Posted by terra miller on August 5, 2001, at 23:31:46
In reply to Re: Reply » terra miller, posted by Elizabeth on August 4, 2001, at 22:05:50
> Ambien is the one thing that's continued working for me. What I've found is that while it only "knocks you out" when you first start taking it, it continues to facilitate sleep for a long time afterwards.
can you explain what you mean by "facilitates sleep for a long time afterwards."???? does that mean it regulates your sleep cycle for days afterwards, or are you referring to that particular night's sleep???
> > i rotated for a while and that was somewhat beneficial. kind of like tricking my body or something.
>
> I actually think it's a pretty good idea (although I'm not too keen on using alcohol as a sleep aid).you know, i'm not either. i don't for the life of me understand why alcohol works. i don't want it to work and intellectually i don't think it's a good idea. i don't get it, elizabeth. grrrr.
>It's important to have a stable sleep-wake pattern.
no matter when i get off to sleep, i wake at the same time (because i agree that sleeping in only makes it worse) and i do not let myself nap either for same reason. i can't believe how little sleep i'm living on. (how long can one person be so hypervigilant??? now i'm getting agitated just writing! grrrr.)
>One thing that worked well for me was taking Cylert (a long-acting stimulant) in the morning...
I have not heard of Cylert. Can you tell me more about it. Also, would not the same effect occur with Wellbutrin, I wonder? Curious.
> It might help you to have a routine. Sleeping is much easier if you are going to bed at about the same time every day and waking up at about the same time every day.
I wake same time. I fall asleep whenever I can override the hypervigilance. Honestly, Elizabeth, it is extremely annoying.
> Do you really think that if you used it intermittently, as needed, you would still have to go through withdrawal? ("Intermittently" means perhaps taking it once every few days, not every day.)
I'm afraid to start again, since I went through withdrawals last time I attempted the "as needed" approach.
> That hasn't been my experience with Xanax (which I've been using as-needed for years). Actually I've never experienced benzo withdrawal.Do you think I just am prone to it? I have been in bed thinking and really think that the benzos really are the way to go for me, considering the variety of anxiety I am dealing with (occasional). I think I only need short term/acting types. I'm just afraid. What difference is there between xanax and ativan from what you notice? (I "do" know that I've found ativan frustrating in the past because it takes too long to get in my system.... usually an hour.... which is far into whatever is making me anxious. I've always wished to have xanax instead, because I've heard that it acts faster.)
On another note: what do you know about Sonota for sleep??? I see pdoc on Friday, and have been wondering about asking for scripts for both xanax and sonata. Opinions? Sonata can be taken in the middle of the night, yes? That is "SO" my issue.
-terra
poster:terra miller
thread:72451
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010804/msgs/73732.html