If, for insomnia...

[snowwite]

"Why don't you just lie down and try to sleep?" an actual honest-to-god doctor who, I guess, never realized I had tried that once or twice ...

Not helpful. That’s like telling a person with anxiety to just calm down.

 

[ronandannette]

I’ve been on Zopiclone for almost 10 years (with a three years break that ended in November. Nothing else works for me (even 30 mg of melatonin) and I am so, so thankful that my dr believes in treating the patient, not the symptom. Does he wish I didn’t have to rely on it? Of course, but he also knows it works for me, so he continues the current path we are on.




LOL tell me you don’t really understand chronic insomnia without telling me you don’t understand chronic insomnia.

DH too, or thereabouts that long. His doctor has never suggested stopping, nor does he seem to have any adverse side effects.

 

[tasha99]

Depending on the sleeping pill in question, I would go so far as to suggest that a psychiatrist would need to get involved. Some drugs are more benign, such as sedating Antihistamines, which could be prescribed by a GP but when you're getting into trickier territory such as sedating antidepressants or antipsychotics, psychotropic drugs, I'd prefer to consult a psychiatrist.

Frequent Benadryl use possibly increases risk of dementia, so it might not be that benign for some kinds of Antihistamines. I tried smoking weed before bed for a while (legal where I am). It helps me fall asleep, but doesn't help me stay asleep, so I quit using it as a sleep aid. Now I listen to the Avalon album by Roxy Music. It helps me fall asleep, but again, I have issues staying asleep. I'm not bad enough to want to try more meds, but have resigned myself to the idea of sleeping, being up for a while, then sleeping more. Typically I'll sleep from midnight to 4, and then another hour after 6. I don't sleep well on the second shift because my cats keep waking me up. I don't consider it insomnia--more like poor sleep. I get 5 hours when I wish I got 7.