Sleeping pill every night

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ihrjordan
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Re: Sleeping pill every night

Post by ihrjordan »

Virgo wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 3:11 pm
alfa wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 11:42 am Friends,

I suffer from chronic insomnia. I've been taking a sleeping pill (alphrozam+melatonin) every night, never felt better. Just 0.5mg dosage.

Do I continue taking it every night?

Do people have any experience with it?

I need your feedback, insights, etc.

Thanks.
You might try seeing an Ayurvedic doctor and receiving a treatment for vatta.

Kevin
:goodpost: Or he could just wait until spring arrives sometime between march 15th-22nd in which time his "insomnia" is liable to subside on it's own upon the aggravation of kapha dosha which has been accumulating during late winter.
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Kamran
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Re: Sleeping pill every night

Post by Kamran »

Sleeping pills actually cause insomnia, and over time they will damage your liver.
alfa
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Location: India

Re: Sleeping pill every night

Post by alfa »

An update on this experiment.

For the first week or so, it was working well. I slept well. If I went to sleep at 11, I'd wake up at 6 or 7.

But after ten days or so, even though the pill helped me fall asleep I kept waking up at 3 am instead of the usual 6 or 7 am.

Is it just one of those things, or a specific side effect of the pill?

God only knows.

Decided that if it happens again, I will work out at 3 am instead of tossing and turning in bed.

Let's see how far this experiment goes.
sentinel
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Re: Sleeping pill every night

Post by sentinel »

Kamran wrote: Fri Mar 09, 2018 12:00 pm Sleeping pills actually cause insomnia, and over time they will damage your liver.
This is correct . Some get addicted .
If you approach western doctors probably they will refer you to psychiatric department . You end up taking medicine as you mentioned .
If you take ayurvedic treatment imo harmless .
If you try TCM ie traditional Chinese medicine ,
that's likely be safe as ayurvedic .
You always gain by giving
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bodom
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Re: Sleeping pill every night

Post by bodom »

Kamran wrote: Fri Mar 09, 2018 12:00 pm Sleeping pills actually cause insomnia, and over time they will damage your liver.
I have taken a prescribed sleeping pill for years now and just had an annual check up and my liver enzymes are fine. I sleep great.

:namaste:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
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No_Mind
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Re: Sleeping pill every night

Post by No_Mind »

alfa wrote: Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:23 pm An update on this experiment.

For the first week or so, it was working well. I slept well. If I went to sleep at 11, I'd wake up at 6 or 7.

But after ten days or so, even though the pill helped me fall asleep I kept waking up at 3 am instead of the usual 6 or 7 am.

Is it just one of those things, or a specific side effect of the pill?

God only knows.

Decided that if it happens again, I will work out at 3 am instead of tossing and turning in bed.

Let's see how far this experiment goes.
When you wrote first .. I wrote a lengthy reply and then deleted it because it is not safe to hand out medical advice in a forum.

Alprazolam is an anxiolytic meaning it helps with anxiety. Since most people develop insomnia due to anxiety .. doctors prescribe it as a sleeping tablet.

Ask your doctor for a sleep initiator. I will not spell out the chemical since you are in India and sleeping tablets are easily available and you might be tempted to experiment.

Have your doctor prescribe it for a month.

Also .. you cannot ask for advice regarding sleeping tablets without disclosing your age, gender, weight (do you wake up due to sleep apnea), your mental history in reasonable detail .. and your life in reasonable detail (what causes you anxiety, are you anxious now .. on a scale of 1-10 what is your anxiety level .. so and so forth)

My best suggestion .. try and maintain good sleep habits .. exercise daily, no caffeine after 5 PM .. have a bath before you sleep, do not read in bed .. no internet or tv (except a boring news channel) for one hour before bed .. no talking or arguing before bedtime .. the bed is for sleeping not for storing CDs or a closet .. keep it clean.

But you are from India .. and if you are from typical Indian family what I advised is tough ask.

Try it out for two months .. if you still cannot sleep go to a psychiatrist .. general practitioners or internists can prescribe wrong medication .. antipsychotic drugs such as olanzapine by mistake (one prescribed it to my best friend and now he is hooked on it)

There are so many things to know before one advices .. do you have mood swings .. do you have normal libido .. do you keep rocking from foot to foot, shuffling of legs, or swinging one leg over the other while sitting .. do you take medications like prozac for depression .. it goes on and on ..

