Postnatal insomnia - want to stop sleeping pills now - anyone been through this?

[BeckyBendyLegs]

Hi, not sure whether to put this in 'general health' or 'mental health' but basically I had my third child in November and started having sleeping problems (hard to get to sleep and waking early wide awake) after Christmas. After four nights of this in a row GP gave me some sleeping pills which the health visitor told me to take for 1-2 weeks. I took 2 tablets for 3 nights and then since only take 1 tablet a night and it works but now I want to get back to myself again as sleeping pills make me feel groggy next day and basically I want my own sleep back. I have been diagnosed with mild Postnatal depression but am not taking anti-depressants but going the non-medication route with diet, excercise, family, friends, going out, etc and that side of things is working a treat as I am sooo much happier than I was at Christmas (partly helped by better sleep - albeit chemically induced). Has anyone been through anything similar and come out the other end sleeping well without resort to medication? Any tips for ditching the evil sleeping pills without getting in an exhuasted state again? I didn't take one Monday night and slept 3-4 hours. Took one last night. GP suggests taking diazepam tonight and go from there but I don't want to take that either!

Thanks for reading... sorry long story.

Oh Countrylover I feel for you. My GP gave me zopliclone but I stopped taking them after two weeks as I read about them on the internet. They are evil. I'm still taking herbal tablets at the mo. but know this isn't the answer either. Would it be worth you trying hypnotherapy again? I've had three sessions from my mum and they have helped, although by no means 'cured'. I just feel like my body has lost it's natural ability to sleep. I did fall asleep last night listening to Paul McKenna on my ipod - and had taken herbal tablets. Still woke at 4.40am though and dozed until had to get up. It is just so boring, boring, boring.

I'm hoping my GP will suggest AD's - there are ones which are specifically for depression linked with anxiety and insomnia. To be honest I find the anxiety around sleep more debillitating than not sleeping itself. I wish I could stop the constant thoughts about sleep or lack of.

The CBT did address all of this but I've had several sessions and they've finished now. It's like I've forgotten everything I learnt already.

I was on dosulepin for a year after DS1 and they did do the trick but when I came off them I sunk back into depression again. But that was because I had unresolved issues to do with DS1's birth.

I'm hoping this time as there's no underlying trauma a few months of AD's will get me back of track.

When you're in it though it feels as if you've been like this forever. Although I know rationally that I've had years at a time of 'good' sleep.

How long have you suffered with this BBL?

trimipramine/Surmontil are the best for anxiety and sleep related problems. They are the only thing that has helped me....countrylover

thanks alypaly - i will mention it to my gp tomorrow and see whats she says...just out of interest why aren't you on them now?

i am on them and the nights i take them i do sleep....but i am trying so hard to get away from all medication . I used to take them every night when i first started on them. In fact my gp prescribed them solely because they are one of the few anti depressants that cause drowsiness as well as helping with depression.

I have been hooked on sleeping tablets for many years and now it takes at least 2 to get me to sleep. I have real problems getting to sleep and rarely feel tired. I could carry on with housework and work 24/7. I dont seem to feel tired or yawn ( except when football is on) .
They used to make me feeel a bit groggy in the morning so i never dared to take them when i was doing my job as a dispenser. I needed all my wits about me and did not want to make any errors.

I dont think its helped that my depression although not apparent on the exterior is quite deep seated from when i was a little girl,i have had some really tough times in my life and i am a sp to boot with 2 boys that i have brought up for 17 years on my own as ex went off with his ex fiancee.

I think it all got mixed in with a bit of PND too. But ill get there in the end. Maybe i need a loving man and a bit of security....maybe then ill sleep.

Alypaly my heart goes out to you. Sleep is taken for granted by so many people yet to those who don't get enough it is an obsession.

