John:

Here is my experience with Melatonin and Lorazepam.  I am 69 years old
and have had trouble sleeping for almost 15 years.  It seems I could go
to sleep but just couldn't stay asleep.  When I had to get up in the
middle of the night to pee (prostate problems you know) then I couldn't
return to sleep.  I would just toss and turn until it was time to get
up.  Then I would have a bad day.

So....about 10 years ago a physician prescribed Lorazepam.   Well it
worked ok but I did become addicted. I could get a fair night's sleep
but never deep REM sleep.  You know...that's the deep sleep that we all
need.  As a consequence...I would become terribly sleepy every
afternoon.  If I were driving, I would have to stop and get coffee or
something.  If at home....I would hit the bed and then I would have
trouble once again going to sleep. Then, of course, there is the danger
of taking too much Lorazepam and that is fatal.

Tried Ambien.  That worked fairly well as well.  But I became addicted.
It didn't do to me what Lorazepam did but it did cause significant
memory loss.  I simply couldn't remember much of anything.  I thought I
was getting alzheimer's.  Then I read somewhere that Ambien does cause
memory loss in some people.  I was happy to read that and so I quit.

I have had super success with time released melatonin.  Plain old
melatonin just won't keep me asleep the whole night through.  However,
Time Released Melatonin does work better.  I experimented on how much
to take.  I started out with one, then I increased it to two and now
I'm onto three.  They are 5 mg each.  That's quite a dose but I'm a 250
lb guy.  That has worked best for me lately. I purchased mine at a
general health food store i.e. GNC.

But....I have been discouraged lately.  It seems if I take Time
Released Melatonin for a long time....it's effectiveness wears off.  So
I go off of it for two days or more and then it seems to work once
again.  I am in one of those periods right now.  Last night I took a
Lynestra sleeping pill.  It worked all right but I have been groggy all
day.  I won't take it again tonight because of that.  So...tonight I
wll try Melatonin once again.

Hope this helps somebody out there.

Al

John...I do not have any medical training per se, but I have been studying
medicine and prescription drugs for approx. 15 years and have been to
approx. 75 doctors in my life mostly to no avail.  I have been told by
several doctors at various times that I knew more about what I was asking
them then they did (which is sad).  I don't believe many doctors even read
the package inserts for the drugs they prescribe and don't even know the
different strengths of the drug (I have seen this).  It's what's the pharma
rep dropped off at his office along with the sales pitch.  I don't want to
go any further because I don't care for doctors in general, and have given
my reasons in other posts in the ng.  Of course their are exceptions.  Our
doctor in the group (Howard) is a good, caring doctor, and is extremely
knowledgeable, and he volunteers his time to this group, which is rare at
best.

I don't agree with your doctors saying Lorazepam is safe for taking long
periods.  Hell, even shrinks are careful not to prescribe it too long.  But
if you are 79, and it helps you sleep, and you feel comfortable with your
docs, and with taking it, then go for it.  These drugs have short half
life's and you can build up a tolerance to them, and then you need more and
more (but not for all people - I have read that some people have taken them
for years).  Lorazepam does take the edge off things, but I would not take
it for any length of time.  Of course, to take it for any length of time you
need a doctor to prescribe it.  If you take anything for a long time and
need it (for whatever reason), then you are addicted to it.  And I don't
want to get into the three kinds of dependence.  IMO, if you need something
to go to sleep (or whatever), and you can not get by without it, you have
formed a dependence on it.

John, do some googling (eg, lorazepam withdrawal, etc).  Take care :-)
...Pete