Guest guest Posted January 20, 2004 Report Share Posted January 20, 2004 > Terry, you are an inspiration, thank you Hugs > Thank you for the sweet notes but right now I fell like a hypocrite as I HAD to take a lorazepam last night. It was one of those nights where I was going to be awake ALL NIGHT and I have to get at least 3 or 4 hours of sleep in order to function at work the next day. I will never ever swallow another SSRI or MAOI but am holding onto the lorazepam until I can get all my nutrition stuff working and can get at least 4 hours a night sleep. I do need some suggestions for what to do when I am in this situation so I don't have to take the Lorazepam. I tried the chamomile tea, the warm milk, the getting up and wandering around, etc etc. NOTHING...Just 4 hours is all I need on a work night to make it. The weird thing is I was not anxious. Just NO sleep response. Totally and completely NUMB. If it is a weekend, I don't care. I will just stay up all night. Anyway,,,I DO feel like a hypocrite but work is SURVIVAL for me. I am in a double bind situation here. I feel being ripped in two directions. Later Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2004 Report Share Posted January 20, 2004 Hi Terry, You said: <<Thank you for the sweet notes but right now I fell like a hypocrite as I HAD to take a lorazepam last night. It was one of those nights where I was going to be awake ALL NIGHT and I have to get at least 3 or 4 hours of sleep in order to function at work the next day.>> ***One lorazepam does not a hypocrite make! <<I will never ever swallow another SSRI or MAOI but am holding onto the lorazepam until I can get all my nutrition stuff working and can get at least 4 hours a night sleep. >> ***Many people hang onto their benzo until they are done with their other withdrawals, especially if they only take it infrequently. You are trying to survive here--and doing a heckuva job, I might add! <<I do need some suggestions for what to do when I am in this situation so I don't have to take the Lorazepam. I tried the chamomile tea, the warm milk, the getting up and wandering around, etc etc. NOTHING...Just 4 hours is all I need on a work night to make it.>> ***I have used calcium or magnesium to help with sleep, at times. (I can do this because I do not have any kidney problems.) I can take 200-300 mg. of magnesium a day. If needed, I can alternate this with 500 mg. of calcium 2x a day. Both supplements have a very calming effect. <<The weird thing is I was not anxious. Just NO sleep response. Totally and completely NUMB.>> ***This is typical withdrawal stuff. It will pass. Remember, though, that there are ways to deal with it in the meantime. <<Anyway,,,I DO feel like a hypocrite but work is SURVIVAL for me. I am in a double bind situation here. I feel being ripped in two directions.>> ***I hereby give you permission to sew yourself back up. You're doing great! You've done nothing wrong by using a single lorazepam to help you sleep. Just try some of the other things suggested, so that you don't wind up using the lorazepam regularly. Nobody wants another withdrawal to go through! Hugs, Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2004 Report Share Posted January 20, 2004 > ***One lorazepam does not a hypocrite make! > > Kim...you have a REAL way of making things look so wonderful. LOL! and...Lorazepam was the one drug I never had to withdraw from even though I have had it in my possession for over 2 years b/c I RARELY take it as I am AFRAID of it. I have dropped all sugar and flour products (EXCEPT THE ICE CREAM!!!!!) and am now officially dropping the alcoholic beverages (it is keeping me up at night I believe). But the coffee and ice cream HAVE to stay for now!!!! I will try the calcium and magnesium...and the oatmeal Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2004 Report Share Posted January 20, 2004 DEar Terry, You said: <<Kim...you have a REAL way of making things look so wonderful. LOL! and...Lorazepam was the one drug I never had to withdraw from even though I have had it in my possession for over 2 years b/c I RARELY take it as I am AFRAID of it. I have dropped all sugar and flour products (EXCEPT THE ICE CREAM!!!!!) and am now officially dropping the alcoholic beverages (it is keeping me up at night I believe). But the coffee and ice cream HAVE to stay for now!!!!>> ** CAffeinated coffee??? Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2004 Report Share Posted January 21, 2004 > But the coffee and ice cream HAVE to stay for now!!!!>> > > > ** CAffeinated coffee??? > > Regards, > ...Yes, caffeinated coffee. I will work on giving it up later but not now. I only drink one or 2 cups in the morning. There are too many other things gone now to work on this one too. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2004 Report Share Posted January 21, 2004 Terry, please do not feel belittled for taking something to sleep.... many here have had to get off their AD's before even beginning the thought of getting off their benzo.... have you tried to take just part of it, rather than the whole pill? maybe by cutting down the size of the dose, you could slowly trick your mind into needing less when you just have to get some sleep... just a thought hugs > > Terry, you are an inspiration, thank you Hugs > > > > Thank you for the sweet notes but right now I fell like a hypocrite > as I HAD to take a lorazepam last night. It was one of those nights > where I was going to be awake ALL NIGHT and I have to get at least 3 > or 4 hours of sleep in order to function at work the next day. > > > I will never ever swallow another SSRI or MAOI but am holding onto > the lorazepam until I can get all my nutrition stuff working and can > get at least 4 hours a night sleep. > > > I do need some suggestions for what to do when I am in this situation > so I don't have to take the Lorazepam. I tried the chamomile tea, > the warm milk, the getting up and wandering around, etc etc. > NOTHING...Just 4 hours is all I need on a work night to make it. > > The weird thing is I was not anxious. Just NO sleep response. > Totally and completely NUMB. > > > If it is a weekend, I don't care. I will just stay up all night. > > > Anyway,,,I DO feel like a hypocrite but work is SURVIVAL for me. I > am in a double bind situation here. I feel being ripped in two > directions. > > Later > Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2004 Report Share Posted January 21, 2004 > Hi Terry; > > About sleep and the benzo, it took me about 9 months to get off the > benzo AND be able to sleep. I'd resist taking it as long as i could ( > for a couple of days when i'd be so tired and couldn't sleep, i'd just > take it). Eventually i wa able to sleep without any help. Muddle along > carefully and slowly like suggested and i bet eventually you too > will find yourself beginning to sleep. janet Janet...thanks for the encouragement!! I was never dependent on benzos. I have always been WAY TO AFRAID to swallow them more than one or 2 nights a week. Since off the SSRIs, I have been sleeping very well most nights, but then here comes a night where I know no sleep will come. It seems you know those nights. Luckily for me, they do not happen often right now. I was originally given the SSRIs b/c of difficulty sleeping. They only made my sleep worse so that they had to add benzos so I could survive at work but I never took much of them, only when I got to the point that I was going to literally fall over from exhaustion (like you describe). Are you still sleeping? I slept GREAT last night. NO BENZOS... Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2004 Report Share Posted January 21, 2004 Hi Terry, Thanks for asking. Ya, my sleep is still improving but it's also still all messed up compared to " normal " sleep. It doesn't bother me much now except i am tired all the time. I'm used to that though for the most part. Maybe too used to it. Like Melody i don't know how to tell the difference between being energetic and being hypomanic or manic. janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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