ALL OF THESE SUPPLEMENTS BECOME INCREASINGLY MORE RISKY TO ADD TO A REGIME of care as one gets deeper into withdrawal. Many people on benzos have all sorts of adverse reactions to things no one else would. This stuff is great if one wants to avoid benzos to begin with! But should only be taken with great care and research if one is already ill in withdrawal.
This is only a small list of possible natural means to help induce sleep. Ideally they should be accompanied with no caffeine and a good diet in general as well as other supporting nutrients. As with all nutrients one should always be careful and start slowly and see how one does. Regular meditation too can help.
My favorite amino acid compound is called Travacor (by Neuroscience)...it’s a combination of Taurine, Theanine and 5-HTP and some other nutrients to aid absorption…you generally need a medical provider to get it for you…I get it through a friend who is a chiropractor so I can get it cheap…otherwise it’s quite pricey.
You may be able to find it online without a medical provider if you hunt around a bit but you will pay more (with or without a medical provider—nutritionist or alternative doc)
The alternative is to go to a health food store and get all three amino acids separately…
Taurine
Theanine
and Tryptophan (rather than 5-HTP becaues tryptophan is actually more bioavailable and the compound above has some other nutrients added that make bioavailability higher and 5-HTP simply turns into Tryptophan in any case)
5-HTP and Tryptophan should NEVER BE TAKEN WITH AN ANTIDEPRESSANT. They are all serotogenic and can cause serotonin syndrome when combined which can cause death.
Anyway if you want to experiment just try one of those amino acids at a time….and possibly all three (but add only one at a time)…and see how you do…
GABA sublinguals help too—very good stuff—I found GABA taken orally does nothing but some people love it.
You can get this stuff cheap online (the non-compounded stuff) at vitacost.com
All of this stuff is simply soothing and does not tend to be sedating so you can also take it in the day time too….for me it simply allows me to sleep…it does NOT knock me out.
Other natural things that work for some people:
Tart Cherry Extract — a natural form of melatonin—I hated melatonin—this stuff is really gentle
Calms Forte by Hylands (homeopathic company but not a homeopathic remedy…lots of people find it calming)
I hate Valerian and it can be abused and people can become addicted…but for short term use it can be okay…I tried a product called Herbal Sleep by Nature’s Sunshine it’s got Hops, Passion Flower and Valerian. It knocks the crap out of me but it also gave me a hangover and I won’t use it…but again, for occasional use I can say it works and some people may not find it unpleasant like I did. **Valerian works with GABA so it’s contraindicated for people who are on benzos…especially if they are tapering.
Nighty Night Tea by Traditional Medicines has hops and passion flower without the valerian….very nice but I don’t like to drink anything before I go to bed…but it rocks and can be simply calming in the day time.
I went 6 months sleeping only 1 to 3 hours a night. I’ve been sleeping for a good long time in spite of withdrawing from benzos that make a lot of people suffer from insomnia in a massive way. I experimented at various times with all this stuff. There are other things on the market as well.
This is not exhaustive and NOT a recommendation for anyone in particular. Consider this information for further research.
Great post.
I have been using tart cherries to help me sleep for the past six months. I learned about them from my doctor. I recently discovered a free tart cherry book that tells how tart cherries can help with sleep since they contain natural melatonin. It is a good book and best of all it is free. It is called How to Get a Restful Night’s Sleep Naturally Report. Here is a link if you are interested: http://www.traversebayfarms.com
Thanks again. I spend my life thanking people. I have to be responsible with my life and stay well. Did I thank you for the links you sent me. – Good luck with the detox centre. I have to get my visa unblocked. Dia Dhuit (God is with you). Ta Gaeilge briste agam ack Ta gra mor le Dia. ( I have broken Irish but I love God). Ta Dia istigh gach duine. ( God is inside all people ) God is Good.
Last night I stayed up late with my husband, and we looked at a movie – I have seen it before. Good Will hunting – I think about a special guy who knew he was very intelligent, but spent it hanging around with the crowd. Then to cut a long story short – he got counselling – . He ended up going after the love of his life. We are human beings – the love of God – no matter who you percieve him to be is important. But for a mental health patient – you still need a doctor to precribe the drugs.