Insomnia??

Hi dom,

How’d You sleep? Same? So you see the doc today? What did they say? 

Hello Tina,

Sleep is still awful and I have builders here now which isn't great when you're starting Prozac Didn't make the docs but I have noticed my state of mind during the day is improving all the time. Maybe my sleep will just snap in to place. I had 4mg Diazepam to sleep last night. Woke up three times. Is 4mg anything to worry about?

How are you doing now? I know it has only been a few days but any improvement?

PS Did you get another good night on the Doxepin?

Dom doxepin is really helping me sleep...but now I’m ya i feel bad panic again. Idk if it’s becauae I re introduced doxepin in my body again of what. Dizziness and anxiousness are ruling me right now. Pretty rough. I’m so tired of this and just want to feel good. 

I’m ao glad your feeling a bit more clear! The sleep will hopefully bounce in. How’s today??

Damn I really thought Doxepin had you sorted Tina. Might it really be the Doxepin? Why would it do that? It is another anti-depressant isn't it? You might just be having an off day. I felt lousy yesterday but apart from anxiety this morning have felt okay. Sleep is terrible still. I had 4mg Valium and half a zopiclone last night but still woke up 4 times. Any idea if we are allowed Valerian? I'm still non the wiser on Melatonin. So many conflicting threads on the internet ... have you ever tried anything herbal? How soon will I be hookked on Valium at 4mg a night?

Hey we're going to stick with this for 11 weeks. After that I am done if I am not sleeping by then

Oh my goodness what a ridiculously long day. I was in therapy all day long. Ya the doxepin is definitely helping me sleep but my anxiety is through the roof right now/ wonder if it’s bexuse I started another med. I finally got to see a spych! Took forever to get an appointment with one. She says she gonna keep me on Prozac cuz it’s a better one  for younger women and keep me on doxepin. She says it’s too early to tell anything. Ugh.i just want to be done with feeling yucky physically and crazy mentally. I cried at therapy but I think it made me feel a little better. Didn’t take away the dizziness and shakiness and crap but oh well.  Day 21. ☹️. 

It’s probably middle of the night for you. I don’t know of any natural things other than oils. You’ve got to try lavendar. Rub on our feet and hands and it helps you sleep. I don’t think you’ll get hooked on your meds. At this point take whatever’s gonna help you sleep. You will end up loving it. And you will stop once you don’t need it. How was your sleep? Same? 

"Too early to tell" just seems unbelievable doesn't it. Prozac really does take forever. But despite my insomnia, I am noticing less panic / anxiety symptoms. Day 23 here Tina. Just counting the days until the so called magic week 11

At least your new med is giving you some sleep. You might be right - maybe the doxepin now needs to settle too. It will all be worth it.

Hello Tina, I've got some lavender for tonight. Do you really think it makes a difference? It sounds too good to be true!

Lats night I had 1/2 Zopiclone, the during night another 1/2 and 2mg Diazepam. I am trying to cut down. Sleep was no worse than usual. I am starting to feel tired during the day which I hope is a good sign.

I haven't really touched the Ativan/Lorazepam but some say it is great for sleep. It didn't work well a few weeks back but my insomnia is definitely reduced since then so maybe I will try it. Did you ever try it?

I have a massage chair here with a digital screen. If you are really stressed then it shows a red circle with a white dot to indicate the highest level of stress. Had a try and trhe whole screen lit up like a Christmas tree. I will now use it to see if I get less red cirlcles and dots each day

The massage chair is sensing our anxiety quickly! Hahaha. I’ve tried Ativan. It does make you sleepy. It’s a more mild medication. Take whatever will help! They will all make you feel good. Promise. Did you try lavender on feet? It’s ok if you didn’t get but it really helped me when prozac caused my insomnia. 

Today was not such a good day. Tried to go Christmas shopping with fam. Even made it clear to them it would be short lived due to my lack of energy. Boy I didnt last long. I ate a small meal and ofcourse the meds didn’t agree with me and I came home sick and dizzy ans nauseous. It was a mess. I had to take 2 Xanax and a zofran (Anti nausea)  and it took forever for my body to chill. Even now I’m sitting in my bed watching the office praying when I fall asleep I don’t feel nauseous.  I just got to stay with it. I hate bad days. Thank for my family and friends and sister. 

