Dr won’t prescribe me diazepam aibu ?

[Bluewaterbottlebig]

So been mad stressed since the summer
building work going wrong
costing loads and non stop stress
mess hassle etc

as a result of this I’ve had bad bad insomnia and generally stressed
never been like this before

anyway asked for diazepam for given 14x 2mg
so have to take 3 to get any effect to help me sleep

so that’s only 4 and a half doses

so in 6 months I’ve only had 8 doses
but it’s massively massively helped
and I don’t get any side effects from it

dr did give me 14 zopiclone but I get bad side effects
Brain zaps
and feeling wired and feeling horrible in general and v v dry mouth
i still have about six of these to take as gave up on them
due to how horrible they make you feel

I've done all the good sleep hygiene practices
bath milk no screen time before bed
already don’t read the news at night
avoiding stress as much as I can

but I know this is a temporary situation
but I need help getting through the next few weeks
as the lack of sleep is making me unable to function properly

bit the dr os refusing to prescribe me anymore diazepam but I’ve only had it prescribed twice to me in six months
2 lots of 14 x 2mg tabs
Which having to 6mg to get any effect to sleep works out to 9 doses !!!

the dr won’t prescribe me anymore
so aibu

i desperately need sleep and these doenst cause me side effects
even if I could only take it once or twice a week it would be such a relief

I’m also been trying loads of other complimentary treatments too
massage etc and I’m booked in to try acupuncture
reflex only

please help
cant function properly without sleep and I’ve tried all the otc sleep stuff too

Ask him for some melatonin.

Try Sominex. Bought over the counter but like any sleeping tablets you can become addicted to them. Need to break the sleep pattern.

Did the doctor suggest anything else?

I second the suggestion to ask for melatonin. It can be prescribed for insomnia in adults.

Have you tried beta blockers? Really effective (for me anyway) and not addictive.

The doctor is rightly trying to prevent you from developing a very damaging dependency. Sleeping pills are a very, very short term measure only and you have had and passed that.

Pills aren't the answer to your stress. You need to find other ways.

The Dr is right here. You need to find a less addictive solution.

The doctor is spot on

You've mentioned quite a few alternative things you've tried already which is great - have you tried exercising?

YABU
I went to a GP conference on sleep recently and the latest evidence is that sleep medication is to be avoided. It can kead to dependency and greater problems down the line.
People need less sleep than previously thought and the old belief that people need 7 hours a night just increases stress.
There is a reason for your stress, (the building work), could you look at addressing your thoughts around that? Have you considered CBT which can be very effective?

YABU

Whatever is preventing your sleep needs to be addressed.

The drug you are asking for has the appalling side effect of addiction. It doesn't address the problem you have, it just masks the symptom.

It's a good thing you have a responsible GP.

Dr is right, benzo addiction is no joke.

The doctor is right. Avoid benzos. You need to deal with the cause of your issues, not the symptoms. Believe me, I know how hard that is. I've had to throw everything at mine - nutrition, supplements, exercise, meditation, therapy etc. It works. Sleep is an indirect result of these otherwise it's a sticking plaster for a gaping wound.

Absolutely within prescribing guidelines. More than 3 days is when you begin to build a tolerance making it less effective

There is much more scrutiny and caution in benzo prescribing now days due to the high risk of addiction and the simple fact that your body begins to build tolerances very quickly so each dose becomes ineffective surprisingly quickly, and people have horrendous issues coming off them. Gone are the days when people should be given long courses because it sets people up to fail.

The bnf even suggests single doses of insomnia now

in 6 months I’ve only had 8 doses
but it’s massively massively helped

Well, in 6 months you’ve only had about one night a month that it’s helped you, so actually it hasn’t been the massive help you think. The issue is they’re so addictive- which is potentially why you are so attached to the idea of them, and only them, solving this.

You don’t want a benzo addiction. So you need to go back and discuss alternative options, understanding that diazepam is off the menu.

You can get melatonin online for "jetlag" I get from PharmacyOnline

When my panic disorder was at its worst my GP gave me 5 days of it to break the cycle.

By day 4 - I was addicted and remember sobbing knowing I had just 1 day left.

There are other things to try... 5 HTP works very well!

the simple fact that your body begins to build tolerances very quickly so each dose becomes ineffective surprisingly quickly

As newtrick says - and if you already had to take 6mg to sleep, you can see this effect in yourself already. You’d soon need more and more.

Insomnia is awful, you have my sympathies but don’t pursue the diazepam.

Have you tried sleep sounds (bear in mind different sounds work for different people)

Amitriptyline knocks me right out. Have you tried this @Bluewaterbottlebig - just 20mg does the trick for me!

(But I also have neurological problems too!)

It's all so personal isn't it? I call Amitriptyline the Devil Drug as just one quarter of a tablet makes me sleep for 2 days.

They'll prize amitriptyline from my cold dead hands! It's helped me so much. Pain, insomnia, anxiety all neatly settled by a low dose.

I also suffer with dry eye disease and meiobiian gland dysfunction
which causes really bad dry eyes

so that puts me right off taking anything know to affect the eyes or makes the drier

which is basically all
Antihistamines
sleep aids
anti depressants etc

which make its so much harder

but the diazepam doesn’t seem to affect my eyes

I’ve tired melatonin
didn’t work

and magnesium
doenst seem to have any effect either

What's 5HP please? x