Stopping Sleeping Pills

Sleepwell / Sleeping Pills / Stopping Sleeping Pills

Terry’s Story

I was frustrated. I had been using a prescription sleeping pill to treat insomnia on and off for several years. Over the past few months, I had been taking more and more each night. More often than not, I was taking three pills per night, which was still not giving me a good night’s sleep. Whenever I tried to stop the sleeping pill my insomnia returned with a vengeance. I felt like I was in a fog during the day. Naps seemed necessary but only made for more struggles at nighttime. Restarting the sleeping pill helped, but only for a few days. I felt like I was caught in a vicious cycle.

Only later I learned that I was experiencing insomnia as part of my sleeping pill withdrawal syndrome. A good chat with my doctor and pharmacist encouraged me to start to lower my dose gradually and look into something called CBTi. Their advice of a slow dose reduction with regular check-ins was comforting to me.

I was hesitant when I first heard about CBTi. But, after looking into it a little I realized it was what I needed to do. I learned that it was recommended by sleep specialists around the world as “first-line” treatment for insomnia and that I could do it myself without seeing a therapist. I considered my options for starting CBTi by looking at what Sleepwell Recommends. It lists a few books, apps, and websites. I went with one of the recommended books. While I waited for it to come in I got started with the Sleepwell Sleep Diary as my sleeping pill dose was reduced.

I noticed my sleep getting better after just a couple of weeks of using the book. This lifted my spirits. I continued to see my doctor and speak with my pharmacist regularly for guidance and support in stopping the sleeping pill. Both encouraged me to put the CBTi book’s advice in to practice each day.

Plan

I learned that the best way to stop taking a sleeping pill is to reduce the dose gradually. In the past, I reduced it too fast, which made sleep nearly impossible. The length of time that you have been taking sleeping pills – weeks, months, or years – has an impact on how slowly you should stop them. For me, this meant stopping would take several months.

I spoke with my doctor and pharmacist to come up with a plan that worked for me. They gave me the following advice:

Reduce the dose every 1-2 weeks by about 20%.
Make a plan and allow for some flexibility.
Work to fix your insomnia with CBTi so you don’t need sleeping pills.
Check in with your health providers regularly.

Schedule

I developed the following plan with my doctor and pharmacist.

Phase 1
The fastest part of the dosing taper. Larger dose reductions. Start a sleep diary.

Phase 2
If going well, continue with dose restrictions every week and reduce the size of the dose reductions. Start your CBTi program.

Phase 3
Slow things down. Smaller dose reductions every 2 weeks.

Phase 4
Keep in regular contact with your health care providers after stopping the sleeping pill. Apply CBTi techniques for a good night’s sleep.

Reality

I reduced the dose a little faster than planned in the first few weeks. At the midway point, I didn’t make any changes for several weeks because my doctor was away, and work was extra busy. Things slowed down near the end because I was feeling unsteady, which I was told was a withdrawal symptom. I took my last dose 4 ½ months after getting started. I made sure to keep in touch with my doctor and pharmacist regularly for several weeks after stopping my sleeping pill. With CBTi (and no sleeping pills) my sleep was better than it had been in years.