to ask for actual proper sleeping tablets from my GP to help me sleep?

[Mintyy]

My inability to sleep is pushing me over the edge.

I've had two temazepam prescriptions before (2001 and 2004 iirc). Would GP refuse to let me have a third?

I honestly fear for myself if I can't get some decent hours of kip in some time soon.

Go see your GP - why would they refuse if this is your 3rd prescription in, what, 13 years??

They might suggest one of the newer sleeping tablets and they may want to try and figure out with you why you are not sleeping.

Newer sleeping tablets?

I go through phases with my sleep.

I happen to be of the mindset that insomnia makes you depressed, rather than insomnia is a symptom of depression.

I have similar sleep problems and my GP won't prescribe for me. He says you sleep more than you think and it doesn't actually address the causes.
I actually agree with him but I feel for you.

Insomnia -> Depression
Depression -> Insomnia

Same problem as chicken and egg, I am afraid.
Info about sleeping tablets
Info about different sleeping tablets

Nothing wrong with some night sedation in the short term to get you over a rocky patch sleep-wise and I really don't think that 3 prescriptions in over a decade will cause you a problem.

Speak to your doc.

Last night I slept 12.15 pm to 3.56am.

The night before a little longer, maybe got 4.5/5 hours.

I KNOW for CERTAIN when I don't sleep more than a couple of hours. I know this because my sleep is always rubbish and I never sleep through the night, but if I wake at 4 or 5am and get back to sleep for an hour or two then that counts as a good night and I am incredibly pleased and grateful for that.

They don't like prescribing it because it's addictive.
What is stopping you sleeping? What have you tried so far?

Have you tried OTC meds.

If you have perhaps asking for a more long term solution to your sleep issues.

There's new tablets the Z one if I struggle I'm normally ok for a prescription of zopiclone (a weeks worth) every 4 months or so.

The have the same affects as benzo but less addictive.

Obviously all doctors are different but completely agree with you about the depression. You can only ask

One of my friends has had some success with melatonin, may be worth a try?

I sleep like that all the time. Any more than 5 hours is a good night really.

I must admit that years ago when I had the odd short term prescription I was back at square one very quickly afterwards.

If I get 5 hours uninterrupted sleep, I'm lucky.
And I seem to get by on that

5 hrs with several interruptions, that's like Sleep Deprivation Torture.

Oh god yes..... I feel your pain. I have had night where I have not slept for a single minute. Been like this for years. Have tried everything. Been to see doctor a few times when I am going insane from tiredness and practically in tears..... Advised to have a warm bath/practice relaxation in bed/hot drink. Five years medical training fro that. Seriously..... Fuck off.
My husband also snores so the times I've managed to fall asleep he wakes me up. Not sure what my next step is.... May as well throw myself at the mercy of my doctor again.

Do you want another annoying link about how sleep works or rather why it sometimes doesn't work?

Sorry, that was to Mintyy, Cantbelieve

I know they don't routinely prescribe them because they are addictive, that's why I asked if GP was likely to refuse!!

If there is a new generation of non-addictive sleeping tablets then that sounds a little bit hopeful.

Cantbelieve have you tried these earplugs? No miracle but I find they help to muffle the snoring.

Mintyy have you tried Sominex? It's OTC, works better fir me than Zopiclone. I'd bloody love some temazepan but no dice :(

Z-drugs are not not addictive - they are preferred because there is less of a street market for them.
All sleeping tablets pose the danger of tolerance: if you take them long enough, they won't work as effectively and you'll want a higher dose etc etc.

Oh and I trained for 10 years to dish out v similar advice to your GP's, Cantbelieve

He says you sleep more than you think and it doesn't actually address the causes.

Have you had a sleep study? How does he know how much you are actually sleeping?

I am a troubled sleeper - difficulty drifting off, difficulty staying asleep, etc. Melatonin has helped me to fall asleep, which for me is half the battle. I can deal with 6 hours of interrupted sleep better than I can three hours interrupted sleep.

OP, are you overweight? My doctor tells me I'll sleep better if I lose weight and exercise.

I think it's reasonable to sometimes use medication to re-establish a decent sleep pattern.

I had 14 years of severely disrupted sleep. When DD2 was eventually given medication because she was sleeping less than four hours a night I thought my problems were over but, even with her waking less, I wasn't able to sleep properly any more.

I now spend a lot of the night listening to podcasts on my Ipod and occasionally get a prescription to help when it gets bad. I find that the effect of a few nights of better sleep can create a better pattern that lasts for quite a while.

Definitely go and ask.

Oh, and rebound: if you take night sedation regularly your sleep will actually be worse when you don't have them.

All night sedation (apart from Melatonin which normally is only prescribed by specialists and if all else fails) is licensed for 4 weeks only.

Steff, yes I am overweight, but also had the exact same sleeping problems when not overweight.

Annoying insomnia advice
I could not resist.

The problem with zopiclone, for me, is the side effects. Makes me dizzy and lightheaded the next day - not helpful at work.

Since dd1 was born i have been taking amitriptyline for a number of reasons- spd, migraines, and insomnia. Basically seemed to be the answer to all my problems 2wks post partum. Its an antidepressant but at very low levels my doctor described it as "an old fashioned sleeping tablet". I have had temazepam in the past, and have been a chronic insomniac since a short bout of night shift work ten years ago, but i have been taking this for two and a half years and always sleep now, even when ive been up in the night with the babies.

might be worth asking about something similar- temazepam etc are only supposed to be a short term use solution.

Pacific. Yeah, that probably came across badly. Meant it more in the context of me just managing to get through each day and clearly desperate for him to suggest hot milk even though I has tried everything including hot drinks. I asked him if he was being serious as I realised in my head that this would be it, sleep wise, for the rest of my life