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sleepless in Europe: Arctic root, Jamaican dogwood

Posted by Kate on September 23, 2001 at 06:50:24:

Hi everyone,
I`m 35 and have been suffering from severe insomnia for over 20 years, and while I wish for all of us to get rid of insomnia I was really happy to discover this forum and see I'm not the only one.
This is a really debilitating disorder - a lot of my life has been hell on earth and it's quite a miracle that I've made it thru university and that I manage to hold a job. Although ironically - do you know this? - I can almost always do the demanding tasks my job requires, but when despair really gets at me is at week ends or on holidays when I'm supposed to be relaxing and recovering but can't because I just can't sleep!! It's like, work is drudgery anyways and the insomnia, as bad as it is, is only an aggravation - but when you're supposed to be enjoying yourself, that's when it really gets bitter. Another area I find insomnia makes difficult is partnership - so hard not to be able to keep up with an energetic spouse, so hard not to be irritable and take it out on your loved ones. I actually used to feel furious with my last boy friend who had the enviable gift of dropping off for refreshing 10 minute naps virtually any time.
Like many I've tried almost every drug and gadget on the market, tried relaxation techniques and what-nots with little effects. My last big hope was remerol, 15-30mg, which caused me to gain several pounds in no time but mercifully put me to sleep for almost an entire night - for about a week. Then the effect disappeared. Notices I've read on this board have caused me to consider another attempt with 45mg because I've got nothing to lose. Because I know I suffer from concomitant depression - a chicken-and-egg thing - and even if it doesn't make me sleep it will keep me from being positively suicidal after yet another sleepless night. It does help one take sleep deprivation a little more relaxed, I think.
I have a question to anyone who might know. On MedLine I`ve come across a plant called arctic root or rhodiola rosea, an adaptogen similar to siberian ginseng but with affinity to b-endorphine receptors in the brain and hence supposed to be a mild anti-depressant and sleep inducing. It's not available in Europe, and before I ship it at high cost from the U.S. I would love to hear whether someone has some experience with it. For those who would like to try, it does seem to be important that the extract is strong enough and made from siberian plants; Chinese plants don't have the same strength. People who take it for stamina recommend making your own tincture. Has anyone slept better with it? Another substance that pops up in ethnopharmacology is Jamaica dogwood, also called, I think, pisciola piscipula - any experience there?
Finally - I'm supersceptical but I would love to know - has anyone had good expererience with hypnosis? Or, as a matter of fact, with anything else beyond the old tranquilizer/antidepressant? Hope to hear from you, Kate

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