Will increasing my melatonin dose from 5 to 10mg help me sleep all night? And hydroxyzine question

I am on 1.5 clonazepam. Tried seroquel, ambien, mirtizapam, OTC, etc. Nothing works, max I get 3hrs.

Melatonin seems to really help relax me and get me to sleep! But I still wake up in the night and get anxiety cause im up wayyy to early. Would increasing my melatonin dose from 5 to 10mg help me sleep through out the night?

I have found that adding hydroxyzine helps, but I get a bad hangover with just 3mg of the stuff and cant think the next day. I may add like 1mg of hydroxyzine to see if it helps w/o the hangover. Any experiences?

Any experiences please! My doc prescribed temazepam, but my pharmacy wont let me have it since my ambien hasn't run out (so I have to wait 3 wks before I can try it). But adding another benzo is something i dont want to do.

I've tried that youtube video stuff it doesnt help unfortunately.

Ambien is a short acting sleep aid, but I freak out when I wake up. Thats why I want a long acting sleep aid.

I wish there was some tech I could do so that when I wake up I dont panic. Maybe writing things out like when I wake up....I will be ok. Stuff like that. Any other tech u can recommend?

THANKS

I have lots of experience with melantonian and sleep aids in general as I have suffered extreme insomnia in the past. I found upping the melantoian dose didn't really keep me asleep longer- just helped me get to sleep. sounds like you are in bad shape sleepwise as I once was. ambiean didn't keep me asleep for more than 2 hrs like you also. temazepam did work best for me and I sleep longest on it . what scat suggests has merit. you may need a combination of med to sleep most of the night. for example. I took melantoinan and valerian -slept for 2 hrs -awake -then took the stronger stuff like temazepam and slept the rest of the night. sonata is made fro this very senerio.eventully you will find a combo that hopefully will work for you. one that is safe . I like the melantoian and vistoril combo you tried -this is a safe combo. reacearch the meds and look for a combo that dosnt conflict too much with the other etc. insomnia is truly nasty buisness

6 is my max dose . I read 12 is the safe max limit but never tried that much

I personally would try everything else first before increasing the benzo.

However, if you have really done all you can with self help...being diligent about practicing relaxation skills twice a day everyday...

...and tried hypnosis/deep relaxation methods...and the Binaural Beats...

...and gotten the most you can out of your Melatonin/Supplement use...then you may have no choice to increase for a short time to get through your exams.

I hope that you can find what you need to move through this challenging time. We are cheering you on friend!

S.C.

Scaredy Cat said...
I personally would try everything else first before increasing the benzo.

However, if you have really done all you can with self help...being diligent about practicing relaxation skills twice a day everyday...

...and tried hypnosis/deep relaxation methods...and the Binaural Beats...

...and gotten the most you can out of your Melatonin/Supplement use...then you may have no choice to increase for a short time to get through your exams.

I hope that you can find what you need to move through this challenging time. We are cheering you on friend!

S.C.

As said, the youtube stuff doesnt work, but thanks for the recommended it is one of the better ones.

I keep a log of all the diff combo of meds and supplments i use and the outcome to see what works.

Everyday it feels a diff aspect of sleep is messed up. Last night i went to sleep calmly and my body woke me up and made me gasp after a couple seconds of sleep. So it feels like I'm not in control. Like I was calm and not thinking about anything. I was relaxed abd my brain still did this to me.

But I feel better knowing I probably am in control b/c I worry about sleeping all the time. So when I sleep I experience a parasomina that wakes me up. Even if I was calm going to sleep my brain remembers all the fear i had all day about not being able to sleep.

So I have to be honest I need to do more relaxeation tech throughout the day. I mainly do self talk, but its not working. What techs can I do. Breathing techs dont work.

Here is a link for Progressive Muscle Relaxation. I have found this really helpful.

www.stress-relief-exercises.com/progressive_muscle_relaxation.html

Also are you able to get in any aerobic exercise during the day (not close to bedtime though!) This is a great set up for good sleep at night.

Are you powering down devices or using an amber screen a couple of hours before bedtime? Blue light from computers/tablets/phone are circadian rhythm disrupters!

Keep troubleshooting...you'll find what works with continued effort and time.

S.C.

in my experience insomnia is the underlying result of some other disorder. do not rely on klonopin to sleep. you will get addicted in very short order. then you will have a real big problem. do not take this lightly. find something else to help you sleep. I thought one of my bouts with insomnia was just stress related-turns out I was depressed and didn't realize it. started an ssri and I was back sleeping again . this happened to me 2x. something else could be wrong with you also? temazepam is a benzo yes but its not nearly as addictive than klonopin. its also made for sleep and klonopin isn't.

You said:

"I have effexor but too scared to try it since side effects are insomnia."

You may have the answer right there. The Effexor.

WebMD says:

Venlafaxine (Effexor ER) is used to treat depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and social anxiety disorder (social phobia). It may improve your mood and energy level and may help restore your interest in daily living. It may also decrease fear, anxiety, unwanted thoughts, and the number of panic attacks. Venlafaxine is known as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). It works by helping to restore the balance of certain natural substances (serotonin and norepinephrine) in the brain.

(It said, it may take 3 weeks to feel the effects.)

I've read that if you are concerned about the side effects of a pill, can consider taking only one-half, of the pill, which will lessen the side affects. So you might start with 1/2 or so.

You said, “I know the 1st one diagnosed me with panic disorder.”

WebMD says about panic disorder, “If you’ve had two or more random panic attacks and live in fear of a repeat episode, you likely have panic disorder” which is "a type of anxiety disorder."

Which is what your first doctor said.

Anti-depressants are used to treat anxiety disorder. Many anti-depressants have a calmative effect.
All anxiety disorders share some general symptoms:

• Panic, fear, and uneasiness
• Sleep problems
• Not being able to stay calm and still
• Cold, sweaty, numb or tingling hands or feet
• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations

Is that what you have?

• Mayoclinic.org says: “SSRIs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of panic disorder include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva) and sertraline (Zoloft).
• Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). These medications are another class of antidepressants. The SNRI drug called venlafaxine hydrochloride (Effexor XR) is FDA approved for the treatment of panic disorder.
• Benzodiazepines. These sedatives are central nervous system depressants. Benzodiazepines may be habit-forming, causing mental or physical dependence, especially when taken for a long time or in high doses. Benzodiazepines approved by the FDA for the treatment of panic disorder include alprazolam (Xanax) and clonazepam (Klonopin). If you seek care in an emergency room for a panic attack, you may be given a benzodiazepine to help stop the attack. Benzodiazepines are generally used only on a short-term basis. Because they can be habit-forming, these medications aren't a good choice if you've had problems with alcohol or drug abuse. They can also interact with other medications, causing dangerous side effects."

NAT,

Fantastic!! I too have found CBT to be an invaluable tool!

Keep up the great work...and may you have continued improvement.

Update when you can,

S.C.

NAT,

That a great outlook! Not all days (nights) are going to be great ones...but like you said, with perseverance...more than not will be positive...and a challenging one will become the exception!

Healing is not a linear line, but a journey with some detours along the way.

Your good attitude is going to serve you well...so keep at it.

S.C.