Sleep
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Sleep
Sleep is hard for me. Always has been. So I have this 'sleeping' ritual. If it gets interrupted I'm screwed and can't sleep. I'm also tapering off seroquil which I have used to help me sleep for a long time. Too long. I only use 25 mg a night so one would think it wouldn't be that hard. It is. Really hard.
When I was in California a month ago I couldn't wait to go to a 'weed' shop. This would have been my college dream. I also use non- psychoactive CBD oil for migraines and it really helps. So I thought I'll pick some of that up and see one of these places. They are pretty hilarious....and cool. If I liked smoking pot I would have been pretty excited....but alas I don't. Anyway, as I was buying the CBD I asked the guy about a CBD for sleep....thinking maybe there is something specific. He said, oh yeah. So I bought an oil called Deep Sleep.
Well last night, right as I was drifting off, we had a pretty huge storm come through. Big lightening. My favorite. So of course I snap awake and run around closing windows cause the rain was huge. And then lay awake with my quaking dog watching the show, which was cool. Mid-show I realize, I'm getting a migraine, darn it. So I pull out my CBD and then see the deep sleep stuff so I take both. 15 minutes later I'm asleep, life is good.
I wake up to pee at like 3am. I feel like a rock as I'm walking to the bathroom. I'm really out of it. And hungry. I pee, go grab a protein bar, which tasted way too good for a protein bar, then fall back to sleep.
I get up this AM thinking, that deep sleep really works. I can use that to taper off my seroquil...then of course I have to taper off it. I look at the bottle more closely and it has 8.3 mg of THC per serving, NO cbd. WHAT? How'd that happen? And it gets better, the tincture is suspended in, you guessed it, alcohol. Ha! So the alcohol is no biggy as it was about a 1/4 teaspoon. But no wonder I was so out of it when I woke up at 3am. I was stoned. I don't know if 8.3 mg is a lot but I think for someone who doesn't smoke it was. Haha. Oops.
Think I'll save that for absolute emergencies. Good news? I only took 12mg of seroquel last night.
To anyone out there....if you aren't on sleep meds, do everything you can NOT to take them. They are a bitch to get off. For those with anxiety, like me, it is very tempting to take pharmaceuticals. But there are no free rides. They all come with negative consequences. Taking meds forever isn't an option for me....I just wish I never started. But when my late hub was sick I just could not sleep. Anyway, I'm getting there but its been rough!!
End of rant.
When I was in California a month ago I couldn't wait to go to a 'weed' shop. This would have been my college dream. I also use non- psychoactive CBD oil for migraines and it really helps. So I thought I'll pick some of that up and see one of these places. They are pretty hilarious....and cool. If I liked smoking pot I would have been pretty excited....but alas I don't. Anyway, as I was buying the CBD I asked the guy about a CBD for sleep....thinking maybe there is something specific. He said, oh yeah. So I bought an oil called Deep Sleep.
Well last night, right as I was drifting off, we had a pretty huge storm come through. Big lightening. My favorite. So of course I snap awake and run around closing windows cause the rain was huge. And then lay awake with my quaking dog watching the show, which was cool. Mid-show I realize, I'm getting a migraine, darn it. So I pull out my CBD and then see the deep sleep stuff so I take both. 15 minutes later I'm asleep, life is good.
I wake up to pee at like 3am. I feel like a rock as I'm walking to the bathroom. I'm really out of it. And hungry. I pee, go grab a protein bar, which tasted way too good for a protein bar, then fall back to sleep.
I get up this AM thinking, that deep sleep really works. I can use that to taper off my seroquil...then of course I have to taper off it. I look at the bottle more closely and it has 8.3 mg of THC per serving, NO cbd. WHAT? How'd that happen? And it gets better, the tincture is suspended in, you guessed it, alcohol. Ha! So the alcohol is no biggy as it was about a 1/4 teaspoon. But no wonder I was so out of it when I woke up at 3am. I was stoned. I don't know if 8.3 mg is a lot but I think for someone who doesn't smoke it was. Haha. Oops.
Think I'll save that for absolute emergencies. Good news? I only took 12mg of seroquel last night.
To anyone out there....if you aren't on sleep meds, do everything you can NOT to take them. They are a bitch to get off. For those with anxiety, like me, it is very tempting to take pharmaceuticals. But there are no free rides. They all come with negative consequences. Taking meds forever isn't an option for me....I just wish I never started. But when my late hub was sick I just could not sleep. Anyway, I'm getting there but its been rough!!
End of rant.
