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Still Feelin Better, but still a little concerned

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Posted 12/23/2009 11:21 PM (GMT 0)

Ok well now I've been on this Cymbalta for about a month.  I feel many things are a lot better then what they were a month ago without a doubt.  Headaches lessening, sensitivity to light and sound lessening, the feelings derealization is not as frequent, depressing thoughts decreasing, and ability to focus is a little better as well.

I still can't really seem to get much sleep at all without this medication though.

For example, the last couple of nights before last night I was getting about 4-5 hours sleep a night but it was all broken up, only 1 hour straight at a clip and that was with taking my .5 mg ativan and ambien prescribed medication.  I've felt better enough and trusting myself enough lately to go out again so I've been going out with friends.  So you combine a week or so in a row of pretty crappy sleep with what happened last night and you'd think I'd be exhausted.....

Yesterday I woke up for work at 5 AM, worked until about 4 pm, got home showered and then cooked some dinner, watched TV for an hour, and then went out with some friends for a friends birthday.  Went out to a bar, I was obviously the DD because I'm on all these anxiety medications and can't drink, which I gotta say my friends have been REALLY good about and surprisingly understanding.  I wind up leaving the bar at around 1215 and get talked into going to a "gentleman's club" until 3 am, of which I still didn't have a drink.  I get home at 3 and I have work again at 5 am, so I can't take my sleeping pill because it would last too long so I tried to sleep, got nothing.  Went straight to work today from 5 AM and just got done now at 2 PM and even though the Ativan makes me feel a little calm, I still can't fall asleep.  Still have that wired problem of not being able to sleep.  What gives?  The sleeping problems I'm having are just beginning to seem really really strange, almost been going on too long.  This is coming up on a full 3 months starting next week of being able to get NO SLEEP without medication.  Will I ever be able to get back to resting without meds?

 Also not feeling too much like myself today, but I'm just attributing that to being sleep deprived.

Posted 12/24/2009 1:19 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Mike,

I don't know, but something has to give.  Eventually you are going to have to get some sleep.  What does the doc say about this?  I am worried that your body is going to give out.  It is not healthy to be so sleep deprived.  I wouldn't think you could go on this long without sleep.  How old are you?  They say that the older we get, the less sleep that we seem to need.  But I always sleep about 8-10 hours a night, if not more.   Though lately being off of the effexor, I seem to wake up much earlier.  about three hours earlier than usual.  I don't know what else it could be other than not taking the effexor.  I am taking pristiq instead now.  But if I need I can up the dose to twice as much as I am taking. 

I would mention to the doc this situation just incase it is something that you should be concerned about.  I am worried that you might fall asleep driving or something.  What are the effects on your body, especially your heart?  So please talk to your doc about this to make sure whether you have to worry or not. 

Best wishes to you.

Hugs, Karen

Posted 12/24/2009 1:31 AM (GMT 0)
Yea Karen it really is strange, I walk around yawning and extremely tired all day long but can't sleep.  I lay down and rest for an hour at a clip trying to fall asleep or atleast just rest, but eventually just get aggravated with the fact that I can't fall asleep and get up and start doing something to get tired.


As far as the falling asleep while driving that has become more of an issue lately, been fighting keeping my eyes open when I go on delivieries at work.  Thank god thats only twice a week but the one trip I make is a pretty far run and often have to fight off nodding off at the wheel.  I look at the positive though, I can't sleep at all lately so the odds of me falling asleep at the wheel aren't that good lol.  Eyes just close for a sec then I'm right back up.  But I'm hoping somethings gotta give and my body just gets back to sleeping regularly pretty soon.

 

I do sleep very little with the Ambien like I said, 4-5 hours a night and wake up every hour within those 4-5 hours.

 

And as far as asking my doctor I mention this to my psychiatrist and he says to keep taking my medication the way it's being prescribed and I should see improvements soon.  The only improvements I've seen is when I went on the Ambien, since I've been on it for the last 3 weeks I haven't seen much improvement though.  Still the same and very tired all day, then again that could be the Ativan and Cymbalta really mellowing me out too.

 

So funny how it comes to a point where  you don't know why you're feeling so withdrawn and mellow, because of the anxiety or because of the anxiety meds made to relax you lol.

Posted 12/24/2009 2:09 AM (GMT 0)
You really need to let your doc know about the driving, he might be able to give you something to stay awake during the day which will pretty much make you sleep at night when it wears off.  It is a real concern, you could have an accident.  It only takes a second to go off of the road or into another lane.  I did that once and hit a reflector pole.  It took out my mirror and woke me up.  I was lucky I didn't roll or something, there was a hill there.  So please let somebody know what is going on.  This is dangerous. 

At least you are feeling mellow, though, that is good.  Withdrawn isn't always so good.  Though I myself have been that way a lot.  But at one time, I didn't really care, I enjoyed spending time by myself.  I still do to an extent.  But before I could have cared less if I didn't see people at all.  The less the better, but total seclusion isn't healthy.  I am glad that you are getting out with friends.

Hugs, Karen

Posted 12/24/2009 9:26 AM (GMT 0)
Have u ever looked into getting one of those sleep apnea masks that provides oxygen... maybe go to a sleep disorder clinic?? have them look at it.. when one doesn't get into REM sleep it plays havoc with the brain functioning...!!!
Posted 12/24/2009 10:55 AM (GMT 0)
  1. ameeb & biker, saw my doc the other day and he asked me if i suffer from sleep apnoea. since my partner isn't with me i do not actually know, thus i will look into it next year with my doc.
  2. it causes hypoxia in the brain, a lack of oxygen, thus the demented AND OR VIVID DREAMS, and for me rapid cycling dreams, and for many is the problem of not cycling through proper REM AND NON REM SLEEP CYCLES.
  3. good point ameeb, thx. jamie. hoping we all get some quality sleep soon. jamie
Posted 12/24/2009 4:35 PM (GMT 0)
A couple of things...

1) I don't think I want to take something to keep me awake during the day, I have enough trouble falling asleep as it is I really wouldn't want to take something to keep me awake.  I know the fallin asleep while driving is bad, but really haven't done it except for just a few times my eyes would close for a second then I'd snap out of it.  So I'm not really too concerned about that.

2) Isn't sleep apnea when you stop breathing and wake up gasping for air?  I don't really have that when I wake during the night, I wake up rather calm actually I just have immense trouble falling and staying asleep.  Also strange sometimes is that I can feel my jaw muscles spasming against the pillow and my heart pounding at night sometimes.  Not as much lately though.

3) With the Cymbalta I have been having these really vivid dreams, often multiple dreams in the same night.  So vivid and real that it's often hard to distinguish if it was a dream or something I watched on TV lol  One time I dreamt about the NY Giant football game and totally thought the score and game that I dreamt was real when I woke up.  Turns out I had the score and teams all messed up.  Aw well.  Anyways...

4) When taking these antidepressents I know it's often accompanied with very vivid dreams.  Do these dreams die down at all as you get adjusted to the medicine?  Been about a month on the medicine so far and still havin these extremely vivid dreams, not all of them bad but just seem very very real.

Posted 12/25/2009 11:17 AM (GMT 0)
mike my multiple dreams are not due to the cymbalta. more to do with a brain/mind that finds it very difficult to shut down. been going through this for some time now. thus i do not blame or see any correlation to my medications. we are all different and others will be effected differently, i respect this. cheers, jamie.
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