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Treating severe insomnia anxieties with antidepressants?

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kenneth83673
kenneth83673

My insomnia has gotten progressively worse weekly. I have gone four nights with no sleep at all and mind still doesn't stop. When it finally stopped last night with trazodone i still only got four hours. . I just hardly ever get sleepy. I have been using a cocktail of 10mg Ambien, 100 mg trazodone, kava, and even belsomra every four days to avoid building tolerance, while I also use a cocktail of 7.5 mg remeron, 50 mg seroquel, kava every four days as well. The other days I will just go without meds so that these can continue working. I am very nervous that they will stop working but at the same time when I don't sleep the whole night, I find my anxiety rises even more...making insomnia worse....I know I cannot sleep a wink without these meds. these cocktails get me about 5 hours on a good night. Does anyone feel that starting antidepressants will stop my anxiety? I am afraid of taking the sedating antidepressants every day because then i might lose the effectiveness of the antihistamine effect. While i am afraid of using SSRIs because they have a side effect of insomnia. Since i couldn't even sleep a wink in four nights, i am not sure how i could go about with sleep restriction. My life is stressfree otherwise...I only worry about my insomnia and my future..becoming brain dead slowly or something. I drink no coffee, alcohol and i exercise daily.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • icecool
    icecool kenneth83673

    Posted

    Sorry to hear this. Have you been checked for anemia and thyroid problems?

     

    • kenneth83673
      kenneth83673 icecool

      Posted

      I last checked my thyroid about 2 weeks ago. My tsh was down to 0.6... low...my free t4 was at 1.76 nanogram/dl...doctor refuses to do anything about them because he says they are in range. I believe I had a blood panel checking for anemia already..plus I do take multivitamin supplements with iron everyday. I checked my cortisol twice. The 4pm reading was about 15% high out of range, while the 8am was at the upper end of the range..doctor just told me it was because I couldn't sleep....and not the cause..should I get an MRI or cat scan of my adrenal gland? I have not slept a wink on my own in two weeks. Every two days I take pills, it seems like I need more to go to sleep, and then end up waking earlier. Thank you so much for your response.

    • icecool
      icecool kenneth83673

      Posted

      hi Ken

      ?Your tsh is low. So surprised that your dr said it was in range. Yet not surprised if you follow my drift.

      Do you have the reference ranges of your blood reports?

      ?DId you receive my PM sent 10 minutes ago?

      Don't worry. Everything can be fixed as they say.don;

    • kenneth83673
      kenneth83673 icecool

      Posted

      Yes it says i have to be less than 0.4 to be considered hyperthyroid ....its 0.6...and free t4 above 1.9...its close to 1.8. i sent you an email already
    • icecool
      icecool kenneth83673

      Posted

      Thanks Ken now received your e mail. The tsh seems low to me. I am unsure of the ref range where u are but even so it is still low imo anyway The dr is supposed to go off the signs and symptoms anyway.
  • denisita
    denisita kenneth83673

    Posted

    Hey I was in your same exact situation for a long while (about a year or so).

    I am telling you this cause I think it may help although I'm sure everyone's insomnia is different. My life was also basically stress free. Before insomnia I could sleep when I please and wake up with energy to function and go to work or school. One day everything changed and I couldn't sleep anymore. I was determined to do everything the natural way to try and create a reliable sleep rythme.

    Unfortunately after a few months of trying to make it better my symptoms only got worse and seeing a theralust made me think more . And no natural herbs or melatonin seemed to do the trick.

    The good news: I know it's better to avoid taking meds that create dependency but they can be of some help during these hard times.

    I was prescribed mianserine (an antidepressant in France kind of like Trazadone) and for a month or so I got good sleep. After that I tried other things like Atarax (didn't like) and doxypine (do like) and also a mix of melatonin and herbs and flowers that they sell at the pharmacy. In France that mix is Passiflore, Melisse, and oranger. I also take occasionally Bromazapam for anxiety.

    Currently I get about 5-7 hours of sleep a night while rotating these methods and once in a while I can even sleep without taking anything.

    I do recommend taking an anti depressabt for a while 1-6 months but only your doctor can tell you if it's right for you. I honestly felt for me that it help little by little lighten my nightime anxiety. Now I don't take mianserine and I prefer the natural stuff.. but keep in mind it took me some time to get there about 2 years.

    It's a process that involves a lot of patience and faith. I feel a lot more productive these days even if I consider myself an insomniac still.

    And its good you exercise. I do too and I feel like my symptoms worsen if I don't exercise at least 3 times a week.

    I beleive you are on a good track. Just be open and honest with your doctor. Also don't be afraid to get a second opinion from another doctor with experience with people with sleep issues.

    Update us on your progress. I wish you the best!

    • denisita
      denisita

      Posted

      After seeing a therapist****

      Sorry for my typos!

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