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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

87 replies

Mintyy · 21/08/2014 21:00

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.

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 21/08/2014 23:52

Ooo, me, too! Anyone want to make Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind a reality? I could jettison all this shit. Better yet, magic up Dr Who's blue box.

DiamondDoris · 21/08/2014 23:53

I second (or third) the melatonin - it will help you fall asleep but won't prevent you from waking up. I used to have problems with insomnia but reading that rest can be just as good as sleep helped me to not toss and turn in bed from frustration... and I have bipolar disorder so when manic I still have a few problems (but then again I don't feel sleepy during those periods). Is it possible to have little naps during the day? Sorry, I haven't read all the thread.

expatinscotland · 21/08/2014 23:54

Thank you, mad! You made my night! I have been having to gobble this crap every day just waiting for my order.

Original poster
Mintyy · 21/08/2014 23:56

No need to apologise Diamond!

I am a fan of the nap during the day, unfortunately not possible atm while the neighbours are doing their interminable and very very noisy building works next door.

OP posts:
HoldenMcGroin · 21/08/2014 23:56

Minty
I too suffer with random insomnia, uttermost sympathies, GP not terribly interested (head tilty you have a busy life, this is part of your problem, head pat, bubye now)

Doesn't address your issue but you know, walking with ya sometimes (bleurgh but ykwim)

Estrellita · 22/08/2014 00:01

Total opposite situation in the US. It seems like just about everyone I know takes Xanax / Ambien nightly. Drs prescribe them in bottles of 30-60. With refills.

Don't take meds myself but I was surprised at how difficult these things were to get in the UK. I had a friend who was suffering from severe PTSD related insomnia, and she was flat out refused short course of zopiclone. Was told to try deep breathing and chamomile tea.

GaryShitpeas · 22/08/2014 00:04

I have had trouble sleeping since dc3 was born nearly 5 months ago Sad

The ironic thing is dc3 is an amazing sleeper, 9pm till 8am since 12 weeks. So why the fuck can't i sleep??

I'm on sertraline for pnd I don't know if that's Affecting my sleep

Trouble is, I can't sleep and get bored just lying there so I play on my phone. Mn, twitter, FB etc. and that doesn't help Confused

1gglePiggle · 22/08/2014 00:05

Expat - don't dismiss your doctor completely. You could be covering up a stomach ulcer or worse by gobbling up all these tablets without medical advice. They are sold OTC in small packets for a reason

expatinscotland · 22/08/2014 00:20

Get real, they won't bother figuring out what causes it. It's likely perimenopause, age and that I used to smoke.

I just want it gone. With no meds, it wakes what little sleep I get 2-3x a night.

I can buy the stuff in bottles of 50 for about £8 with postage. A bottle lasts me about a month. Well worth it!

They sell it in small packages here to rip you off, seriously.

It's the same thing with Nytol. So I found out from another bereaved parent how to get it without some poor sod constantly harassing you about why you can't sleep, although every now and again, in a pinch, I'll need to get it from a chemist and just tell them exactly why, start to finish. They all cough up, I can tell you. Fix this, dude!

WantonMother · 22/08/2014 00:26

Mintyy Perhaps it's a good idea to prepare a "pitch" in advance? That's what I do anyway. Doctor is going to want to know what you've already tried to help with your sleep already so be ready for those sorts of questions so s/he doesn't just send you off with a leaflet/printout for sleep hygiene and a pat on the bum. Before they prescribe, doctors often weigh up benefits vs cons for these sorts of drug and so if you can clearly demonstrate to him/her the effect your insomnia is having on your day to day life then they are more likely to take you seriously. So make sure you really put across your point and give examples indicating that your quality of life is affected. I would mention what you've been prescribed in the past (notes for years ago might not be immediately visible when they bring your notes up on the computer) and let them know it worked for you but like a pp said don't ask for anything outright, as it gets some GPs backs up.

I hope that didn't come across as patronising but I've had experiences where I've walked out from a two minute appointment thinking, why didn't I say what I meant to say?! Good luck mintyy hope this gets sorted for you, I can only imagine what long term sleep deprivation does to a person

expatinscotland · 22/08/2014 00:31

It's true, Esrtrellita, there is a lot of misunderstanding and patronising about many conditions like this. For me, even though we have an understanding GP, I don't bother more often than not and find other sources.

I can see I am not alone in this.

Deep breathing and herbs can be effective with PTSD, in conjunction with medications often. But on their own? Hahahahahahaha. ROTFLMFAO.

expatinscotland · 22/08/2014 00:36

With PTSD, triggers often send the person into insomnia first thing, too. Or, if you can get to sleep, it's common to be wakened in the grips of a panic attack, even with drugs to try to control them.

I use pranayama breathing to control panic attacks, but of wakened by them it takes longer, and is impossible during any flashback, so your anxiety starts to ramp up.

