poor sleep since car accident

since my car accident I have had bad sleep. I suffered a brain contusion among other injuries and an mri showed i had a 3.4 cm cyst on the cerbelum in feburary 09. Bad sleep since dec 07. been on sleep meds helped some, sleep 3-4 hrs then up and back to sleep, but then been off meds for few months due to insurance problems, so been taking OTC sleep aids (dont do much of anything, but without something it is FAR worse). wondering if the brain injury caused the problem or anti depressants/migrain prevention meds are to blame? But sleep problems really came before the meds so i dont feel the meds are the major problem. opinions? help?

If you didn't have sleep problems before the accident I would think it's related.
Being in an accident alone is enough to give you problems for awhile but w/your injury I would say that's a logical explaination.
Definately be assertive in getting answers from your Dr. What did they say when they found the cyst?
As a person w/severe sleep problems I wouldn't wish a lifetime of it on anyone, especially if there is any chance of it being resolved.
The meds are never enough believe me I know
I will keep good thoughts for you for good health & good sleep

I too wish you good thoughts about your sleeplessness.

Insomnia is the pits, isn't it. You don't mention your age or other health issues, but it could be something else completely different from the car accident?????

Head trauma can cause a lot of things, if that is what's going on. Really check it out with your doctor. Hope your insurance issues are all cleared up so you can get the help you need.

Best of luck.

most very bad sleep nights. horrible! i wanted to see my family doc today, but the person on the phone said the earliest i could be seen is July 23, 09? What the H%^LL! No doc is that busy and if he is away where is the substitute doc? What kind of doc office is that? I never liked that place anyway. If there is no doc there, why the h##ll are they even open? Can i report them to the BBB or some medical people? Anyone ever hear of a family doc like this?? Is it a joke? I need to see someone about my sleep immediately not 2-3 weeks from now!

I am sorry you are going through so much trouble getting better treatment for your sleep issues. From what you said about your sleep problems starting before you started on the meds, I would say that the meds are not to blame for your sleep issues. Brain contusions are pretty serious and I would say that your doctor is not taking it seriously enough. Have you gone to a neurologist? I think a neurologist would be the best thing to do. I have done a little research to know a little bit about the brain. I'm no expert, by any means.

I'm a stroke survivor and have minor brain damage from that. I was a medical mystery for months because the stroke was hidden by a brain lesion that the stroke caused. It was on the 5th MRI scan when I was finally diagnosed. It is unfortunate that I have the opposite problem - hypersomnia, which is sleeping far too much. Then again, I have had underlying depression. No matter, I have wakefulness promoting medication that helps partially. So, I'm happy with that.

Don't give up, Ariesmars. Be assertive and seek out other doctors. Having to wait so long for an appointment is unacceptable. Bug them to death. They'll give in, I think. I wish you the best.

the family doc gave me xanax .5mg for sleep. is that right? he gave me 15 days worth to try, but it does NOTHING. I still take it, so i dont waste it...but it is worthless. my search does not show that it is used as a sleep aid. is he just trying to use it to calm my brain down to see if that put me to sleep? that is my guess. but that is not the problem. does anyone ever relize that meds and people is just an experimentation thing...it is all a test to see what works whether it is used for that purpose or not...who knows maybe if i ate a small amount of vicks that would help me sleep. (no im not gonna try that, yuck..)

Every once in a rare while when I meet new people (I don't meet people often, especially not new ones), and they ask me what I do, I reply, "I'm a medical experiment."

Depression is bad, and, bound to sleep difficulties, it's horrible. I do hope your doctor realizes the seriousness of what you're facing.

Wishing you a sleep miracle, Ariesmars

Dear ariesmars, Try a pdoc [psychiatrist] or change PCP's. Yeah, doctors get that busy. You're gonna be busy if you have 3,000 patients [yes, they should stop taking patients long before that]; if you overbook daily [no, they shouldn't do that]; and if you spend all day Friday on the golf course. Google your doctor's name. They say you can get various reports on doctor's reputation, any malpractice, etc. in such a way [wouldn't know - computer dummy]. You can call your insurance carrier to see how you might proceed to give a report on your doctor's performance. Enough such reports, or a bad enough report, and they won't allow their insurance to cover his visits. This can close a doctor down, if insurance company is big enough. I've seen it happen. Google American Medical Association, try to find a phone # or way to contact them, and ask the same thing. In the meantime, you need sleep meds. If you change doctors, be sure and notify your insurance company. They might even be able to provide names of some other doctors they cover in your area. If you wind up with a med like lunesta, do not take it with food. Wait 2 hours after eating; don't eat for 30-45 minutes after taking. Other sleep meds might have the same tendency. Food slows down the action so much that it's like it doesn't work at all. Like, if it doesn't take effect until 2 or 3 AM, that's very similar to not working at all. In the interim, preoccupy yourself with a book until you stop worrying about sleep. TV works with the preoccupation part, but the light of the TV has the effect of keeping you awake. Best of Sleeping Luck ~ billieJ