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im experincing a extreamly stressfull period in my life

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randy70524
randy70524

I have been going through a very stressful period in my life since June 2017 which has caused  depression anxiety and a serious sleep disorder which has prevented me from getting no more than a average of 3-4 hours of sleep.In Oct, i finally decided to see a doctor get something to help me sleep i was prescribed 7.5mg of zopiclone.This helped me to fall asleep but once awoken usually after 4-6 hours i couldn't get back to sleep and due to the cost i was taking them very irregularly[2 times a week on average to try to get some decent sleep.In early dec. i went to another doctor and explained my anxiety, depression and sleep disorder he prescribed sandez-mirtzapine 30mg for my condition i am now on my 4th dose and have noted a little decrease in anxiety and have been taking them around 11pm and although i dont seem to get sleepy from them they have allowed me to fall asleep and return to sleep after waking allowing a average of 6 hrs.On Friday evening after feeling depressed i feel asleep at 8.30 and woke around 11 [I had previously got apx 6-7hrs of broken sleep [ie woke once and got back to sleep the night before after initially getting to sleep apx 12:30]I have been staying with a friend since the passing of my mother of whom i had been living with and the stress of this and losing my home has caused this condition,Anyway on Friday after waking I had 4 beers [i very seldomly drink and usually have no more than 3 beers]I felt better and wasnt as depressed after the nap and felt a reduction in my level of depression which seemed enhanced after the beers with no side effects or tiredness ,However after attempting to sleep at 4am i couldn't fall asleep and have been up since.My questions are is this a normal reaction? Should i be concerned about using this drug? can it be taken with the sleeping pills if i  continue to experience these worrisome  periods of sleeping disorders?  I am very concerned about the use of this drug and would very much appreciate any advise that could be offered by those that have experience in its use

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • betsy0603
    betsy0603 randy70524

    Posted

    Randy, I'm so sorry for your loss and the problems you have suffered because of it.  Not being able to sleep is a truly distressing thing.  What else have you tried prior to zoplicone and mirtazapine?

    You aren't going to like what I say but I can tell you that if you search the mirtazapine category you will find many people having trouble with this drug, especially with trying to come off of it.  It is one of the more brutal to get off of.  I am doing a very slow taper off of it, been inching my way down for two years, along with another AD.  There is simply no free lunch with the psych and Z drugs - perhaps benefit up front, but many negatives that build over time and create worse scenarios than the original complaint.

    And so, before your nervous system gets hooked on Mirt, I ask what else you have tried.  Our world is caught in an epidemic of prescribing drugs for what I consider to be poor coping skills which can be remedied holistically.  The number of psych drug scripts is higher today than ever before in their history.  I took that option, too.  I thought the "Happy Pill" Prozac would be the fix for all my problems, but 20 years later I see that my problem really was how I thought about things.  And we can change that.  I just wish I had known this before.

    Cognitive behavior therapy would be the first place to go.  Mindfulness meditation is another..  The serenity prayer is applicable here:  God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,: Courage to change the things I can,: And wisdom to know the difference.  If you aren't religious, turn it into a mantra of "I can have the serenity to accept..."  Acceptance of what is, is paramount.  I think it is our fighting against and not accepting that causes us all the stress, anxiety and depression that brings us to the drugs.

    I know that when you are caught up in it all, hearing this from others might lead to a reaction of "easy for you to say."  That was me, too.  I hated when people would tell me "just think positively."  Hated it! True, when you don't know how or haven't been shown that how you think can be changed, it seems impossible!  But it isn't!  It does take work and an openness.

    Even if you continue down the path of using the meds, try to work on this so that med use is a short term aid, not a way of life.  Seek help with a cognitive behavior therapist, buy a book on self-help along those lines, and be open to the fact that you can change how you handle that which you can't control.  You can do this!

     

    • randy70524
      randy70524 betsy0603

      Posted

      My appreciation and sincere thanks for your reply,i have sought help from a free counseling clinic to try to help me from a psychological perspective and a treatment i think was called ems that was devolved to aid in pts[post traumatic stress disorder for veterans] was suggested  to be tried in my next appointment.But you only get 6 free  sessions[of which i have used 3 with resulted in very little help and i definitely cant afford more as i am unemployed and currently living off a small inheritance.I am trying desperately to remain hopeful but am very worried as to my future and needing to rely on this drug as suggested in the long term to help ease the stress and resulting sleep disorder has left me extremely concerned  from both a mental heath  and financial concern.Prior to this med i have only tried the sleeping pill that was sold at twice the price of the mirt.and was obviously going to be to costly to rely on to help ease my sleeping disorder.Again my thanks for your reply and understanding i hope that i ,like yourself can soon get through this troubling period i my life and find some way to cope and come to find some  semblance of serenity in the near future.

      thank you and god bless

  • pat60760
    pat60760 randy70524

    Posted

    HI Randy. I so feel your pain. I started mirt a month ago, quit then went back on. Sometimes we need to admit we need help. I have heard alot of good from people on mirt but alcohol is not a good mix. Mirt does not help me sleep alas it has only been 3 days that I have been on it again. I am gonna be patient as it is not a magic pill. I try think positive that this will help. Try not focus on the negative posts as there are alot out there who feel mirt saved them. All AD are a slow taper once you feel you don't need them but worry about getting better first. Keep faith and I will too.

    • randy70524
      randy70524 pat60760

      Posted

      Thanks Pat I very much appreciate your empathy and advise,it would be nice if we could keep in touch as to how this drug is working for us since we are both in the beginning stages of its use.Perhaps a posting every 2 weeks or so may prove beneficial to others hoping to achieve some kind of remedy through its use.Either way my deep appreciation for your reply and all the best to you in your future
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