Sudden insomnia, melatonin for the short-term?
 

For the past week I haven't been able to sleep - can't fall asleep, can't stay asleep, what sleep I do get isn't restful. Since I got sober a year ago I've slept like a rock. Nothing has changed in the past week that might have set off the insomnia (a med switch two days ago, but that was after this started).

I was wondering what people's experiences have been with melatonin, or other natural sleep aids. I had a friend in high school who'd taken melatonin her whole life (didn't produce it naturally), but I'm assuming it can be taken short-term as well. For obvious reasons, I won't take prescription sleep-aids or Ny-Quil. I've tried the usual things people suggest: limiting my PM caffeine, deep breathing, listening to the radio instead of trying to sleep, very regular sleep schedule, getting up and walking around...

I think its one of those "drugs" that everyone reacts to differently. I take it regularly and it seems to help, but its not like it "knocks me out". I also take a single 25mg pill of generic benadryl too, and that seems to have a much more potent effect on me than melatonin. Together the two of them work quite well for me (coupled with regular exercise, a "sleep routine" etc.). Good luck!

Melatonin makes me dizzy. Not sure if that has happened with anyone else? I don't like it and have stopped using it. Probably not everyone's experience though.

I've had good luck with melatonin in the early weeks of recovery. For me, it helps with sleep onset, but not so much with sleep maintenance--I still wake up early in the morning.

From "Alcohol's Effects on Sleep in Alcoholics" by Kirk J. Brower, M.D.
 

"A brain chemical implicated in sleep regulation is melatonin. Supplemental melatonin has been used with mixed results to treat insomnia but appears most effective in people whose internal (i.e., endogenous) melatonin levels are low (Stone et al. 2000). Some studies suggest that melatonin levels are decreased in alcoholics (Schmitz et al. 1996; Wetterberg et al. 1992); accordingly, supplemental melatonin could be investigated for the treatment of alcoholic patients with both insomnia and low levels of endogenous melatonin."

I work third shift and often take an over the counter melatonin sleep aid to help put my confused brain to sleep when the sun's up. It has always helped so far and I haven't noticed any grogginess when I wake up.

Hi I used Melatonin during my detox so I could get some semblance of sleep and it did work short term for me.

Now, when I have trouble sleeping, I do take it, however, I do wake up with something of a short term headache.

I have been trying otc melatonin and I have not noticed that it has helped me any with sleeping.

Melatonin is good stuff. It helped me sleep but it the effect seemed to wear off if I had to take it on consecutive nights. You could try taking benadryl. The medicine that is in benadry (dephenahydramine) is also marketed as sleep aids. Its probably cheaper if you buy a store brand sleep aid than benadryl because it comes is 50mg tablets. Benadryl comes is 25mg tablets

I've battled insomnia my whole life. I've tried every resource under the sun.

I've tried melatonin in the past and did not have much luck. Now in my recent sobriety, I'm using it and it's working great. I take 2 - 3mg. tablets about a half hour before going to bed. In the past, I only took one, but after doing some research on the Internet, I found different dosages.

It helps me fall asleep, but I have always been a light sleeper. I wake up anywhere from 3-5 times a night. You may also want to look into a homeopathic remedy called Calms Forte. That has worked fore me in the past.
Good Luck!

Melatonin works for me only if I have not taken it in a while. Two nights in a row and it gives me a very unrestful sleep with lots of circular dreams. I have had much better luck with valerian root. Valerian can also can be used during the day.

WARNING: Valerian has some abuse potential at least for me. I was using it mellow out anxiety attacks that were induced by drinking, in very real sense I was using to facilitate drinking. Oh and it smells like puke.

I am having a really hard time sleeping right now and I have tried Melatonin.... but I seem to have very vivid dreams or very strange dreams, even nightmares. I wonder if thats normal?

The dizzyness and everything is depended on the drugs that we intake..

Hey since I could remember Ive had problems falling asleep.It seemed to get worst when I got clean. I did take melatonin and it worked like a miracle. I guess its what my body lacks so I responded well to it......Thanks for all the post Peter