Trouble Sleeping? I finally found a natural med that works!

Post Reply New Topic

One of the things I have trouble with is sleeping, and it's always been that way, especially when I was more severely Autistic. The only thing that worked for me was Risperdal, and though it helped my sleeping and moodiness, the side effects were HORRIBLE on me. I was a skinny child until I went on that stuff, then I was 20 pounds overweight for a long time. I went off the Risperdal in Grade 8 because I had low blood pressure and we believed that the Risperdal was the cause of it. I became my right weight again, but I was severely depressed. I found meds finally in grade 11 that helped the depression (a bit, more then the others), but not the sleeping. I went back on the Risperdal later in grade 11 - bad, bad idea. The only thing I missed after going off it again a year later was the sleeping. I was back to 2-3 hours a night of sleep, IF that.
We tried so many pharmaceutical meds for sleeping, but none except the Risperdal worked on me. We went to natural, and Melatonin worked a bit for a while, but it just didn't stay effective for me. It also bothered me that it took an hour or two to kick in, and if I forget to take it, sleeping didn't happen because I would be so bored and upset by the time the Melatonin kicked in that I wouldn't sleep anymore.
Then my mom found this stuff called Super Sleep. It's a combination of Melatonin, L-Theanine, and 5-HTP. This stuff actually kicks in around 30 minutes, and what the Melatonin couldn't do for me by itself really helps me with the other two combined. I'm SLEEPING again (except when I get so anxious that I don't sleep).
I thought this would be useful in the General Autism Discussion because a lot of people with Autism don't sleep, and I thought my experiences might help. Plus, nobody looks at the Health Section.

Since this is a sleeping thread I would like to mention calcium + magnesium supplement. I take a liquid form of this every night and without it, I do not sleep as restfully. So this might help some. ^__^

As for L-Theanine I took it once (alone) and it made me hyper.

I recommend alcohol + ambien... actually I don't.

I actually heard ambien is non habit forming. Might have to try it out.

Ambien can produce dependency when used consistently...

I recently started using Melatonin. Works well. Seemed to lose its effect on me and I realized it must have to do with the caffeine I've been drinking during my graveyard shift.
A shot of whiskey does great too, if not Melatonin. Even if you've built up a nice big tolerance to alcohol one shot still has enough effect to calm you.


I wouldn't recommend Risperdal to anyone. I started out at 180 and family would jokingly tell me that I need to "put some meat on those bones." By the time I quit Risperdal in June I was around 270.

Melatonin does work... it doesn't make you drowsy or sleepy per se like actual sleep medications... but it does make it easier to fall (and stay) asleep when you do finally lay down.

Weighted blankets work for a lot of autistics out there. I just got a 30-lb one recently and find it very nice and relaxing.

cannabis and a memory foam mattress topper for me!

I am an herbal junkie and have tried a lot of remedies for relaxation as well as better sleep. At the moment, I take Fish Oil, Passionflower, St. John's Wort, and 5-HTP. I take 1 tablet of fish oil, A dropperful of passionflower extract, 450 mg St. John's wort, and 150 mg 5-HTP. I've also taken valerian in the past and it helped a lot, especially with sleep and anxiety. My life has changed for the better.....I don't have that anxious feeling in my chest and shortness of breath/hyperactivity I used to have six months ago when I was not on the supplements. I am now very relaxed and can focus on my work. Things that use to bother me I now let slide most of the time and don't worry as much. People who know me have told me that I seem more peaceful and mellow and have changed for the better.

I highly recommend herbal remedies for people. There are many good ones out there which you can try out.Yes, it will cost you some money but they are worth it. Don't expect to see results overnight with most of them as they take a while to work. The most important thing is that they are natural, not chemical.

You also need to watch your diet. I have switched to a vegetable and fish diet and rarely eat red meat and pork. Health wise, I am better than ever.

Melatonin helps getting you to sleep, it just doesen't knock you out flat. I hate those nights when all you want to get to is the morning but you keep waking up in the dark.

Melatonin does wonders for me. It's not addictive (well, a pharmacist told me it's slightly addictive psychologically, but not physically), it doesn't interact with medication, and doesn't knock me out, just makes falling asleep easier. The only downside is if I don't get full 8 hours of sleep after taking melatonin, I feel a little groggy in the morning, but a cup of coffee takes care of it. I really wish I knew about it during childhood, because I had chronic insomnia, and it took me on average 2 hours to fall asleep. Valerian root, which my parents gave me, didn't work at all. The insomnia thing went away around age 14, but it's still nice to have a pill I can take to help me fall asleep.

Another strategy which works well for me is to lower the temperature of the room. In Washington state it's easy enough, just open a window!

Insomnia sucks.