Posted by Scott M on May 31, 2009 at 13:04:55:

In Reply to: Re: reframing insomnia posted by Hopeful on May 31, 2009 at 11:18:01:

To hopeful,

I don't know how long you have been taking the clonazapam or at what dose but my suggestion is that if you have been taking it for longer than 1 month and the dose has been higher than .25. You should not stop taking it abruptly. You will need to taper off it slowly.

The paxil is more effective for anxiety and the effexor is better for depression. Both of these antidepressants can make your insomnia worse. I know that remeron works really well for insomnia at a low dose(7.5). It will knock you on your ass but after you take it for a week the severe grogginess will go away. I've also heard that the lexapro works very well at decreasing your anxiety and thus helping you sleep. I don't usually suggest any medication, but you sound very depressed and anxious and one of these medications might help you get out of the rut that you're in. In the future i would stay away from any benzos and z-sleeping medications like ambien,lunesta,zoplicone, and sonata. They are very addicting for most people and eventually they stop working once you build up a tolerance to them. I would purchase the book by greg jacobs "Say Goodnight To Insomnia". Your brain will heal itself and you will sleep naturally again. I do believe in prayer and meditation.
Be good to yourself and be patient. I also believe that sleep restriction is very effective. It's tough at the beginning but as you sleep longer your time in bed increases. If you're only sleeping 3 hours, it's crazy to lay in bed for 9 hours. Good luck.

Scott M

Follow Ups:

• Re: reframing insomnia Hopeful 15:58 5/31/09 (1)
  • Re: reframing insomnia F43 16:44 5/31/09 (0)

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