Sleep?

[gypsylee]

Hi guys,

I know we've had a million threads on sleep but here's another one haha.

How much is everyone sleeping atm? I woke up after only a few hours today but the night before I slept 13 hours straight! Is that weird or what?

Cheers,
Gypsy x

[Chemical Shaman]

Hi guys,

I know we've had a million threads on sleep but here's another one haha.

How much is everyone sleeping atm? I woke up after only a few hours today but the night before I slept 13 hours straight! Is that weird or what?

Cheers,
Gypsy x

I don't sleep.. I'm like the girl in The Ring ;)

[gypsylee]

I don't sleep.. I'm like the girl in The Ring ;)

Haha! Fantastic.

[Anne1221]

I have found that medication can wreak havoc on your sleep. But that being said, if I get too much sleep one night, like 12 hours, my body will compensate for that by getting less sleep the following night. Conversely, if I get too little sleep one night, I''ll sleep longer the next night.

[gypsylee]

Yeah that's what happened, Anne.. I had about 4 hours last night and woke up once during that even. I haven't napped today so I should sleep well tonight :)

Also, aside from being a bit irritable (especially because I had to go to various shops full of people and drive around) I've functioned quite well and got lots done. I just wonder if others have this pattern of lots of sleep one night then only a few hours the next night. I think my body clock is pretty chaotic because I am on a few different meds but even when I was off all meds for 3 years my sleep was erratic.

[tirediron]

Oddly, my doctor put me on 20 mg of Paroxetine yesterday. It's a generic Paxil. I went to bed early, but woke up after about 3 hours and suffered the WORSE anxiety attack of my life. I went to bed in another room as not to worry my wife and slept a bit more. I sure hope this is the medicine. Now, do I keep taking it?

[lolfeg123]

Oddly, my doctor put me on 20 mg of Paroxetine yesterday. It's a generic Paxil. I went to bed early, but woke up after about 3 hours and suffered the WORSE anxiety attack of my life. I went to bed in another room as not to worry my wife and slept a bit more. I sure hope this is the medicine. Now, do I keep taking it?

I went on Paxil and only lasted one day. I had symptoms like agitation, mood swings, twitching legs, restlessness, etc and had to stop. Suprisigly, a month or two later - without taking meditation - my symptoms slowly subsided . I rarely get anxiety attacks, but I'm really struggling with sleep.

To answer Gypsy's question - I get about 4-6 hrs of sleep daily which I feel isn't enough. Sometimes it takes me longer to fall asleep than actually staying sleep! I honestly don't know what people think about when they go to bed to sleep... they must think.... I can't stop thinking...

[martin05]

I don't sleep.. I'm like the girl in The Ring ;)

Lol. ^ This guy's alright.

[ssMarilyn]

My sleep is crappy, but is much better than it used to be. It takes me a couple of hours to get to sleep and then I don't stay asleep. I wake up hourly. There have been times when I have been awake for 3 days straight. I do in streaks.

[ssMarilyn]

Oddly, my doctor put me on 20 mg of Paroxetine yesterday. It's a generic Paxil. I went to bed early, but woke up after about 3 hours and suffered the WORSE anxiety attack of my life. I went to bed in another room as not to worry my wife and slept a bit more. I sure hope this is the medicine. Now, do I keep taking it?
Looks like nervousness is one of the negative side effects, so that could grow into a panic attack. http://www.rxlist.com/paxil-side-effects-drug-center.htm

[martin05]

Oddly, my doctor put me on 20 mg of Paroxetine yesterday. It's a generic Paxil. I went to bed early, but woke up after about 3 hours and suffered the WORSE anxiety attack of my life. I went to bed in another room as not to worry my wife and slept a bit more. I sure hope this is the medicine. Now, do I keep taking it?

The exact same thing happened to me when starting citalopram.

Personally I'd keep taking the med. See how things progress.

[gypsylee]

Thanks for replies everyone..

Tirediron - Yes, keep taking it if you can stand it. The SSRIs are notorious for knocking people around at first (usually on top of existing anxiety). I always take benzos to get through that initial phase. Now I just stay on SSRIs (Prozac 40mg atm) and don't care if I take them for life. Sometimes I think they work by showing you just how bad you can feel lol.

I slept normally last night (7 hours with alarm waking me and 2 hours earlier in the night). I suspect the crappy sleep the night before was hormonal..

[tirediron]

I have an appointment with the psychiatrist on Tuesday morning. I was thinking of waiting until then. Bad idea?

[Wirewrap]

This time around t wake up maybe 3 time but go right back to sleep. My first major panic attack 17 years ago I slept, maybe 3 hours a night for several weeks.

