Success! Controlling WED with Little or No Medication
Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 6:32 am
I thought I’d share my recent success story in getting my WED under control almost entirely without drugs, as my experience might prove useful to others on this forum.
I have had WED all my life and always will – it’s a condition I’ve inherited from my father. For most of my younger life, it didn’t interfere too much with my sleep and I avoided any medication, having seen the side effects that my poor father had suffered on prescription drugs. But when I reached the age of 60+, my WED seemed to be getting significantly worse and I finally went to the doctor to ask for pharmaceutical help. After trying this and that drug, my doctor prescribed Dopamine. For 4 months it worked wonderfully and then augmentation set in. I decided that I absolutely was NOT going to increase the dose and risk suffering worse augmentation later. So, I gave up taking Dopamine and I will never touch it ever again. I am convinced Dopamine-based drugs are bad news and not the answer.
Now, several years on, I can report that, for the most part, I have controlled my WED and can now expect a good night’s sleep of 6-7 hours almost every night. Well rested, I can once again function normally during the day. So, how did I achieve it? To be truthful I’m not absolutely sure, but these are some of the things I have done which might all have contributed:
After dropping Dopamine, my doctor prescribed Zoplicone. I have only ever taken half a tablet and only as and when necessary. If, after midnight, I still hadn’t fallen asleep, I’d take half a tablet. Over a period of time I do believe this helped to stabilise my sleep and I came to need the Zoplicone less and less. I still have it on hand but I have to resort to it less and less. Recently, I have gone for periods of 3 months without taking it at all. I do not take any other medication.
Other factors which may have contributed to the return of a good night’s sleep despite WED being forever present are:
I have lost weight. I now fast one or two days a week http://thefastdiet.co.uk/ and that keeps my weight at a steady 9 stone, (height 5’5”, waist 27”). Keeping slim with no excess fat may have helped – I am not sure.
I don’t drink any alcohol except on rare occasions and I avoid sugar, salt and fat in my diet. It’s not boring – you get used to it and I use plenty of chilli, lemon juice and other flavourings to compensate. Sugary stuff tastes really yuk now!
I discovered how important it is to be comfortable in bed. I have found that snuggling up in a luxurious feather duvet and a feather pillow, I am gloriously comfortable and I really do think that helps me to fall asleep.
I have changed my bedtime to a much later hour– usually 11 o’clock. I seem to only need around 6 – 7 hours sleep. Also, falling asleep in front of the TV in the evening makes it much harder to sleep when you finally do go to bed, (easier said than done), so I do my best to avoid this trap.
If WED does wake me up at night, I can usually banish it quite quickly by getting up for a bit. I have a banana and a cup of herbal tea, I maybe read a bit and sometimes try sleeping in a different place. Usually, it works. If not, I reluctantly resort to half a Zoplicone tablet. Then, I fall asleep, but I need those Zoplicones less and less.
So, to sum up: I only resort to Zoplicone when necessary, (quite rarely) and my aim is to give it up completely. I keep slim, I eat healthily, I don’t go to bed too early and I make sure my bed is ultra comfortable. We are all different, but maybe some of my experience could help you too. Good luck!
I have had WED all my life and always will – it’s a condition I’ve inherited from my father. For most of my younger life, it didn’t interfere too much with my sleep and I avoided any medication, having seen the side effects that my poor father had suffered on prescription drugs. But when I reached the age of 60+, my WED seemed to be getting significantly worse and I finally went to the doctor to ask for pharmaceutical help. After trying this and that drug, my doctor prescribed Dopamine. For 4 months it worked wonderfully and then augmentation set in. I decided that I absolutely was NOT going to increase the dose and risk suffering worse augmentation later. So, I gave up taking Dopamine and I will never touch it ever again. I am convinced Dopamine-based drugs are bad news and not the answer.
Now, several years on, I can report that, for the most part, I have controlled my WED and can now expect a good night’s sleep of 6-7 hours almost every night. Well rested, I can once again function normally during the day. So, how did I achieve it? To be truthful I’m not absolutely sure, but these are some of the things I have done which might all have contributed:
After dropping Dopamine, my doctor prescribed Zoplicone. I have only ever taken half a tablet and only as and when necessary. If, after midnight, I still hadn’t fallen asleep, I’d take half a tablet. Over a period of time I do believe this helped to stabilise my sleep and I came to need the Zoplicone less and less. I still have it on hand but I have to resort to it less and less. Recently, I have gone for periods of 3 months without taking it at all. I do not take any other medication.
Other factors which may have contributed to the return of a good night’s sleep despite WED being forever present are:
I have lost weight. I now fast one or two days a week http://thefastdiet.co.uk/ and that keeps my weight at a steady 9 stone, (height 5’5”, waist 27”). Keeping slim with no excess fat may have helped – I am not sure.
I don’t drink any alcohol except on rare occasions and I avoid sugar, salt and fat in my diet. It’s not boring – you get used to it and I use plenty of chilli, lemon juice and other flavourings to compensate. Sugary stuff tastes really yuk now!
I discovered how important it is to be comfortable in bed. I have found that snuggling up in a luxurious feather duvet and a feather pillow, I am gloriously comfortable and I really do think that helps me to fall asleep.
I have changed my bedtime to a much later hour– usually 11 o’clock. I seem to only need around 6 – 7 hours sleep. Also, falling asleep in front of the TV in the evening makes it much harder to sleep when you finally do go to bed, (easier said than done), so I do my best to avoid this trap.
If WED does wake me up at night, I can usually banish it quite quickly by getting up for a bit. I have a banana and a cup of herbal tea, I maybe read a bit and sometimes try sleeping in a different place. Usually, it works. If not, I reluctantly resort to half a Zoplicone tablet. Then, I fall asleep, but I need those Zoplicones less and less.
So, to sum up: I only resort to Zoplicone when necessary, (quite rarely) and my aim is to give it up completely. I keep slim, I eat healthily, I don’t go to bed too early and I make sure my bed is ultra comfortable. We are all different, but maybe some of my experience could help you too. Good luck!