[Wander]

I can't stop sleeping. I sleep nearly 12 hours a night but go back to bed for naps about three times during the day outside of work or university. I am having trouble concentrating and despite all the sleep I am utterly exhausted. Still fairly new to the bipolar diagnosis I am guessing this is depression, although fairly mild on the scale of what I have experienced. There have been some times where my thoughts distort and become disturbing so I take extra Zyprexa (Olanzapine) for that, which helps with those symptoms, but I don;t know what to do about the exhaustion. Do I keep sleeping, or should I force myself to get up and stay up even though I struggle to function due to sleepiness? I am scared I am falling back into a deep depression and I want to nip it in the bud now to prevent that. I don't see my pdoc for three weeks. It is making study so difficult I am scared I may have to pull out. I am only doing one unit as it is due to my health so it would hit me hard to have to pull out completely.

[January]

Can you possibly call you pdoc and set up an earlier appointment. It sounds like you need med changes.

I wish you all the best.

Jan

[Wander]

Thanks Jan. I feel anxious about calling my pdoc for an earlier appointment as I am worried this will pass and I will look like I am making a fuss out of nothing. I might see if it worsens over the weekend. I don't know, maybe I am being silly. It is difficult to think straight at the moment. I just went for a walk on the beach and that helped a little. Back to more study. Thanks again. I will keep considering calling my pdoc.

[Wander]

I guess I am just wondering, outside of med adjustments (which can be crucial), what others here do to try and lift their depression, even if just a little. I have been using getting outdoors, keeping in touch with friends, therapy and diet(although I do fail on this terribly some days). Just wanting more ideas to add to my arsenal.

[Double Edge]

Originally Posted by Wander

I can't stop sleeping. I sleep nearly 12 hours a night but go back to bed for naps about three times during the day outside of work or university. I am having trouble concentrating and despite all the sleep I am utterly exhausted. Still fairly new to the bipolar diagnosis I am guessing this is depression, although fairly mild on the scale of what I have experienced. There have been some times where my thoughts distort and become disturbing so I take extra Zyprexa (Olanzapine) for that, which helps with those symptoms, but I don;t know what to do about the exhaustion. Do I keep sleeping, or should I force myself to get up and stay up even though I struggle to function due to sleepiness? I am scared I am falling back into a deep depression and I want to nip it in the bud now to prevent that. I don't see my pdoc for three weeks. It is making study so difficult I am scared I may have to pull out. I am only doing one unit as it is due to my health so it would hit me hard to have to pull out completely.

This is EXACTLY what happens to me during my depressive episodes. No matter how much sleep I get, be it 12 or 18 hours a day, I still feel exhausted, none of it is restful. I just found out I have BP I last week, I was dx'd with PTSD back in 2010, and have dealt with major depression for many years, and the sleep pattern during my depression has always been the same. Sometimes I force myself to do other things when I want to take a nap, other times I give in and nap. It just really depends on how well I think I can handle it.

I know what you mean about making studying difficult—I just had to take an incomplete on a single summer class I took because I can't finish (or even start) the final paper. My depression is just interfering too much. I can't even come up with a topic. I feel like an idiot, but keep telling myself it's just temporary and will pass.

Bottom line though, if you're feeling this worried about it, it wouldn't hurt to try to see pdoc earlier. You're not making a big deal over nothing. It affects you, your life and your goals, it's something, it matters. You could be experiencing depression, but maybe not. Zyprexa can cause drowsiness. Maybe it's just as a simple as needing a med adjustment. Taking more of it like you mentioned might also be making you sleepier. I don't know how long you've been taking it, but if you started it recently you could still be adjusting to it, with the side effects possibly leveling off after awhile. There are many potential reasons, so it'd be best to get pdoc's opinion on everything as a whole. Hang in there!

[wiredidiot]

My pdoc gave me Ritalin for energy during the day, since most of the bi-polar meds cause drowsiness. Maybe ask about that.

[Wander]

Thanks Double edge, I will take that on-board. It is Friday night where I am so I will call my doc on Monday if things have not improved. Feeling a little better this evening so looking hopful.