FabULouse · 22/08/2014 06:05

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orangefusion · 22/08/2014 06:29

Ask, zopiclone is very effective. I buy them OTC when travelling in HK or Russia. I take half a tablet at a time when I really am at the end of my tether with sleep. I take possibly one a month and always have them handy. You know how not sleeping is affecting you, make sure you tell the gp, cry if necessary. I know this post is going to have the bosom lifters out in drives but frankly, the gp is never going to give you more than 10 tablets so you are hardly going to end up hooked. Not sleeping is miserable. Good luck

orangefusion · 22/08/2014 06:29

-drives +droves

Pippioddstocking · 22/08/2014 06:36

I second piriton or night nurse- that with a cup of camomile tea before bed always does the trick ( long term insomniac here )

bedraggledmumoftwo · 22/08/2014 06:41

Phenergan (promethazine) is the sleepy part of night nurse btw, if you ever take it when you don't have a cold!

chrome100 · 22/08/2014 06:48

I went through a horrible period of insomnia a few years ago. I overcame it by going for insane 8 hour bike rides at the weekend so that I came home and just couldn't move for exhaustion. It made me fall asleep naturally and kind of reminded myself I could do it and removed the psychological barrier. After that I could cut out the bike rides and my sleep returned to normal.

JumpRope · 22/08/2014 08:06

Agree that promethazine in phenergen is good for sleeping and I was prescribed this once when I had severe anxiety and couldn't sleep. You can buy it OTC I think.

The z sleeping pills ime make me feel crazy and weird the next day and aren't worth it.

Nothing beats benzodiazepam, but it's too risky ime, I can see how you get addicted in a heartbeat.

I have also had melatonin prescribed (agomelatin). I was quite dizzy all day when on this and weirdly I seemed to get hairy!

eddielizzard · 22/08/2014 08:18

my sister gave me some xanax / xanor which is an anxiety drug i think? but it helped me to sleep when i had a terrible time a few months ago. i didn't have any sluggishness the next day, like i do with other sleeping tablets. temazepam did absolutely NOTHING for me!

also i used to have incredibly bad insomnia too, but i managed to get out of it.

OhYouBadBadKrillitane · 22/08/2014 08:37

I need to go and see my gp as my arthritis is disturbing my sleep horribly atm. Irritatingly I can't have amitriptyline anymore as it speeds my heart up too much. She will push big doses of co-codamol at me which mean I struggle to function in the day time. I wish there could be a magic wand just to put us sleepless to sleep and then wake up refreshed in the morning.

lloydlf76 · 22/08/2014 08:45

Have you tried the older style antihistamines available Ion prescription. My GP will not prescribe sleeping tablets at all but on days that I'm desperate i can get by with some Pirton or the stronger Phenergan

ihearttc · 22/08/2014 08:52

I feel your pain...honestly I do.

Ive never slept properly-even as a child. After the birth of DS1 who is now 9 the GP prescribed me Dosulepin which is a very old AD with a sedative effect. It worked really well up until christmas this year. I even took it while I was pregnant with DS2 who is now 3.

And then literally one day it was like a switch went on and I couldn't sleep. I went 10 days over christmas with about an hour sleep from 5-6 am every night.

I went back to doctor who said it was the Dosulepin and said to come off of them really slowly which I did (which was complete hell after being on them 9 years). Didn't help one little bit and I still wasn't sleeping. I used to drop off about 3-4am for a couple of hours.

He prescribed Zopiclone which did work brilliantly but only had a short prescription.

Went back when that was over and he gave me a low dose of Amitriptyline (10mg) just enough to make me sleepy. He seems to think I hover just about the sleep level and I can't get myself relaxed enough to drop off which does make complete sense.

Then after 4 months the Amitriptyline wasn't working...back to square one again.

Saw different GP who prescribed Mitazapine...Another AD with sedating effects.

This was last wednesday and I haven't taken any of them. I can't bring myself to start yet another medication which I have to take for every single day and has massive side effects and that I honestly don't think will work.

And do you know what...I have slept from midnight-8am every night for the last 4 nights. No idea why but I feel fantastic.

Ive decided Im going to get some melatonin and also some Kirkland Sleep Aid from Amazon to have to take if I have a really bad few nights.

MorrisZapp · 22/08/2014 08:53

Ok, long term insomniac here. Forget the warm milk brigade.

I get temazepam from my doctors, I take it once every two weeks or so. It's wonderful to be able to hit the 'reset' button.

Make an appointment with the oldest doctor in your practice. They have a much more common sense approach ime than younger doctors who think a brisk walk will sort you out.

I also recommend a drug called doxylamine, it's available OTC but you have to get it from amazon. The one they sell is called Kirkland Sleepaid, so basically it's an American Costco product. It works very well for me but does make me woozy in the morning, so I make sure to have a strong cuppa on waking.

SparklyFooted · 22/08/2014 09:03

you poor bugger Mintyy, it's just tortuous isn't it?

a mate of mine (insomniac since childhood) had some success listening to these at night:

Headspace on Sleeping podcast, Soundcloud version

Or available free on iTunes too

Or if you have a smart phone:

Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson app