Unfortunately, I do not know of a medication alternative but have you throught of giving your body a "chemical" break and maybe trying Melatonin for a bit?

My brother was having a lot of sleeping problems and was taking prescription medications for it and eventually he grew a tolerance for it so out of "desperation" he tried Melatonin and it works. It doesn't knock him out or anything like that, but it relaxes his mind enough for him to drift off on his own. If you are interested, you can pick Melatonin up in most health food stores (and many larger grocery stores) and it is really quite cheap.

Sorry - I wish I had a better suggestion for you. I hope you get things figured out.

Teresa

I loooove melatonin. I take 1.5 mg when I have trouble getting to sleep. It has worked soo great.

Once your dr thinks you're hooked they will most likely NOT put you back on it. Ask him/her if there is something else that might work. tell him the stuff you're on now is not working at all and see if there is maybe some sort of psychological exercises you can do that might help. Have you tried meditation or behavior modification things? I'm sorry you're having such a crappy time sleeping and are miserable. But in the long run you'll be relieved your doctor cared enough (your mom too) to keep you off them and in the end keep you from being a full time addict! Keep your hopes alive... there are other things that might work... others have mentioned melatonin... My BF takes this and it works for him... ambien on the other hand does not... neither does unisom... some people need to try a few things before they find something that works... if you find something that works only take it when you need it!! that will reduce the time it takes to build up a tolerance... and try your hardest not to up your dosage... take it and try psychological tricks to make you sleep better instead of upping the medicine... the other tricks might work and you won't become tolerant as quickly with a higher dose... sleeping pills are difficult and can be tricky... and of course very addictive... I hope you can find something that works for you... good luck

The best thing to do is discuss it with your doctor. And if you're going to take a prescription drug, don't mess with the dosage on your own without checking with your doctor. Sleep meds are pretty serious stuff! More is not necessarily better.

You're probably having withdrawal from the drug you were overusing. It will take awhile for your sleep cycle to get back to normal... but talk to your doc.

Jay

I'm not sure about z but I know that I use Valerian root to help me sleep. I was Tylenol PM for years and had to start out taking a double dose of Valerian root but now just take a regular dose. It's natural and it totally helps.

I took Zopiclone for about 6 months and about now seven weeks free. I know it is very tempting to take more than what is prescribed. I hope that you can discover something else that works. My doctor told me it will take a bit to get back to my normal sleep routine and for the brain to adjust being off a tranquilizer but I'm taking it one night at a time. Good luck to you.....