my natural sleep supp experiment

[heapsreal]

last night i took 19 yes 19 supps for sleep, they consisted of tryptophan, ashwaganda, relora, inositol, theanine, taurine and phosphatidyleserine. All i can say is it helped me relax but not put me to sleep. i ended up having to take a med. Im probably going to just take 2-3 of them with my sleep meds as i think it helps improve sleep quality and look at maybe lowering the dose of sleep meds. the different benzos i use for sleep is equivilant to 5mg of valium so not high at all. maybe i could start using half doses?? i am having benzo free nights but just using low doses of seroquel or mirtazapine or doxepine. and sleeping well. this should reduce any tolerance to benzos i may have built up and slowly wean from them, although im really just replacing it with something else but either way its good to take a break from them.

After saying all that i think these supps would probably help someone if anxiety was an issue. or wanting to cut back on benzo doses maybe??

cheers!!!

 

[Sushi]

last night i took 19 yes 19 supps for sleep, they consisted of tryptophan, ashwaganda, relora, inositol, theanine, taurine and phosphatidyleserine. All i can say is it helped me relax but not put me to sleep. i ended up having to take a med. Im probably going to just take 2-3 of them with my sleep meds as i think it helps improve sleep quality and look at maybe lowering the dose of sleep meds. the different benzos i use for sleep is equivilant to 5mg of valium so not high at all. maybe i could start using half doses?? i am having benzo free nights but just using low doses of seroquel or mirtazapine or doxepine. and sleeping well. this should reduce any tolerance to benzos i may have built up and slowly wean from them, although im really just replacing it with something else but either way its good to take a break from them.

After saying all that i think these supps would probably help someone if anxiety was an issue. or wanting to cut back on benzo doses maybe??

cheers!!!

Ha, Ha!

Sorry, Heaps, but I have a right to laugh as I am trying to do the same thing with the same results.

I have been totally off ambien for about 10 days (after a slow taper) but damn! if I can go to sleep. I am averaging getting to sleep about 3 or 4 a.m. So far the only "drug" I've given in to was Benadryl but I don't really like the way I feel the day after. I am taking about the same number of "naturals." Last night I tried a new one: http://www.vitaminlife.com/product-...uct_id/65378?gclid=CLHMlLXDhbgCFQJqMgodszEAmg

I yawned more deeply than I can ever remember, but...about 3 a.m. again. Tonight I'll take a bigger dose. I also just ordered a good quality of California Poppy: http://www.iherb.com/Herb-Pharm-California-Poppy-1-fl-oz-29-6-ml/14470 -- was the one you tried a good quality one?

This is driving me nuts!

Sushi

 

[heapsreal]

Ha, Ha!

Sorry, Heaps, but I have a right to laugh as I am trying to do the same thing with the same results.

I have been totally off ambien for about 10 days (after a slow taper) but damn! if I can go to sleep. I am averaging getting to sleep about 3 or 4 a.m. So far the only "drug" I've given in to was Benadryl but I don't really like the way I feel the day after. I am taking about the same number of "naturals." Last night I tried a new one: http://www.vitaminlife.com/product-...uct_id/65378?gclid=CLHMlLXDhbgCFQJqMgodszEAmg

I yawned more deeply than I can ever remember, but...about 3 a.m. again. Tonight I'll take a bigger dose. I also just ordered a good quality of California Poppy: http://www.iherb.com/Herb-Pharm-California-Poppy-1-fl-oz-29-6-ml/14470 -- was the one you tried a good quality one?

This is driving me nuts!

Sushi

Yes thats the cal poppy.

I just find the meds like ambien give a better quality of sleep and less side effects like hangovers and dry mouth and eyes etc.

My plan is/was that if i was able to sleep well with just 'natural' stuff then maybe be easier to come off these and sleep substance free. I still have in the back of my mind that with us something is just broken and sleeping substance free just will never happen. But having less days and or reducing doses can help reduce tolerance and keeping the sleep meds effective.

the cal poppy i dont think has helped but i might try doubling the dose and see what happens. I hope it works for you.

You taking anything different to what i am trying??

cheers!!

 

[Sushi]

You taking anything different to what i am trying??
cheers!!

SAMe, 5-HTP, (which one turns into which? tryptophan into 5-HTP, or the other way around?), melatonin,
Kavinace (jury is out on it--may not have taken enough), GABA. Calms will put me back to sleep if I wake up but getting to sleep is my problem.

Sushi

 

[xchocoholic]

Hi heaps,

I would've been kept awake all night from my body trying to process all those supplements. Lol.

I'm a lightweight tho and have to take my supplements spread out thru the day. My kidneys, liver, etc
just can't handle much of anything at one time. Or even taking a small amount of some things.

Have you tried melatonin, 5htp (natural factors) and theanine ( I use klonopin instead now) together ? I have to use all 3 because my body
isn't producing these sleep chemicals anymore. And without the klonopin I jerk when entering rem. Natural calm and benadryl help too if I'm still too wound up.

Waking up in the mornings is a challenge if I take too much of these but I'd rather have that then lack of sleep.
I can't function without a good nights sleep. This has been working for me for about 6 years now but I had to experiment
to find which brand of supplements and what dosage works best. Natural factors makes a sleep supplement
with melatonin 5htp and theanine together because these work well together.

