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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Feeling broken from chronic insomnia

51 replies

Intohellbutstayingstrong · 26/02/2019 03:06

Have posted about this before.
Back and forth to GP
Two hours sleep tonight
Two hours last night.
Some nights zero sleep
Tried EVERYTHING
Just broken from it all

OP posts:
ssunniebear · 26/02/2019 19:10

Second the weighted blanket it feels like being all swoddled as a baby.

AddictedToHaribos · 27/02/2019 06:51

I too was broken by horrendous insomnia and although people mean well you can’t truly know the depths of despair it takes you too unless you have been there and no amount of lavender oil or podcasts or sleep hygiene techniques will work in these severe cases, believe me I tried everything.

Even sleeping pills only gave me a few hours , I went entire nights without sleep and to function the next day at work.

Mine started 9 years ago after the birth of my kids, I have finally got to a place I can sleep most nights but not without medication.

I second the earlier poster who mentioned melatonin, I also take phenargen alongside it and it’s the interaction between the two that keeps me soundly asleep. I rarely now wake up.You can melatonin in the uk, I used to get mine on amazon,or you can order from a us based website

shockthemonkey · 27/02/2019 07:03

Have you tried one of those sleep meditation apps?

Alison100199 · 27/02/2019 07:19

Insomnia is hideous. Acupuncture actually gives me insomnia and I got to the point where if another person suggested a warm milky drink, yoga or meditation I was going to throttle them. I'd tried them and things were way beyond that. The only things that worked were addressing the underlying reasons for low level stress, totally resetting my body clock to go to bed early and get up early and also accepting that I woke up on every sleep cycle ie every 90 minutes. GP was useless and I can't take sleeping tablets but it would be worth asking for a referral to a sleep clinic. People don't realise how totally debilitating insomnia is so good luck.

BusySnipingOnCallOfDuty · 27/02/2019 07:25

Melatonin.
I have adhd and rely on melatonin.
Currently waiting to see the local psych team to prescribe it because simce moving out of Wales, they wont prescribe it for this at my medical centre.
But its the only thing which lets me naturally fall asleep.

Makegoodchoices · 27/02/2019 07:30

My GP prescribed melatonin and I was so hopeful, but it just makes me feel hungover the next day and I still only sleep from 3am or so.

anniehm · 27/02/2019 07:36

Try not worrying about it - I sleep better now I don't bother counting hours! I have podcasts I listen to (setting sleep timer) and just doze off, highly recommend "in our time " so boring I drop off!

FemalePersonator · 27/02/2019 07:37

Sympathy to you, OP. Flowers

I've been experiencing insomnia for about a year now. It makes life very difficult.

anniehm · 27/02/2019 07:38

Oh and melatonin didn't make any difference - I snuck 6 months supply into the U.K. when we were in the USA last

Alison100199 · 27/02/2019 09:19

Melatonin had no effect on me either so although it can be the answer for some it isn't the miracle cure it's often made out to be.

BoringPerson · 27/02/2019 09:38

Sorry to be writing the obvious but are you sure you have covered the basics - ie eating OK, getting out the house, comfortable, as stress free as possible, no screens late in the evening, are your relationships/work etc ok???

My DS had insomnia badly over the course of a year or so. He ended up hallucinating at times and looked seriously ill. He also dropped a lot of weight. It was simply awful for him.He got professional help and gradually it cleared up. The Doctors were worried at points that he had serious mental health issues but it was simply the lack of sleep causing the hallucinations etc. Thankfully he was quite proactive about trying to sort it out despite having no energy or headspace to do anything. Also he was lucky that he had no other worries in life to compound the problems caused by the insomnia - his work/studies/relationship etc were all good

He still sleeps badly but is ok. He is happy and looks after himself well. He is just a bit low energy for a young lad.

BoringPerson · 27/02/2019 09:39

BTW Melatonin didn't do anything for my son.

TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince · 27/02/2019 09:48

Have you tried amitryptiline or trazadone? These are both antidepressant with the side effect of making you sleepy. I don’t think you need the full dose.

I had chronic insomnia for 20 years. Tried everything, Lavendar, hot milk,cbt, sleep clinics, hypnosis, meditation, acupuncture, sleeping pills, sleep hygiene.Nothing had a sustained effect. Quality of life was just shit.

