I was robbed by two Men at gunpoint a week ago this morning.

[sarcasmo]

Being a Taxi Driver for nine years I was surprised this had not happened earlier. I picked up two Men outside of a house in Grand Rapids, Michigan at about 12:20 AM last Tuesday morning. They both spoke good English and as I took them across town nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The two Men were in their early twenties. The Man seated behind me said to pull down here and as I slowed down and unlocked the doors the both jumped out and pulled guns on me.
The chaos that follows is as accurate as I can recall. Suspect #1 had the gun in my face quicker than I could blink, my first mistake was picking them up, and the second mistake was putting the car in park. Suspect #2 was yelling from the other door with his gun pointed in my direction. They both were yelling where is the cash where is the cash. I only had about forty dollars on me and twenty of it was in the sunglass holder in the roof. I always carry a back pack to hold my maps, sunglasses, and Nintendo for those times I wait for a call. This time Suspect#1 forced me to the ground and whacked me in the back of the head twice with the gun it felt small maybe a 33, it was pitch black outside. The nightmare continued for a few more minutes with Suspect #2 asking me where my wallet was. I told them I don't carry a wallet only my Id's, Taxi license and drivers license. That's when Suspect #1 told me to take off my shirt and he then threw it to Suspect #2 and told him to wipe away the prints. This is the time my life flashes before my eyes.
Suspect #1 was yelling at Suspect #2 wipe this down wipe that down and all the time I am still lying on the ground with a gun to my head. The third or fourth time Suspect #1 yelled at Suspect #2 I took my right hand and grabbed dirt and a rock or small brick and flung it at Suspect #1 and got up, started running and jumped a fence near the scene and jump three or four more fences to the next street over, cutting up my right leg and spraining an ankle along with getting a swollen knee. It took three doors to find someone to help me and call the police.
When I was running for my life, I heard Suspect #1 yell to Suspect #2 he is getting away, him this is when I knew they were planning on killing me. The reason I am posting this on this forum is my sleep patterns have been screwed up as I just lay their replaying this nightmare, until I am to tired to lay awake.
My question is does anyone know of a good over the counter sleep medication.
In case you were wondering, Suspect #1 a twenty something black Man. Suspect #2 a twenty something white Man.

[CoffeeCat]

1. OH my goodness...

I am so incredibly sorry that this happened to you. As I was reading this, I was thinking that
this was just such a frightening story. You must have been so scared.

I was totally impressed with how BRAVE you were. You threw something at them and then you ran and were
leaping over fences. Holey buckets! You are one tough, resourceful cookie.

I think you are amazing. You handled an impossible, scary situation--and you survived. Please, pat
yourself on the back.

I can understand why you are having trouble sleeping. This is a very stressful, life-altering situation.
You were threatened and you thought people with guns were going to kill you. This is a very serious
situation to have endured. If you're re-playing it over and over in your mind--your mind is processing
all of that fear and intense emotion. You're dealing with what happened and healing. You experienced
a trauma, my friend--and your mind is attempting to make sense of it and process it.

I would suggest that you find a good, caring therapist who can help you to process this trauma; one who
will be beside you as you work through all of this. Even if we think we know all of the answers, therapists
who specialize in trauma can help you to understand the aftermath of experiencing something like this. Please
don't do this alone.

You are a strong, resourceful person--and you are going to be just fine. You just need some guidance as
you come down from this intense and frightening experience.

Take care of you--

[bling bling]

2. Nyquil.

My brother is a police officer and they have to work rotating shifts. One month midnights, one month days, one month swings etc. Very difficult to switch your circadian rhythms like that constantly all year long. I guess he's more used to it now but when he first started out he would use Nyquil to help him fall asleep. He claimed he didn't feel groggy when he woke up so I tried it once or twice and actually it did work pretty well and I felt alright when I woke up too.

But that's just my personal story.

You are experiencing more than sleeping problems. Being in a life threatening situation is so terrifying your brain is probably going to be reeling for awhile yet. You should call your doctor. They'll recommend over the counter stuff if you ask them to. Or you can call any pharmacist on the phone or go to the pharmacy itself and ask for a recommendation. They know the over the counter stuff pretty well. Be sure to mention any other meds you're taking (if any) because there can be drug interactions.

Instead or at least in addition to medication, it might help for you to practice relaxation techniques to help calm your body and brain down so that you can sleep. If you think about it you'll probably notice that your shoulders are tense. Try to relax them. You can't relax your mind if your body is tense. Ask your SO to give you a massage or you can even massage yourself if necessary. When your mind starts racing back to the incident consciously remind yourself that you're no longer in danger because your flight/fright mechanism doesn't know the difference when your body is all keyed up.

Good luck. I was once in a situation where my life was in very real danger and I developed serious insomnia after it happened. I know exactly what you're going through.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

11. I have found that...

6mg of melatonin a night, an hour before na-na land, works a treat for me. I mean "boink". Now I know that it's not that way for everyone, but it's worth a try.

