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Insomnia/Chronic Anxiety
I had developed a habit of waking up till late night n consequently over a period of time I developed insomnia. when it became severe I started taking alprazolam to sleep. Now it has been more than 2 years taking it, I had started with a dose of 0.5 mg n Today I need to take 2 Mg. I am aware that this much dose is too high n may cause unpleasant outcomes in long run. I seen a psychiatrist in bangalore.I was given CBT which I felt unneccesary after coming out of his chamber coz I felt whatever he said was positive, motivating for a person but I didn't need that. He charged me a lot for that CBT. Prescribed Sertraline n etizolam which I could not tolerate bcoz of horrible headache.Escitalopram didn't help. Mirtazapine was too strong.Now on Paroxetine LS 25 mg for one n half month but no improvement in sleep. I still need to take that high dose of anxit to sleep.Maano khud ko behosh karna padta hai.Naturally sona kya hota hai main bhool hi gaya. Any advice on how can I restore my sleep?
Answers (6)
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Hi,
Try these techniques
1 Learn relaxation techniques like slow deep diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation technique
2. Practice yoga and meditation
3. Practice mindfulness
4. Regular physical exercise
5. Avoid alcohol and smoking
6. Good balanced diet
7. Good night sleep
8. Quality family time
9. Good social network
10. Keep yourself occupied with work that you love
All the best be happy 💐
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You do meditation for half an hour in the morning and half an hour exercise in the evening
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What you are describing is the gradual disruption of the circadian rhythm. Instead of identifying the root cause of the issue quick fix/half baked solutions have been tried through self medications or inadequate consultations leading to further disruptions and a probable additional complication of benzodiazepine dependence.
Now this is a vicious cycle and you are getting sucked deeper and deeper into it and nothing seems to work for you.
Next Steps
contact a psychiatrist with interest in sleep medicine to tease out various factors related to your sleep disturbance and chalk out a detailed management plan with scrupulous adherence to its implementation
Health Tips
No self medications/Google diagnosis/over the counter drugs or any drug cocktail.
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Hi
I understand difficult in falling/ maintaining asleep can be tiresome..
As your aware taking Benzodiazepine for long time can be addictive and cause potential long-term side effects ...one of which is effecting memory
But underlying cause of sleep issues should be addressed as it can be part of many disorders.
Lot of medications you have used ...but need to understand how long each have been prescribed...
Most SSRIs you have taken should be tried atleast 3-6 months before to understand whether they are helping or not.
Side effects can be troublesome but need to understand are side effects because of medication or due to tapering off alprazolam (2mg tapering takes time)
Side effects can be helped otherwise...
Also was sleep hygiene part of treatment ?
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy can help understand where the issues have started from and prevent any future relapses.
Next Steps
Can consult me help you with medications or therapy or both accordingly after complete assessment
Health Tips
I understand your working in giving up of alprazolam but don't give up..
first week is hardest ...a month little difficult but later you can be free of your addictions under proper Guidance from doctor.
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Hi ... Your concern and the desire to restore your sleep is appreciable. You have given here a brief history of your journey with your medication but no where it describes about your day to day activities.. To identify any sort of gaps in your lifestyle... For addressal. For establishing normal sleep pattern you need to consult a psychologist and undergo the therapy.
Next Steps
video/in person consultation with a psychologist
Health Tips
start exercising and eat a good healthy diet to begin with.
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Dr. Anshul Mahajan
Psychiatrist
5 yrs exp
Ludhiana
Need to be evaluated
Next Steps
Contact me
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