Please if anyone can offer any help before I leave for NC share it ASAP!

sarahsweets · Jul 22, 2021 at 10:35 PM

This is so last minute and I apologize! We leave early Saturday morning for our 8+ hour drive to North Carolina. I should have posted this much earlier. A brief overview:

Had sleep issues, specifically insomnia and early waking my whole life. Since I was like 5 years old. For a period of about 5 years I was managing it better and I was taking a high dose of Geodon So it was sedating. 17 years on an antipsychotic that was given to me for post pardon psychosis. My old school doctor and myself didn’t know anything about long term use. Although she would have. She should have been assessing me the whole time for TD- Tarditive dythskenisia. Fast forward about two years and I started menopause. Sleep has been horrible. The TD went from. Zero to severe in months until it was like I couldn’t control my limbs. The TD actually causes sleep walking.

Finally saw the director of a prominent sleep group and had my sleep study in May. Doctor was booked out and we had our Yellowstone trip so I followed up on 7/19.

His findings: it is not psychiatric in nature. It’s not bipolar or anxiety. He Calls it clinical insomnia. He said I have slight apnea but I had the study while still taking geodon and a huge side effect is extremely dry. Sinuses and throat that can lead to snoring. I’d bet the farm if I’d had it now there wouldn’t be any snoring.

Anyhow he said he was ordering a CPAP machine because everyone can use the extra o2. He said I move all night and wake up briefly 12-16 times an hour. Mostly avoiding stages 3@4 of deep sleep. I linger in stages 1 and 2(REM) and I
Even when in deep sleep I’m firing off alpha waves (meaning active brain) verses delta waves which kw the restorative part of sleep.
In addition he wants me to take the 6 week sleep course offered by the Cleveland clinic.
Don’t have the machine yet, no time for course yet and no ambien due to the sleep walking. That’s fine because ambien literally did nothing. He has prescribed Bellsorma which is so expensive. Even my co-pay is $40!

So I start to read about it. It’s described nearly like him. you take it 30 minutes before going to bed. But I don’t understand it. Is it supposed to put me asleep, help me stay asleep, or restore my sleep? Is it supposed to reset or I’ll take your sleep cycle? Having various nights of insomnia in bison and bear country was brutal. Those quick walks and aimless sitting sucked. So I was happy to try it and avoid the same crap in NC.
Nothing. 1 15 mg at bedtime and I’m up and down all night. What is t supposed to be doing ? I’d assumed that it was to help alter my schedule or assist in a small way second night NOTHING. I LITERALLY HAVE BEEN AWAKE for over 24 hours. I am high energy. I don’t fall asleep driving but it is f-ing with my emotions. How have I lived this way so long??, tonight I tried 20mg and damn! Nothing. In desperation I found two loose Trazodone and I toon them.
Okay this wasn’t brief.

-who’s tried Bellsorma?
-did it work?
- how does it work?
- is it the same as ambien?
Have people had success with it ?

Anything thing will help. If idont sleep tonight I’ll be riding the crazy bus. HELP!!

Buffy01 · Sep 15, 2021 at 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarahsweets

This is so last minute and I apologize! We leave early Saturday morning for our 8+ hour drive to North Carolina. I should have posted this much earlier. A brief overview:

Had sleep issues, specifically insomnia and early waking my whole life. Since I was like 5 years old. For a period of about 5 years I was managing it better and I was taking a high dose of Geodon So it was sedating. 17 years on an antipsychotic that was given to me for post pardon psychosis. My old school doctor and myself didn’t know anything about long term use. Although she would have. She should have been assessing me the whole time for TD- Tarditive dythskenisia. Fast forward about two years and I started menopause. Sleep has been horrible. The TD went from. Zero to severe in months until it was like I couldn’t control my limbs. The TD actually causes sleep walking.

Finally saw the director of a prominent sleep group and had my sleep study in May. Doctor was booked out and we had our Yellowstone trip so I followed up on 7/19.

His findings: it is not psychiatric in nature. It’s not bipolar or anxiety. He Calls it clinical insomnia. He said I have slight apnea but I had the study while still taking geodon and a huge side effect is extremely dry. Sinuses and throat that can lead to snoring. I’d bet the farm if I’d had it now there wouldn’t be any snoring.

Anyhow he said he was ordering a CPAP machine because everyone can use the extra o2. He said I move all night and wake up briefly 12-16 times an hour. Mostly avoiding stages 3@4 of deep sleep. I linger in stages 1 and 2(REM) and I
Even when in deep sleep I’m firing off alpha waves (meaning active brain) verses delta waves which kw the restorative part of sleep.
In addition he wants me to take the 6 week sleep course offered by the Cleveland clinic.
Don’t have the machine yet, no time for course yet and no ambien due to the sleep walking. That’s fine because ambien literally did nothing. He has prescribed Bellsorma which is so expensive. Even my co-pay is $40!

So I start to read about it. It’s described nearly like him. you take it 30 minutes before going to bed. But I don’t understand it. Is it supposed to put me asleep, help me stay asleep, or restore my sleep? Is it supposed to reset or I’ll take your sleep cycle? Having various nights of insomnia in bison and bear country was brutal. Those quick walks and aimless sitting sucked. So I was happy to try it and avoid the same crap in NC.
Nothing. 1 15 mg at bedtime and I’m up and down all night. What is t supposed to be doing ? I’d assumed that it was to help alter my schedule or assist in a small way second night NOTHING. I LITERALLY HAVE BEEN AWAKE for over 24 hours. I am high energy. I don’t fall asleep driving but it is f-ing with my emotions. How have I lived this way so long??, tonight I tried 20mg and damn! Nothing. In desperation I found two loose Trazodone and I toon them.
Okay this wasn’t brief.

-who’s tried Bellsorma?
-did it work?
- how does it work?
- is it the same as ambien?
Have people had success with it ?

Anything thing will help. If idont sleep tonight I’ll be riding the crazy bus. HELP!!

I have not tried any of those medicine. However I had a niece who had sleep apnea and nephew who has sleepwalk several times. However I believe that I need to take something to help me sleep.

Catsrock · Sep 22, 2021 at 05:27 PM

I have a natural remedy for insomnia which may or may not work for you. When you are lying in bed, relax your body, then hold your breath and count to 30 . If its difficult you can count to 20. Then breath in gently. Count silently in your mind. It interrupts thoughts that may be troubling you. Breath normally after that for a while, then do it again. You can repeat this indefinitely till you fall asleep. This technique also lowers blood pressure. When holding your breath, do not strain yourself but do it for a comfortable time. Good luck!

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