This is my first time posting and i have a lot of problems but ill just focus on my sleeping pills addiction. I am currently 21 yrs old and I have been taking sleeping pills for almost 4 years now (since i started college) and i have taking EVERY sleeping pill out there and found that amitriptyline works the best. I can't sleep without these pills. I also take two benedryl at night. I just don't know what to do cuz I can't just stop taking them or cut back because I NEED sleep cuz I have school m-f starting at 8:30. I can't afford to not go to class cuz I got no sleep. I dunno what to do, i just feel like im going to take these the rest of my life. I hate it but I honestly forget what its like not to take them. If there is anyone out there that has been thru a similar situation and has good advice then I would appreciate it!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are only taking amitriptyline then it's not too bad in some respects , but what dose are you taking and if it perscribed?

It's not a Benzo as iluv said and is an antidepressent, but it has to be used in high doses for the antidepressent effects to work and the sleep effects are usually occuring between 10mg and 50mg a night. I presume that is the dose range you're on?

It would be mentally habit forming and mixing with alcohol would be a bad idea, but for some if perscribed it can be a very helpful sleeping drug.

Amitriptyline CAN be reduced although it may not be an idea to stop taking it over a three week period!!

My G/F was prescribed these as an antidepresant and when using them found that they did exactly what they said on the tin, she decided that she wanted to reduce and spoke to her doctor about a reduction program, she was originally on 25mg (please note this is a smaple of what she done and it highly advisable to speak to your GP) and reduced at around 5mg a month until she got down to Half a 10mg per day to reduce to half every other day.

she found she had very few problems after that and now she doesnt use them.

But please speak to your doctor about reducing if you need to, because if they are being prescibed as an antidepressant you may find that his advice is either keep using them or seek councilling(the latter would be my advice too)

James