Did you sleep at all? 

Hello Tina,

Day 24 here and sleep is still awful. Last night I started with a tiny amount of Lorazepam but I just don't like how it makes me feel. Finished up on 4mg Diazepam and got about 5 hours in total broken up. I had lavender on my feet but not hands as I have some dogs that snuggle in. Shouldn't I be sleeping by now? It is almost 4 weeks

Great that you left the house because I won't even do that at the moment. Do you feel okay for a short while each day? I do from about 1pm to 6pm. I'm wondering if my 20mg dose is too low. I was on 40mg before I quit. Obviously feel like quitting but I won't. Are you having some good days? Have you had any days that were good from start to finish? I haven't felt nauseous or sick but have now got a runny tummy. No idea if that is a good sign or bad one.

Hey Dom,

the sleep sounds terrible i am so sorry. But 5 hours is good. although i know it wasnt consistent so that sucks. which one of those meds helps you sleep the best??  

yah i think i pushed myself to hard yesterday. last night was terrible. I thought i was gonna have a full blown panic attack. I had to load up on meds. Gonna take it real slow from now on. Honestly feel like I am worse since i started the meds but i know thats not true I was having all too familiar episodes of everything which is why i wanted to go back on them. Its just such a slow climb and everyday is so different, 

I to am on 20mg, Doc wants to up me to 30 but im frightened i will feel crazy all over again as i am already dealing with side effects. 

well today im just gonna chill and try to clean my house. that might be too much lol. how is your day?

This is one crazy med isn't it. My day started rough, then felt fine, but now descending. Wow so we are both on 20mg and both at roughly the same stage. I'll wait until 6 weeks I think before upping. Why does your doc want you to up so soon? There's no doubt that I am better too in some ways, but I can't take meds forever to help me sleep. How do we know if 20mg isn't enough?

Ran for 40 minutes, got some sunlight, and ate Tofu and Porridge (separately LOL) as supposedly good for serotonin production ... now about 4 hours from "sleep" time ... but positivity is wilting. Plan tonight is to use some over the counter stuff. If I wake I'll take a valium but seems to be conflicting info out there on whether there is an interaction between it and Prozac. No interaction with Lorazepam/Atvian but I really don't like how I feel on that. Feels totally different to valium.

You must be on the up if you are taking on the house clean. Is the Doxepin still helping?

Hey we will soon be in to our fifth week

Right?! I have no clue if 20mg is enough Or not. I used it over the past 6 years before i stopped and I mean I guess I could’ve used more but to go throughout the symptoms no way! You went running?! THats fab! I am to dizzy to do anything. I cleaned the kitchen and fought theough the dizziness. But feel captive in my own home that I can’t really go anywhere.  I learned my lesson the 2 x I went out. Only thing I can do is go to my therapy appts I have weekly and even then my anxiety is through the roof. 

Your doctor should know that your on Prozac and Valium. So it shouldn’t be a problem. But I always google it anyway to see if there’s an interaction. I feel decent today with slight nausea and ofcourse the dizziness. And shaky ness already took a Xanax because as you know last night I waited too long and was feeling super sick. 

Is porridge like soup? It’s good you have an appetite. Ya definitely let’s wait for 6 weeks. But then I have doxepin I have to monitor to. BLEH! 

And ALSO another reason I don’t want to change the dose (or too afraid to) is because I’m on medical leave. I don’t have time to wait out each medication measures dose! I’ve already been out of work a month almost. And I fear more than anything going back sick. 

Hello Tina,

"I feel decent today" !!! That is a massive improvement is it not? Hey yeah I am a captive too and I live on my own with a load of dogs on the side of a mountain so it's crazy isolated but I just don't feel like seeing anybody. Porridge is just oat flakes. They're supposed to be a great food to help you sleep. I had a bowl of broccoli too today as that is supposed to support your serotonin. Maybe I am a bit obsessive but almonds too

Has your anxiety calmed down at all on the Prozac? Mine has, I am sure of it. How long can you take off work? From your earlier statement I reckon you're getting better without realising it yet. I think I am (bar the sleep). Okay so I ran on a treadmill Not the great outdoors, and I definitely can't face the kitchen just yet.

