Expert: Charles I. - 11/26/2007

Question
I also have an addiction to a lot of things due 2 my chronic insomnia. I am 26yr old male and i have everything, you could say i am spoilt. But for the last 2 years i have had chronic insomnia, had every blood test done doc's found nothing wrong. This is where it got from bad 2 worse, i started drinking a lot and the mixing xanax, valium, ambien, flunitrazepam,temazepam ativan with alcohol every night just 2 get a few hours of sleep. And i mean large doses 5mgs xanax 5mgs flunitrazepam(rohypnol) highly overated and 5-6 vodkas a night. You could say i am a emotionally dead, a walking zombie. Suprisingly physically i am quite healthy, i do a lot of jogging and physical but i want 2 get of all these pills and alcohol and get a good nights sleep. My sanity is also declining rapidly.PLZ HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer
Thanks for the question sleepkosy...I hope you had a pleasant Thanksgiving. You really need to see a doctor who is a sleep specialist. People become very dependent on benzodiazapines (xanax, valium, restoril, roophies...etc)very quickly, especially when it comes to sleep. This a problem that a general physician may not be able to diagnose. You need to treat the cause of your insomnia...not just the symptoms. That's all the pills are doing...just treating the symptoms (and from what you write they are not doing a good job). In addition, you are playing Russian Roulette by drinking on top of the benzos. Understand that the benzos are a central nervous system depressant, as is alcohol. In short, they affect the brain stem which controls your involuntary muscle actions (heartbeat, breathing...etc.); if you notice when you take the xanax (especially 5mg) your breathing becomes relaxed or slows down a little bit. Now when you add an additional CNS depressant it can really have an effect. Alcohol is especially dangerous because it can cause a "synergistic effect" with the benzos. Let me explain it this way, taking xanax by itself has a value of one and taking alcohol by itself has a value of one; but when taken in combination you would probably expect them to add up to a value of two...but they don't, instead they equal ten. They amplify one anothers effect. I know that is a really unscientific way to describe that but you get the picture. Benzos and alcohol can be a deadly combination together; and while I know you say "But I've done it hundreds of times and had no problems." it only takes that one time when your brain decides to take a break from breathing and subsequently you're dead. Also, even though Ambien isn't a benzodiazapine, it effects the brain similarly as xanax...and yes the combination with it and alcohol can potentially be deadly.
I'm not trying to give you a hard time...obviously you are frustrated not being able to sleep. PLEASE, get a referral to a sleep specialist from your regular physician. You need to see what the CAUSE of your insomnia is. A sleep specialist can do sleep studies with you and run other tests other than just blood tests. If you were abusing xanax and other benzos before your insomnia began, then they could be the cause of your insomnia. If not...well then something else is up. There is no way I could tell you what the cause is and wouldn't even try because I'm not a doctor. I really wish I had a cure-all answer for you...but there isn't one. I truly hope you can find a specialist who can help you through your problem and help you find drug-free sleep. Please be careful with the pills and alcohol...it only takes once.
Good Luck,
Charles