UK – 3years+ of treatment and about to give up!
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hello Folks,
First off hello to everyone as I'm new here.
To give a bit of background for the last 5years+ I have what I would class as 'poor sleep' of which 3 years I have been seeing an NHS specialist and have pretty much given up that I will get any help from them after the last recommendation was to have a couple of alcoholic drinks if this helps me to fall asleep (very shocked that a UK DR would recommend this as a daily solution). Hence I'm posting here to hopefully get some help.
Symptoms
Restless in bed
Taking hours to fall asleep
Waking multiple times through the night
Feeling awake when I do fall asleep
Short tempered with friends and family
Low libido
Mood Swings
Constantly tired/lethargic
Rare morning wood
As mentioned over the last 3 years I have been on and off -
Circaden (2-4mg seems to help me get over to sleep but even up to 10mg/night doesnt help me stay asleep all night and I feel groggy in the morning) Pretty much been on various doses of this for the 3 years, occasionally I tapered down to see if it made much difference.
Zopiclone (occasionally but don't like the side effects)
Temazepam (more frequently than Zopiclone, but didnt work as well - also didnt like the sides)
Clonazepam - I was on this for over a year and it did help stay asleep but I felt groggy in the morning and coming off it from a 1yr+ was an emotional roller-coaster!
ZMA - This did help me to get a few hours that felt like 'deep' sleep though I'd be awake shortly after it.
I've tried self meditation apps, Head Space etc with little luck. I've also over the 3 years been keeping a daily log of the following -
Tiredness (1-10)
Quality of Sleep (1-10)
Libido (1-10)
Mood (1-10)
Irritability (1-10)
Motivation/Energy (1-10)
Diet (1-10)
Stress (1-10)
Blood Pressure
Resting Heart Rate
Weight
Any medication I am on
When I did plot a graph of the above it was easy to see that my perceived sleep was better when on the Clonazepam etc. I was also tested for low testosterone but it fell within 'normal' range (albeit a the low end).
Really at a loss to do so if anyone has anything they can suggest I am open to options, experimental or otherwise?
Thanks and sorry for the long first post!
BigPete
1 like, 18 replies
richard89308 Big-Pete
Posted