Help Dealing With Insomnia From Withdrawals

I'm hoping someone can help. I recently found out that my husband was addicted to Vicadin. He's been getting them off the web. He has admitted that he has a problem and also is seeking counseling. He has been off the pills for 48 hours now and of course experiencing withdrawals. He's in great spirits and doing well but the nights are so rough. He has a stressful job that requires he be alert. The sleepless nights are what I fear will turn him back to the pills. Last night he was even asking for some. I've been holding them and helping him to wean off. I know he can make it as long as we can get him through this insomnia. Any suggestions? How long will it last?
Hi Geri!
I certainly understand this problem. I have had insomnia for over a year..that was alot of my reason for taking percocet. It helped me wind down and be able to fall into this pleasant sleep. Well it has now been 60 hours since I had any percocet and I am not sleeping well either. Thank God my doctor has given me a note for work so I am off until tomorrow and also a sleep aid. I wish I had some definite advice to give but I can only say that I slept better this morning than yesterday morning. If that sounds wierd it is just because it takes me until morning to fall asleep no matter how much sleep I have had previously. Insomnia is so difficult to deal with. Things only appear worse when you are exhausted especially in the darkness and quiet of 3am. I get so jealous of my husband who seems to fall asleep as soon as he hits the pillow. I dont think he has ever experienced a night of lost sleep. Advice to you as a wife, please be understanding and supportive. God Bless to you and your family!

Christy
Christy
First let me congratulate you on your 60 hours. What you explain is exactly what my husband is experiencing. He falls asleep very late like around 3 am and it is a very restless sleep. He's tired but his heart just races. His dr. has prescribed something but it doesn't do anything. And of of course, his dr. is on vacation and there is nothing that he can do until he returns. Support is all that I can provide him now, I just hope that it is enough. So I'm guessing there really isn't much to get through it but time. I hope that you have the support behind you to help you too.
Geri
Hi again Geri! I have all kinds of sleep aids, sometimes they work for me and other times I get the jitters and cant even lay down to close my eyes. The only thing you can do is to let him sleep when he feels like he can even if its 4pm. I have people tell me all the time not to take naps and then maybe I will sleep. This has never been true for me. I went 56 hours with not a wink a sleep and I wasn't using. I'll pray that your family gets through this because after all it isnt only hard on him.

God Bless
Christy
what sleep aids has your doctor given you? He gave me chloral hydrate syrup which is one of the oldest sleep aids out there but by gosh it works! a little bit too well actually. That stuff knocks me out like it was chloroform. two teaspoons diluted in water and 30 minutes later i'm completely passed the hell out. what does the doc give you? perhaps ask him about chloral hydrate. doesnt even make me too groggy in the morning. not like valium...i hate life the next day and it doesnt even work that well. good luck. :)

-morph
Thanks for the well wishes Christy. I'm pretty confident we will get through it. We have a little girl who is 19 months old and reason enough to do so. We are just taking it day be day right now.

Morpheus - the sleep aids he is on right now is something called Sonata (spelling?) The dr. didn't want to give him something habit forming given the situation. I'll mention to him to ask about what you have taken. Thanks.
undefined now as to all pain killers. its not a walk in the park to get off these things. what i wanna know is how a doc can precribe for years and years then suddenly say um you been on it to long so i am gonna take you off all meds .. i ened up trying to jump out a window i broke it and cut my self up bad. he with drew me way to fast i was on oxy now i am on meth a done so far it has helped . man i didnt sleep for almost a week and its on paper. i was in the nut house and how can ya sleep there. any ways this doctor when i was there gave me abililfya new drug . as soon as i got home i chunked them. i am doing better on methadone thank god for my new caring doctor. we dont know wht pain is til we try to with draw ya legs hurt ya head hurts it hurst if some one touches ya no sleep no food , can sit still oh god its awful if a docter knew how awful it was he would never give pain pills i now think methadone should be the only pian pill . i was on all of them. no illegal i had this doc giving me everything . and i paid for it so dont come smiling out of the doctors office with a pain pill script. tear it up please
god bless love to all . this is a friends name and computer. my name is kasmier 56. i pray you get sleep oh lose of memory is a thing that happens to i forgot to tell you that sleep is a gift. remeber that. i would advse getting on my knees and praying until sleep comes thats what i did, see i forgot i was gonna tell yas that i am only 34 ......
Hi Kasmier....I have to agree with you. I was written scripts of Percocet 5/325 40count every five days for 8 months. Then I go in and the doctor is all acting stern with me. Well thats great but maybe you could have done that 7 months ago. So after the embarrassment kicked in enough for me, I decided to go talk to my doc about getting off of them. He acted like I didnt or shouldnt need anything. Now I take my share of the responsibility for this addiction however, if youre a doc you should know what your prescribing is dangerous. Prior to this I have never had a problem with a addicition. I have drank socially for years and I never once woke up craving alcohol, usually I was cursing it. But even in my three hellish days of sobriety, I still want the drug. I have had uncontrollable knee pain for years. I have chondro malacia and tendinitis in my left knee. I have tried all the therapy, braces, NSAIDS, and cortisone out there. The specialists say my injury isnt bad enough to operate on and in return I have said if it was worse I wouldnt be here. Will I ever get through this and will I ever agin live without this pain?

Christy