Please Help Me Sleep!

[madriley]

Okay, today is day 12 for me being clean. Everything is going great except for one vital thing..... I can only sleep for about 2 hours every night. I have to be up by 6:30 to get my daughter ready and bring her to school and then I am with my son for the day. I feel bad because when morning comes I can hardly open my eyes and I am SO cranky. I have tried meditating, drinking milk, velarium root, showers nothing helps. Does anyone have some words of wisdom that may help me get some more sleep so I can function during the day? Thanks for your input I appreciate it!

[mattcake79]

Maddy! No words of wisdom here, just wanted to give you some support. Your sleep patterns should settle eventually. In the meantime, try to get as much rest as possible... lay down, relax, and try to avoid worrying.

TTYS!

[Pam08]

I went thru that a few months ago, first time i was sober for a bit. I was given meds to help, but they didn't do anything. hours later I would be waiting for them to kick in. benadryl has helped me in the past , when I was in detox. I would call the doctor and see what they can perscribe. I think, this will pass it did for me.....good luck, hope you can get some GOOD sleep soon. Makes for a long long day...and dark eyes.

[Edge2007]

Hey Hun,

You said you tried Valarian Root and it didn't work. How about Melatonin? It is super cheap and it really does work. It doesn't make you sleepy as much as it relaxes your mind enough to let you drift off.

You can find it at any Health Food Store and most large Grocery Stores and Pharmacies will have it as well.

Just an idea!

Edge2007

[windysan]

Insomnia is the last sympton to go. Lack of sleep will make you feel like crap BUT IT WON'T KILL YOU. DRUGS WILL KILL YOU. I tried all those herbal remedies and they made me feel weird. Benadryl dried my mouth out and made me hungover. The best thing to do is PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. Exercise.

[madriley]

Originally Posted by mattcake79

Maddy! No words of wisdom here, just wanted to give you some support. Your sleep patterns should settle eventually. In the meantime, try to get as much rest as possible... lay down, relax, and try to avoid worrying.

TTYS!

Thanks matt! I am a little more awake now, I took an ice cold shower..brrrr. Thanks for the pep talk, I'll talk to u soon!

[madriley]

Thanks for the help guys. I know that it will pass eventually, it's just trying to get through the days now, with no sleep and I am soooo impatient with the kids... I will make it up to them though. Does anyone know how long it usually lasts?

Oh and Edge, thanks for the info. I will pick some up this afternoon and see what happens. It can't hurt to try, we'll see. Thanks again! I hope everyone is having a great day!

[bvaljalo]

It lasts a long time coming off of long-acting opioids like methadone and buprenorphine. There was about a month where I couldn't sleep coming off the bupes, and as I've said before I used ambien exactly as prescribed for the first two weeks, and then an OTC antihistamine (unisom, aka doxylamine succinate, same stuff that's in nyquil) the next two weeks. And I ended up occasionally needed 1/2 a unisom during the following month.

Some folks are 'anti-drug-based sleep aids' during w/d's, and I suppose that's justifiable, but to me, getting the sleep was just more important. I was more worried about how the lack of sleep would affect me mentally than I worried about suddenly, for the first time in my life, becoming addicted to OTC sleeping pills.

Obviously, it worked out okay for me, this attitude. I probably wouldn't recommend this approach to someone who'd previously had a sleeping pill addiction, though.

Anyways, as I say, what you're going through is normal, the result of your brain having over-produced adrenaline to keep you alert despite the (cns-depressant) narcotics all those years. It takes a while for that process to come back into balance. Probably haven't been quite as hungry as you'd expect also. And you've probably had jittery legs, and a tendency to blather on when talking to people lately, too, right? All part of the same phenomenon.

It will end, though

[lostbutterfly]

((Madriley)) there is nothing worse, I don't think. When my ex b/f kicked H I got him some Rohypnol which, despite it's bad name over here (date rape drug) is a great (but v. addictive) sleeping pill. He took double the recommended dose and all he got was a rash and another sleepless night!!

I've heard good things about melatonin - we can't get it here, but sounds worth a try.

[windysan]

I kicked over the course of a few days. About 2 weeks into rehab I started eating everything in sight and my counselor encouraged it. I'm 6'1" and got down to around 140or so. Looked like a skinny nightmare. I ate pie, cake, burgers, candy, dang !!

[lostbutterfly]

Originally Posted by windysan

I kicked over the course of a few days. About 2 weeks into rehab I started eating everything in sight and my counselor encouraged it. I'm 6'1" and got down to around 140or so. Looked like a skinny nightmare. I ate pie, cake, burgers, candy, dang !!

And haven't stopped eating since by the sound of it, lol!

[northbelle]

My god I can BARELY drag myself up at 8 am to get my kid out the door!!!! Ya know it is not the easiest thing in th eowrld to take care of 2 kids..it has been my GREATEST challenge...I feel that way every day in the morning...so does my kid..heck I think it is un natural to get up in the dark of winter and go anyplace...I want to just hibernate!...What time do you go to bed?? I need to get myself on a sleep schedule ..especially if I have to be at my job at 5 am!!
Maybe if you work on forgiving yourself, pray...
Do something nice for yourself..pamper yourself in some way...you aer going through alot madriley...the stuff you shared is so cool . But you said you hated yourself...work on loving yourself. We have to be filled up to give to our kids and if you aer on the edge you just have nothing to give....I really enjoy your posts and your support here..
Do you have a HP??????
love north

Lost...the date rape drug?? And he did not go to sleep!!! That is crazy..poor guy must of been miserable..

