My sleep has deteriorated significantly since menopause and some severe stressors that all happened close together. I have tried everything natural and still my sleep has gotten worse. I get drowsy, fall asleep and then suddenly am awake again. Over and over. Docs say this is related to anxiety, which I am sometimes aware of but not usually. I tried trazodone 25mg at bedtime. It worked for a few months. Now it no longer works. Hypnotics don't work. In the past month I have taken xanax at bedtime more nights than not. If I don't take it I am lucky to get 2 hours of sleep. My primary and my sleep doc think I should just take the xanax every night. I see a psych nurse who wants to switch me to klonopin every night. I have never taken anything like this before and it scares me. But the lack of sleep is unbearable. Has anyone successfully taken a benzo for sleep for more than a few weeks or months? I am taking .5 mg of the xanax and 25 mg of trazodone about an hour before bed and then going to bed when I am very sleepy. Either the xanax has made me forget or I am not startling awake when I do that. My sleep doc also tried vicodin for my restless leg syndrome but I cannot take it with the xanax and I cannot sleep without the xanax, so I have given up on that.

Thank you.

Hi, Pepper,

I really feel for you on the sleep deprivation, as I have the same problem due to chronic pain (I have TOS)…

The trouble with Zanax is, not only is it addictive, but it is absolute hell to get off of should you ever decide to stop taking it. The physical withdrawal sx are bad enough, but even after you've successfully titrated off of this med, certain sx persist for as long as eighteen months (e.g., feelings of derealization and depersonalization - which are absolutely dreadful!) after you stop taking it.

A couple of thoughts for you if you'd like to try some safer alternatives: 25mg is a very low dose of Trazodone, and you could ask your doc to up the mgs considerably (I think I was taking as much as 100 - 200 mgs before it stopped working), to see if you can sleep restfully without the addition of a benzo or a hypnotic. The price won't break the bank, either!

Also, amitriptyline is good as a sleep aid (cheap, too!). Chronic Painers like it because it also helps to address nerve pain issues. I take 25mg at night and I am sleeping much better… And I am a hard case, believe me!

Good luck in slumberland. Sleep makes all the difference, doesn't it?

Alison

I used to take Xanax to go to sleep for about a year. Also tried Restoril and Halcion which used to be more popular. I did not have a problem stopping these. Now I take ambien, and it works better for me. I'm glad to have something because, like you, I only got 1-2 hours of sleep without medication.

Trazadone did not work for me.

I prefer ambien and xanax because the others gave me daytime side effects of feeling groggy. Trazadone made me the groggiest and did not help me sleep at all.

Hi, I was given Lorazepam after a panic attack put me in the ER around 2005, major family stressor going on...I continued with "L" for some years taking 1/2 mg but then when a friend put me onto the word that these are linked to dementia and she got off them and so did I, then another group I'm on just sent thru an announcement on the dementia linked meds....I've posted this info on meds/treatments section here.

I do well with my sleep combo I've posted here...no groggy days and awake all day, I get my good night sleep. C

Hi pepper999

I am sorry to read about your sleeping problems - I used to have insomnia as well.

As other contributors have pointed out, it is probably a good idea to be cautious about the benzodiazepines (Lorazepam, Xanax, Klonopin, etc) - they can be addictive.

What helped me with my insomnia is sleep hygiene, which essentially means learning good habits in preparation for sleeping well.

The info here helped me with that and I hope will help you as well;

http://sleepfoundation.org/ask-the-expert/sleep-hygiene

Xanax and other benzos are addictive and can stop working over time. You also shouldnt take them if you have central or obstructive sleep apnea. Exspecially central apnea.

Concussion 12 years ago. Out cold 6 hours.

Think I was given Xanax for Insomnia but that first year is almost a blank.

2 small dose of Xanax each night gives me 3 hours + 3 hours of sleep or maybe 3.5. I am awake waiting 30 min for the second dose to kick in. 0.5 mg each dose and sometimes a bit smaller with water titer.
Never abused X and afraid of Althizmer's for taking it so long as it is in my family.

Sleep Apnea under control with cpap many many years. Still taking Aricept as prescribed but switched from Syntroid to Armour years ago on advise of a Doctor.

I sleep in a very dark cool room and use blue filters on pad and smartphone and computer. Blueblocker glasses for TV in the evening. Sublingual melatonin seems to help but there is controversy on this with benzos as a gaba situation. Confusing.

Joined several groups facebook on benzo and insomnia and also benzobuddies. I don't drink or do rec drugs. Considering CBD but there is still a lot of mis information out there. Considered switching from X to Valium to give me a longer sleep and I hear easier to taper from V??

One Dr. recently gave me a script for Rozerem but I found a lot of bad press on it so did not fill the script or try.

Several ebooks on Concussion Insomnia, Benzos and Sleep.
+The Ashton Manual