Posted by utopizen on October 6, 2004, at 23:02:56
In reply to here's part of the problem, posted by linkadge on October 6, 2004, at 18:39:50
Melatonin only "worked" for me AFTER I followed cognitive behavioral therapy and really, really, really made sure to do slow breathing exercises.
Unfortunately, there's people on this board who consider a sleep med "ineffective" because it doesn't knock them out, as though sleep induction requires the use of a personal anesthesiologist at a patient's bedside before occuring. Sadly, I'm largely referring to myself several months ago. I'm glad I matured.
I no longer think "I'm in pain" or emphasize the use of the word "chronic" to describe my insomnia or deny depression or deny anything that doesn't appear to validate my insomnia as if it were some rare phenemona to study at a research hospital.
I followed self-hypnosis, even when "it wasn't working" and sure enough, after a few months, I ended up sleeping regularly and have been for months now. I realized the most obvious things work-- including NOT thinking of sleep or sleep meds when trying to sleep! That's a pardox all by itself! I use to actually lament to myself at night while in bed about how my psychiatrist wasn't giving me Ambien!!
Now I'm glad he didn't, because I learned how to sleep the hard way and don't need a sleep med to further complicate my total daily intake of meds! Sometimes I use 3mg of melatonin, and that's it. I use to take tons of melatonin, like you, and it still didn't work.
> Melatonin potentiates 5-HT1A receptor activation in rat hypothalamus and results in hypothermia.
> J
>
> www.neurotransmitter.net
>
> I've been using high doses of melatonin at night, when I take my SSRI in the morning I get chills. The melatonin is making the 5-ht1a receptor more receptive.
>
>
> Linkadge
poster:utopizen
thread:399753
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041002/msgs/399842.html