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Anyone tried Paregoric or Japanese Knotweed for insomnia

Zensational

Senior Member
Messages
139
Location
Orlando, Florida
I am desperate for good sleep and I refuse to go back on benzos (Klonopin), gabapentin, Lyrica, etc.
Getting sleep is crucial to our health and is what causes me to be fatigued and muscle achey all day.
I remembered that when my daughter was young we used to give them a tiny bit of paragoric on the tongue to relax them.
I did some research and found that Laudanum and paragoric are similar but not the same and are an opium derivative. Has anyone had any experience with either of these drugs? I hope they are not habit forming. I don't need an addiction problem in addition to the CFS. Any thoughts? I am just trying to think outside the box for a solution.

Also Japanese Knotweed came across my e-mail and it peaked my interest. I looked it up on this forum and saw that someone uses it. It has antiviral, antimicrobial, antiviral properties.
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
Paragoric was traditionally used for intractable diarrhea, so it could make you really constipated if you take it for an extended period of time. I remember taking it many years ago, when I got a bad case of dysentary while traveling. It was very effective for that, and I recall it also had a bit of a sedating effect.

I also struggle from rather severe insomnia, so I considered taking paragoric to help me sleep on the really bad nights. Because it's an opiate, and opiates are known to be addictive, I don't think it would be a good idea to use it as a regular sleep aid, but maybe it would be okay to use in rotation with other things.

I am currently using L-tryptophan, in 2 doses: 1000 mg before bed, and then another 1500 when I wake up at 4 or 5 am. Knock on wood... for now that seems to be working.

I have never tried Japanese knotweed.
 

Zensational

Senior Member
Messages
139
Location
Orlando, Florida
Thanks, I think after reading more about it that it's not the way to go. I have the bulk tryptophan. I think I'll try boosting my dose.
Some people say 5-htp is better. Not sure about that.
 

AFCFS

Senior Member
Messages
312
Location
NC
I think this is a good link for info on Paregoric.

To further address the addiction concerns drugs.com lists:

Paregoric (Generic Name: opium preparation)
Opium preparation may be habit-forming when used over a long period of time. This medication should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. Opium preparation should never be shared with another person, especially someone who has a history of drug abuse or addiction.
Although that exact same information is not reflected at Paregoric (Generic Name: paregoric).

To address the issue of sleep, as Dreambirdie said, everyone is different. I use 500 mg of L-Tryptophan. 500 mg of GABA, and 3 mg of Melatonin.

I got a shift in my sleep cycle from staying up late the last few nights and doubled up to 1000 mg of L-Tryptophan. 1000 mg of GABA, and 6 mg of Melatonin tp try to rectify this last night. I slept like a rock for a solid 8 hrs and was very well rested and quite crisp this morning.

Some people dismiss GABA with the claim that it does not cross the brain barrier. I think they misconstrue the research and present the two Pub Med articles linked from Do Gamma-Amino Butyric acid (GABA) supplements cross the blood brain barrier and effectively reduce anxiety? and GABA Supplements That Pass the Blood-Brain Barrier.
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
It sounds so good on paper, but unfortunately GABA gives me severe anxiety.

Yeah, I know, PARADOXICAL REACTION, something I am all too familiar with. :rolleyes:
 

AFCFS

Senior Member
Messages
312
Location
NC
It sounds so good on paper, but unfortunately GABA gives me severe anxiety.

Yeah, I know, PARADOXICAL REACTION, something I am all too familiar with. :rolleyes:

I am sure that can happen in some people. Curious to know what does you were on and if were taking it with any other supplements that might extend its effect. I had read through Is taking GABA for anxiety or insomnia dangerous? and although Askville by Amazon is not usually a site I would use as definitive reference, they do provide a pretty good response in this case. It seems that some may have anxiety, although they usually correlate it with a higher dose.

On the other hand GABA: Does Oral GABA Make It Into the Brain?ssuggests "Doses in excess of 1,000 mg may be dangerous because they'd be too sedating."

But good to know its various possible outcomes.
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
I took a very small dose--50 mg. of pharma GABA--the kind that is able to cross the blood brain barrier. The other kind of GABA (non pharma) is not supposed to be effective.
 

xrunner

Senior Member
Messages
843
Location
Surrey
Also Japanese Knotweed came across my e-mail and it peaked my interest. I looked it up on this forum and saw that someone uses it. It has antiviral, antimicrobial, antiviral properties.

It works well as a broad spectrum anti-inflammatory, especially brain inflammation, mitos metabolism, muscle power booster, microcirculation etc. of all the herbs I tried it's the one with the largest range of benefits but not sure it helps with insomnia.
It usually makes me more alert and relaxed at the same time but if I take it later in the day I won't sleep.
 

AFCFS

Senior Member
Messages
312
Location
NC
I took a very small dose--50 mg. of pharma GABA--the kind that is able to cross the blood brain barrier. The other kind of GABA (non pharma) is not supposed to be effective.

I just take the Vitacost GABA. Works fine for me. I guess everyone needs to find what works best or does not work for them.
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
controlling cortisol at night with phosphatidyleserine is helping me alot, plus i use tryptophan and melatonin. Still using half a dose of zopiclone though but with the above supps im sleeping much better then i have been, touch wood!!
 

AFCFS

Senior Member
Messages
312
Location
NC
controlling cortisol at night with phosphatidyleserine is helping me alot, plus i use tryptophan and melatonin. Still using half a dose of zopiclone though but with the above supps im sleeping much better then i have been, touch wood!!

phosphatidyleserine - really? That is good to know. I had been confused, as I had read it does lower cortisol but that it also could cause insomnia:

"Phosphatidylserine use can, however, cause side effects including insomnia and stomach upset, particularly at doses over 300 mg."

I have not tried it for that reason. What dose do you take? On the other hand it looks great to:
Have you had any of these results?
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
phosphatidyleserine - really? That is good to know. I had been confused, as I had read it does lower cortisol but that it also could cause insomnia:

"Phosphatidylserine use can, however, cause side effects including insomnia and stomach upset, particularly at doses over 300 mg."

I have not tried it for that reason. What dose do you take? On the other hand it looks great to:
Have you had any of these results?

Yes funny insomnia is a side effect but i think if high night time cortisol is an issue then PS helps sleep. It took me awhile to find the correct info because alot of info out there says PS blocks cortisol which is correct. How it is suppose to work is by increase cortisol sensitivity so less cortisol is need to do its job properly. With bad cortisol sensitivity our body needs to pump out lots of cortisol to do its jobs but all that cortisol overstimulates us and makes us tired but wired?? Its also said to improve the function of the hypothalamus which controls all our hormone signalling.

In the past when i have used 100mg PS i had slight improvements in mood, concentration etc but now using high doses like 500mg im really only noticing sleep improvements, other things are improving but at this stage i think its because im sleeping well, but probably a combination of things. My suggestions are to try 100mg at night before sleep and keep increasing the dose each night till u feel your sleeping better etc. I think if one has high cortisol around the clock then maybe say 100mg when wake up and the higher doses at night for sleep?? But its all trial and error. Tryptophan i think is also good for sleep too.

cheers!!
 

LaurelW

Senior Member
Messages
643
Location
Utah
I myself was given paregoric for a long time as a small child for chronic diarrhea (picked something up in Mexico that I couldn't get rid of). Five years ago I got a gall-bladder problem that no one could figure out for a long time. In the meantime, I was given opiates for the pain. I developed a chemical dependency after only two weeks (a really horrible experience). I can't help but think that the childhood use made me inclined to be more prone to this. Because of this, I'm against any longterm use of paregoric. Besides, there is only one company that still makes it and it's really expensive.