and STILL with the no sleep and the waking and the tired...

still can't sleep. i suppose i have to give another day or so for the zoloft to get out of my system, i hope that's it, although most of the other noticable side effects are already gone. i hope it is not just pure anxiety now that is keeping me up, given all the nonsense from the work issue.

i feel like alex keaton in that episode of family ties when he had insomnia, where he was afraid that he had forgotten how to sleep. i feel as if my body just doesn't remember how to initiate the sleep cycle anymore.

so frustrating, i keep struggling and working towards getting past this, working out of the symptoms of depression and hoping the depression itself will pass... but things just seem to be getting worse and worse. not the depressioin getting worse really, about the same but not better, but external stresses getting worse and worse. friendships, money, home, etc.

-- The world is what we make of it --
-- Dave
-- <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.idexter.com>http://www.idexter.com</A>

We chatted a little while in the chat room. I just wanted to say you seem a really nice person, I hope your new medication works out good for you so you finally get some well desrved at restfull sleep.

Hey dexter,

Just curious, do you have any success with the OTC sleep aids like Tylenol PM? Or have you tried herbal teas like Sleepy Time?

Just a thought, I feel for ya.
bp

"When you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance."

Funny you should mention that - for some reason I have found that Tylenol PM works better than anything prescription, even Ambien. If I'm strung out and I take two of those, I am out cold in 45 minutes. I am a believer!!!

some of it's magic
some of it's tragic
but i had a good life all the way......
~jimmy buffett

Glad the side affects of the discontinued are leaving your system. When I have been taken off some of my meds (anti-depressants) I had a period of withdrawls from the med leaving my system kind of like a detox thing, anxiety, shakieness, and insomnia.

Is your lack of sleep due to not being tired or repetative "worries" running through your mind as you try to rest? I have had times when I am just so overwhelmed with the situation worries of my life that would just over and over in my thoughts that it caused me not to get any sleep. Tylenol pm is a good otc sleep aid, and for a lower price and the same active ingred. Is Benadryl or the generic antihistimine in Benadryl. The Pharmacist told me that when I inquired about otc sleep aid prducts, he told me that they all basically were just beadryl with a bigger price tag. I can get the generic form of benadryl for less than two bucks.

I know the misery of feeling horrible and being tired an in physical pain and not being able to sleep, I would see about calling dr office, if this continues. They may be able to prescribe a sleep aid or something to help you rest.

I hope you are able to get some sleep,
Take care

KRIS


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If you think you have totally gave up, you haven't, because you are here!

thanks, otc sleep aids don't work for me and actually give me insomnia! I tried tylenol pm for awhile when the arthritis was keeping me awake, seemed like the perfect solution. the first dose worked but any subsequent tries to take it (not on consecutive nights, i was only taking it once in a while when i felt i needed it) it gave me severe insomnia, but still made me sleepy. an awful experience because even with the not sleeping my eyelids were literally so heavy that i could not even watch tv or anything once i realized i was not sleeping. so there was nothing i oculd do but lie in bed annoyed at not sleeping even though i was so sleepy.

odd, hey? but i guess if anyone would understand odd reactions to drugs it would be the people here any other otc aid i've tried has had the same effect.

the tea is a touchy issue for me but maybe it is something worth trying again. i'm not sure it would work because the insomnia is obviously medicine induced and is very intense... it's not like i feel on the verge of sleep, i think i'd need something very strong to counteract this. but i thinkit would be a very good idea to try though. i may have some in the house if not i'll have to put it on my list.

the reason i say it is a "touchy issue" is a bit strange as well. I have discovered i am VERY sensitive to caffiene. took me some time to realize years ago that even a small soda or iced tea very early in the day would keep me up at night. over the past 6 months this became a problem again so i once again cut ALL caffiene out of my diet (except for occasional chocolate, who could resist?)

now of course i know that herbal teas like sleepytime to not contain caffiene, but it has gotten so bad for me that it is a psychological thing for me now. I've definately had periods where decaffinated coffee has kept me up at night, strictly because my body says "coffee? well WE'RE not going to sleep!" so i usually stay away from that as well. however i think that wouldn't be an issue it i pay attention and try some herbal tea now. thanks for the suggestion.

-- The world is what we make of it --
-- Dave
-- <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.idexter.com>http://www.idexter.com</A>

thanks i've had insomnia issues on and off with my depression, going between not sleeping and sleeping way way too much. mostly the non-sleep is exactly as you describe... racing thoughts and anxiety keeping me up. usually i sure as hell am very tired.

with the zoloft i'm not as sure, it is a bit different which is why i am confident it is drug induced insomnia. i'm anxious but not exactly racing thoughts and mostly feels just like "straight insomnia": no issues, just can't fall asleep.

Now this past few days of course i have the new anxiety issues because of work. being so tired it is hard to be "analytical" so i am honestly not sure at this point if the insomnia is still due to remnants of zoloft in my system, because of anxiety about work, or a combination of both.

see my other post regarding otc sleep aids

i hope to start the celexa today or tomorrow so hopefully that will help.

-- The world is what we make of it --
-- Dave
-- <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.idexter.com>http://www.idexter.com</A>

I have had a sleeping disorder for 20 years, went to the neurologist for it and had a sleep study, no REM or deep wave sleep. He gave me Gabitril which improved stage III & IV sleep, that gave me another hour of sleep, 10mg of Prozac with the Gabitril and Trileptal is what finally did the trick.


-Ariel

Whatever you can do,
Or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic, in it.
-Goethe

Dexter,

As you know, herbal tea does not have caffeine in it. Decaffinated tea and coffee do have some, because it isn't possible to take all of the caffeine out, but herb tea made from plants that never had any caffeine in them are a whole 'nother story. Celestial Seasonongs "Sleepytime Extra" with chamomile and valerian, works for me very well - I like it better than Tylenol PM because it doesn't leave me groggy in the morning like Tylenol PM does. One thing that I have found is that taking too much of any sleep aid makes me restless and unable to sleep. For me, two Tylenol PMs are an overdose. So make sure that you are not taking too much of something. Another thing that helps me is that I am taking St. John's Wort, and that enhances the sedative effect of other herbs that promote sleep. Before starting to take SJW, ask your doctor if you can add some of that, since it has the same effect as other antidepressants so doubling up could be an overdose. But, when I was being pressured about switching to a prescription antidepressant I said that one of the reasons I didn't want to was because my SJW helps keep me from having insomnia problems. And I have sometimes had significant problems with that. My sister (who is a psychiatrist) said that I could try a combination of SJW and a prescription med if the dosage were calculated taking that into account.

I hope you find something that works for you soon.

<font color=green>"Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible" Carl Jung</font color=green>