To consider buying sleeping pills online

[Lovestonap]

I have always had a history of insomnia coming and going, normally only on nights where I particularly need sleep, e.g. Before exams etc. At school it would always be Sunday nights I couldn't sleep on. I get anxious about it, and normally by about midnight I know I won't be getting to sleep at all.

Since starting my new job in September which I quite enjoy but is quite hard work Sunday nights have again become a problem, as I know I need to get up at 6 for an early shift.

Doctors won't give me sleeping tablets. I understand why, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do about this problem.

Over the last 20 years I have tried all manner of remedies, meditation etc. Essentially if my mind says I need to get to sleep I become anxious and won't sleep. I can do breathing and grounding exercises til the cows come home but it ain't happening. My tired frazzled mind keeps me awake.

One can't call in sick for work because of lack of sleep, and if I ever did this it would just make the pressure worse for the next Sunday night.

So WIBU to order 14 zopiclone online. They cost a lot. 50 quid, but if I only needed one every Sunday night that's essentially 3 months of sleep.

Ethically, legally etc I think I know it's not a good idea, but I'm not sure what else to do?

Perhaps if I did it and then gave them to my DH with instructions for only one a week, that could safeguard me from addiction?

I've been ordering diphenhydramine online since a friend brought me some that she got over the counter in the US. I'm in Australia. I take it about twice a week, on nights that I know I'm going to be stressed about sleeping because of stuff on the next day. It's made a huge difference to my life. The less sleep I get the harder it is for me to get to sleep.

If it's once a week and you know it works, try another GP
I can take doxy but Phenergan made me feel very ill, as did nytol
Also don't mess with melatonin
This isn't a problem about circadian rhythm etc so don't use that
I sympathise
It's taken years of GP battles to be allowed two diazepam per week
I don't drive though, if I did I probably wouldn't get that!

If you're going to try melatonin I would suggest doing it on a night when you don't have to get up the next day, for me (and I don't think it's unusual) it caused horrific nightmares and panic attack symptoms. It is not the benign hormone it's often said to be.

Also, melatonin is usually taken at far too high a dose, the actual therapeutic dose should be around 0.3mg for adults, it often works better at lower doses than higher.

I initially had success with melatonin and actually recommended it on here.
In retrospect I shouldn't have as it triggered a depressive episode.

There is promethazine which you can buy online at a reasonable price. They are antihistamines but also used as a sedative.
I have had them and although they do help you sleep, they dont agree with me

Battleaxe thank you for providing that link. Can you please tell me of any side effects you've experienced from Doxyalamine? In particular, do you suffer from a "hangover" next day? Thanks.

I find the blue sominex (antihistamine based) pretty good for an OTC one. Also maybe source melatonin online is safer than regular sleeping pills

Have you tried CBT OP?

Cbt for insomnia would work with your thought processes to address the psychological issues you describe.

I take doxylamine for pregnancy sickness and it definitely works for insomnia (I've developed a tolerance from taking it every day but once a week won't do that). No grogginess the next day either.

Another antihistamine that works well is atarax.

I’m in team try another GP. I can suffer from fairly severe insomnia. It only happens infrequently though so I really only need enough tablets to get me through the rough patch. My ‘drug of choice’ is temazepam. It doesn’t leave me with a hangover while doxy does. Usually onebottle of 28 tablets will last me months and just knowing it’s there if I need it seems to help.

Insomnia can really mess with your quality of life and as you said is downright dangerous if you need to drive.

Zopiclone, Zolpidem and all the benzodiazepines are now Class C drugs in the UK, so if you get caught, if the parcel is intercepted at Customs, it's real trouble. Don't do it.

I second bluetongue's suggestion. Way back in 1994 I was given 10 temazepam for persistent insomnia (getting to sleep being the issue rather than early waking). I only ever took it for 2 nights as after that knowing I had a pill that I knew worked sitting in the cabinet, completely removed the stress element of the insomnia and I didn't need it after that.

Try to see another GP and explain you want a small prescription to try to break the cycle.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and input. Currently two thirds through my shift, feel like I'm in a haze.

I have ordered the doxylamine thingy and will see how I get on. As I say, it's only once a week and sometimes not even that, but once the sleep anxiety sets in that's it for the night, and all the meditation apps, audio books, scented candles in the world (I promise I Have tried them) won't combat it. I'm also terrible at sleeping at other people's houses, so avoid that whenever possible.
I think just the reassurance of having something there will take away the anxiety.

If that doesn't work I'll give the antihistamine thing a go.