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That's great Apollo and congrats on day 38. I've been sober a while but have only been trying to get off the sleep aid for a month or so. I know it'll get better.....I just have to tough through it. The seroquil has a carryover effect that helps anxiety and I find my anxiety during the day is much worse as I taper. Ugh. Just have to bite the bullet.
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Frick,
Great post. Interesting all the way through.
My sleep cycles now which is better than my drunken sleep days. I refuse to take melatonin now to sleep, but sometimes I take an aleve if I feel body aches.
Last night out by 830 w a belly full of barbecue. But, I woke up at 11p,
Fiddled w my phone, out by 12, up at 6 am. It is so frustrating.
I think there had to be a helicopter or something. Sometimes the cops are chasing bad guys by my house.
Also, I have to wake up early sometimes for work and I think I get adrenaline shots to get moving.
I pray someday to routinely sleep 6 to 8 hours straight. I was a drunk since I was 5 so I may never normalize....in any manner.
Sleep, energy levels, serenity, and hardly getting sick are just a few of the benefits of kicking the booze habit.
Thanks.
Great post. Interesting all the way through.
My sleep cycles now which is better than my drunken sleep days. I refuse to take melatonin now to sleep, but sometimes I take an aleve if I feel body aches.
Last night out by 830 w a belly full of barbecue. But, I woke up at 11p,
Fiddled w my phone, out by 12, up at 6 am. It is so frustrating.
I think there had to be a helicopter or something. Sometimes the cops are chasing bad guys by my house.
Also, I have to wake up early sometimes for work and I think I get adrenaline shots to get moving.
I pray someday to routinely sleep 6 to 8 hours straight. I was a drunk since I was 5 so I may never normalize....in any manner.
Sleep, energy levels, serenity, and hardly getting sick are just a few of the benefits of kicking the booze habit.
Thanks.
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Originally Posted by Behappy1 
My Ex was on seroquel. It was awful! Have you tried magnesium? I take a Mag powder before bed called CALM and it really helps with sleep and anxiety. It wouldn’t compare to the seroquel or CBD though.
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It is hard D122. I also don't sleep well during the change of seasons. Too cold for AC too warm to sleep well. In the winter when I can get the house at a constant 58 I sleep the best. Tons of covers, cold house. I'm a bear or something!
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Originally Posted by Frickaflip233
That's great Apollo and congrats on day 38. I've been sober a while but have only been trying to get off the sleep aid for a month or so. I know it'll get better.....I just have to tough through it. The seroquil has a carryover effect that helps anxiety and I find my anxiety during the day is much worse as I taper. Ugh. Just have to bite the bullet.
There is nothing wrong with taking a medication you actually need, and it sounds like this one is working well for you.
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I completely agree with you on prescription sleep meds. The worst time getting off those things. Never again. So you accidentally got stoned in the middle of the night? That's actually kind of funny. Glad you're ok.
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Dear Fricka - I looked up seroquil to understand what you are taking. It appears to be a useful drug for several reasons. If you are only taking that for sleep however (and not giving you medical advice but looking at side effects only) I would suggest you detox from it.
You said you had tried the CBD oil but had some positive THC in what you bought. California just passed their marijuana initiative and my guess is that they are still testing and determining what their policies. I come from a state that has approved marijuana (earlier than Cali) and while I'm not a big marijuana fan, I have had to be open minded about the CBD.
By definition: "CBD interacts with our naturally occurring systems, but is non-psychotropic, it doesn’t cause a high. This makes it a safer, less controversial alternative, while still offering significant health benefits."
I have used CBD (it's expensive) for sleep and found it helped very little, however I have tried it (for less than a handful of times) for anxiety and really felt myself calm down. My SO was given some CBD by his son (he distills it for the state) for his nausea during chemo and radiation, and SO had asked his oncologist about using it. That doctor gave him his blessing as the jury was still out about its effectiveness. My SO takes the CBD nightly to help him sleep. (He also takes a prescribed Gabapentin nightly).
I take OTC Nyquill gel tabs if anything. Like I said my own GP will not prescribe anything more powerful now. Melatonin doesn't seem to help me and neither do herbal teas. If I am truly tired from a physical activity I seem to get my best sleep without aids.
My suggestion and only because not sleeping has been my nemesis - tough it out. It should get better, be glad you are not relying on addictive drugs for this. As much as I love ambien, it actually loses its efficacy. I buy it when I'm in Mexico (you don't need a prescription there) and use it when I have a sh*tty night. When I took it every night it wasn't any better than "toughing it out" sadly.
