and some thing positive you can do with your time.

I have never been stable enough to maintain the elimination phase but if I were sober and stable I think that is what I would try.

Hi, Thickntired. You mean to tell me you haven't heard about the "lemon thing" I've talked about forever?

It's the acidic buildup in the system, Thickntired. The lemon juice helps bring a more
alkaline state to the tissues and organs. Also, cut back on meats after lunchtime.
Try salads at night and vegetables, and use something as simple as an aspirin--that might give you some relief.

Cutting off TV several hours before nightfall gives melatonin a chance to start
working for you. And turning off your computer, too, about 6:00 P.M. so that
you don't get too much light exposure might help. Read a little in bed with
soft lighting only.

'Night.

[thickntired]

Thanks for all your replies. Tonight I slept from 10 to 2 am. I'm calling in for an earlier appt with my pdoc. I was wondering if I could get a small presc for just a month or two, like trazodone or a stronger sleep aid just to get past this hurdle.

[thickntired]

Btw. I'm also jaw clenching and my dentist wants me to wear a mouth guard. I've read this can be caused by Prozac or ssri's, anxiety & insomnia. I've actually worn down my teeth he said it is visible. I used to have bad restless leg syndrome and lots of talking in my sleep.

[madisgram]

tnt, you're correct. it may be one of your meds. there is a concern when one has this jaw clenching relating to psychiatric meds. it could be “akathesia,”. another side effect

Long-term use of typical antipsychotic medications may lead to a condition called tardive dyskinesia (TD). TD causes muscle movements a person can't control. The movements commonly happen around the mouth. TD can range from mild to severe, and in some people the problem cannot be cured. Sometimes people with TD recover partially or fully after they stop taking the medication.

it would be wise to discuss this symptom ASAP with your pdoc.i'm certainly not a doc but had this symptom too. i was immediately changed to another med without that side effect.
hope this helps.

[thickntired]

Hi friends,

Ok here is the kicker. When you self medicate as I did you can experience insomnia for 6 mo to 1 yr!!! I'm on a large dose of trazodone to take at bedtime. I'll get a mouth guard but hopefully it is from insomnia/anxiety and lack of rem sleep.

If anyone has trouble sleeping please see your pdoc ASAP because the side effects can be long term.

Thanks for all the replies!!

TnT

There's a good article on the Depression Forum for dealing with SAD and using light therapy for inability to have a routine sleep schedule. It has been written by "Rapunzel", and it's very good, in my view.

I think the article is called "Any Advice for Dealing With SAD".

Please take a look at the article.

[avlady]

Sleep apnea is what i always ask if the person is having sleep problems like yours-i was saved a lot of sleepless nights as i was diagnosed with sleep apnea and use a machine to breath through during sleep. you need to be tested for it if you decide. Also chamomile tea always worked for me too. I realise you're going through withdrawal which may be the only problem i hope you can do it I'm rootin for you to do the best thing you can do and re doing by giving up all the drugs etc... I am so proud of you!!!!!!!!!!

Sleep apnea testing and being put on continuous positive air pressure (CPAP)is one of the best things that happened to me for insomnia. I was taking afternoon naps to get through 'til bedtime.

It's REM sleep that "charges" our "battery", and if we aren't getting that we're subject to fatigue--big time--loss of energy and weakness. It's better to be safe and sure than to risk not knowing if we have sleep apnea. A lung specialist or your general practitioner can recommend that you undergo testing.

It's covered by medicare and probably your health insurance, as well. If not, it can be somewhat expensive, but worth every penny you might spend to get your sleep schedule adjusted.

I had moderate sleep apnea, and I can tell you that I never get sleepy in the afternoon and never take naps. Once in a while I'll have insomnia, but it's related to too much acidity and an Alkaseltzer will help with that or aspirin or the "lemon thing".

Please take care of your electrical system.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by thickntired

This morning I took a muscle relaxer at 5 am, but that's not a solution just causing a problem.

I am not an addict but I generally read messages about insomnia in all the forums.

Why do you think a muscle relaxer is causing a problem?

[minefield]

Hiya,

I would not worry that you might have something severe you know TnT from my quitting smoking, quitting weed thread that you have helped me with that i am going through eerily exactly the same issue with my teeth and awaiting my gum guard.

For those not in my thread 2 weeks after quitting weed I was in such a mess with head aches and jaw ache it was like daggers in my head so I had to go to the dentist who advised me that I'm grinding my teeth in sleep, this is a very common reaction to stress!!!

It is a habit hard to break because you can't unlearn subconscious behaviour, the dentist said he had the same issue and is one of the most common problems he deals with. That is regardless of mental health.

You know as well that I am getting a gum guard the only role of the guard is to prevent further problems as it protects your teeth from the grinding, not to stop the grinding.

Also when quitting smoking, the blood supply to your teeth is increased which make gums swollen and sore and you will most likely notice blood when brushing, but this settles down as your mouth becomes healthy again. I would not be surprised if that is the same when an alcoholic stops drinking.

It's good to know what serious problems to look out for but like I said its weird how your having exactly the same issue as me, at exactly the same time whilst going through a quit battle also. With the striking similarity to me I would suggest your just going through the normal bodily response as your body adjusts to not being blasted with toxins. For us both to have this problem indicates to me that this is just a normal response, so try not to add to your stress by thinking something major is wrong.

Your being normal, your body is reacting and changing as you are on the road to true health, it will improve with the beeping frustrating passing of time. Xxxx

[thickntired]

Hello Friends,

Thanks so much for all the helpful replies. What really helped me is my pdoc put me on Trazadone to take at night until this passes. I stopped clenching my jaw, and I'm now able to sleep 8 hours! I feel groggy in the morning sometimes, but I'm prescribed aderall to take in the am which helps. I'm supposed to take 40mg of aderall, but I cut back to 20mg because I don't need it in sobriety. Also, my abilify is working so much better without all the drugs. I was also perscribed valium 4x's a day. Now I take it 1 or 2 times a week if at all! My anxiety has really gone down. I've had nothing but positive changes with sobriety. It's important I get sleep because in AA I need to pay attention and work my steps.

Peace & Hugs,

TnT