I know buying zopiclone or temazepam without a prescription seems mad and inadvisable, it just seems unfair that some people are given prescriptions without having to beg. Ho hum
To be Frank, one of the things that has really helped keep me calm is getting a cat. When the rest of the house is asleep and snoring my little ginger friend follows me round and snuggles up to me wherever I am. Insomnia can be such a lonely place.

Pills against motion sickness contain the same active drug as sleeping pills. Which is why you get sleepy from taking them.

Hope the tablets help OP.

I’ve been awake at stupid o’clock and wondered about the best way to buy some weed as it’s meant to help. Not that I’d have a clue about such things or even contemplate finding drug dealers under normal circumstances.

My insomnia has been so bad I have called in sick with it on very rare occasions. Mine is genetic I think as I’ve had it as far back as primary school and have memories of being at sleepovers and school camps and being the only one still awake

Doxylamine is an antihistamine - same as promethazine (phenergan), you can buy both online, might find one works better than the other. Also diphenhydramine, sold as own brand sleeping tablets in most chemists.

The "sleepy" anti histamines are gods gift to insomniacs. But I think the normal dose is two/25mgs. I tried that once and was comatose for the night and the day after.

I now break a 25mg tab in two and it works for me. Very little hangover effect. To be fair if the half tab doesn't work I'll take the other half. A teeny bit more groggy but not too bad.

I only use these tabs in desperation. Most of the time a 250mg tab of magnesium + a milky drink = zzzzs. Try it first.

When I was a small kid in the 80s who didn't sleep well my family GP prescribed me Phenergan to try and knock me out! I used to have the medicine before bed - clearly that would never happen nowadays

Melatonin is brilliant - you can get it from Biovea online, or in any vitamin aisle in the US. It's not licensed for OTC sale in the UK because it's technically a hormone, though it's sold as a health supplement on the shelf with regular vitamins in the US. Great for jet lag. Melatonin helps to trick my body into thinking it's sleepy without being a sedative, so no groggy feeling in the morning. I was prescribed amitrypitline for pain control and I found the 'hangover' really unpleasant. Don't get that with melatonin

A few years ago I was prescribed a short course of zopiclone to help me sleep in the aftermath of my mum's death - did the trick to get my brain to stop panicking about not sleeping, and that did help after I stopped taking it (as I knew I could sleep, if that makes sense)

Good luck and sweet dreams!

@lovestonap I would be very wary of taking pills I got off the internet.

A good way to deal with insomnia is normal over the counter anti-histamines.

Sleeping tablets are made up largely from anti-histamines, and although it's not recommended you use them long-term (for sleep issues,) they may get you back into the habit of getting to sleep a bit easier.

Yeah what could possibly go wrong

Lots of things could go wrong regular, if it was fine and nothing could go wrong I don't expect I'd need to worry and ask for advice surrounding it all. Thanks for your post, I have to say, it's not been the most informative of them all......

HardAsSnails has it right about melatonin. I take it, but only in a very small dose because otherwise it can screw up your sleep more through nightmares, temperature deregulation, night sweats and even insomnia!

My 10yo ASD son takes a higher dose than me (prescribed and monitored by his paediatrician), but that's because his brain is wired differently and he literally just cannot sleep without it, to the point of becoming ill from lack of sleep. I can sleep but only in short stretches (3 hours, then awake for 6, then feel sleepy again which isn't good for working FT!), so taking slow release melatonin helps me stay asleep for longer at night.

I tried amitriptyline, but the lowest dose had me sleeping for 16 hours and a zombie when I was awake. It's all about finding what works for you. I hope the ones you've bought are useful, but do be careful.

I have insomnia due to cPTSD. I'm lucky in that I'm prescribed a sleeping tablet providing I only take it two days on two days off, and I'm prescribed promethazine. May be worth chatting to a different GP.
Good luck!

Feel for you, op. I only have it before an important day when I KNOW I need to sleep. Before an interview/driving test/exam, I won't fall asleep the entire night. I get that horrible thing when I concentrate too much on trying to fall asleep and then can hear my heartbeat on my pillow and forget how to breath unconsciously.
Have you tried cannabis oil? It's sold without THC in as CBD oil and works very well for some people. It's a shame we can't get medicinal marijuana for that in the U.K.; my mum had it prescribed in edible form for insomnia and it works an absolute charm.
Hope you find something that works

All z drugs are controlled drugs. This means you could get a criminal record for buying them without a script. That is going to be a lot worse for your job situation than insomnia. I know it is terrible, I am a.lifelong insomniac. But honestly it is not a good idea. drugs purchased online can be cut with anything. Rat poison. Talc. Anything.

Mirtazapine is a good non addictive sleep inducer. But ultimately what is likely to help is realising that actually you can do your job on very little sleep. Unless you are a driver, surgeon, or air traffic controller.