Any insomniacs on here?

[Fish along]

In the last couple of years I've developed this problem of not being able to to sleep at night, it got to a point where I decided to see a doctor.So he gave me a prescription for zopiclone and trazadone, which does make me sleep but I worry about long term effects ,anyone on here have any opinions on this? Also if you have any home remedies or whatever that might be of help I would appreciate it,thank you.

[silverdoctor]

Zopiclone I can understand, but why an antidepressant/anti-anxiety like trazadone?

Cannabis indica will likely knock you out, no morning hangover either.

[Fish along]

Originally Posted by silverdoctor

Zopiclone I can understand, but why an antidepressant/anti-anxiety like trazadone?

Cannabis indica will likely knock you out, no morning hangover either.

So is this stuff legal?can it be taken like a pill or do I have to smoke it?

[35 whelen]

Just get a doctor's prescription cannabis oil

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[Marlin07]

Originally Posted by Fish along

So is this stuff legal?can it be taken like a pill or do I have to smoke it?

You can get it in a oil solution, works awesome for sleep issues. No need to smoke it.

[260 Rem]

“ME TOO” ...with the insomnia. Was prescribed zopiclone which works, but my regular Dr. retired and the new one I signed up with said he didn’t like prescribing zopiclone because he felt it could affect short term memory. He gave me an anti-depressant to try for a couple of months ... one tab before bedtime.... works fine.

[tool]

I will second Zopiclone's effect on short term memory.

I've been prescribed it in the past and found that it was ok so long as you did in fact fall asleep right away.

If not, I could get up in the morning and notice I had done trivial things around the house that I had no recollection of. VERY odd feeling! Also had friends or family I had spoken to on the phone that said I sounded like a space cadet.

very disturbing and scary!

[skidderman]

Suffer terribly from it. Here are some things that help.

1: No caffeine. Even if I have regular coffee in the morning my night is doomed.

2: Quit stressing about it. Stressing makes it worse so learn to live with it.

3: Try to limit stress. It doesn't help.

I saw my mother & sister become hooked on sleeping pills. Then you need pills to wake you up. It's a vicious circle and once you get in it's hard to get out. I never want to go through what they did.

[blacknorthernjk]

I have used Imovane for many years off and on as needed with zero ill effect. I do not find it addictive or particularly habit forming. There are still nights that I will not sleep at all and I chose to just ride them out. Then there are nights when I use some imovane for assistance and all is good. I would say I use about 1 a week.
I have "awoken" on occasion when using them and briefly conversed with my spouse and will have no recollection of it the next day, but never anything beyond that.
Trazodone was a first gen antidepressant that has fantastic off label uses as a sleep aid that is very beneficial to some. Just because Wikipedia tells you what the medication is, it may not always detail other uses it may have.

[pikergolf]

I suffered from insomnia for many, many years. I would try the trazidone alone before I tried zopiclone. As someone else has mentioned I would try the Mary Jane before I got on the zopiclone. I have taken them for years and honestly I feel they have made me far stupider than I used to be. I understand we all need sleep, but I would try to exhaust all options before I went on zopiclone again.

[DisplacedCaper]

I was prescribed zopiclone once. In relation to some other medical issues, I was having a terrible time sleeping because of them. Man it worked, so much so it scared me. I never finished the script. I told my dr I got some great rest but it seemed like it wasn’t addressing the problem of not sleeping and I didn’t want to rely on the knock out pill, or become reliant on it. Mind you it wasn’t insomnia that I had. But wow I still remember the sleep from it!


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[Taco]

Ingestible ganga

[ETOWNCANUCK]

Orgasm, cookie, smoke a joint....not necessarily in that order.

[omega50]

Prime Rib and a Rub and Tug

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by omega50

Prime Rib and a Rub and Tug

Are you right in Calgary?

[rena0040]

I've been doing shift work for 18 years, I go through bouts of it. I've seen way to many get hooked on whatever drug to help them sleep, booze, pot, zopiclone, melatonin, etc, etc to the point where they cant sleep without it. I've found the most effective way is to create a bed time routine. Train your brain to know when it is bedtime. Do the same things in the same order before bed every day/night and never, ever do something you would do in the morning before bed or your brain will prep for staying awake all day. It works for me and best of all im not putting crap in my body it doesn't need. I dont care what popular belief is, smoking dope every night is not healthy, took how long for us to realize a few drinks every day has negative long term health affects but hey, lets do it all over again.

