For those with sleep troubles...

[Guest guest]

This is a huge issue for me, and I've tried all the OTC drugs, Rx

drugs, and herbal/aminos/supplements. It took me years (and a good

doc) to figure out that I have high serotonin. Everyone says raise

your serotonin, take melatonin. Raising your serotonin (and/or

melatonin) too high can CAUSE insomnia and migraines. I have had

genetic testing which indicates an abnormality in the MAOa gene - It

is too slow, which allows my serotonin to build up. This is not

uncommon. If you have get insomnia or get a headache with melatonin,

tryptophan, desyrel, or SSRIs, you probably don't need them.

The only thing that has worked for me is Restoril. It works on the

GABA receptors in the brain. I believe the website is

www.restoril.com. It is a like a magic pill. It is not detoxified

in the liver, which is a good thing. It is part of the benzo family,

and can be very addicting. It also causes birth defects. I am trying

to get off of it now, and it is agonizing.

That being said, when you are desperate, you will try anything. I

was on it for a year, and it literally saved my life, as I didn't

know my weak adrenals combined with high T3 therapy was causing my

sleep issues. I needed to sleep and absolutely could not - I would

literally go days with 0 sleep, which is not good with two small

children and a husband in Iraq.

Restoril is wonderful, and I highly recommend it for difficult cases,

but be aware that you will become addicted if you use it every night.

I hope this is helpful to someone.

[Guest guest]

" brianangela2001 " wrote:

>

I have had

> genetic testing which indicates an abnormality in the MAOa gene -

I've also wondered if people in this group aren't genetically

different. Hubby has never slept well; I attributed it to his mother

drinking a lot of coffee when pregnant with him. But testing

confirms thyroid and adrenal problems.

We got genetic testing after losing our second child because the

fetus had a genetic abnormality. (I was also on Synthroid and

undermedicated at the time.) Turns out it was inherited from his

father and had nothing to do with my advanced age of 37! DH has a

balanced onian translocation of genes 13 and 15 (if I remember

correctly). Because it's " balanced " he's not missing any genetic

material and looks like a regular human. But he has also had

sleep issues his whole life. He does seems to be sleeping deeper

though since starting Isocort and now on 1/4 grain Armour. He says

he dreams.

Anyway, just food for thought.

Barb

[Guest guest]

Yep, SSRIs and Trazadone (generic name for Desyrl) gave me headaches

(among sides) and never touched my " depression " or anxiety. After

four SSRIs, even the docs were ready to say that serotonin doesn't

appear to be my problem. Benzos do help me sleep, but they have

significant drawbacks, not the least of which is their addictive

nature. Having mistakenly tried to quit Klonopin cold turkey last

week, and I was only on .5 and only every night for the past few

weeks, I'm back on .25 before bed and supplementing with Lunesta b/c I

hadn't slept in 4 or 5 days and I was coming apart. Most of my

difficulty with sleeping is HC related but I don't doubt that quitting

a benzo cold turkey made it worse. That's not to say that benzos

don't have their uses, but caveat emptor.

>

> This is a huge issue for me, and I've tried all the OTC drugs, Rx

> drugs, and herbal/aminos/supplements. It took me years (and a good

> doc) to figure out that I have high serotonin. Everyone says raise

> your serotonin, take melatonin. Raising your serotonin (and/or

> melatonin) too high can CAUSE insomnia and migraines. I have had

> genetic testing which indicates an abnormality in the MAOa gene - It

> is too slow, which allows my serotonin to build up. This is not

> uncommon. If you have get insomnia or get a headache with melatonin,

> tryptophan, desyrel, or SSRIs, you probably don't need them.

>

> The only thing that has worked for me is Restoril. It works on the

> GABA receptors in the brain. I believe the website is

> www.restoril.com. It is a like a magic pill. It is not detoxified

> in the liver, which is a good thing. It is part of the benzo family,

> and can be very addicting. It also causes birth defects. I am trying

> to get off of it now, and it is agonizing.

>

> That being said, when you are desperate, you will try anything. I

> was on it for a year, and it literally saved my life, as I didn't

> know my weak adrenals combined with high T3 therapy was causing my

> sleep issues. I needed to sleep and absolutely could not - I would

> literally go days with 0 sleep, which is not good with two small

> children and a husband in Iraq.

>

> Restoril is wonderful, and I highly recommend it for difficult cases,

> but be aware that you will become addicted if you use it every night.

>

> I hope this is helpful to someone.

>

>

>