The sedation

Do you ever just sit back and wonder why you're on so many sedating medications? Seriously. Are they trying to turn me into a zombie? (I asked my husband if I seemed zombie-fied to him and he assured me no.) Sorry. This is pointless, but jeez!

I think many of us may have that, sorry.!((rt))

Yes! And I have have actually had my husband and sister tell me on more than one occasion that I seem like a zombie. It sucks!

I feel like I'm on enough sedating medications that if taken all at once they could tranqualize a rhinoceros!

I am always on huge doses of sedatives. Once I went to my family dr with a sinus infection or something and he was going through my meds, updating doses and things. I said 3200 mg of Depakote and he looked at me oddly. Then he went through my ativan dose and lithium. A minute later he got to 600 mg of Seroquel and he said "I've never seen anyone on that much medication AWAKE before!!". I was just fine....but my body eats sedatives like it is a hobby so it was just funny. I seem to have somehow devoted my life to seeing how much sedation I can tolerate without being drugged. Thus far we know a LOT. (Although a few meds did zombiefy me but they also had bad side effects that required stopping them).

justmejen - Lol. I think right now I'm about at as much sedation as I can handle.

Yep, all that sedation and I barely sleep. I get odd looks from regular docs too. I take 20mg of Ativan.

This keeps getting worse with time. I landed in the hospital with akathesia a few years ago because outpatient I was on 850 mgs of Seroquel, 10 mg of Zyprexa, a ton of hydroxyzine, 4 mg of klonopin, and something else and it wasn't touching me.

I am currently still shocked every day when I wake up and realize I took 1500 mg of Seroquel the night before and am not knocked out at all.

My MAOI is a pretty serious stimulant but I've not even been on it or on very little through the worst of this round and I've still been fighting off the sedatives (without trying. I used to have someone who when I would say fighting off took it to mean I really was fighting it. Not at all).

It is a little scary at times; I wonder sometimes if a point will come that I just never sleep and they can't help it. Sleeping pills are pointless. I'm sure my dr always has something up her sleeve in case but I've managed to stay awake despite enough meds to make an elephant sleep so I wonder....I am terrified some day they will say I have to stop the MAOI and that has been the best drug for me in most ways; stopping would be awful.

Ativan is brand name for lorazepam, yes? 20mg is a hefty dose of that! My my.

jen - Seriously, I'm impressed that you're able to function. I think if I took that much seroquel I'd be on my *** for days! Lately I've been taking my seroquel in 50mg increments throughout the day so at night I only have to take 100mg and actually be able to enjoy my evening and not pass out right away. Lamictal gives me a little burst of energy at night. Only somewhat stimulating thing I'm on. If a doctor ever prescribed me something really stimulating I think I'd have some sort of heart attack situation.

Jen - I also hope there's never a time when you just won't be able to sleep, despite your meds. You got my hugs on that. That would really be unfortunate.

Whoops that was supposed to be ambien! Along with lamictal, latuda, melatonin and others all at night. Back when I was on pain meds I was taking fentanyl and morphine and they still gave me the ambien to get me to sleep. But I've never been on as much seroqual as Jen.

Whew. I was gonna say. I have never heard of anyone being on that much lorazepam!

It was kind of weird. I knew the MAOI would be stimulating. When I started it I had gone into the hospital feeling adamant that they would not be changing any other meds. By the time I left I'd happily doubled my Seroquel to 600 mg and switched from ativan to klonopin. Even then I needed valium for a while until I was completely adjusted. I don't think it is stimulating every day now but I do think that it is kind of there waiting for me to get manic and then it adds to it. Mostly I can control that with valium but this time the valium didn't do anything until we added the extra 300 mg of Seroquel.

Right now I'm on 1/2 of the AD and I take my handful of meds about 8-8:30 and then go to bed when I feel a little tired (about 11 usually) after a nice shower. Whenever I feel tired I take 2.5 mg of valium and that seems to help me settle down for the night. When I actually am getting sleepy I take another 2.5 mg of valium and the last few nights that's been enough to get me to sleep. I've been so sleep-deprived the last 2 months that I've been sleeping quite a bit if I can but if I need to get up I can do that. (Friday will be a challenge though; I have to leave home at 9 to go babysit my nieces.). I can't really control when I'm going to sleep right now; I can't decide "I'll take both doses of valium by 2 and be asleep by 2:30"; I have to be really starting to be sleepy and then the 2nd valium dose usually works pretty quickly. Not always though. This system beats not sleeping but it is still not perfect. It's probably as good as it gets for the moment. I do think I'm going to bed pretty soon though; I'm tired from an emotional day and tomorrow will be even more emotional. I have no idea when I'll be asleep and I'll pay for it by not keeping the dogs awake late (I'm dogsitting and they like to wake up not long after I fall asleep but if I keep them awake they sleep a little later) but I have to sleep if I can. I'll be glad when that resembles some schedule.

o.0

I take 2 mg and I'm stumbling/slurring words. I'm pretty sure 20mg would kill me.