Terrible sleep pattern

gloamingone · Feb 19, 2014, 11:59 AM

I wake up every one to two hours all night long. If I take klonopin at bedtime, I can usually stretch the first sleep period to three hours. This has been going on for about eight months, and I KNOW it's part of what is messing with my mood.

Falling asleep is a breeze. It's just staying there that doesn't happen. Any ideas?

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Feb 19, 2014, 12:07 PM

Could you ask your pdoc for a traditional sleep med - - like lunesta or ambien? I also heard trazadone can be good for sleep. Personally, even though I take lunesta, I still seem to need my saphris to get a halfway decent night's sleep. Good luck.

gloamingone · Feb 19, 2014, 12:09 PM

I've tried trazadone. Was up to 500mg and still couldn't sleep. Tried ambien and got addicted (but still had sleep trouble). So my prescriber won't give me ambien or lunesta. She kind of blows me off when I tell her I need to sleep.

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RTerroni · Feb 19, 2014, 08:26 PM

About 15 years ago I used to wake up in the middle of the night, watch an hour of TV and then go back to bed, that lasted about a few months than I was able to go back to sleeping all night straight.

Altered Moment · Mar 01, 2014, 03:39 PM

This had happened to me many times. I am convinced it is the SSRI's that cause it. Currently Effexor for me. I take Remeron and a klonopin at night and it works for three or four hours. The Remeron works good. But then I wake up every hour like clockwork and dream like crazy. The biggest problem is that I don't get enough of that real deep sleep me need so much. Usually I adapt to it. Sometimes in the afternoon I will sleep like I am dead catching up on that deep sleep.

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CaptainChaos79 · Mar 08, 2014, 12:07 AM

Remeron is great for sleep and a good mood stabalizer.

Mar 08, 2014, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gloamingone

I wake up every one to two hours all night long. If I take klonopin at bedtime, I can usually stretch the first sleep period to three hours. This has been going on for about eight months, and I KNOW it's part of what is messing with my mood.

I have the same problem, and it's getting pretty frustrating. I'd love to see what suggestions people come up with on this thread.

-jimi- · Mar 08, 2014, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinco14532323

This had happened to me many times. I am convinced it is the SSRI's that cause it. Currently Effexor for me.

Effexor ruined my deep sleep for years after I stopped taking it. For me it was very toxic for sleep. I aged 10-15 years physically those 3-4 years I didn't get deep sleep after stopping it. I looked like a kid almost before. Sleep is so important. Deep sleep is when we rejuvinate and heal.

InkHeart · Mar 10, 2014, 10:31 PM

I have the worst sleep patterns, too. I wake up nearly every 1-2 hours as well, and I cannot get my mind to stop racing. It's hard to tell whats dream and what's racing mind when I am constantly waking up and falling back asleep before I even really *wake up*. I don't take any meds for it though, but I am on effexor. Maybe that's why I can't sleep at all.. Hmm..

Mar 11, 2014, 03:31 AM

Had to tag along here about it, I'm so frustrated I'm going to be sick soon, I haven't slept or what feels like real sleep, in months. I can't take this much more. I'm taking more meds, it doesn't work. If someone has suggestions yet I hope you post them. I'm using your thread gloamingone, hope you don't mind but it fits my problem right now. i can fall asleep too, but never stay asleep for more than an hour or two. What a beotch, excuse me but I'm frustrated.

Altered Moment · Mar 11, 2014, 07:19 AM

For me it is definitely the SSRI's, Effexor being the worse one. I am lucky in that I usually mostly adapt to it. I don't get enough stage 4 sleep and I have to take a long nap in the afternoon where I go comatose. Been dealing with it for years and luckily I adapt whenever I start a new one. Jimi is right and deep sleep in very important. Not getting a good nights sleep can really screw you up. I was always lucky in that I started work real early and got off real early and could sleep comatose in the afternoons. The remeron and klonopin I take now only work for 3 to 4 hours.

Quote:

The Effects of Antidepressants on Sleep | Psychiatric Times

SSRIs

The SSRIs are characterized by selective inhibition of the presynaptic serotonin transporter, leading to enhanced activity of serotonin at postsynaptic receptors.3 A large number of serotonin receptor subtypes that regulate sleep and wakefulness as well as transitions between specific sleep stages, such as the termination of REM sleep, have been identified.