One of the hardest things to diagnose is why someone cannot sleep and there never is a conclusive answer (and you end up paying the psychiatrist for 2 years)

Best of luck .. but you might have to live with your condition for a life time .. I am an insomniac for last 25 years .. and I envy those people who can fall asleep in a bus ..

Also ask your mom about your sleep habits as an infant .. after the turbulent teenage years when everyone sleeps well .. infant sleep pattern returns as an adult .. if you fell asleep easily as an infant (say 2 - 9 months age) .. you will usually do so in adult life also.

Most important .. in social anxiety forums there are members who take enormous doses ... 8 mg alprazolam twice daily .. do not take your cue from them .. your brain will turn to pulp.

:namaste:
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”― Albert Camus
sentinel
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Re: Sleeping pill every night

Post by sentinel »

bodom wrote: Tue Mar 13, 2018 2:25 pm
Kamran wrote: Fri Mar 09, 2018 12:00 pm Sleeping pills actually cause insomnia, and over time they will damage your liver.
I have taken a prescribed sleeping pill for years now and just had an annual check up and my liver enzymes are fine. I sleep great.

:namaste:
That doesn't mean in the long run you won't encounter side effects which could be less or serious impact . Some people may not have side effects at all .
Btw , sometimes check up is superficial , hidden illnesses only traceable in the last stage especially liver cancer .
You always gain by giving
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bodom
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Re: Sleeping pill every night

Post by bodom »

James Tan wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:35 am
bodom wrote: Tue Mar 13, 2018 2:25 pm
Kamran wrote: Fri Mar 09, 2018 12:00 pm Sleeping pills actually cause insomnia, and over time they will damage your liver.
I have taken a prescribed sleeping pill for years now and just had an annual check up and my liver enzymes are fine. I sleep great.

:namaste:
That doesn't mean in the long run you won't encounter side effects which could be less or serious impact . Some people may not have side effects at all .
Btw , sometimes check up is superficial , hidden illnesses only traceable in the last stage especially liver cancer .
Hey James

Believe me it's something I would rather not take the rest of my life.

:namaste:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
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No_Mind
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Re: Sleeping pill every night

Post by No_Mind »

As general information -

Most medications are metabolized by the liver (even food and alcohol is metabolized by it)

Fear of liver disease should not keep one from medication. Life expectancy of a normal human who takes no medication is rarely more than 60 years (look back at life expectancy before 1900 in U.S and U.K .. it was 45ish .. nature meant us to live no more than 50 years)

If a 40 year old with blood pressure and cholesterol does not consume sartans, beta blockers and statins he will be dead long before 50 .. or even worse become paralyzed due to a stroke and keep on living 20 more years.

Liver is one of the most resilient organs in the body. It is the only organ capable of regenerating itself. So if your doctor has prescribed medicines you should not reject them.

Best thing you can do for you liver and kidney is not to drink more than 30 ml of 43% alcohol or 13 ml of pure alcohol.

Have raw green papaya (or boiled) for keeping your liver healthy

:namaste:
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”― Albert Camus
SarathW
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Re: Sleeping pill every night

Post by SarathW »

Sam Vara wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 9:08 pm
SarathW wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 8:46 pm Who said that we have to sleep?
Last night I had only four-hours sleep!
I thought it was a good excuse to meditate.
'We will be devoted to wakefulness. During the day, sitting & pacing back & forth, we will cleanse the mind of any qualities that would hold it in check. During the first watch of the night, sitting & pacing back & forth, we will cleanse the mind of any qualities that would hold it in check. During the second watch of the night, reclining on his right side, we will take up the lion's posture, one foot placed on top of the other, mindful, alert, with the mind set on getting up [either as soon as we awaken or at a particular time]. During the last watch of the night, sitting and not pacing back & forth, we will mindfully engage the internet with the thought: "may I be the first to reach 10,000 posts on Dhamma Wheel!". That's how you should train yourselves."
Well I have just completed ten year anniversary in Dhamma Wheel thanks to all the sleepless nights.
:D
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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knighter75
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Re: Sleeping pill every night

Post by knighter75 »

santa100 wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 2:46 pm Try the drug-free approach like cardio workout, 1-hr fast walking or 45-min jogging would help you sleep much better without any pill.
I agree
lift weights if you can
Run 5km if you can
Do as much physical work as possible
Preferably in morning afternoon
Not to close to your sleep time.
CBD can be a relaxant too.

Be happy🙏
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