to stop drinking again.... BUT I cant sleep. I have slleping pills from the doc they worked for a short while.. right now I am going on 10 hours sleep in 4 days. Makes it hard to go to work and now to buy some wine
What are the sleeping pills?
If you drink heavily, you should really be put on diazepam, which will slow the brain down a bit and also stop some of the more uncomfortable symptoms.
You must be completely worn out. So sorry to hear about these sleeping problme. Is it to a good idea with the wine?? or were you just tempted and did not go ahead? Regards Robin
Please try to stay strong!!!
Hi Sue,
Sorry to here of your dilemma. I've been there, myself. Believe me, the sleep does get better. My doctor prescribed me Xanax, which I took three times/day for two weeks, then tapered off. I also took 500mg - 1000mg a day of Magnesiium citrate, thiamin and vitaminb B12, all which help the nervous system and brain get back to normal. Hot baths, herbal tea and essential oil spray(lavander and mandarine combination, or other agrumes) for relaxation helps too, at night time. Pamper yourself! You're worth it, and you will be so much better once the sleep is back. The wine will only make it worse. Good luck!!
Thats hat got me drinking to begin with... but I need a large bottle for it to work .... would rather not
Zopiclone... but to be hones would rather do it drug free, the last thing I need is to be dependant on medication.
I have tried many herbal rem. in the past they dont seem to work for me.
I seriously wouldn't worry about diazepam, it is a fairly harmless short term drug. I took it on Saturday and by Tuesday night, I was over it.
I can't sleep, my mind races, I feel naucious, wretch, lose my balance, muscle spasms, foot cramp and sweat like a full blown flu whilst feeling cold. Virtually no symptoms whilst on it.
The trouble is, alcohol depresses the brain function (I don't mean depression) so the brain speeds up to compensate for this. However, when you come off the alcohol (without the appropriate drugs) the brain keeps going at twenty to the dozen until it balances itself out, realises no more alcohol and returns to normal.
It is in this interim period that the sleepless problems occur, which is why you need something more than a sedative. Unfortunately most doctors either aren't aware of this or don't want to get involved because of GMC guidelines.
Go see if you can get diazepam, you'll only need a week on it, it is harmless and you won't get hooked nor become dependent on it, it is very short term.
Hi again Sue,
I can say that Xanax really helped to calm me down when I needed it, during the daytime and enough to fall alseep at night. I only used it long enough to get over the withdrawal stage, knowing full well that it can be addictive in the longterm. At the same time, I took Magnesium, thiamin and the vitamins, which were all lacking in my body. Within four days I was feeling so much better, and afte two weeks, I as a new person. I hope you can see through your rough patch.
Hi Sue
I'm sorry to hear of your problems. This may be hard to understand but alcohol does not improve your sleep. Whilst it may send you off to sleep it really is the quality of sleep a gets than can prepare you for the day ahead. I would suggest before you ask a doctor for any medication you talk to them (or some one who is qualified to help you} about the reasons why you drink. Before you go down the route of 'I'm depressed' bear in mind the basic, and I stress the basic, route of depression is anger turned inwards. So many things can cause lack of sleep and they do not all have to be bad. I really suggest that you do not drink if taking sleeping pills or vice versa. Your doctor would not have prescibed them if they knew you were drinking. I have no idea where in the world you are. In the UK we have a telephone service called the Samaritans. They are on the 'phone 24 hrs a day. I 'phoned them because I was terrified my wife might die due to alcohol. I'm pleased to say my wife is much better but for me just talking to someone that I didn't know really helped. Maybe wherever you are you might have a similar service. I wish you all the best and hope life improves.
I have literally not slept at all for the last 50 hours, despite doubling the dose of 5mg to 10mg NITRAZAPAM and no alcohol since last weekend. It is a total nightmare and the longer it goes on the worse it gets.
Like a total idiot, I told my new GP as last time this happened it lasted 5 days and nights without sleep. I've been taking 5mg NITRAZAPAM at night for the last 4 years. They are addictive, which is why I've ended up taking 10mg. What happened when I told this new 'doctor' is that he's told me to stop taking them and would no longer prescribe them. Seeing as I had only 6 tablets left, I explained that I would need more so I could withdraw gradually, rather than just stop, even the info leaflet tells you "DO NOT STOP TAKING THIS MEDICATION SUDDENLY WITHOUT SPEAKING TO YOUR DR AS YOU MAY SUFFER SEVERE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS "
His very pleasant reply was "NO ONE EVER DIED THROUGH LACK OF SLEEP"
I had already annoyed him by questioning his opinion of the Sinclair method (see other thread).
