Insomnia and medication
Hi all. I want to ask for an advice. I have had insomnia since i was a child, coming upto 29 years now. The insomnia is getting worse and I find the older I get the more difficult it is for my body, mind and soul.
Past 5 years I have been surviving on 3 hours a night on average. I fall asleep fairly easy but i wake up after 3 hours and cant go back to sleep. I take Mirtazapen 15mg every night, but im afraid it has stop working so I want to change medication.
I wanted to ask here if any of you are taking medication for sleep and which one has worked best for you?
Thank you very much.
Previously the psychiatrist put me on a combination of anti depressants which i took for three months but thereafter i continued only on mirtazapine. Took Melatonin everyday but it didn't work for me. But I take Benadryl at night and while going to sleep a quarter tab of 7.5g mirtazapine and it works mostly. if i wake up or don't get sleep i take another quarter tab. Mirtazapine in low doses acts as antihistamine that is an antagonist on histamine receptors.
Hi, I wanted to ask the same question as I've been taking Mirtazapine for a few years and want to change. Hoping you get some replies. Thank you very much April😊 i really do appreciate it. Yeh it's difficult to cope sometimes. Melatonin didnt work for me in the past but definitely willing to try that again.
ah thank you so much for this reply. It gives me hope that finally someone is willing to listen, i really hope the specialist will help me. Its been a big mystery since i was a child and its not getting any better. Ive tried CBT before i went into a health clinic around 6 years ago. I think its neurological of some sort. I have been diagnosed with insomnia and parasomnia after a sleep research i had 6 years ago but i got no help after that.
I am hopeful the sleep specialist will be able to guide me to a better sleep. 😀 thanks again and for the tips
keep us posted, if you're comfortable doing so! ~Tamara
...I am so sorry you have had to put up with insomnia for so long. I don't have any advice as far as prescription medications go, but I can tell you that Melatonin helps me on occasion. I find that if I take it several nights in a row, I tend to build up a tolerance to it and it stops working as well. I can typically get several hours sleep after taking one pill.
I know this doesn't answer your specific question, but I wanted to pop in and let you know what works for me.
I would suggest touching base with your doctor to see if there is a medication that might work better for you. I am including a couple of articles that might be helpful.
The first one lists several commonly-used medications for insomnia.
https://insomnia.sleep-disorders.net/clinical/z-drugs
This article is by a fellow advocate in our community and discusses how she deals with tolerance. I am hoping her experience is of help to you.
https://insomnia.sleep-disorders.net/living/tolerance-dependence-medication
Please know that you are never alone in this struggle. This community is here for you any time.
Sending you all my best,
April, Insomnia.Sleep-Disorders.net, Moderator