Countrylover I've only had this since Christmas. Before that I used to suffer whenever I was on holiday even as a child (strange bed) and whenever I had exams (during my finals at University I had a tough time and ended up sleeping in the floor in my friend's room and forcing myself not to move hoping sleep would come - it did eventually). Besides that, just the odd night. Normally I sleep 8-9 hours a night. DH only needs 5-6 hours but he just goes to sleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

Last night I slept relatively well using Paul McKenna on my ipod to relax me (I want to marry him!). He helped me get off to sleep. I took one herbal tablet too - half a adult dose. So that I consider a good night!

well my update is that the GP didn't give me antidepressants, she said to try temazepam first as and when i need it. i'm kind of pleased in that she didn't think i was 'bad' enough to warrant AD's. i've been on them before when i had PND with DS1 and logically thinking i'd rather not go there again if i can help it. this is helped by having eight hours sleep last night without any medication so my confidence this morning at least was high.

i was feeling positive but then after my visit to the gp's DS2 came down with a high temp and was sick. he was also sick again this evening although he has kept down milk. i'm also an emetephobe (fear of vomit) so my anxiety levels have gone through the roof!

i didn't have time to go and get the prescription for the temazepam so i wonder how tonight will go? i am self medicating with a large glass of wine and a hot bath shortly.

wish me luck!

also sending you a big hug alpaly - i can't begin to imagine how hard it must have been to raise children on your own especially when you have had trauma when you were younger.

i'm sure you are doing a fantastic job with your two boys though.

i have just realised something actually - you have two boys, i have two boys and becky has three boys. it must be their fault - bloody men!

xx

thanks for the hugs.
It not been that hard with the boys,they have been fantastic guys and i wish i could do it all over again,but with a bit better finances. they keep me sane

countrylover I also have a vomit phobia (and am on the thread about that - only just found out there is a word for it!).

I slept about 2 hours last night I feel so desperate when I've slept so badly. It was anxiety about sleeping that kept me awake, ironically. Plus I've stopped taking any herbal remedies. I don't want to take any pills at all but when I don't, my sleep is crap. I did use hypnotherapy on my ipod, which sent me to sleep but I just woke up straight away afterwards and lay there for hours, drifting off occassionally, waking soon after. So peeed off with this.

PS hope your DS is feeling better today. I know how stressful it is when one of them is sick. We have been lucky so far this winter (she says touching a large table). DH and I came down with something in October but nothing serious - just feeling sick.

Thanks everyone. I think I was full of happy hormones until I stopped breast-feeding, and that combined with the stress of several cancelled flights, travelling back from Spain with my then-5-month-old (during the bitter winter snap at the start of this year) sparked off a hideous bout of insomnia. I think I barely slept at all in January 2010. Tamazapan, far too readily prescribed by a locum GP, made me feel vile, just fuzzy and hungover but not at all rested, so luckily I didn't go back for more. I thought it would resolve itself, but it still hasn't, not really, though hypnotherapy has REALLY helped and I now only have one or two bad nights a week - though I still feel worried going to bed, and start counting the hours until baby wakes up. Am weaning off a low level of Amitryptaline now and hoping to beat it once and for all, with more hypnosis, relaxation exercises, bedtime routine, etc, until my subconscious takes over again and stops the conscious mind from worrying and running around keeping me awake.

I went through this exact thing earlier this year. My baby was born in January and I immediately had anxiety - shaking, poor appetite, and insomnia. This got progressively worse and, I believe, led to depression. I had a few nights of literally no sleep and I was prescribed temazepan and was petrified about taking it - but it worked and gave me some respite.

I also took Citalopram - anti-depressant - which really helped with the depression and, over 6 weeks the anxiety lifted but I still struggled with insomnia. I was seeing a CBT counsellor too - but this didnt help. Then i tried The London Insomnia Clinic www.londoninsomniaclinic.co.uk and saw Dr Guy Meadows on a few Skype sessions- whose 'mindfulness' techniques - teaching me how to accept the insomnia worked at helping me 'let go' of it. Now (3 months down the line) I only have the odd bad night and am feeling much better. This has also helped a friend of mine who it going through the same thing.

To all of you going through this, there is a way through and you absolutely will get better.