When I feel fine there are nights where I can't sleep. I'll lay in bed and start at my toes and tense up hold for a few seconds then release and work my way up. When I'm done I'll do some deep breathing and doze off.

[martin05]

I have an appointment with the psychiatrist on Tuesday morning. I was thinking of waiting until then. Bad idea?

I'd carry on taking it. Intense anxious periods are so common when starting an SSRI, they're sort of an unavoidable side effect. Just like muscle aches the day after starting a work out regime. Best thing to do is grind it out, get time under your belt and allow your body to become accustomed to the med. After a week or two, most people start feeling the benefit.

Just my .2c!

[tirediron]

What time of day would you take it? I took the first at 4PM on Thursday. I was so messed up early Saturday, I haven't taken it since. I wonder if I took it early in the morning, I would feel it coming on and prepare myself for it. Thanks for the reply. And apologies to gypsylee for hi-jacking her thread.

[Twichard]

Hi it's almost 2 a.m. in Scotland and for about 3 weeks ñow I've not slept more than a power nap im beginning to lose track of days Im so tired but still can't sleep I get diazepam From my g p but still can't sleep I only have short snooze with a nightmare and awaken for rest of the night it's driving me mad just lying in bed night after night listening to clock tick away the hours diazepam are to help me sleep as well as helping my anxiety Im finding it difficult to understand when Im being spoken to by my family wich is hurtful because I feel that they think Im not paying attention to them as well as my concentration it's very poor lack of sleep I's destroying me anyone else going through this at the moment

[martin05]

What time of day would you take it? I took the first at 4PM on Thursday. I was so messed up early Saturday, I haven't taken it since. I wonder if I took it early in the morning, I would feel it coming on and prepare myself for it. Thanks for the reply. And apologies to gypsylee for hi-jacking her thread.

I prefer taking SSRIs in the morning, usually with breakfast. But that's mainly to reduce insomnia.

Start up is usually pretty grim whichever way you look at it. The brain isn't a fan of having its chemistry altered.

Let me know what your psych recommends! A few benzos may be helpful to get through those first couple of weeks.

[tirediron]

I'm in the midst of moving and really don't want the added confusion of having my brain altered! I hope the psych has an opinion. But that episode the other night was all I wanted. I'd rather have a root canal than go through that again.

[Twichard]

It's 2 45 a.m. in Scotland and Im still awake I've been trying to get to sleep since about 10 30p.m. it's looking like it's going to be yet another night with no sleep it can't be far from dawn the birds have started singing wich is no help I've a new day of caring for my son it's getting overwhelming no sleep then no rest because of his needs life sucks at times but I have to keep on going my son can do very little for himself and he relies on me being there for him If im exhausted or not he doesn't understand plus it's not his fault

[tirediron]

Twichard, how old is you son? Is he special needs, or very young? Have you tried deep breathing exercises to aid in sleep? I've heard it helps.

[tirediron]

Also, I went to the psych today. He advised me to continue with the paxil, and suggested a herb called ashwagandah. Has anyone tried it? He's a young guy, thinks my issues are very treatable, and wants to see me next week after the paxil is in my system. Lord I hope this works.

[Twichard]

My son's 20 year's old he has dravet syndrome and autism but the dravet syndrome is the big problem its an epilepsy syndrome my son can have hundreds of seizures a day when he's having a hard time

[Anne1221]

tirediron...I would suggest you continue with the Paxil. My doctor says it can take up to 6-8 weeks to see the full benefits. If it were me, i would not take the ashwagandah. According to WebMd, it's been studied to be safe for short term, but no studies have been done as far as safe for long term. I don't think you should mix an herb with the Paxil. Paxil has been around a long time. I think I took it 15 years ago but it caused some weight gain for me so I switched to lexapro. I wouldn't worry about the weight gain, they all cause me to crave carbohydrates I have found out.

[tirediron]

Thanks, Anne. I wasn't sold on the ashwagandah, but wondered if anyone had tried it. I was on Paxil about 10 years ago with no side effects accept weight gain. That's what scared me with the episode I had the other night. I really wasn't expecting it, and I felt like I woke up in the middle of a laser show. Last night was better although I still can't sleep much more than 4 hours. One day at a time, I suppose.

[tirediron]

Twitchard, do you have a Pastor, or other clergyman you could talk with about your son? Sometimes talking with a non-judgemental party can really help.

[Twichard]

Please don't think I've a problem with the church But its medical help My son's in need of he's unfortunately got a rare and difficult health problem medical research hasn't found the answer at the moment i don't think the church can help in this case

[tirediron]

I was thinking along the lines of them helping you deal with the issues regarding your son. Your worry, lack of sleep, and so forth.