The cool insomnia club #2

well, i guess i'm now also an official member of this insomnia club but love reading what all of you take for sleep, and sharing what i take for sleep. no doubt this pandemic has been a big factor for insomnia.

i switch up my meds so they don't poop out on me and i document every am how well they worked or didn't work. i take: 1/2 .05mg klonopin, 15mg. temazepam and progesterone nightly...or take 25mg seroquel, 7.5. temezepam and progesterone; both combos usually work; i have excellent sleep preparation but noticed over the past few days when it cooled down here in az. that adding an extra blanket helped with sleep (sorta like a weighted blanket i guess); i conferred w/my psych nurse and she said if the klonopin/temezepam/progesterone don't work, also take a 1/2 of seroquel and it has added benefits of working on the anxiety part of my bipolar; i notice that when i'm taking the seroquel for sleep that i don't have my usual, predictable anxiety around 2pm every day...she also said there are several new sleep meds on the market but they still would not address the bipolar disorder i've lived with for 40+ yrs. am i groggy in the am? hell yes, but it's worth it to have somewhat decent 8 hrs. of sleep, even if med-induced...but that's my personal opinion of course. we're all on a different sleep journey!

Oh wow, 40 years?! You definitely have some wisdom with this Illness!! Have you had sleep problems the entire time? I was diagnosed this year and have had sleep problems only during the mania and depression, not when I was hypomanic. I’m really hoping I don’t have to battle this for the rest of my life! I would have continued sleep pills but they don’t work for more than 3-4 hours and when I try to increase the dose or take more when I wake up, they still don’t work. I’ve tried 4 different ones. So I used meditation on YouTube now that helps put me to sleep and when I wake up it helps me go back to sleep... but total I get 4-5 hours. Still it’s about the same or better than the sleep pills. I’m just hoping when my mood improves so will my sleep. I’m still going through the depression with some anxiety.

i've compulsively researched this disorder and for most of those yrs. i was on only 450mg lithium which destroyed my thyroid, parathyroids and quit when it started affecting my kidneys so i've been off it for several yrs. i still have anxiety and o.c. but no depression; i used to sleep well; perimenopause was difficult but got on estrogen patch and am still on it. progesterone nightly really gives addl. sleep and great dreams. just recently my psych nurse said to add 1/2 seroquel if my 3-meds per nite don't work but that sleeping pills only put you to sleep but i still have to deal w/hypomania/anxiety/o.c. i've been on 1/2 klonopin for more than 20 yrs. so it would be a hellish long-term withdrawal to get off bentos so for me, at my age, i'll stay on my med combo for sleep rather than go thru the agony of benzo withdrawal. no doubt the pandemic has additionally affected all of us. best of luck.

How many years were you on lithium? Which mood stabilizer are you on now? They have me taking 900mg of lithium.... it was 600, but they increased it because my depression wasnt getting any better.

i was only on 450mg of lithium for 30+ yrs. i'm 74 and when first diagnosed with hypomania in my 30's i'm sure none of the dr./research then indicated the long-term damage lithium does, but it worked for me. i'm not on any mood stabilizer now; briefly tried geodon and lomotril but had bad effects; i'm very in tune w/my body and mind; retired and happily married for 34 yrs. w/little stressors other than covid and yes, a mood stabilizer might improve my sleep but i'm not ready to try another. yes, it takes 3 meds at nite to sleep most times and yes, i have benzo tolerance but i've learned how to live with it and sleep is my biggest issue now. if i don't get those 8 medicated hrs., i'm totally trashed the next day and must sleep to catch up; cannot power thru lost sleep but i have the luxury of staying in bed to catch up. i exercise hard 6x/week; drink only 1 glass of wine per week and have a healthy lifestyle. any anti-depressant tried 30 yrs. ago moved me into mania because depression isn't on my bipolar spectrum. ask your medical person what he/she knows about lithium damage to thyroid/parathyroids (had to have mine removed) and eventual kidney issues after 30 yrs. on 450mg....but it did work for me.

So you don’t experience depression? How long have you been off of the lithium and no mood stabilizer? I wish I could go off of them too but I just worry that I might cycle again. Honestly it doesn’t feel like it does much for me. My mom never took them longer than a month or so. I’ve only experienced one episode so I have no clue how I will react. I can’t even tell if increasing the dosage really helped or if it’s in my head. I feel a little better but i felt better a month ago too. It’s like I have ok days and better days and worse days... but not sure how much the meds really affect me.

i've been off lithium for several yrs. and tried 2 mood stabilizers which caused more side effects than doing what they were to do; i do take 1/2 klonopin in am and as needed throughout the day; anxiety and now insomnia are the most prominent parts on my spectrum; i've only had situational depression but not recurring depression and my diagnosis has always been hypomanic. i get irritated and agitated but i've learned this illness inside and out and seem to manage it; i work out 6x/week; only have 1 glass of wine per week which i can tell isn't good taking 3 meds to sleep nightly so eliminating it is no big deal for me. i do everything i can to maintain good sleep prep. and i have a lot of serenity in my life but there still are those days when i don't feel great. only you (not your p/doc or therapist or whomever) know if the meds work or how you feel from day to day; i'm totally in charge of what i'll take and won't take and haven't been under care of a p/doc since quitting lithium and needing the ongoing blood work and now occasionally video chat w/a psych nurse to update her and to get her input. i've prob. had this disorder longer than most of the people on this website. best of luck.

Thank you for your insight! So you never went manic/psychosis? I did once this year.

I still don’t know if the lithium is really working or if it’s in my head. I’m going to talk to them about long term effects and express my concerns. I also read that some people take lithium for a year to 5 years then get off of it. I don’t think I want to stay on it long term that’s for sure.