STOPPED SLEEPING help please!!! Sleeping tablets stopped working! ZERO sleep!! Have been using sleeping tablets for almost 30 years.

[Moytjie]

I use 2 Circadins, 2 Seroquels 50mg (which makes me feel like cement) 2mg Rivotril (benzodiazepine) and 12,5mg Stilnox MR (think it is Ambien outside of South Africa). I'm so tired I can't walk. The pain is surreal. Anti-depressants don't work. Natural remedies don't work. I have been using sleeping tablets for almost 30 years every night and now NOTHING works. Can anyone advise me out of this mess please? I'm resistant to sleep meds. Pain meds no good.

[Hidden]

Hi I am very surprised that your doctor has let you take sleeping and especially for so long. Normally now they are very reluctant to hand them out and limit them for a few weeks. Are you in the UK? I don't know about other countries.

I have problems sleeping and take mirtazapine which is an antidressant and it really helps. I know other find that some pain killers help with sleep as well. I hope you find some answers. x.

[Moytjie in reply to Hidden]

Hi coughalot2 I'm from South Africa. Yes the doctors here never told me about the sleeping pill tolerance issue. Very short GP visiting time and being sent out with a script the main goal. Tried Mirtazapine, Trodazone, Amytriptiline and, and, and ..... the Seroquel which is supposed to help me sleep, doesn't and I can't take more it makes me like an immovable statue.

[Hidden in reply to Moytjie]

Oh ok. I don't really have any other suggestions I'm afraid. Maybe when the withdrawal effects have worn off you will start to sleep better? It could that when you have help with something your body stops producing some enzyme or similar. Maybe when you don't have the help anymore your body might adjust?

Can you get a double appointment with a doctor to discuss these issues? How about therapy of some sort - maybe you have problems you need to look into and this in turn might help with the sleeping bit. x

[Cb1963 in reply to Hidden]

like you i take the mitrazapine at night time and whilst it doesn't knock you out it's like a relaxant and sleep creeps up normally,even though its used as an antidepressant it often used hand in hand to help other conditions,so its a very useful tablet,cheers

[Hidden in reply to Cb1963]

Yes it usually works for me. I only take half the prescribed dose but occasionally I need a whole one. If that doesn't work then (only about once a month) a large vodka and coke does! x

[Cb1963]

is it the pain that keeps you awake? If so then discussions should take priority over sleeping tablets,and as you are already aware sleeping tablets are addictive,and here in the UK are doctors are pretty strict with a long term prescription,so unfortunately your body might be now at a stage of been resilient to them,you mentioned that no pain medications work,dare I ask have you been given fentanyl patches,morphine slow release patches which are pretty powerful,which comes in different strengths,certain pain killers work on specific injuries or long term health problems,and it may be worth laying you cards down on the table to you doctor and explain how pain is affecting you,and subconsciously you might be worried that as the sleeping tablets aren't working are you concerned that you might no longer receive them,its very difficult to really to pass comments on your medication's as I don't want to come across as being rude,and sometimes unless you get any side effects from new medications it might be worth trying them over a slightly longer period,it can take weeks for new tablets to get absorbed into your system,and with your chronic pain I would strongly advise that you pass your concerns about your pain,as we all know pains at night time cause all sorts of other problems,sleep deprivation,low mood swings,anger,resentment,marriage problems,work commitments and the list is endless,I'm sorry that I can't give you the answers to your questions,but maybe a glimmer of help knowing that others will read your post and shed some more light and give you some different options,take care,bye for now

[Moytjie in reply to Cb1963]

Thank you so much never heard of the patches here in South Africa.

[MrsRobbinson]

Are you able to have access to "YouTube"? There is a wonderful hypnotist by the name ( Michael Sealey ) perhaps if you could get comfortable with earplugs and play one of his videos for insomnia shortly after you have taken your meds, it may help a bit ? Just a suggestion.... I find him to be very successful with me. If you would like for me to send you a link to one of his sessions I will be more than happy. What have you got to lose by giving it a try ? It may just help give your meds an extra "re-push"

[Moytjie in reply to MrsRobbinson]

MrsRobinson please send me the links you found usedul thank you so much.

