I may have a problem with sleeping pills

[MattH]

So, for most of my life I have had a issue with falling asleep and staying asleep, my doctor told me that I would out grow this, and to try going to bed earlier. I was told this about 4 years ago. I tried to go to bed early, I tried staying up for 24 hours then going to sleep, I had counted millions of sheep and done every old wives tale in the book to fall asleep. None of this ever worked very well. It became very frustrating to me that I could never sleep easily, and it began to interfere with school/work/my life. At this point I began to take normal over the counter things life Tylenol Pm, Advil Pm, Simply Sleep, Generic sleep aids, and NyQuil. This for the most part worked great, I slept well and had no complaints. This has been going on for quite some time, I always new that I shouldn't take them regularly as that could result in a dependency of them. Well for the last few nights I tried to sleep without them and I would say that in the last 72 hours I have slept for 8-11 hours which leads me here.
Is there anyway to get off of these damn things? I don't want to start throwing them down again as I would really like to be able to live without them. I'm trying the cold turkey technique and so far it hasn't helped.

Thanks
Matt

[wtblife]

Do you take melatonin regularly for sleep? If not, I'd recommend starting.

Anyway to address your concerns, none of those should form a serious dependency, but I'm sure it's not easy to sleep without their aid if you're used to it. A few of those use diphenhydramine (benadryl) as the sleep aid and it has pretty much no risk of dependency issues.

I think the best sleep aids for regular use to avoid any real dependencies would be benadryl and melatonin, it's good to try and not rely on anything at all, but those are pretty harmless in appropriate doses. Also melatonin actually helps you adjust your sleep pattern and make it easier to fall asleep without anything. It's a good thing you haven't been relying on prescription meds, some of those can end up being really difficult to get off of.

[ShatteredWings]

1. are you ODing, or taking as marked on the box?

2. if you are ODing, especially with tylenol PM and niquil products YOU NEED TO STOP. Acetaminophen can be dangerous, and high doses can either kill you or cause liver failure.
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) is less dangerous, it takes much higher doses to harm you, but it's still not a good idea and is really harsh on your stomach

Cold turkey doesn't work for everyone. When i was abusing cold meds (i do still now, but very infrequently) it was just too much hell and sleeplessness to do and still appear normal.

Cut the dose in half, then if you can (don't split gelcaps) cut that in half, then go cold turkey.


wtblife - Benadryl poses the same problems as what he's listed above with dependance. Its pretty much the same thing

[wtblife]

I guess I should have clarified that I meant Benadryl has no risk of physical dependency or anything like that, unlike most sleep aids. I don't really see it as a "problem" so much is all, but I know I hate relying on medications of any kind so I don't mean to say avoiding them is a bad idea. If you don't take it in the form of a pain med like Tylenol PM or w/e then I think it's less of a problem to rely on it than it is to not sleep well.

I'd definitely take only melatonin if you can though, it's something your body already uses and it'll help you stop taking the other stuff. I'm not normally very suggestive like this, but insomnia is something I know well and it's worse than taking a harmless pill or two when you don't have to worry bout physical dependency.

Btw I'm completely aware how some of what I said sounds, I just can't take the time to reword it so I don't sound like someone who promotes pill popping. Try and get my meaning for me and not take it the wrong way :P

[staying_alive]

wtblife, I think you're talking more prescribed sleep aid dependency, not over the counter. He's talking about a psych addiction to the over the counter ones.

To the OP - we have the same issue. It doesn't help that I take stimulants for ADD either. I have terrible anxiety about sleep and often spend my nights lying awake listening to my heartbeat. I've done what you are doing - take NyQuil, etc. to force myself to calm down and sleep. And I ended up in the same place you're in - three days without sleep, fear of dependency, and nothing to do about it.

There are quite a few options for people like us. You usually hear of generic solutions like exercising a little while before sleeping to exhaust yourself. I've found that this works, but I simply don't have the time or the energy to do a workout before bed. If you have the time or desire, try going for a hard run before going to sleep. You'll doze off much more easily.

Nowadays, when I know I'll be up all night unless I take something, I resort to NyQuil or...wait for it...alcohol. It isn't an every night thing, usually just a couple nights a week. I try to stay off the NyQuil because of the Acetaminophen. I suggest if you really, and I mean REALLY, can't sleep, drink a small bit of alcohol. A few shots of liquor do it for me, and I can drift off easily.

What you need to remember, especially about generic sleep aids, is that it's usually an antihistamine. It won't hurt you to take a few. However, they become less effective if used frequently, so take breaks on weekends or whenever possible. If you switch it up with different things - NyQuil, sleep aid, alcohol, exercise, etc. - you don't need to worry too much about it. It's only when you end up in my place not too long ago, i.e. taking NyQuil night after night and upping the dose frequently, that you need to be concerned.

Disclaimer: I am in no way condoning the use of illegal substances as a minor. Every individual on this board makes their own choices and can only use others' posts as information. I am simply sharing my experience.