Hope you find something that works soon. Tc .. X

 

[heapsreal]

Hi heaps,

I would've been kept awake all night from my body trying to process all those supplements. Lol.

I'm a lightweight tho and have to take my supplements spread out thru the day. My kidneys, liver, etc
just can't handle much of anything at one time. Or even taking a small amount of some things.

Have you tried melatonin, 5htp (natural factors) and theanine ( I use klonopin instead now) together ? I have to use all 3 because my body
isn't producing these sleep chemicals anymore. And without the klonopin I jerk when entering rem. Natural calm and benadryl help too if I'm still too wound up.

Waking up in the mornings is a challenge if I take too much of these but I'd rather have that then lack of sleep.
I can't function without a good nights sleep. This has been working for me for about 6 years now but I had to experiment
to find which brand of supplements and what dosage works best. Natural factors makes a sleep supplement
with melatonin 5htp and theanine together because these work well together.

Hope you find something that works soon. Tc .. X

Make that 20 pills as I also took melatonin. Lol

 

[PaulDB]

Can totally relate to the level of frutration leading to your experiment! Mathematically, the number of various permutations of those 19 (+1) substances could take forever to work out an optimal dose/combination. When I consider those realities, it's hard not to just throw up my hands and throw in the towel. Thanks for keeping a light tone in your dealing with this stuff--it can really help. Now if we could just find a way to really help this insomnia insanity!!

 

[alex3619]

Maybe a slower taper off the meds would help, and possibly a small taper followed by a period with no change, then another small taper?

 

[maryb]

Sushi
I too was tring to come off Zopiclone, I tapered for 3/4 weeks getting less sleep but then had to go away from home for a few days and knew I couldn't survive it without sleeping, so reluctantly went back on it. How did you taper sushi?
heapsreal
hi heaps our little tester sorry to hear it didn't work the first time - knowing you you'll get there though
I tried CalmForte on the rec of someone on here - it just gave me an awful headache the next morning, hubby tried it too and he also got the headache and he's not sick soooo not one I'd recommend. Look forward to seeing how you both get on - be great to come off the meds and sleep eh?

 

[heapsreal]

Im really on the minimum dosage of benzo and currently using them 3 to 4 nights week the last few weeks. So im chipping away at it slowly. Instead of tapering the dose on a daily basis im trying to start off with alternating days I use a benzo and slowly increase the days between use. Thats the plan now. Im thinking that this will give me a few days aweek where sleep will be ok where I think slowly tapering the dose on a daily schedule which could lead to crap sleep all the time? ? If it doesn't completely work it can still help reduce tolerance.

 

[maryb]

That may be a good plan heaps for you, brilliant if its working - I don't know if I would sleep at all if I didn't take the zop - I didn't the one time I forgot to take it - like sushi I was awake until 3/4am.
I think that because you never took one type consistently every night, swopping around a bit all the time, you haven't built up that absolute dependency that sushi and I have. Maybe turn out to have been the best option.

I have a good sleep regime (unlike what most docs think) go to bed at the same time every night and get up between 8/9.30am every day - never sleep during the day. It was totally disrupted on the taper.

 

[maryb]

heapsreal
just being lazy but what are aseroquel or mirtazapine or doxepine?

 

[Sushi]

maryb

To taper off ambien I just reduced the dose a tiny bit, stayed at that dose for a few days, and then kept doing it. It took about 3 weeks.

Last night I finally gave in and took some Benadryl again--sigh!

Sushi

 

[maryb]

thanks Sushi - you came off it quicker than I was tapering it - I've been on it for 4 years wonder if thats why I'm finding it hard?

 

[heapsreal]

heapsreal
just being lazy but what are aseroquel or mirtazapine or doxepine?

More or less sedating antidepressants basically strong antihistamines. Seroquel being the strongest. Im sleeping quite well on Just those with theanine withania and taurine. No benzo. Slept a solid 8hrs last night.

 

[xchocoholic]

Hi again. It may help if you google sleep brain chemicals. It's been a few years
since i did this but i suspect you'll still find melatonin and tryptophan. Theanine
or klonopin calm a racing mind. As does natural calm. I found
that my body is missing these. Tc .. x

 

[maddietod]

Does anybody have recommendations for a different kind of insomnia? I go to sleep fine, have no problem with racing thoughts, but I wake up about every hour. I usually go right back to sleep. I don't have apnea.
So I'm napping all night. What would keep me from dropping into deep sleep?

 

[maryb]

More or less sedating antidepressants basically strong antihistamines. Seroquel being the strongest. Im sleeping quite well on Just those with theanine withania and taurine. No benzo. Slept a solid 8hrs last night.

wow that is brilliant heaps - can't remember the last time I slept for 8hrs going to look them up, need some aids to get off this zop.

 

[maryb]

Sushi
can you refresh my memory, the Benadryl in the US is different to the one in the UK isn't it? UK one is non drowsy. What is the active ingredient that helps sleep?

 

[Sushi]

Sushi
can you refresh my memory, the Benadryl in the US is different to the one in the UK isn't it? UK one is non drowsy. What is the active ingredient that helps sleep?

Must be different because they sell Benadryl in the States as a sleeping supplement as well as an antihistamine. It is Diphenhydramine HCL.

I am taking 25 mg which is the amount they put in Tylenol PM, but you can take up to 50 according to the box.

Sushi