Is the Prozac making you dizzy? I had that once or twice but it was over real quick. I thought it might have been the Melatonin supplement which I now know I can't take.

Oh well it is 10pm here and I've had my oats and almonds. Hoping you have a good day today, an even better sleep tonight, and we'll catch up soon on our progress ... because we are progressing for sure x

ya know dom in some ways yes i feel my anxious thoughts have subsided and other ways i feel its gotten worse. morning and night is hardest for me. I was doing just ok today and then around 7 pm i got anxious! who knows why? i hate night time and also maybe i fear how i will sleep? if ill get sleep? will i feel sick? i could go on dom. so i ofcourse had to take xanax which bummed me out cuz im trying to not take as much but ya know what everyone says when your in the thick of it and your in the middle of the storm,,,,do whatever makes you feel better. So F it! i will take my Effing xanax tell i feel better damnit! lol sorry to vent. I have a visitor tom so i feel i must go out but theres no way. maybe for a walk. I just dont have the energy. I think i told you i think i also have adrenal failure. 

My sister kept saying tonight "I dont know why you dont believe youll get better. This happened before you will get through it i promise" But its so hard to believe when your in it. and feel a little cray cray. wanted to go to church today but i saw what happened to me when i tried to go to the ice cream museum the other night then shopping with my sister and mom. so no thanks. oh well day 22.

i took a xanax, used lavendar and will take doxxepin and see. you see the doxepins purpose is to make you sleepy. but its also causing me to be dizzy. i dont want to give up cuz iv been on it before but ugh how long does one wait? 

also apologize for my hideous typing and grammatical errors. I am terrible at that. especially when i dont feel well.

im eager to know if you got any sort of rest?? running is good it will release endorphins treadmill or out in nature.

Hello Tina,

I have been exactly the same. Anxious in morning, okay until about 7pm, then I crash and also worry about sleep. But today on day 25 I had hardly any anxiety for the first time. So it does get better. I'm not sure that the running helped. My sleep was awful as ever. I had OTC med, 1/2 Zopiclone and 2mg Diazepam. That's less than normal tho'. I want Zolpidem XR as apparently that gets you to sleep and keeps you there. Zopiclone is utterly useless. Gets you to sleep and you wake up 2 hours later (for me at least). Oh and I had lavender oil on my feet

I get similar comments but it's impossible for non-sufferers to understand what we are going through. So fab that we can chat here and support eachother.

So did you get some good sleep with your mix? How long? I heard those with the worst side effects are most likely to feel the benefits. Might be a load of rubbish but I'm going to believe it

But still, for me, it is all about the insomnia, and I am terrified of taking addictive meds but maybe 2-4mg Diazepam each day isn't going to leave me an addict.

Looking forward to hear that you have had a better sleep and day.

Dom x

Morning dom,

Or I guess good afternoon for you. I got pretty decent sleep. I took the Xanax , my daily second anti depressant doxepin and lavender. I felt sleepy so fell asleep at 9:30ish, then periodically woke up, once 11 then 2 then I guess i fell asleep again and woke up st 8:30. So I was very thankful. Better than before. I know prozac keeps us awake but I think it’s also my adrenaline. 

I totally get not wanting to be addicted but try not to think about that. Just think that you need sleep. And that’s all that matters. And if a little pill will help-let it. And see how you feel the next day without taking it to compare if you want. I’m so sorry the lavendar didn’t work. Isn’t that weird how everybody’s body is so different?!

So have you always suffered from anxiety like myself? Mine doesn’t normally Interfere with my life until it gets bad like it did s month ago. I think cuz I got off my meds and was oooober stressed out. I gotta learn to handle those situations and probably never get off meds. 

I’m hoping I will start to be able to not get so anxious going out with someone other than myself. That sends me into a spiral. 

How are you today? I’m glad your at least having less anxiety during the day. I do to but only when I’m in control of the day. But the meds do make me feel weird and anxious randomly. So that’s hard. 

Anyhow. How is your Monday?