I really appreciate everyones posts. Thanks

[pawn78]

Exercise!
Exercise!
Exercise!
Exercise!
Exercise!

exercise is critical to physical and mental health. Nobody can be healthy without daily physical activity. Also, if you exhaust your body with exercise, your sleep will be much more restful and productive, so you won't feel you need as much and your energy levels will increase.

[vans1974]

Originally Posted by Wander

I can't stop sleeping. I sleep nearly 12 hours a night but go back to bed for naps about three times during the day outside of work or university. I am having trouble concentrating and despite all the sleep I am utterly exhausted. Still fairly new to the bipolar diagnosis I am guessing this is depression, although fairly mild on the scale of what I have experienced. There have been some times where my thoughts distort and become disturbing so I take extra Zyprexa (Olanzapine) for that, which helps with those symptoms, but I don;t know what to do about the exhaustion. Do I keep sleeping, or should I force myself to get up and stay up even though I struggle to function due to sleepiness? I am scared I am falling back into a deep depression and I want to nip it in the bud now to prevent that. I don't see my pdoc for three weeks. It is making study so difficult I am scared I may have to pull out. I am only doing one unit as it is due to my health so it would hit me hard to have to pull out completely.

Typically when I sleep a lot it's because I'm stressed/depressed so I escape life and isolate. Generally, the more sleep and longer time I stay in bed, my depression and guilt just increase! You might look into adding Aplenzen and Provigil/Nuvigil to your med cocktail. Best of luck!

[Moose72]

Vote for zyprexa making you tired. Sleeping too much can also make you tired.

[Wander]

Yeh, I think alot of my sleeping is an escape thing, although I do sleep for 12 hours without really waking much sometimes so I am exhausted. The Zyprexa is probably not helping but it does help a lot with my thoughts so I need to take it. I am taking 10g a day at the moment. I have Fibromyalgia too and that can make you tired. The low mood and hopelessness is a giveaway for depression though.

Well last night I slept 'only' 10 hours and so far ave managed to keep myself out of bed. I am showered and dressed and about to turn on some music and dance to try and shake away the tiredness. My mood is a little better today but i am still pretty low. Despite that I am going to do all I can to have a great, productive day and try climb out of the depression without more meds. I only recently came out of a long depression with cycles of dysphoric mania mixed in and that was hell. In the end I needed ECT to pull me out and it worked instantly. I rapid cycle and have mixed states so pretty much anything can happen. Thankfully this is much milder than what I went through earlier this year, I am just wanting to avoid it happening again.

Thanks again for everyone's replies! It means a great deal

[vans1974]

Originally Posted by Wander

Yeh, I think alot of my sleeping is an escape thing, although I do sleep for 12 hours without really waking much sometimes so I am exhausted. The Zyprexa is probably not helping but it does help a lot with my thoughts so I need to take it. I am taking 10g a day at the moment. I have Fibromyalgia too and that can make you tired. The low mood and hopelessness is a giveaway for depression though.

Well last night I slept 'only' 10 hours and so far ave managed to keep myself out of bed. I am showered and dressed and about to turn on some music and dance to try and shake away the tiredness. My mood is a little better today but i am still pretty low. Despite that I am going to do all I can to have a great, productive day and try climb out of the depression without more meds. I only recently came out of a long depression with cycles of dysphoric mania mixed in and that was hell. In the end I needed ECT to pull me out and it worked instantly. I rapid cycle and have mixed states so pretty much anything can happen. Thankfully this is much milder than what I went through earlier this year, I am just wanting to avoid it happening again.

Thanks again for everyone's replies! It means a great deal

Sorry to hear you're struggling! For the mixed dysphoric mania, I'd consider having your doc switch you from Prozac to Nefazodone...it is incredible for depression, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD, it's also weight neutral and doesn't cause sexual dysfunction and is generic! Good luck!!

[wiredidiot]

The Zyprexa and Klonopin put me out like a light!

[gubernova]

For me it's all about rhythm, rhythm, rhythm!!! Going to sleep at the same time every night, waking up at the same time, and taking my afternoon nap after lunch (I work from home). I don't let anyone or anything make me deviate from the daily routine. I always like to have my own car readily available in order to go home. I also exercise, but always in moderation, because overdoing it can throw off your rhythm. If I disturb my rhythm it takes me days to recover
But it's not a perfect plan, sometimes after a med change it takes a while to get going again. Hang in there buddy