And I wake up and no hangover. Well, beyond my chronic need to restore the delicate balance and purge the extra blood from my coffee system. ;-)

[AngryOldDem]

3. I had a similar experience when I was 20

I was home from college for a night to study for a test I had the next day when two men forced their way into my house and held my parents and me hostage while they ransacked the place. I was pulled out of the closet, in fact, and forced to walk around the house with these bastards, handing over whatever they thought looked "valuable."

This happened in January, a few weeks after the semester started. And honest to God, I went through that semester as if I were sleepwalking. What you describe -- interrupted sleep patterns -- I had in spades. What would happen to me was that, just as I would begin to drift off, a really VIVID memory of that night would come back. Then I would be wide awake for hours. I also had flashbacks, only with different (and worse) endings to the evening. I would also get angry and upset at the slightest things, as well as at the assholes who violated my home and my psychological well-being. Some days I would be totally detached and numb. At times, I felt I had absolutely no control over anything. As you can see, I pretty much ran the emotional gamut that winter and spring.

I write this not to further upset or depress you, but to tell you that what you are feeling is normal, and that you may also have other residual effects as you come to terms with what happened to you. If you think you need to self-medicate, do so. But I think you also need a safe outlet where you can let all your feelings go -- the fear, the outrage at what happened to you, the damnable thoughts of "what might have been" -- all of that. Please don't keep those inside -- ask your friends and family to be there whenever you want to talk, or vent, or just rage. Give yourself permission to express your emotions. They need to be expressed as part of the healing process.

Violence of any kind shakes the soul. You will need to find and redefine your personal equilibrium, and it takes more than Nyquil to do that. Be patient with yourself, and give yourself time.

(Just for the record, these guys were caught a few months later after they did a few more home-invasion type robberies of mainly the elderly. One guy plead out; the other wanted a trial. After I testified, the guy reconsidered his chances and copped a plea. He got about six years in prison.)

Please take care, and let us know how you're doing. I know what you're going through, and you can -- and will -- get through it. :hug:

ON EDIT: Please look to see if your county's prosecutor or district attorney has a victim/witness advocate or program. That is also an invaluable resource to get you through this trying time.

[sarcasmo]

4. I am in the Anger faze right now and think we caught a lead from another driver

who called me this morning with the right description of these two idiots. I am going to speak with the Detective again in the morning and they are going to the two address's we have on file to take photos and see if there are any matches. Thanks for the info and Nyquil is no good for me as certain times it gives me visions.

[AngryOldDem]

6. You will experience that anger

All I can say is, go someplace and let it out. I remember for a long time I gunnysacked it -- tried to "get on with my life," "get back to normal," fill-in-whatever-blank. Meanwhile, it was like living in autopilot -- I had trouble in classes, at work -- you name it. Then one day it all hit like nuclear fission. And actually, after I had the meltdown things seemed to get better.

Something else that helped me was writing a letter to my best friend, telling him what had happened. I remember it being a "stream of consciousness" type of letter -- I just let the words come as I knew I had a safe haven in him with which to share. Write a letter to yourself, or to the dickheads who robbed you.

My point in this long-winded note is -- DON'T KEEP THINGS BOTTLED UP. Go with your emotions. In that lies healing. And don't ever hestitate getting help if you need it. You went through a trauma, and things will never really be the same for you again. But that doesn't mean things will never seem "normal" or "okay" again. It will be just a different kind of "normal" and "okay." All of this takes time. Let yourself take that time.

One more word of advice. Keep in touch with the detectives who are working your case. The detective who handled mine also happened to be a good friend of another friend of mine, which helped enormously. But keep up with the progress of your case. That is getting back some of that lost control, too.

Good luck. You will get through this. I promise.

[sarcasmo]

7. Thanks, just talked with the lead Detective yesterday morning. It does seem to help.

[EFerrari]

5. Melatonin but I wouldn't take it without consulting a doctor

because it can block other meds.

I'm so sorry, sarcasmo! How frightening!

[sarcasmo]

8. I have been taking something my wife used a couple months ag, it's called

Ambien, has anyone heard of any bad side affects? I don't take prescription medication so this is new for me and if I sense anything other than the morning cotton mouth. I won't go ask the doctor for a new prescription.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

9. How scary! I'm glad you were able to escape.

Sounds like you have PTSD. If you can, I would call a mental health professional for some professional help. A psychiatrist can prescribe the proper meds you may need, and a therapist can help you work through your emotions. Good luck! :)

[Onlooker]

10. Ambien's fine

A lot of people take it to sleep on planes. It works pretty well, and isn't too druggy. I'd get a prescription of adavan or lorazapan, which are mild anti-anxiety pills that make you a little drowsy. You were through one hell of an ordeal, and I agree with those who say you should visit a therapist a few times. It will really help you a lot.