Amitryptiline gives me a full nights sleep every night. It’s worked for 13 years. The hideous days of insomnia are just a terrible memory

Alison100199 · 27/02/2019 10:01

If sleeping tablets don't work then look up paradoxical response to medication, where the drugs have the opposite effect. That's why I can't take sleeping tablets as they give me terrible insomnia. Unfortunately, amitriptalline has the same effect. It doesn't help but at least will give an explanation.

swingofthings · 27/02/2019 10:02

I tried melatonin and it worked a bit at the beginning but then did nothing. I stopped and started again but at 9mg which I think is quite a, high dose. It does work in that it sends me into comfy feeling that makes me want to dose off but if anything distracts me then, even just turning to the other side, that feeling can go as quickly as it came.

It doesn't help that much with the quality of sleep and still wake up feeling as if I've only nosed off for a couple of hours rather than having had 7 hours off deep restful sleep.

KitTheCat · 27/02/2019 10:07

Phenergan
Melatonin
My mum uses these (not together) and they help her.

Crowdo · 27/02/2019 10:10

I've had lifelong crippling chronic insomnia, so absolutely feel your pain.

It's so frustrating how many times I've been told in various ways to just go to sleep. It's like saying just tickle yourself. It's not a function you have any control over! It either happens to you or it doesn't.

No advice, but have my sympathy (typed while yawning after another crap night's sleep)

HappydaysArehere · 27/02/2019 10:13

I could have written your post. Like you I tried everything and read everything. I went to GP and actually cried. I knew sleeping tablets only work for short periods before becoming less effective. I asked the doctor for something that I could use once or maybe twice a week. He gave me Zopiclone. What I am convinced is that you can’t sleep because you think you won’t be able to. I also got a Fitbit that measures your sleep. It also gives guidance and tells you when you should be winding down. Between the two things the know,edge that I could get some sleep and my brain hadn’t lost the ability to do so really helped. I now sleep longer and can get around five to six hours. There are hiccups when I can be awake nearly all night but then I take the sleeping tablet the next night. The secret is leave a few days between tablets.

Original poster
Intohellbutstayingstrong · 27/02/2019 10:31

Thank you for all your responses. It means a lot when people have taken the time to share their own experiences and for others to make suggestions. Flowers

I dont know what else to do really. Am seeing my GP next week for a review. She is lovely but there is only so much she can do.

OP posts:
Original poster
Intohellbutstayingstrong · 27/02/2019 10:33

Have you tried amitryptiline or trazadone?

Yep. Both of these. Just started lofepramine. Useless

OP posts:
RockinHippy · 27/02/2019 11:00

Just a thought, mainly prompted by a few posters stating that their insomnia started after childbirth...

Also look into B12 deficiency/Pernicious Anaemia, your GP can test you & if it shows up, B12 injections can be life changing. Red up on it though as the nhs tests are known not to be reliable, so it can still be missed for years. This link explains it... www.b12deficiency.info/

I was misdiagnosed for well over a decade, DD was too, early symptoms can be insomnia though & I definitely sleep much better on B12 injections. I remember when DD first git treatment, due to the delay she was seriously ill, by then she was lucky if she slept 2 hours a night. Her first B12 injection had her sleep 6 hours that night.

Pregnancy, Labour & especially gas & air in labour all negatively affect your B12 levels. Some drugs can too, many of the drugs thrown at DD when she was at her worst, actually made her worse, thanks to the effect it had on her B12. So be careful with some meds

nutbrownhare15 · 27/02/2019 11:10

I had insomnia a couple of years ago. Saw the book the Effortless Sleep Method recommended on here. It cured me. (Written by a former chronic insomniac who cured herself)

Alison100199 · 27/02/2019 13:08

Very good advice @RockinHippy. My insomnia got a lot better after i was treated for low iron. I had forgotten about that.

Grace212 · 27/02/2019 13:14

I hear you OP, I'm off to look up weighted blankets.

One thing the GP said that I'm not prepared to try is a sedating antidep - concerns re weight gain as I've not seen anyone who hasn't gained on it...so you could try that, or perhaps an anti psychotic, they can help sleep apparently.

RockinHippy · 27/02/2019 14:06

Very good advice @RockinHippy. My insomnia got a lot better after i was treated for low iron. I had forgotten about that.

That's very interesting @Alison, I had no idea that low iron can cause this too, but B12 & iron work together to make healthy blood cells, so now you say that, it does make some sense

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