[MrsRobbinson in reply to Moytjie]

Here is one;

youtu.be/HoKYdHLDuc8(Not working as expected?)

I hope the link works and sends you to the video;

I will send more once you reply that you were able to open it and access his video, thanks

[MrsRobbinson in reply to Moytjie]

This is one of the "hypnosis" videos by him, the other one I sent you was a meditation. Don't worry when you see the word (hypnosis) It's not mind controlling or anything like that. But I would set aside time to be able to sleep and totally relax before you listen to either one. I hope this helps a bit ? I am also starting to use videos with Binural, Beta,Delta,and Theta waves. These are different frequencies that are supposed to help your brain relax. If your interested I will send you a link to one of those as well. There is one that I absolutely couldn't live without when I get a headache, it's as if someone is giving your brain a "massage" 😉

But for now give one of these a go........ try it more than once as well. It may take a couple of "tries" before you can get with the feeling of relaxing and having headphones in your ears, and just going with the flow of it. Don't worry about trying to stay awake and listen to what he's saying either, the point is to drift off under guided talk.

youtu.be/hvOgpzRJxJg(Not working as expected?)

[Jtal19305]

Try 3 to 5 mg of melatonin. It's better than all that prescription stuff for sleep.

[ScobyRuby]

Try the pain relief patches, ask you GP

[cyberbarn]

"Try 3 to 5 mg of melatonin" Circadin is melatonin.

It does sound like you need to see a specialist. If the drugs you are taking aren't working, then it is time to stop taking them and try something else, but you need to get the pain under control first. Can you ask your doctor for a referral to a pain clinic? You don't say what part of SA you live in, but I know there are pain clinics in Cape Town that take referrals from all over the country.

[Moytjie in reply to cyberbarn]

Have been at a pain clinic in Rondebosch got handful of tablets which made me very sick.

[cyberbarn in reply to Moytjie]

Did you go back for a follow up to tell them? They seem like a reputable pain clinic that covers all the bases, so I would think that they would be the people to go to again.

I am sorry you are having so much trouble with this. It is a downward spiral isn't it, because lack of sleep makes pain worse, and the worse the pain the less sleep you get. I hope you get some relief soon.

[Hidden]

I was on sleeping tabs for years but eventually they just didn't work, I have CFS/ME and in dreadful pain and exhaustion yet can't sleep!! I stopped the sleep mess and the amitryptiline as I experienced dreadful nightmares if I did sleep. I use my iPad in bed to do brain training as a distraction and there are loads of apps out there for relaxing and meditation, I find they help me to relax but the pain is always there, I experiment to find different ways to disassociate. It's not a cure but it helps to relax and that doesn't make the pain worse.. I have 5-6 day migraines too that I have had for over 32 years and osteoporosis and arthritis, it's 24/7 pain that can't be cured but I refuse to let it grind me down, it will if you're not proactive in trying everything you can to relax your body. Hope this helps a bit. Hugs Sal x

[E_lizab8]

Don't know if this will help you at all, but I had terrible 3 day miraines for 50 years, nothing helped very much, until I went on a gluten-free diet for other problems, since then, been five years now with no migraines, eating GF is sometimes helpful for arthritis pain too, depending on what type you have,easiy enough to try it out for a week or two maybe you will be lucky.

[E_lizab8 in reply to E_lizab8]

Forgot to say that this response of mine is for Iresee.

[Hidden]

Thanks E_lizab8 I have tried everything including exclusion diets, gluten,dairy etc then went through the migraine clinic at my local hospital and tried every pill and treatment they could come up with....the verdict was it was stress related... since then my son died suddenly aged 42 and I had a breakdown which triggered the CFS/ME so they may be right, I am highly sensitive, I have been since being a child. I just live with it all now. Thanks for the advice though. x

[mszach]

I know this is an old post but I'm wondering how you're doing now? I have nearly the same issue although I can usually manage a couple hours, takes a long time to fall asleep and I wake up super early. On 100 mg Seroquel, 1 mg Klonopin, melatonin and Remeron, been on them for years.