[Red Bullets]

Pranayama...

This may be a useful tool to fall asleep. I use a variation of this method and I can fall asleep within 5 minutes. If you make it a bedtime routine it becomes second nature. Definitely worth trying if you suffer.

Without me explaining it by writing paragraphs refer to this blog. It gives an excellent explanation.

http://yogashaastra.blogspot.ca/2010...-brahmari.html

[JCP]

Exercise daily.

[silverdoctor]

Originally Posted by JCP

Exercise daily.

Can tossing and turning in bed be called exercise?

[alacringa]

Chronic insomniac. Related to stress/anxiety/depression. Trazodone has been a huge help.

[pikeman06]

Exercise has the opposite effect on me. If I'm out in the fresh air workin or walking or hunting or fishing I have a hell of a time getting my rest. When wake up time comes it feels like I could sleep for hours. I agree a few puffs on a gagger back when i smoked and she was the best sleep I ever had. Never tried the pills.

[Fish along]

Thank you for all your replies, I will try them all if I need to ,just to get back to some kind of normal.its really hard to understand unless you've been there,I'll give the zoplicone a wide berth from now on, as I believe what you say about it,wouldn't it be something if this could be controlled by a breathing exercise as was passed on by Red Bullets,hope is a powerful medicine.

[boonedocks]

Once you get on zopiclone, good luck getting off it. I’ve been taking it for many years now and there is absolutely no way of falling asleep without it. I also regularly “ sleepwalk” and/or eat like a hog in the middle of the night. Try any other avenues first.

[Bushmaster]

Can't help wondering....were you guys told of these side effects when you were prescribed this drug?

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by Fish along

Thank you for all your replies, I will try them all if I need to ,just to get back to some kind of normal.its really hard to understand unless you've been there,I'll give the zoplicone a wide berth from now on, as I believe what you say about it,wouldn't it be something if this could be controlled by a breathing exercise as was passed on by Red Bullets,hope is a powerful medicine.

Aside from the breathing patterns a person needs to calm the mind. I find with closed eyes, using the mind's eye to focus on one spot on your face or body can clear and calm the mind. I use a spot on my forehead between and above my eyebrows. The spot can be any place on your body. A person keeps thoughts focused on that chosen spot by using their mind's eye to be imagining looking at that spot. It slows other thoughts because your attention is on that spot, thus calming the mind. The human mind can only think one thought at a time and thoughts can be directed away from distractions or emotional stressors.

