I no longer need prescription meds for chronic insomnia
I have suffered with insomnia since I was a child. I've tried all sorts of prescription medications for this. I received some of the usual medications given to people who suffer with sleep issues. I was given anxiety medications. Those worked for a very short time and eventually didn't help with sleeping at all. I was then put on an antidepressant that had a side effect of making you drowsy. That worked amazing for a long time. When it stopped working we tried to go up on the mg but discovered going up on the mg had the opposite effect for me and made me anxious. Next was Ambien which made me feel really strange and caused odd hallucinations. I immediately quit that one. I was too freaked out to even sleep. I later found out from my Neurologist that Ambien is very unsafe and causes a lot of problems for many people. We tried Lunesta next. Lunesta worked beautifully for a good bit of time, but eventually it lost it's effectiveness. At some point I was placed on muscle relaxers - two different kinds at two different times. Both eventually lost their initial effectiveness as all of the other prescription medications.<br /><br />Of course, I had already tried nearly everything made by man that you can buy over the counter before going through all of these prescription medications. The problem with most of these medications is when a dose loses its effectiveness the natural next step is usually to be prescribed a higher dose. In my opinion and experience you may be unknowingly setting yourself up for a much bigger problem than you bargained for in the future. Your body builds up a natural physical tolerance to a medication and the dosage. Eventually your body will require more of that drug if you truly struggle to just SLEEP. Continuing to up the amount of the dosage on many of these medications is dangerous, especially if you are required to take other medications. You MUST be very cautious mixing meds or even having a casual evening with friends having alcohol.<br /><br />PLEASE be aware of the potential dangers of taking too much medication that depresses your Central Nervous System. As well as mixing medications that all depress your CNS or drinking alcohol with these medications. I buried a very dear friend of mine last week because of this reason. He struggled to just SLEEP. That's it. He just needed sleep. He took too much of medications prescribed to him and mixed them to ensure he was able to get some sleep. He had done this many times for quite some time. Obviously he didn't see any danger in doing this because he had done it so often with no problems. I'm sure he believed he would just get some rest that night like all the other nights before. However, he went to sleep and never woke up. This is the reality of chronic insomnia if you are mixing medications or taking a dose that is too high. Even if you have done this before, even if you have done it many times... one time may well be your last.<br /><br />During all of the time that I was being switched from medications by my Doctor, because they stopped working correctly, I began to look into other more natural things that could help. I tried Chamomile tea. That worked for a short time. Then it began to have the opposite effect making me anxious. I tried a chewable gummy vitamin (vitafusion- relaxed mood) which never worked at all. I tried various teas created to cause a relaxing experience. Some worked for awhile and some did not. I eventually read about Melatonin. I was open to trying it. Natures Bounty was the first brand I ever purchased. The Quick Disolve tablet was also the first kind of Melatonin I purchase because they work faster. I have tried several different brands of Quick Desolve Melatonin and none seem to work as well as Natures Bounty. I take one 10mg tablet each night when I begin to feel a little tired. I make sure to be IN BED, IN COMPLETE DARKNESS within 30 minutes. I'm able to doze off in a natural way, not a drugged kind of feeling. I don't wake up sluggish or in a fog. I may wake up during the night to turn over or get more comfortable, but I'm not generally in a wide awake stake. Of course, with chronic insomnia there can be nights where this varies, but overall I've found this brand, product and dosage to be sufficient. Thankfully I am no longer on any prescription medications for sleep. Some nights may be more difficult than others, but that's life for almost everyone. A stressful day can make it difficult to unwind and sleep well for almost anyone - even people who do not have insomnia.<br /><br />FYI - Melatonin works best in complete darkness. This is just how the supplement works. So if you take it and sit around watching TV with lights on, etc. there's a good chance it will not work properly. I've been through that too. However, if taken when you get in bed and turn the lights out or just before you go to bed it works very well. Also, there haven't been a great deal of studies about what is a correct dose of Melatonin. Some people can take 5 mg and it works great. Others take the 10 mg and get good results. In no way would it be a good idea to consume more than 10 mg. You may get away with that for awhile, but considering what I've just experienced with the loss of my friend I absolutely would NOT suggest going over 10 mg per night. Please don't take any unnecessary risks with your life for sleep. If you still cannot sleep continue to see your Doctor so you can find a safe way to get the rest you need.