So by my own experience, get more physical. Where I live (in the high desert in PNW) biking hiking kayaking, dog walking horseback riding etc - get into a sport you would enjoy. Endure the muscle pain, it will resolve itself. You should crash into bed in the evenings! Good luck to you my friend!
You said you had tried the CBD oil but had some positive THC in what you bought. California just passed their marijuana initiative and my guess is that they are still testing and determining what their policies. I come from a state that has approved marijuana (earlier than Cali) and while I'm not a big marijuana fan, I have had to be open minded about the CBD.
By definition: "CBD interacts with our naturally occurring systems, but is non-psychotropic, it doesn’t cause a high. This makes it a safer, less controversial alternative, while still offering significant health benefits."
I have used CBD (it's expensive) for sleep and found it helped very little, however I have tried it (for less than a handful of times) for anxiety and really felt myself calm down. My SO was given some CBD by his son (he distills it for the state) for his nausea during chemo and radiation, and SO had asked his oncologist about using it. That doctor gave him his blessing as the jury was still out about its effectiveness. My SO takes the CBD nightly to help him sleep. (He also takes a prescribed Gabapentin nightly).
I take OTC Nyquill gel tabs if anything. Like I said my own GP will not prescribe anything more powerful now. Melatonin doesn't seem to help me and neither do herbal teas. If I am truly tired from a physical activity I seem to get my best sleep without aids.
My suggestion and only because not sleeping has been my nemesis - tough it out. It should get better, be glad you are not relying on addictive drugs for this. As much as I love ambien, it actually loses its efficacy. I buy it when I'm in Mexico (you don't need a prescription there) and use it when I have a sh*tty night. When I took it every night it wasn't any better than "toughing it out" sadly.
So by my own experience, get more physical. Where I live (in the high desert in PNW) biking hiking kayaking, dog walking horseback riding etc - get into a sport you would enjoy. Endure the muscle pain, it will resolve itself. You should crash into bed in the evenings! Good luck to you my friend!
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Originally Posted by Forward12
Make sure you're running this past your doc and not doing it on your own, especially with trying to substitute it with marijuana products which you found was not a good idea.
There is nothing wrong with taking a medication you actually need, and it sounds like this one is working well for you.
There is nothing wrong with taking a medication you actually need, and it sounds like this one is working well for you.
. I thought it was Cbd! Oh well.I disagree that the med is working out well. It's a powerful med that can raise cholesterol and many other health problems. Yeah, I sleep, but I need to do that naturally. I wish I had never started it. The general rule is taper. Worst case scenario I won't sleep, which I hate. But that should regulate.
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Originally Posted by biminiblue
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According to the research it (a supplement of GABA) doesn't actually cross the blood brain barrier though (?)
The OTC version of it is spendy and unregulated...I looked into it. The scientific research on Examine helped me decide against it...after I spent $30.
I had taken it for a while with no noticeable change, so I was interested in your experience.
Exercise and healthy eating does the most for my neurotransmitters and sleep. That I can attest to!
The OTC version of it is spendy and unregulated...I looked into it. The scientific research on Examine helped me decide against it...after I spent $30.
I had taken it for a while with no noticeable change, so I was interested in your experience.Exercise and healthy eating does the most for my neurotransmitters and sleep. That I can attest to!
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Originally Posted by thomas11
I completely agree with you on prescription sleep meds. The worst time getting off those things. Never again. So you accidentally got stoned in the middle of the night? That's actually kind of funny. Glad you're ok.
And thanks for seeing the humor. That was kind of where I was going with that. Obviously the pot store guy didn't get the whole Cbd oil request. I was pretty clear about it. Oh well!
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You are rigth Bimini, I don't think it does much. I bought one large bottle and well that's lasting a while. I only mentioned it because of the reference to magnesium.....I actually have no idea what the connection is except that they are both good for relaxation.....or so they say!
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I find valerian tea to be really good for relaxation. Or even that "Tension Tamer" tea from Celestial Seasonings. Love that stuff. There is a "SleepyTime Extra" tea that has valerian in it they make that always puts me right to sleep, too.
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I have had the same issue for the longest time and I am only in my late 20s. I used benzos then I went onto trazdon for a few years and now because of my recent cocaine run I am now on xanax 1 mg on a good night and about 4 mg on a bad night which is BAD. I will run out of it at some point and will need to turn to trazadon or something. Hopefully will be able to get off everything and sleep like a normal person.
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Originally Posted by biminiblue
I find valerian tea to be really good for relaxation. Or even that "Tension Tamer" tea from Celestial Seasonings. Love that stuff. There is a "SleepyTime Extra" tea that has valerian in it they make that always puts me right to sleep, too.
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