Hope this makes sense, or I won't sleep tonight.

~~~~~~~~~
"If the mind is not contrived, it is spontaneously blissful, just as water, when not agitated, is by nature transparent and clear".” ― Sogyal Rinpoche

[The Cook]

Gummies from "Herbal Dispatch" 5 or 10 ml thc. Sleep like a baby, no hang over.

[IceDemeter]

A lot of folks find that a combination of techniques can be helpful, especially when the issue is difficulty with initially FALLING asleep (the ones who have difficulty with early waking / can't STAY asleep have a much more difficult time).

You might want to look at some combination of:

- avoiding all electronics for one hour prior to bed-time (studies are showing that the blue light from screens can cause wakefulness)
- assessing your thirst / hunger throughout the evening, and adding in a late snack or drink as needed (something low carb / higher fat / higher protein so no sugar spike) --- or getting rid of that last snack if you already do have one close to bedtime
- creating an "end of day" ritual which will signal to your mind that it is sleep time (include a hot drink or snack if you need / want one, some gentle stretches, a walk around the house to set your mind at ease that all is well, a foot / hand soak and massage to get the extremities warm and ease possible restlessness, setting out clothes / food / etc for the next morning so that you know all is ready, whatever you find necessary and relaxing!)
- adjusting light and temperature of the bedroom (as dark as possible, fairly cool) and making sure that your bed / mattress / pillows are all your own personal definition of comfortable
- add in relaxation / breathing techniques (try what RedBullets suggested first, or try an imaging process that you repeat every night: such as creating the picture in your head of your "dream" hunting cabin in the mountains where you visualize each step of the design and layout --- as mentioned, your mind can only think of one thing at a time, and creating images ties up all parts of the brain)

Unless under extreme stress, it is the combination of late balanced snack, ritual, WARM FEET, and visualization / relaxation that works best for me.

Oh - and did your doc do a full physical along with blood work including vitamin / mineral levels when you went in? Some vitamin / mineral deficiencies can show up as difficulty with sleeping (due to restless or lightly cramping muscles or emotional / mental effects). Insomnia can also be a side-effect of other meds such as for blood pressure or cholesterol, so a chat with your doc or pharmacist about changing prescriptions or timing of taking the meds can make all the difference.

Good luck to you for a good rest!

[covey ridge]

I was a shift worker for 27 years and now I do not sleep well. I was told that zopiclone was not addictive. It is not but once you start it you may not sleep without it. I got to the stage where it put me to sleep but did not keep me asleep. I can not explain it but sleep did not feel like sleep. I slept poorly before zopiclone and even worse with it.

I tapered down and quit. Now I take THC drops in the evening. The THC does not keep me asleep all night but I feel comfortable all night and well rested in the morning. The THC also takes the edge off my hip and shoulder pain that usually starts up in the evening.

If I could go back in time I would not let any doctor talk me into taking Zopiclone.

[Fish along]

Originally Posted by covey ridge

I was a shift worker for 27 years and now I do not sleep well. I was told that zopiclone was not addictive. It is not but once you start it you may not sleep without it. I got to the stage where it put me to sleep but did not keep me asleep. I can not explain it but sleep did not feel like sleep. I slept poorly before zopiclone and even worse with it.

I tapered down and quit. Now I take THC drops in the evening. The THC does not keep me asleep all night but I feel comfortable all night and well rested in the morning. The THC also takes the edge off my hip and shoulder pain that usually starts up in the evening.

If I could go back in time I would not let any doctor talk me into taking Zopiclone.

I started using this zoplicone about a year ago using 1/ 2 of the pill it worked well for a few months and then i needed the full pill, 99% of the time it worked well but sometimes it didn't work at all,then the doctor prescribed trazadone to be taken with it ,sometimes it worked ok sometimes I tossed and turned all night, the THC is looking like a much better option.

[Fish along]

Originally Posted by IceDemeter

A lot of folks find that a combination of techniques can be helpful, especially when the issue is difficulty with initially FALLING asleep (the ones who have difficulty with early waking / can't STAY asleep have a much more difficult time).

You might want to look at some combination of:

- avoiding all electronics for one hour prior to bed-time (studies are showing that the blue light from screens can cause wakefulness)
- assessing your thirst / hunger throughout the evening, and adding in a late snack or drink as needed (something low carb / higher fat / higher protein so no sugar spike) --- or getting rid of that last snack if you already do have one close to bedtime
- creating an "end of day" ritual which will signal to your mind that it is sleep time (include a hot drink or snack if you need / want one, some gentle stretches, a walk around the house to set your mind at ease that all is well, a foot / hand soak and massage to get the extremities warm and ease possible restlessness, setting out clothes / food / etc for the next morning so that you know all is ready, whatever you find necessary and relaxing!)
- adjusting light and temperature of the bedroom (as dark as possible, fairly cool) and making sure that your bed / mattress / pillows are all your own personal definition of comfortable
- add in relaxation / breathing techniques (try what RedBullets suggested first, or try an imaging process that you repeat every night: such as creating the picture in your head of your "dream" hunting cabin in the mountains where you visualize each step of the design and layout --- as mentioned, your mind can only think of one thing at a time, and creating images ties up all parts of the brain)

Unless under extreme stress, it is the combination of late balanced snack, ritual, WARM FEET, and visualization / relaxation that works best for me.

Oh - and did your doc do a full physical along with blood work including vitamin / mineral levels when you went in? Some vitamin / mineral deficiencies can show up as difficulty with sleeping (due to restless or lightly cramping muscles or emotional / mental effects). Insomnia can also be a side-effect of other meds such as for blood pressure or cholesterol, so a chat with your doc or pharmacist about changing prescriptions or timing of taking the meds can make all the difference.

Good luck to you for a good rest!

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply ,I can tell that you are well informed and to answer your question about blood work for mineral deficiency, it was not asked of me by the doctor, which I would have done if he'd asked ,just like that tooth brush commercial where she says (who knew).Also I have blood pressure problems ,sometimes I feel like my face is going to explode,I've tried several different kinds but nothing seems to work well ,I was prescribed these in lieu of an operation, before that I never used them at all,I'm starting to believe that I could just stop taking them. At this point I'm tired and totally confused.