Posted 3/15/2015 7:13 PM (GMT 0)
The insomnia should go away in a week or so after the increase if it is a side effect of a medication. But not always so. I do meditation too. I do it at night so I can fall asleep. I got off sleeping pills doing that.
I basically repeat my mantra for a bit and then relax all the muscles from head to toe. Now all I have to do is repeat the mantra a few times and I fall asleep. I also do focus on my feet. When I do the muscle relaxing technique, I start at my head and work my way down to the feet. That way I feel the energy going out of the bottom of my feet. Nervous energy. It is kind of cool. Keep on practicing the meditation at bed time so you don't have to rely so much on the sleeping pills. I too ambien for about 12 years. Only taking half for the last couple. It really is nice to get a good night sleep. Makes things so much better.
Some medications just seem to have the side effects that bother us. Hopefully you can get the sleep thing down so you don't have to switch because it sounds like it working for you in other ways.
I just got off of a medication that made me very constipated. I had to take one stool softener and one cascara sagrada (stimulant, natural) every night. That helped me. Plus drink a good bit of water. That always helps. One medication I was able to take coconut oil daily to help. I hope this all works out for you.
Take care,
Hugs, Karen...