I have literally lost the ability to sleep, and am completely loosing my memory

Thanks a lot, but I just find it really hard to believe when I feel like I'm literally loosing my self awareness, and the ability to form cognitive thoughts, and it seems a bit of a coencidence how it's getting worse day by day, and I fealt like I have barely slept in 3 weeks I am completely loosing the ability to think, and I will be really surprised if nothing comes up on a scan 

THe only way to get some pea e of mind is to see a dr. 

Does that mean you're booked for a brain scan?

It's not a coincidence at all that it's getting worse as time goes on - you're obviously suffering from exhaustion, which will severely affect your ability to form thoughts or remember things.

Severe anxiety will have the same effect. You said all this started with a panic attack three weeks ago. I'm wondering whether this was your first. Panic attacks aren't a symptom of neurological disease, they're generated by anxiety.

Please see a doctor if you haven't already, get some investigations done to reassure yourself, then start addressing your sleep problem as well as your anxiety.

thanks a lot I will do

Sorry they said they wouldn't give me a brain scan unless they think it's really necessary, which I feel like it is, but they don't think it is 

I'm glad to hear you've seen a doctor anyway. In fact, a brain scan isn't necessary to establish whether or not you have a serious neurological problem. Did your doctor order blood tests and do a basic neurological examination - shining a light in your eyes, testing your reflexes etc.? I don't know where you are in the world, but in many countries you can self-refer to a neurologist (though this will probably work out more expensive). Even if you're in the UK you do know, don't you, that you can insist that your GP refer you to a neurologist or any other specialist? They often try to pretend you don't have this right (to keep NHS costs down) but they must refer you if you insist.

However, none of this means that I think you actually need to see a neurologist, it's just that it might reassure you. And you must certainly avoid getting fixated on the idea that you absolutely have to have a scan. That's going to be counterproductive.

The other David is right - you'd do better to work on your anxiety levels. Can you ask for referral for CBT or its more recent variant, DBT? These can be very effective in dealing with anxiety and panic attacks, though they do require a lot of work from the patient.

All your symptoms are those of sleep deprivation and anxiety. Get some more investigations done if that will reassure you, but try and set your anxiety aside, hard as that is.

Lily What is DBT?

Dialectic behavioural therapy. I don't know a lot about it, other than what I've found on-line. I volunteer in a mental health centre and we've been promised a talk on the subject for the autumn. From what I can see, it's based on a similar model to CBT.

Thanks Lily. Sounds interesting.

Thanks so much for the advice lily, Iv'e had a cognitive test from my doctor, and they said their was no sign of brain damage, I just hate how my memoery is fading day by day and I can struggle to visualise images in my mind, my head is si numb and I ger pains from my head, that's why I think there's sign of brain damage, I feel like my self awareness is fading away and if I am sleeping it is not proper sleep or I wouldn't feel like this, to be honest with the sleep Iv'e been having I'm surprised I am still alive, I feel like soon I will just be an empty vesile 

Oh, I feel so sorry for you, having to go through all this. But hang onto what the doctor told you about the cognitive test. You don't have brain damage, and you won't get it either through loss of sleep.

However, you will continue to have concentration and memory issues for as long as you're having this sleeping problem - it's quite natural to feel the way you do in the circumstances but it won't permanently damage your brain.

I'm wondering whether your doctor has discussed the possibility of a sleep study, to try and see whether there's a specific problem with your sleep patterns. But all your attention now needs to be focused on reducing your anxiety levels. If they remain as high as they are now, they're going to stop you getting back to normal sleep.

Please try and set aside your fears about having brain damage. This fear is part of the problem. If you really had brain damage it would have shown up on the cognitive test. Try and manage your anxiety.

Thanks lily I know where your'e coming from but I really feel like I can barely remember anything now, my ability to Imagine is so low, and has gotten so bad now, there is a really numbing pain in my head, and most of the comments I write are me mainly repeeating my self becaise Iv'e forgotten what Iv'e said, I just really don't think I will be alive for much longer, when I close my eyes I feel nothing, I feel like Iv'e permantly done damage, and those so many memories I can't remember now and don't feel like I'll ever get back 

David, you seem to be thinking clearly enough to articulate yourself in this post. I'm sure this is difficult for you though, so you definitely need to see a doctor x

That's a very good point, SLD. I agree. David89338 does indeed demonstrate a high degree of cognitive ability, in spite of his long weeks of sleep deprival.

?David, please try to take this on board. You first reported this problem about a month ago, and I believe you said you'd already had it for some time then. SFI progresses very rapidly. If this was what you had, you'd be in a much worse state than you are now, and probably incapable of putting even a simple post together. You have insomnia. That's a terrible condition, which doesn't need to be dramatised. However, it's treatable. Please tell your doctor everything.

This sounds like anxiety to me. There's a page on calmclinic .com about anxiety and fear of flying I feel may be useful to you David.

David Has anyone checked your blood for anaemia or thyroid problems?

