HelloWorld82

I took my normal meds which include xanax which I thought would help... then broken down and took an ambien... didn't work... now I took a benadryl... God, I have to be up in 6 hours to be mommy, wife, and all the other things... I know this is going to get better, but PLEASE GOD HAVE MERCY ON ME!! Any suggestions?? I was a night drinkers so this is not good...

Taking5

Insomnia is pretty common in early sobriety. We do have an insomnia forum here:

Insomnia/Nightmares - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

I'd also talk to a Dr before mixing meds like that. Are they all prescribed?

johnny2times

yeah i'm having sleep problems too, im 9 days sober now back from a relapse, the main alc withdrawals have passed but i'm still a bit edgy/anxious , getting about 4 hours sleep a night if im lucky, i dont mind though, i can still function on that and i know it will pass, plus i have the tools of recovery to help me cope

Dee74

I think sleep problems are pretty common for most of us.
I just persevered - eventually my sleep patterns got back to normal.

If you're worried about it or you need more sleep than you're getting to function, tho - maybe the best idea is to go back to your Dr?

D

Spinach

Insomnia and anxiety run hand in hand. Remember the sleep you get sober must be twice as good as not . It gets better and is less of a problem than drinking .
As an insomniac with or without drink I found that not having a clock to focus on helped and thinking how warm and safe I was at night you can add how good your going to be sober and your almost thought the door now. It will ease up.
Good luck.
John.

Fandy

ambienr, xanax and benydril all together??/ your butt will be dragging tomorrow or today. just work through it and try for a better night tonight. it takes a few days.

DarkDays

I spent 18 horrible months addicted to sleeping meds, then just stopped. You got to let it go , DO NOT worry if you DO NOT sleep, you will still function, the worse you will feel is groggy I promise you everything works out. Just say to yourself " I will carry on my normal day weather I sleep or not" Really have to get into the mindset of not worrying about sleeping or not, nothing bads going to happen to you, general GPs know Jack **** about sleep and just turf out mundane stuff about sleep debt and guidelines, 99% of them are clueless to sleep problems.

I functioned for days at a time on a ridiculous tiny bit of broken sleep, felt groggy but things improved dramatically when I stopped caring if I slept or not.

Let it go.

Zebra1275

Well, whatever you do don't drink so that you can fall "asleep."

Insomnia in early recovery is common, you have a physical addication to alcohol and your body is expecting it to arrive at the usual time. This will pass.

Matterhorn

It eventually gets much better...in the beginning sleeping is tough. I found being active and going to the
gym helped alot.

2granddaughters

HelloWorld82, are you going to AA meetings?

We all had sleep problems in the beginning, please stop self medicating ! Get to a meeting, talk to your doctor.

Wishing you the best.

Bob R

desertsong

I have the same problem. Exercise helps a lot. It gets a lot of tension/nervous energy out and helps your body release endorphins, which are natural "relaxers." Endorphins will really help with anxiety and with sleep, but it will still take time. Your body has been used to going to sleep medicated for a long time. Just please be careful mixing all those meds. Comes a point when you just have to let them go and teach your body how to get to sleep without "help." Good luck, I know it's rough trying to get through the day when you feel like you're in Zombieland.

suffering0605

I have insomia too, its horrible. I was on prescription sleeping pills for the past 8 years(I know mixing alcohol and sleepin pills is dangerous, but if i dont take the pills, i just wouldnt sleep), now that i have noinsurance i cant get them. Currently, i have to take 3 melatonon (5mg each) and 16 Benadryl to get to sleep. And i still only slep 5 hours at the very most. Its extremely irrating.

HelloWorld82

16 benadryl???!!

Yes, I am prescribe and HAVE to take my medication! All but benadryl even before I ever took my first drink. Today I do feel terrible. Vomiting, "the poops" anxious, blurred thoughts, NO ENERGY... I know it will get better... I just feel bad not "getting things done" around the house... And my daughter is in school for now... I wish I could just go to one of those lovely ranches I see on here

GrowingDaily

I'm not a medical doctor, but if I were you, I'd look for another one. Preferably a doctor who cares more about addressing the root cause of your problems rather than just prescribing pills. Not much difference between that & what you've been doing.

BTW - benadryl in particular is hard on the liver, and often builds tolerance very shortly (I've read that it can approach placebo results when used as a sleep aid within 3 days).

Acute insomnia after quitting is common, but you often can't sleep after that for other reasons... namely because your mind is no longer numbed to the reality of your life, which for many of us is scary after we've spent so much time messing it up. 'Normal' people call it worry... and the best way to cure it is to solve the problems you're worried about. Not take another pill.

BTW - What I've found to be helpful when I can't sleep is to get up & get something I need to do done. Just lying there counting the hours you might get to sleep if you zonked out right now (which never happens) is the worst thing you can do. You're going to be awake one way or the other. Might as well make it productive. And you'll very likely find that after doing so you are able to get some rest.

Sometimes we need to get our priorities straight. This is your life - literally - on the line. So with that being said - is it possible for your family to pick up the slack over the next week or two (or three, or however much it takes) to make life easier for sleepy-you?