[vicodaniel]

Wish I had good news, I'm on day 29 and only the past few nights have been near normal sleep. So , you have a little ways to go. You are doing great, It just takes time !

[windysan]

Originally Posted by lostbutterfly

And haven't stopped eating since by the sound of it, lol!

Louisiana is a state that's known for the food, music, and culture. I miss a meal and I get restless.

[madriley]

Originally Posted by northbelle

Ya know it is not the easiest thing in th eowrld to take care of 2 kids..it has been my GREATEST challenge...I feel that way every day in the morning...so does my kid..heck I think it is un natural to get up in the dark of winter and go anyplace...I want to just hibernate!...
Do you have a HP??????
love north

I do not envy you North, I don't think I could handle a month of darkness. My mind is not stable enough for that. So, kudos to you for being a TOUGH girl! At least here it is light by about 6:30, I would prob not get up at all if it was dark all the time! What do the kids do during this time? I am having a hard time keeping my son busy during the day right now. Aside from me being like a zombie, it is so cold out now, so we've been doing things in the house. I want to pull my hair out some days!


I have not turned to anything or anyone else yet as far as my recovery. I know that I have to, but I wanted to take it slowly cuz I know there's alot of crap that will come out that will make getting some more drugs the only thing on my mind. It is so much easier to be numb than to actually feel. But who wants to go through life and not feel anything?

Thanks for all the advice guys, if you can do it so can I! If I start hallucinating I will call the doc! That's just a joke....

[madriley]

Originally Posted by vicodaniel

Wish I had good news, I'm on day 29 and only the past few nights have been near normal sleep. So , you have a little ways to go. You are doing great, It just takes time !

Congratulations Vico!!! 29 days clean!! Good for you!

[Vintersemestre]

Approaching three months now and all I can tell you is sleep is so good it's hard to wake up.

[Stimmed]

Repose thy sweetness,
dream you on the pillows of sleep.
Aside all endevour's,
and regain thy strength
for those to keep.

Night night :-)

[lostbutterfly]

Why is that the second the alarm goes, I fall into the deepest sleep imaginable after being up all night? I should set my alarm for midnight - let's see if that works!

[madriley]

I am just so angry right now so I thought I would type. I had called my doc office last week to go in about not sleeping. They told me to call back this Tuesday morning if I was still not sleeping and they would get me in. So called Tuesday because still no more than 2 hrs. sleep a night. They said to call this morning. I just got off the phone with them and do you know when they gave me an appt. for? Dec.11!!! So I have tried the herbal stuff, excercising, meditation, everything that I have heard of and NOTHING has helped at all. I am getting scared cuz each day I feel worse and I am alone with my 3 year old during the day. What if I nod out or start hallucinating? Anyway, I said to the nurse, well what if I said that I was sick? He said they would give me an appt. for tomorrow but if I went in tomorrow and told the doc it was for something else they would refuse to see me because insomnia is a ROUTINE appt. And if I go to the emergency room they will only refer me to my PCP. I just wanted to get that off of my chest. I don't know what I am going to do now,my husband will back on Monday so hopefully I can keep it together until then.

Thanks for listening to me b%$^ch.

[lostbutterfly]

Madriley, I'm no expert, but I understand that methadone is about the hardest opiate to come off - you are doing so well, you have no idea!

I know they say lack of sleep can't kill you, but that's not how it feels. If you are tired during the day, can you put a TV show on for half an hour and just lay on the couch while he watches it?

I do that sometimes - not in the good parenting manual, but you gotta survive!

[madriley]

Thanks LB! For some reason (duh I've been on drugs for the last decade and a half) my mind is totally out of sync. I have been going to bed at around 11:00pm and doing deep breathing and all that stuff to fall asleep. After 2 hours of that I go downstairs and lay on the couch cuz I am tossing and turning so much. I KNOW that I am tired but my mind is buzzing and my heart is racing. Finally at around 5am I fall asleep and then when my alarm goes off I feel like I could still sleep more but as soon as I start to get stuff ready for the day, the actual sleepiness that LETS me sleep goes away and I am left yawning all day long. I was thinking I wonder if it has something to with how I was dosing. I would go at the same time every morning for my dose 5:00am. Isn't that coincidental? I have tried napping while my son takes a nap and same thing, I yawn the whole darn time and can not fall asleep. I need to stop thinking about it so much.
Thanks to you all for your help and encouragement, I just finished my 3rd shower of the day and am starting to feel a little normal (for me anyway).

[ccgirl2]

I forget who said it earlier in the thread, but I think a sleep schedule is really, really important right now. No naps, up at the same time; to bed at the same time. I have sleep problems even now, heck, even before I used. Staying on a tight schedule for me is key.

[chloes1]

The whole not sleeping thing really stinks. I know it's not much help but this really does pass. The good news is that you ever have to do this again.

For me not sleeping was the straw that broke the camel's back.

[lostbutterfly]

I think bv said on another thread, when he gave up subs, another long lasting opioid, he had sleeping problems for a month. And that is pretty standard.

So you will sleep again, this is normal, altho not any less sucky for that!