Nothing tried so far will help my insomnia.

[c_reich]

A little bit background info on me, I am 18 years old and at one point was on IV Ativant (2mg) along with Morphine for pain every-night in the hospital (for about 4 months) to help me sleep and control pain while I was being treated for Lymphoma.

I am in remission for the cancer now, but still am having a ton of trouble falling asleep AND staying asleep.  If I do manage to fall asleep (which takes >2 hours) I seem to wake up at least 3-4 times a night.  I am seeing a psychologist and we have tried CBT. Drugs doctor's have tried include:

-Ambien: Put me to sleep caused me to do some regrettable things and also hallucinate.

-Trazodone: Hallucinations, Did not put me to sleep.

-Ativant, Xanax, and Valium: (oral, months after hospital stay), did not effect me at all , possible benzo tolerance maybe?

-Valerian Root, Kava, and Melatonin: None effected me

-Antidepressants: Wellbutrin, Effexor, Cymbalta, Prozac

What other drugs would be a possibility to help me get to sleep? My psychologist told me to ask my GP about Lunesta, and a family friend said to ask about Secobarbital.  But if I am not mistaken, barbiturates aren't used anymore and Lunesta is in the same class as ambien so wouldn't lunesta cause me to do crazy things I don't remember?

Please help me find a sleeping medicine that will give me some relief.

[allmymarbles]

P.S. Lugol's 5% is not always available. But the 2% is. (I think the 2% is actually 2..2%). So the dosage for the weaker solution would have to be doubled.

[allmymarbles]

I had intractable insomnia for many years. Nothing I tried worked. Then, by accident, I found I was deficient in iodine. I started taking 5% Lugol's solution (potasium iodide). And I started to sleep. Oddly enough I am not hypothyroid. The supplemental dose is 2 drops per week for smallish adults, and 3 or 4 for larger persons. The drops are taken on separate days. I find that I need more than the supplemental dose and as a small woman, take one drop per day. My doctor was surprised to find something that worked for me. I guess most people don't think of iodine in relation to insomnia.

I don't know if Iodine will work for you. Many people take the low supplemental dose because of the lack of sufficient iodine in the diet.