Has anyone here been able to wean off of strong sleeping meds and get back to sleeping naturally?

[murdoc23]

Long story short,

I used to be a pretty good sleeper up until 8-9 months ago when I started getting sleep anxiety due and a disregulated nervous system to my situation of living with new roommates.

About 5 months ago, I started trying SSRI's, however I had an adverse reaction to them and they made my insomnia even worse.

The lighter sleeping medications, like OTC, Melatonin, Trazedone, Mirtzapine, and Hydroxyzine weren't able to knock me out.

For the past nearly 4 and a half months, the only one that worked for me somewhat consistent was 12.5mg of Ambien CR and even that had issues sometimes so I would have also 50-100mg of Seroquel to take as needed in case I hadn't fallen asleep.

Lately the Seroquel has been giving me a lot of EPS systems like muscle twitches, spasms, involuntary body jerks, which have freaked me out so now I'm avoiding on taking it.

Lately the Ambien CR hasn't been as effective and I've been getting 4 hours of sleep a night and less. I just got prescribed 50mg of Quvivic which is one of the newer DORA sleep medicines that use a different mechanism that Ambien and the other Z-drugs. However this doesn't really knock me out either and I have to still take the 12.5mg of Ambien CR with it and together I might get around 6 to 6 and a half hours of sleep, which still leaves me feeling drowsy and like a zombie when I wake up.

I really would like get off these drugs and be able to sleep naturally again, however it seems like such a tall order because I'm not getting that much sleep even with these drugs and full dose. Trying to taper off of these drugs would probably end up leading to a lot of sleepless nights.

Or is it possible to just stop cold turkey and let your body naturally pass out from lack of sleep? Will something like that even work by forcing yourself into sleep deprivation and force your brain to sleep naturally again?

 

[Kamaainakupua]

They took me off Trazodone after an OD attempt, and I couldn't sleep without aid, so they put me on different meds (suvorexant) but the side effects almost killed me. I've been trying to use this, but it's hard to break old habits, and harder to start new ones.

 

[Pepper]

If I were you, I wouldn't stop cold turkey. I would taper off what you're currently taking and talk to your prescriber about doing so. I know a lot of doctors talk about sleep hygiene: going to bed at the same hour every night and getting up at the same hour every morning, avoiding alcohol, caffeine (after 12 pm), cigarettes and large meals before bedtime, avoiding screen time before going to bed (I'd give it about three hours before bed, but that's my preference), exercise or at least be productive enough during the day to tire yourself out, keep your bedroom dark and cool, and to create a relaxing bedtime routine.
Personally, my sleep has also been shit this past month, but I do deal with a chronic pain disorder that makes me get non-restorative sleep and I deal with insomnia on top of that. What helps me is by not being on my cell phone or watching TV three hours before bed, turning my fan on so that way I'm nice and cool, and then I read with a reading light while I drink chamomile tea (with valerian root). When I'm ready to go to bed, I take my Hydroxyzine, Trazodone (which haven't been working lately lol), and Magnesium, and I wear earbuds and listen to like classical piano music.
Recently I was just prescribed Belsomra (Suvorexant) due to my sleep being so inconsistent, however, I haven't tried it yet. I'll be picking that up tomorrow afternoon, so I'll let you know how it goes. It's used to treat insomnia by blocking orexin, a neurotransmitter that keeps you awake, and is designed to work with your body's natural sleep-wake cycle rather than forcing sedation. It's supposed to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
My psychiatric NP already knows that I don't want to be on Belsomra for a long time - and if I'm not mistaken, I don't think Ambien should be either. I look at sleeping medication as an aid (Melotonin does fuck all for me), but it's still up to me to put in the work to get back on schedule in order to come off of it.
By any chance, do you have adhd? I was diagnosed a few years back, and I know that if it's taken later in the day for me, that keeps me up as well. Sometimes I have to completely stop it too and then come back to it at a later time.

 

[murdoc23]

Yea, I've been trying to work on sleep hygiene. The thing is before when I slept well naturally, i basically had no sleep hygiene and was still able to get a full night of sleep. Guess this is just a matter of age and bad habits catching up to me.

Belsomra is another DORA sleep aid similar to Quvivic. I've also tried Dayvigo at 10mg, which wasn't strong enough to knock me out. I'm curious to see how Belsomra works for you.

Ambien CR is kind of hard to slowly taper off of since it only comes in 2 amounts, 6.25mg and 12.5mg. I'm not sure if its fine to just cut it up in halves either since its extended release and the delayed release mechanism would just be completely gone if I were to do that.

I've never formally been diagnosed with ADHD but I know I had similar symptoms when I was younger. I've had psych doctors also tell me I have characteristics similar to OCPD and even some on Autism.

My main issue is the amount of sleep I'm getting just isn't enough and restorative as when I was sleeping naturally. I'm 39 so I can't be pulling off 4 hours of sleep a day like I did in my 20s.

All of this lack of good sleep is spiking my suicidal ideation off the charts as well. I've recently talked to a sleep doctor who said I need to get my anxiety and depression under control first (which I'm doing TMS at the moment). I really hope it works out for me otherwise I don't see how I can continue living like this and CTB would be my only option out.

 

[Pepper]

When you slept well naturally, that was before the sleep anxiety, right? How is your anxiety and nervous system now that you've had some time with your new roommates? Better? Worse? Besides age and bad habits, have you ever had a sleep study done?
Is 10mg for Dayvigo the max dosage? And you aren't taking any CYP3A* inhibitors or inducers, or any other medication that could interact with Dayvigo? I know Belsomra comes in 5, 10, 15 and 20mg. I believe I'm prescribed 10mg.
For the Ambien CR, I would go from the 12.5mg you're at now and then go to the 6.25mg to then nothing at all. Or ask your prescriber what they think of just stopping the 12.5mg completely. Every doctor is different, but all I've known is to taper off everything.
I'm not informed much on OCPD or autism, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to be assessed and diagnosed.
I understand. I'm 30, and lately I've only managed between two to maybe six hours a night, non-restorative. Research also shows that for every one hour of sleep lost, it can take up to four days to fully recover which of course is absolute ass.
Besides the sleep doctor recommending managing anxiety and depression, they should also look into a sleep study. Could be beneficial to rule anything other than your anxiety and depression out. Oh, and Genesight DNA testing for psychiatric and depression medication could help with narrowing down what works best for you. I've heard success with TMS, but it's going to take quite a few sessions. Honestly, I'm hoping I can do TMS soon since my psych NP is now offering it and I've been through way too many antidepressants in the past decade or two.