Hi, I have suffered from sleep anxiety since having postnatal depression. I was on Clomipramine for 10 years to help with this but my GPtook me off it as she said it wasnt good for a long term use.
She put me on 50mg Sertaline and I have takent this for 2 weeks.I worry constanlty about going to sleep, I have panic attacks every night and have been taking sleeping pills which i dont like taking.
MY GP increased the dose to 100mg yesterday but I still feel really anxiuos and cant sleep at night without sleeping pills.
Has anyone esle suffered from what im going through, I hate being like this and just want to feel better and get my life back
Hi Amanda, I have had insomnia & stayed up nights with worries, feeling so tired & useless the next day. Then a friend explained to me that our brains make & use Melatonin which allows us to sleep. So I bought some Melatonin at a local pharmacy, a low dosage & a brand that was as natural as possible. I researched the average dosage, & bought the lowest. That way I could take more than one if needed but wasn't over doing it & still being tired & useless the next day.
This worked for me. I hope this information helps you. Good luck :-)
Hi, I have heard of Melatonin and will try to get some. On a good note, I feel slighty better today so maybe the setraline are kicking in 
Thanks x
That's good to hear, Amanda :-) Yes, meds do take time to kick in. I had an after thought when I wrote to you...there is also Valerian that relaxes & helps us sleep. Several relaxing herbs are also found in tea. Sipping a cup before bedtime can help us fall asleep, too.
But I wanted to mostly add...check with your doctor before taking any OTC sleep aids, no matter how 'natural' they claim to be. Ok?
Take good care of yourself. I hope you continue to feel better. :-)
I have tried the over the counter stuff like Nytol but what bothers me most about not sleeping in the huge anxiety that I feel, I can cry for days on end and it takes over my life. The only thing which has ever helped me to overcome this was anti depressants which is why i have just gone onto sertraline. Hopefully they are kicking in now and i will continue to feel better
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Dont worry you are not alone!! I have been suffering from sleep anxiety for the past 4 years. It all started a few years back when i first started taking sleeping pills. After being on them for a couple of years and then i decided to wean myself off them. It wasnt easy but i did it. But thats when i started having the night time anxiety. I guess my body was just so use to taking something for sleep that i started having major anxiety. Thats why i am taking a low dose of remeron as a sleep aid. I only take about 3.5 mg as needed. I try to avoid using it every night because i do t want to get hooked on that.
Hi Johan, I am so relieved to hear that there is someone else like me! Thanks for your comments they have made me feel much better.
Your welcome. Like i said before dont worry you are not alone. There are plenty of people out there like us.
Hi Johan, I like the nice encouragement that you gave Amanda, that she is 'not alone'. That is so important!
Joining these forums recently is the first time I've felt like I wasn't alone anymore in my struggles with meds, depression, & anxiety.
Thank you, Johan :-)