No more insomnia meds

[expo]

I was on ambien for several years before the VA stopped prescribing it to me. Since then, they have been playing wack-a-mole with various anti-anxiety, anti-psychotics for sleep instead. I recently tried a lunesta from a friend and it was amazing. I slept so well. I tried Klonopin and it worked a little too well.  

2 questions:

Do you have a script from the va for a real insomnia med that works?

If not, how do you get it? I would hate to go out of pocket for a civilian doc only to get turned down for a script. 

Thanks

[Vync]

1 hour ago, expo said:

I was on ambien for several years before the VA stopped prescribing it to me. Since then, they have been playing wack-a-mole with various anti-anxiety, anti-psychotics for sleep instead. I recently tried a lunesta from a friend and it was amazing. I slept so well. I tried Klonopin and it worked a little too well.  

2 questions:

Do you have a script from the va for a real insomnia med that works?

If not, how do you get it? I would hate to go out of pocket for a civilian doc only to get turned down for a script. 

Thanks

You make some good observations. The problem with psychotropic meds, like klonopin or valium, is they leave you feeling like a zombie and destroy libido.

My VAMC gave me ambien, but switched to trazodone a few years ago. The problem I have with it is you have to time taking it exactly to a specific time in the evening and according to when you have your last meal. If I don't get it right, I either never really fall asleep or wake up feeling groggy with brain fog for most of the day.

My VAMC's MH clinic prescribed it to me. However, I found taking a low dose benadryl before bed was more effective at making me drowsy faster without the brain fog the next day.

Here is some information about what I did to get to sleep better:

I did get a referral to the VAMC sleep clinic where they did a sleep study. It took months for the VA to get it setup. They found I had sleep apnea and prescribed a CPAP/BIPAP machine. It took a while for them to identify the most effective mask, but I can now sleep a lot better than before.

Additionally, the VAMC audiologists diagnosed me with tinnitus, the constant ringing in the ears. It is worse when it is quiet before I go to sleep. They sent me a sound generating machine to help mask it out with soothing sounds like thunderstorms, or ocean waves. This really made a difference in how fast I fall asleep.

[seminoles]

I take klonopin and a small dose of martazapine, I still don't sleep well.   Without them, I would be up more than twice what I am now.  I have taken ambien and have an outside provider (i pay cash) who will prescribe it if I want.  I have serious sleep issues coupled with mh issues so it is what it is....as far as the libido part.   Ha, tell the VA that that all those drugs impact your libido, guess for guys it may be easier cuz there is a blue pill solution but for women they just ignore us. 

[expo]

1 hour ago, seminoles said:

I take klonopin and a small dose of martazapine, I still don't sleep well.   Without them, I would be up more than twice what I am now.  I have taken ambien and have an outside provider (i pay cash) who will prescribe it if I want.  I have serious sleep issues coupled with mh issues so it is what it is....as far as the libido part.   Ha, tell the VA that that all those drugs impact your libido, guess for guys it may be easier cuz there is a blue pill solution but for women they just ignore us. 

Is your klonopin from the VA? That would make me happy cause it works.  They keep trying to get me to take martazapine but it makes me too flat. Weir but when I am on it, I don't really care about other people. Bout lost my mind getting off of it as well.

[Buck52]

bumping this post  up for expo.

[seminoles]

20 hours ago, expo said:

Is your klonopin from the VA? That would make me happy cause it works.  They keep trying to get me to take martazapine but it makes me too flat. Weir but when I am on it, I don't really care about other people. Bout lost my mind getting off of it as well.

 

20 hours ago, expo said:

Is your klonopin from the VA? That would make me happy cause it works.  They keep trying to get me to take martazapine but it makes me too flat. Weir but when I am on it, I don't really care about other people. Bout lost my mind getting off of it as well.

Yes, I get klonopin from the VA I have been on some sort of benzo for over a decade, the martazapine you should talk to your psychiatrist about a very low dose like 7.5 mg or 15 mg at bedtime, low doses of it help with sleep and don't impact you so much on the other side.  I have pretty complex mh issues and multiple diagnosis including PTSD, severe anxiety disorder, panic disorder with agoraphobia and bipolar II all which are service connected.  Makes meds VERY difficult