Because of the complexity of serotonin involvement in sleep-wake regulation, drugs that modulate serotonin activity can produce prominent and sometimes diverse effects on sleep. Some patients who took fluoxetine reported insomnia as an adverse effect, whereas other patients experienced daytime somnolence.11 This same pattern of diverse subjective reports on sleep and wakefulness has been reported in clinical trials with all of the drugs in this class.

While data have been reported most extensively for fluoxetine and paroxetine, class effects of SSRI therapy appear to include increased sleep onset latency and/or an increased number of awakenings and arousals, leading to an overall decrease in sleep efficiency.12,13 Virtually all of the SSRIs examined have been noted to suppress REM sleep.1 Clinically, reports of a change in the frequency, intensity, and content of dreaming can be associated with SSRIs, as well as the occurrence of these symptoms on discontinuation.

Be mindful that treatment of a patient with depression may produce significant improvement in symptoms of depression in general, yet may not address insomnia. In some cases, treatment with an SSRI may produce or exacerbate problems with sleep disturbance. Therefore, a medication that targets insomnia may also be prescribed for patients with depression who are being treated with an SSRI.

RTerroni · Mar 11, 2014, 07:26 AM

I didn't sleep at all last night, after about 4 whole weeks of solid 8 hour (or more) sleep I couldn't sleep at all last night, surprisingly though I don't feel that tired so hopefully I will be able to get back onto a sleeping cycle tonight (fingers crossed).

RTerroni · Mar 12, 2014, 10:16 AM

I ended up falling asleep around 1 last night, sleep until about 9:30 when someone woke me up, I wanted to sleep longer though to try to catch up on lost sleep so I still feel a little out of it.

gloamingone · Mar 12, 2014, 11:09 AM

Wow, that's great!

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Mar 12, 2014, 06:37 PM

I actually have the same problem. When I take Ativan at bedtime, I fall asleep with no problem. But I don't stay asleep, either. I usually fall asleep around midnight and wake up around 4 or 5. I don't really know what to do about it. I use a Blue Therapy Light every morning which used to help a lot, but it hasn't been helping as much lately.

LadyShadow · Mar 12, 2014, 07:22 PM

I have trouble sleeping too, but the Trazadone has been very helpful that my Pdoc prescribed. It helps the anxiety and helps me to relax. It has been very very helpful. I was on ambien and I used to wake up in the middle of the night. It wasn't working at all.

I suggest talking to your pdoc like I did and come up with another plan, because sleep is very important.

gloamingone · Mar 12, 2014, 07:23 PM

I just got approved for medical marijuana, so I'm giving that a try tonight. Fingers crossed!

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Altered Moment · Mar 13, 2014, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gloamingone

I just got approved for medical marijuana, so I'm giving that a try tonight. Fingers crossed!

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Alot depends on the strain. Ask for the sedating type. some strains can make you kind of motivated and hyper and paranoid. Of course I have no experience with this cough cough....
I did try it for depression for awhile. It didn't work for depression but I can see it working for anxiety and sleep problems.

RTerroni · Mar 13, 2014, 01:17 PM

Slept a lot last night (at least 10 hours), so I am starting to get caught up on sleep some, I have to get up early tomorrow so I doubt I will get even 8 hours of sleep tonight.

gloamingone · Mar 13, 2014, 01:20 PM

Well, the medical marijuana didn't work as well as I'd hoped. I believe it's because they recommended a hybrid of the two types. Next time I'm going to buy the sedating one!

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happiedasiy · Mar 22, 2014, 04:29 PM

The problem with sleep medication is its short lasting.
4 hours sleep, then I am up. I try to go back to sleep by not letting my brain to become active. If this does not work I might take something to get back to sleep. This is only because I have talked to my doctor.
Natural sleep is best.

RTerroni · Mar 23, 2014, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by happiedasiy

The problem with sleep medication is its short lasting.
4 hours sleep, then I am up. I try to go back to sleep by not letting my brain to become active. If this does not work I might take something to get back to sleep. This is only because I have talked to my doctor.
Natural sleep is best.

When I take the Melatonin I am usually able to sleep 8-10 hours almost uninterrupted.