I have atypical reactions to a lot of drugs, so my comments may not be particularly helpful, but here goes .... I have tried both Elavil and Seroquel as antidepressants, and both made me very hyper. Definitely not bedtime medications for me. I don't take them at all now. However, I do take lorazepam (Ativan) as a general anxiety reducer. (I know that the benzodiazepine family is frowned upon these days, but it's about the only drug I can tolerate. I am NOT recommeding Ativan per se, just telling my own story as an example of alternatives.)

Since I've been using Belleruth's Healthful Sleep cd, which I LOVE, I have been taking less lorazepam, not a whole lot less, but some, and the reduction happened naturally -- I didn't make a conscious effort to cut down. I just don't need it at bedtime the way I used to. And I agree with Belleruth, Bonita -- see a doctor who knows something about these sorts of drugs.

And thank you, Belleruth, for that terrific cd! I even use it in the daytime sometimes, just to help me relax.(I'm in Canada, by the way. As far as I know, we have pretty much the same drugs that you do, except that very new things are often not available as quickly. But I'm no expert.)

Thanks for sharing this. It always helps to hear personal accounts of these things, even when they're unique! And thanks for the thanks. I'm very glad the imagery helps!

I encourage you to explore Bellaruth's range of imagery. I started early this year when I happened on her CD on intuition in the library. Through exploration I discovered that what works for me is to hear a combination of music and voice. I find that the sleep program is especially soothing and that the speaking time is not long enough for me to fall asleep by. For some reason (Bellaruth maybe you know) music just didn't do it for me (the healthful sleep CD is half voice/music and half music only). I would listen all the way to the end (about an hour) and start over. Over the last month or so I have made a regular habit of listening to the developing intuition CD and my getting to sleep time has decreased 50% which is huge for me. I hope this helps and appreciate you for sharing your story. I'd like you to know that I have also tried a number of other imagery/hypnosis applications and so far have found Bellaruth's to be by far the most effective. The trick is to find one that your heart/body feels drawn to and give it at least a month to try it out as it seems that all the years of sleep deprivation take time to heal. Take good care of yourself.

Each person reacts differently to any drug, but Elavil was DEFINITELY NOT a med that helped me relax or sleep--just the opposite. My ob/gyn surgeon prescribed it to me after my hysterectomy when I was having trouble sleeping. (Low doses of anti-depressants are often prescribed as a sleep aid.) It was the longest/worst night of my life. It put my mind & body in a super-hyper state, so bad that my legs & body actually jerked, and this feeling lasted into the next day. I called & he told me not to take even one more Elavil. (Don't discontinue w/o a psychiatrist, if you've been on it longer than a day.) I've been prescribed many different meds for depression, bi-polar, insomnia, and fibromyalgia, (not all at the same time!)and haven't had side-effects from any others. Anyway, I want to say re: Belleruth's guided imagery - My massage therapist gave me her CD for PTSD "Healing Trauma", and I listened to it every night for several years (and if I took a nap during the day). There are 2 tracks - the 1st is guided imagary, and the 2nd is positive affirmations. Belleruth's voice is such that it immediately relaxes me, and it was weeks or even months before I realized the 2nd track of the CD even existed! I was asleep before it got to that 2nd track, and I slept right through it. When I woke up and Belleruth wasn't talking, I knew I had been sleeping over an hour. As I've become even more accustomed to the CD, I go to sleep sooner and sooner, sometimes barely into it. If I wake up during the night & reach over to turn it on, I sometimes don't hear more than the first 2 sentences. I am not exaggerating re: this. I LOVE your voice Belleruth! I've been tempted to try other of your CD's, but I'm concerned I won't like them as well as this one, and this works so well for me. I don't have to play it every night any more - many times my mind can hear it without playing it, and before I know it I am asleep. I must say that I take 0.05 mg (1/2 mg)Clonazapam just before going to bed, letting it melt under my tongue as I settle in, making sure my pillow is just so, pillows under my knees (laying on my back) and keeping my head & spine straight, as is instructed. The combination of these things has literally worked miracles for me :) Thank you Belleruth ^.~

Just to bring in another point of view -- I used to have a lot of trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. I was also very tired during the day, and had fibromyalgia, and struggled to survive with depression and panic attacks. Even though I like them, Belleruth's CDs, including the sleep ones, did very little for me.

Eventually a doctor sent me to a sleep lab for an evaluation. It turns out that I have 2 different sleep disorders -- obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and restless legs syndrome (RLS). The OSA was bad enough, but the RLS was the more severe by far, waking me up 40-60 times an hour.
Now both are treated, and I am sleeping well and deepply every night. I am completely off antidepressants, and not having panic attacks or depression symptoms at all. I do take a medication for RLS, which I would prefer not to do; but it is a small price to pay for being actually awake and alert during waking hours.
Oh, and I am getting much more benefit from the imagery CDs. I was just so exhausted that I was unable to benefit from them before.

I'm sure treatment for sleep disorders won't help everyone. I'm also guessing that there are many other people who have lived for years with sleep disorders without anyone recognizing what the real problem is.

I too, have a sleep disorder. I totally agree that BR's Sleep CD is worth a try, as well as many of her other CDs. HealthJourneys also has KRS Edstrom "Sleep through Insomnia" which is wonderful as well.