My eldest son is an SHO in London and I had no idea he was planning to come for the weekend. He arrived this morning to find a very upset, but totally sober mum. After telling him my saga of events, how upset I've been, the dr's attitude etc, he said stop crying, put some slap on and we will get this sorted now. I said they won't see you without an appointment, and you can't even sit and wait until the end of surgery, he just smiled and said don't worry.
i don't want to go into detail on an open forum about what happened, only to say this dr has now been reported, complaints have been made to the appropriate people and I am no longer a patient there.
Its been a horrible week, I feel very humiliated over the way I was treated, I've shed umpteen tears, but it took my dr son 10 mins to sort it all out. My small amount of self esteem has gone, when do parents and their children swap roles? It's a bitter/sweet moment, but as my grown up baby pointed out, I've not drunk and I should be proud and focus on that very positive note. Many apologies sue, for hijacking your post, but it seemed appropriate.
RHGB
i will pm you tomorrow as arranged, am shattered now and don't know anything else since our last conversation
Have you tried diazepam, I know I sound like a stuck record, but for anyone reading this.
"Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medication of the benzodiazepine family that typically produces a calming effect. It is commonly used to treat a range of conditions including anxiety, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, seizures, trouble sleeping, and restless legs syndrome"
None of the other drugs mentioned in this thread specifically seem to mention AWS, which seems to be at the route cause. Sleeping tablets won't work if your body is suffering other complications. An holistic approach is needed.
"Common side effects include sleepiness and trouble with coordination"
My coordination is not effected, but they certainly do make me feel sleepy. I start the first day with three lots (5mg each) four times a day, then two lots four times a day, then two lots three times a day and finally one lot three times a day.
I sleep like a baby, in fact I don't want to get out of bed in the morning.
H.O.P.E.
HOLD ON. PAIN ENDS.
The soul always knows what to do to heal itself.
The challenge is to silence the mind.
well said! Never heard that before. You seem up early? Robin
In the past 2 months, I went to the ER 3X, solely because of heavy drinking 2 day binges, and sever heart papitations. I get the anxiety bad. They finally got me on Clonazepam and something called Metoprolol. These calm me down, problem is, I then drink over the top of them anyway, but they do help lower the heart rate, and calm the nervous system. This Metoprolol says dont stop taking this drug suddenly because chest pain and heart attack can occur. Thats kinda scary...
I don't take the sleeping pills on a regular basis, the doc gave them to me over 3 months ago (30 tabs) and I still have some leftI dont mix them with alcohol.
I want to thank everyone for the comments and advise 
You be that's scary, with that kind of medication though you dont want to just quit taking it with out talking to your doctor and really shouldnt be taking it with alcohol. What I have been on is just a very low dose sleeping pill. I dont take it on a regular basis it waas to be only taken as needed. Be careful with what your taking and how
Good luck
Yes diazapam worked really well for me in the past. I've only ever had a prescription for two weeks.
I asked my new dr for a small amount to take as and when required, but he refused and said if he prescribed some, there was a high risk of me turning into an addict. After stopping my NITRAZAPAM all I'm left with is citralapam .
Sue08 -
You might want to look into L-Theanine.
One of the things that alcohol does is to stimulate your GABA receptors (the brain's brake pedal) and antagonize your Glutimate receptors (the brain's gas pedal). When you stop drinking, it takes awhile for those receptors to normalize. L-Theanine is a GABA precursor; your body is able to turn it into GABA. This can lend a calming effect. Have a look for it on Amazon and check the reviews, some use it for clarity, some use it for calming and some use it to improve sleep. I had a look at Amazon and it seems the Just Vitamins brand has the most reviews to read. I'd be careful about getting something too complex with 5-htp, etc, etc, maybe start with plain L-Theanine and see how you do. Lemon Balm might help too, if you can find some for a reasonable price. Valerian root is fairly well respected for help with sleep too, but L-Theanine seems to help with anxiety and stress as well, so a good daytime supplement as well as helping with sleep. There you go, have a look and see what you think!