[EBD8]

Years before being diagnosed with BP 2 in 1995 I've had trouble sleeping. I spent over 10 years on clonazepam for my anxiety with I have a lot as well but since I told the truth about being an addict, not just to drugs many other thingsas well nowadays the Drs. won't give you anything. I've abused a lot of things but the benzo's were not one of them. You know what they think, it might a trigger a response for me to go back using weed, opiates, or alcohol. A good night sleep for me is 4 hours but lately it's less than 2. I've got a script for visteril but it really doesn't do much for me. I don't want to go back to buying anything off the street, guess I'm like some people just lucky to be alive with that foolish behavior. Usually takes about 5-6 days of this before I sleep good. One other question I have for any other BP ppl is for some reason I've always had more intense fear that I never shared before with any Dr. and have been at a loss to explain. I really think that is why the clonazepam helped me so much. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

[intergalactictraveler]

Been on clonazepam for six years and it's my only drug, since no psych drugs have kept my ultradian cycling in check. Yes, it helps me sleep but I've had to push the dose up, though 2mg is modest by some standards and I only use that dose when I'm seriously manic. Most nights I use between .75 and 1mg. For me, it's also a libido killer, but my wife's attitude toward sex has also contributed to libido going bye bye.

[ultramar]

What's helped me is Seroquel (though not taking it for sleep) and sometimes I take benedryl when that's not enough.

It's been helpful for me to set a specific time to go to bed every night, but honestly I'm not very good at keeping to that.

Waiting to get into bed until I'm nearly passing out (from the meds).

Reading in bed before sleeping.

Stopping drinking fluids about an hour before going to bed so I don't have to get up to pee.

Listing to the BBC World News for some reason soothes me (maybe it's the accent, of course they're usually talking about awful things, though).

My teddy bear, which I've had since I was 10...

[middlepath]

sounds wierd, but i cocoon myself in with pillows: two under my head, one on my side and one under my knees even. Then I put a super-heavy blanket on the bottom half of my legs. Something about the weight on my legs is so soothing. I also (being a bit of a TV addict) put on mindless tv, like Food network, where it is so quiet I can barely hear it. Then I set the timer for 1 hr or more. and this usually works for me. Of course, there are insomniac nights, but this scenario works for me *most* nights.

I take visteral 100mgs and 2mgs of lorazepam.

It's a lot but it works, could u maybe up your dose of visteral?

[EBD8]

yeah probably if I begged a family MD. I really thought I was doing good to get 50mg of visteril. I'm going on vacation next week and don't have another appt. for 6 weeks. Right now my medicare won't kin til nov and the social worker at the hospital that psy docs are not taking much medicad or medicad patients. Ins sucks.

[~Christina]

Just because you had addiction issues in the past doesn't mean you can not receive medical care for insomnia. Lack of sleep tears your entire mind and body apart. I know some Doctors only allow 1 week supply of medication(s) at a time to help discourage taking more than is necessary.

Maybe you need to have another discussion with your Doctor or maybe find a new one.

I feel for you! I have suffered the hell of Insomnia since I was 12, Even now on doses of medications that could put a small country to sleep, I go in cycles where I will sleep 1-2 hours a week ...

Good luck , Please talk to your doctor