Baclofen and sleep...any answers??

[craving]

i figured that one sleeping problem I have on Baclofen is the apnoe I get. I stop breathing for some seconds (i.e. 10-20 seconds) and then I take a very big breath. that is when I usually wake up

[Greg]

Thanks again for the advice. I've taken doxylamine in the past and may give it a go again if other things don't work. I will contact my doctor about trazodone too, as Cinders suggested.

Natural supplements I am interested in trying are melatonin and 5-HTP.

I think I had sleep apnoea during my drinking binges, especially when I had a sinus infection at the same time. I'd start off snoring badly then would stop breathing and abruptly wake up briefly according to my family who observed me at night.

[Spectra]

I feel like it's like being stuck at the nearly sleep stage. I know I'm resting, but I can control my dreams (sort of).

[eight days a week]

Originally Posted by Greg

Natural supplements I am interested in trying are melatonin and 5-HTP.

Natural is the way to go in my book wherever possible! I can't seem to find melatonin for sale over here in the UK, but I take 5-HTP to keep depression away, and it worked almost instantly and quite dramatically for that. On the other hand, I've heard of a friend or two that noticed no difference taking it. I guess we're all different, and need to experiment to find out what works for us.

I've heard it can aid sleep, but perhaps it's just really subtle on that front. It doesn't make me sleepy, but may well help on a less obvious level.

Let us know please how you get on!

[AndyR]

I sleep really well on the bac. Wake up feeling really refreshed and relaxed too. But when I take >80mg in the day, I can't keep from nodding off. Does anyone find this and does it get any better over time?

[beatle]

Originally Posted by eight days a week

Natural is the way to go in my book wherever possible! I can't seem to find melatonin for sale over here in the UK, but I take 5-HTP to keep depression away, and it worked almost instantly and quite dramatically for that. On the other hand, I've heard of a friend or two that noticed no difference taking it. I guess we're all different, and need to experiment to find out what works for us.

I've heard it can aid sleep, but perhaps it's just really subtle on that front. It doesn't make me sleepy, but may well help on a less obvious level.

Let us know please how you get on!

I agree, natural is always the the best -- not just in theory, but also in practice. What I mean is, drugs almost always have a down side (which usually comes to screw up everything) -- either side effects, built-up tolerance and/or addiction, or interactions with other drugs.

[beatle]

double posted -- sorry!

[Cinders]

I believe Melatonin is not approved for OTC use in the UK. Not absolutely sure but do recall others talking about that.

5HTP, I have never tried, but I do get sleepy and sleep very well if I take L-Tryptophan. Those two are related. I believe 5HTP is the result of processing L-Tryptophan.

One before bed works very well.

But, I do recommend Trazodone as a medical approach. I found it worked well, I didn't get the horribly groggy feelings I couldn't overcome during the day, I did wake up groggy but not too bad. Baclofen does make me groggy, too, though and it takes a couple of good cups of coffee to shake that off.

Sleep is important and I think the lack of sleep that most of us go through after we sober up is the cause of many early stage relapses. We want sleep!!

Do whatever it takes to start getting a good night's sleep so that you do not relapse because of it.

btw, my daughter went sober without anything except an occasional Melatonin. She said that the first week was hell, Melatonin or no Melatonin, but after that, the Melatonin helped and then within a month, she was sleeping without anything. Just as a warning about her, though, even as a small child she slept well. She used to come to me and tell me it was time to tuck her in.

Good luck to all who are having issues with sleep. Find whatever works, use the safest approach that does, and go with it. Sleep IS important. AA knows what they are saying when they tell us to observe HALT (Hungry Angry Lonely Tired.)

Cindi

[Greg]

One thing I won't be using too close to bedtime from now on is baclofen! It works to help cravings during the afternoon and early evening but if I take it any later than that I'm likely to sleep 2-3 hours at most. It's not just a stimulant effect either...it keeps me up running to the bathroom!! I don't experience any daytime over-sedation from it, which is one good thing.

I don't think melatonin is OTC-approved here in Australia either. It's supposed to work for some/most people who take it. 5-HTP is not approved here either, and L-tryptophan was strictly regulated to be by prescription only (and at a ridiculously small allowable dose from memory). I tried L-tryptophan many years ago before it was regulated, and it did work quite well from memory. Cinders, if you don't mind me asking, what dose of this amino acid is available per tablet where you live?

I have to check the status of trazodone here aswell, as I'm not sure it's prescribed by doctors anymore. I'm sure it was only ever approved as an antidepressant, but could easily be prescribed off-label as a sedative. My experience of taking other anti-depressants as sleeping pills is that they seem to all rely on an anti-histamine property, just like the sedating anti-histamines doxylamine, diphenhydramine, promethazine, and a few others. I have had a couple of good nights' sleep with antihistamine drugs but tolerance to the sedative effects seems to happen very rapidly. I'm not saying trazodone has this problem however.

I agree that natural is better than drugs whenever possible and available. Cinders your daughter courageously chose to get sober without medical assistance and it's great she was able to succeed. I would have done this except for being warned that my level of drinking was such that non-medicated withdrawal could be medically dangerous. However it didn't get me hooked on the Valium used for the first 4-5 days and I'm still happy to be sober.

[tiptronic_ct]

Sleep... an elusive concept these days.

I haven't slept well ever since I went AF, not to mention the insomnia caused by bac as I titrated up.

I've tried all the "natural" remedies - they're utterly useless, even at 4x the recommended dose.

Luckily, my psychiatrist won't prescribe a sleeping tablet, and I have asked him to keep refusing. I don't trust myself with them.

A good night's sleep would be way better than sex, though

Just to be able to remain switched off for an uninterrupted 6 hours would be magic. I haven't slept solidly for more than 2 hours at a stretch in more than 5 months. I'm sure there must have been times when I did, but it doesn't feel that way. I seem to be functioning OK work-wise, but when will this end???