I looked at the date of my original post and was suprised to find that it's a year old!
So here is an update...
I am still self-medicating
with alcohol, and benedryl although I've kind of moved away from the melatonin. What I'm using instead is 5-HTP, which I found is a metabolite of L-Tryptophan (think Thanksgiving turkey
). I did some internet research and found that the body breaks L-Tryptophan down into hydoxytryptophan which ends up turning into the "onins" - serotonin, melatonin, etc. In taking just the melatonin I found I would get used to it and it wouldn't be as effective after a while. I don't seem to be experiencing the same thing with the 5-HTP. Combining with a half benedryl and alcohol, well, I sleep pretty doggone well. I've tried it without the alcohol & I'll appear to be asleep (my husband says I'm snoring - which is a boldfaced lie!), but I am aware that my brain is pinging around the room.
But, I know the alcohol part isn't healthy. I try and try to do without it but it's just not the same.
(Let me just add at this point that I am 46, female and like most women "of a certain age" I have some hormonal issues going on.)
So I did some more internet research and I think that at the root of the problem is the hormonal thing. It's awfully hard to sleep when you throwing the covers on and off all night because of the hot flashes. Add to that other perimenopausal symptoms like, depression (comes and goes), emotional swings, weight gain (happened in the past year), sluggishness, confusion, top all that off with a healthy serving of ADD. It would be a miracle if I were able to sleep at all!
I still have a goal of dropping the alcohol. Not healthy and probably adds to the occasional depression.
I have an appointment with my family doc for a full checkup. Blood workup, etc. two days after that, I've got a meds check with the psych. I'm going to come clean about the alcohol. And see if he thinks that a small dose of an antidepressant for a little while to get me over this hormonal hump might help. Have any of ya'll done that before? He has prescribed trazadone before but I hated it. If I woke up in the middle of the night I felt drunk (and I hadn't drank that night) and hungover the next day. Hated it.
Anyway, thought I would let you know. Maybe we help one another figure it out.
So I know you said you were trying to detox yourself, but in the list of things you tried to knock yourself out with via self-medication, i didn't actually see any prescription medications. If you can find a way to get to sleep without prescriptions meds or any meds for that matter, then go for it. But I myself have been through many times where if i didn't have my lunesta, or whatever other med i may have been using at the time (Lunesta definitely works best for me, though) I don't know what i would have done. Have you tried asking your doc about getting something for sleep. Taking a lunesta or Rozerem would probably be alot better than drinking or taking benadryl. Although if melatonin is doing it for you, then that's pretty healthy. As long as you take them as prescribed, there is no real dangers you should have to worry about to your body/brain, and they are ceratinly no worse for you than adderal.
Good luck.

This topic of sleep has always obsessed me, way before I found out I had ADD a couple of years ago. My father never slept more than 2 hours a night, but never complained of being tired. Now I know he's probably the one that passed on this gift I have now. I usually can't slow down the old mind for at least two hours after I go to bed, but what I hate is not sleeping all night, as everyone does. I meditate, read, etc., but the only thing that works is Trazadone every other night, and Ambien the other nights. So call me a drug addict, but at least I feel rested most of the time, even after only 5 hours sleep.
Sweet Dreams,
Mig58
Although, yes, it would be healthier to give up alcohol altogether, if you are just having a glass of wine at night before bed or something like that, that's actually not too bad. Of course it none of my business what you drink and how much, ha ha, but I'm just saying it may not be enough to bat your self up over too much. 5-HT is good. I've taken it on and off. It helps with sleep, and may very well help with your depression. Good luck ;)Hi ADDandproud and BriefCameron,The continuing sleep saga:
So I started an exercise class this past Tuesday and boy did I overdue it! I was wobbly walking out of the class, sore the next day, and incapable of anything resembling normal movement the next. HOWEVER... the night of the class I did not drink anything, slept pretty good considering... next night, we went out to dinner and had beers (note the plural), next night (the one where I was soooo sore), no alcohol and was lights out before my husband (this is new).
What this has shown me is that mental and physical exercise is very critical to how well I sleep. Apparently burning off the extra nervous energy that I generate but don't demonstrate is important. Without it it's like my mind is a caged animal, pacing and pacing.
any thoughts or similar experiences?
Hi Again,
It's funny all all the research reported in the journals and communities emphasize how important regular exercise is,... especially for those of us who are super-enabled with ADD, for sleep and optimal mental functioning. But, how many of us ignore it? <raising her hand>
It's almost as if having a good nights sleep (loaded with lots of good dreams) is like an Adderall and a pot of coffee.
Hi, I am surely late to this discussion but have really been wondering about sleep myself lately to did a topic search.
I was up ALL night long even though I was tired. My mind was pinging around the room.
I'm on Adderall XR 40mg. (although most times I only take 20). I know that Adderall can cause sleeplessness but even when I'm taking a break from the meds, I still have the problem.
So I've found myself for the past couple of years self-medicating just so that I can get a decent nights sleep. Alcohol (beer and wine), benedryl, and melatonin. Yeah, I know, not good.
My sleeplessness is a big ball of interwoven problems: ADD, lack of physical activity, stress, meds, worrying that I'm not going to sleep.
So I'm starrting off the new year trying to "detox" myself. I'm not looking forward to it. But I can't keep self-medicating like this. I don't even know if I can fall asleep on my own. Surely at some point I will.
What have you done to address sleep problems? I've had people tell me that ADD people should absolutely NOT watch tv before bed as it's too mentally stimulating. I sure would appreciate some advice.
One thing I could never figure out was those people who can fall asleep at the drop of their head. They'd be like, "I just think about nothing." I couldn't figure out how on earth they do that. My mind never shuts up. I have very active dreams (no wonder I'm always tired - I don't actually sleep)Christmas early morning I didn't sleep either. I got up for the 6 a.m. Santa call, politely sat through the opening of the presents (husband and I didn't exchange), drank coffee, took pictures, made breakfast and went back to bed. To the casual observer, I looked dead to the world. But I heard every conversation, my son coming in asking for batteries, was even able to answer coherently to 'go look on my desk or in the 2nd drawer on the left'.
And that went on until 11 a.m.
My husband (bless his heart!) said I "just need to get over my fear of missing a few hours of sleep". Yeah, like I said, albeit sarcastically, "bless his heart". He's one of those people who can fall asleep at the drop of a hat. But he will wake up and worry (serves him right). If I am able to get into deep REM sleep, it's hard to wake me. What he doesn't understand, is that getting decent sleep determines whether or not I get anything accomplished the next day. And as any ADDer understands is hard enough on it's own.
I'm going to try a more calming activity, like reading.