 

Wait a month or so and then look up MS symptoms....take some of those symptoms to your primary care Dr and ask them to send you to a specialist because you want to know if you have MS.

The Neurologist will do a brain scan FIRST.

That wouldn't work, Misssy, and would probably have the opposite effect. David lives in the UK, where it's very difficult to get a referral to any kind of specialist. Behaviour of this kind would just make his doctor even more dismissive of his symptoms. And there's a waiting list of up to a year for brain scans in some regions of the UK for cases that are perceived to be non-urgent.

David, you've clearly got a good head on your shoulders but you've been a bit derailed by recent events. It happens to all of us from time to time. Listen to what your counsellor says on Saturday and go along with any work he/she asks you to put in, even if you don't believe in it initially. You've temporarily lost the ability to trust your own body, but you will re-learn this. In the mean time, try to trust your counsellor. As you've said yourself, you know there's no cure or treatment for SFI even if you did have it, so you have nothing to lose by going through counselling, do you?

We're all rooting for you on this forum.

Hi. I'm just looking for some advice. I had been taking mirtazipine which ended up making me so sleepy it felt like I wasn't going to wake up from it so I started fighting it like crazy and ended up on the floor and everything went white. Since then I seem to be losing the ability to sleep. I'm feeling very relaxed and would normally just drift off but I'm not falling asleep for ages and when I do I fall into the most lightest dreamy sleep for a few hours and wake up feeling like I'm still asleep. I'm worried I've blown something in my thalmus or suprachiasmatic nucleus. Just wondering what you people think on this. I will get booked in with a neuro ASAP. I'm also having minor neuro symptoms since and I'm worried I've done serious damage .

Insomnia, you're unlikely to have done yourself any serious damage - and stop googling stuff! But it's not a bad idea to get yourself checked out by a neurologist anyway, just to get reassurance. Unfortunately meds like mirtazapine can mess with your brain for a while, but this is eventually reversible when you come off them.

Thanks for your speedy reply. Also to mention I have quite severe m.e and have been relapsing bad recently, I've had alot of anxiety and think it's due to neurotoxins. I've generally been feeling like my nervous system has been slowly dying for a while. Since the mirtazipine incident I've been having a strange gait when I get overly tired, kind of like my knees and head moving out more than they should. I get a nice relaxed sleepy tired feeling but at the same time like my brain wont shut off. I've got a really bad feeling about it. I Googled fatal insomnia to try and reassure myself this isn't it and to my horror I've got all the early symptoms of it.

Insomnia, please! The incidence of fatal insomnia is literally about one in a billion. It's incredibly rare. (I'm a former neuro nurse btw.) You are the 8th person on these boards to claim you have it in the past couple of months. If this was true it would be an absolute miracle!

I realise you have a problem, but whatever it is it isn't fatal insomnia. Get yourself checked by the neurologist, as you've already mentioned.

I'm not talking about FFI or SFI. I'm thinking of cell apoptosis and if so I'm wondering what the chances of cell regeneration are. I've heard about someone with m.e losing the ability to sleep. When I fought the mirtazipine putting me to sleep I got up and kind of tried to walk into the next room and when I collapsed everything went white and I thought I was dead but I obviously wasn't but after I got u it felt like something had died in my brain, I thought I'd had a stroke but I hadn't. I didn't think anymore of it until I started getting the lightest dreamiest sleep possibly imaginable. I kind of feel like I'm still awake when I'm asleep. On the first day of this a couple of times I've woken and rapid eye movement and I'm breathing really deep like I'm asleep but I'm fully awake. It's like my body is begging for sleep but something in my brain is stopping it. I've had normal chronic insomnia in the past and this is nothing like.

Insomnia, this is classic health anxiety. See the neurologist.

im having same problem like you.im 20.I cant sleep. My head is numb and also body.when I try to sleep feel nothing but see dreams.but feels like im fully awake all night.next morning I feel so weak. Im so much afraid I feel like I have lost my ability to sleep I will never back my beautiful sleep again I will be dead soon.

reply me how are you know??

The ability to sleep will return. I would suggest seeing a neurologist who may order a sleep study to assist   with what appears to be a sleep disorder. Best  to get a referral from your  GP. Good  luck.

Hello everyone, I am going the same since 5weeks after stopping to take amitriptyline. Did your normal sleep partern comes back? What did you do or take as medication. Thanks a lot, I am suffering.

were u able to figure out your issue as i had taken it for 4 days 7.5 and after i decide to stop it been about a week now and i had get any sleep what so ever i been to the doctors more then i can count and everything come back normal so im just t confused bc i legit feel like i lost the abilty to sleep bc no mater what i take to try to sleep nothing seem to get me sleepy or anything any more i been going all this for 2 month

i used mirtazapine for 20 days since i stopped i had the exact same problem my brain is so wired up i dont know what it did did you find any help?

i had the same experience using mirtazapine did you find any help