lost my job due to insomnia,will sleep ever return?

[[al...]]

Last night I woke up at 2:30 exactly.I always wake up around that time.And can not fall asleep anymore.This is killing me.

The worse thing in last 2 weeks, is I'm having lack of concentration I have nausea over day,gut problems,bad apetite,which I didn't had before.

This could be a lot stress related,but seems like my brain is just wired to wake up around same time.

What can I do about that?

This insomnia is symptom of something,but what could it be??

I thought to do some hormones test,because no psychiatirst told me what is the reason for this particular insomnia.

They excluded organic issues like tyroid hormones and that,but something wakes me up and I can't solve the problem,and it lasts too long.

 

I wonder what is so problematic about 2:30 am to make you keep waking up at that time? What happens if you go to bed earlier? Would you wake up at the same time or after the same amount of time has passed since you fell asleep? You could try slowly changing your return be sneaking in an earlier bedtime each night. you might buy yourself a little extra sleep that will help make you feel better.

 

With my sleeping issues, I too sometimes wake up at a similar time. Some nights I can fall right back to sleep and other nights a lot of time is wasted (last night was a couple of hours). Not waking up in the first place might be a goal to shoot for. Perhaps making sure that your bladder is not the cause of awakening would be worth looking into. I also noticed that I have problems with GERD that can disturb my sleep. Strangely it doesn't seem to bother me much at bed time, but it can hit me hours after a meal when I am sound asleep.

 

I hope that you are able to find something that works for you.

[[pa...]]

I usually feel sleepy around 10 p.m. so I take meds around 9 p.m. and then sometimes I fall asleep and sometimes don't

Depending on what meds I take I wake up at different time.

When I take zyprexa I don't wake up at that time which is odd,I sleep solid 7-8 hours,but I feel like zombie tomorrow.

If I take other meds lets say like seroquel I usually wake up around 3:30 a.m 5-6 hours of sleep but feel tired and like crap tomorrow.

No matter what I take and when I do wake up I can not fall asleep anymore.

I never tried to fall asleep later,like round midnight,because these meds make me drowsy over day,and I want to take them eariler in the evening.

I read that waking up around 2:30 has to do something with adrenal glands.

3 days ago I spent 2 days in bed sleeping and waking up over day,every hour,probably because of exhaustion.

I know I have gut problem something like nervous gut,dyspepsia.

But this insomnia really lasts so long and I'm starting to think it's psychiatric issue.I did CT and MR of brain all fine.

I did EEG and the result was increased anxiety even with 20 mg of lexapro I take.

I'm having tough time to concentrate,headaches these days.

[[pa...]]

Took nitrazepam around 11 p.m. last night.No matter,I woke up at 2:50 a.m. and couldn't fall asleep anymore.

I feel like crap,headache,psychotic now.

Is there a solution to this long term insomnia?

I don't want to go to hospital for third time.

[[me...]]

Every time you take a sleep drug, you are going to have rebound insomnia the next night, and possibly a few nights after that. It takes time for your body to "relearn" how to sleep on it's own. By constantly throwing this or that at it, you are totally confusing your body, and you are on an endless roller coaster of poor sleep. Again, I don't think you are going to make much headway until you can quite relying on drugs and give your body the chance to heal.

 

I often wake up at 2:30 to 3:30 AM. I really don't worry much about it anymore. I have a stack of good books on my bed to dive into until I feel sleepy again (or fall asleep reading). Nowadays I usually fall asleep within a couple of hours or so, but that was not always the case. Last night I woke up at 3:30 and fell back asleep almost immediately. This pattern of waking up is not at all unusual, so there is nothing terribly wrong with you. If is just a process of healing that we all have to go through. It isn't pleasant, but the rewards are great.

[[pa...]]

meowie I understand competly,but it's abnormal to wake up for a year always at same time of the night.And it lasts too long (a year)

Now I'm in process where I can't stand even one night of insomnia because I feel like crap tomorrow and have like psychotic symptoms.

It's also abnormal that whenever I wake up I can not fall asleep anymore.Why?

You think I need to quit antidepressants too?

Because my psychiatrist wants me to take even more meds,they say that insomnia is just a simptom of some of my psychiatric disorder but it's not depression obviously.

When I was in hospital I as given a lot of meds before sleep.There were combos of clozapine,xanax,nitrazepam and seroquel.

That made me lay on bed all day long.

[[mu...]]

I always wake up mid night.  First 4 hours of sleep are deep and fast.  Mid night wake up and reSt of 2 hours to 3 hours of sleep is light and REM based.

 

I think u just gotta go with the flow and ease the anxiety then you'll feel better.

[[pa...]]

How do I ease with anxiety?

I'm taking 20 mg of lexapro,and still with anxiety,and a lot of fear in me.

[[mu...]]

I got off of Lexapro because I felt it wasn't helping.  Now I feel almost normal,  took some time but here I am almost my old me again.  Only semi issue is the random sleep issues.

 

What's your thoughts on trying to come off Lexapro?  Why were you given it and when did you start it?

[[pa...]]

Been diagnosed with depression,but my main diagnosis is borderline personality disorder.

I've been given various SSRI but I still feel depressed,sad,with lack of energy,anhedonic.

Could the lexapro be the reason for me to waking up at same time?

[[Ju...]]

Sleep does return!!!!! Please have hope. I used to dread night time and I still have occasional bad nights but now a bad night for me is 4 hrs sleep and most nights of the week I sleep 6-7 hours which is a miracle compared to when I used to somehow live with 2 hrs a night and have to reduce my work hours too so I could have day sleep. I hope this gets better and better for you. Just wanted you to know that it can.

[Guest [ba...]]

fwiw - if I go to sleep early, I tend to wake earlier unless I take something to really knock me out for the night.  Last night I went to bed early (before 10 pm), fell asleep quickly but then woke before 4 am.  Usually, I go to bed at 11 pm and sleep until around 5 am.  Same 5-6 hours of sleep regardless of when I go to bed.  It seems to be sufficient for me.

[[pa...]]

My symptoms of insomnia are becoming worse.Again woke up around 2 a.m.

In past 7 days I went from seroquel 25 mg (which I took 7 days) and had bad side effects,to promazine,which didn't help with sleep at all,to ambien 10 mg which I took last night and slept only 3 hours.

I've become suicidal because I can not stand this insomnia thing anymore.I'm nervous,like drunk now,I'm slow and I wish I could sleep over day but I can not.

In past week I sleep only 4 hours on meds.

My psychiatrist is not concerned about my insomnia,rather that my other conditions and thats why I've been sent to group therapy if there is a way to help myself.

He excluded all my meds except lexapro.

What can I do anymore?Is there a chance sleep will come?

I'm not sure about it at all.

[[al...]]

Paparazzo,

I'm sorry to hear about what you are going through. I went through it myself so I know how horrible it can get. I still have some pretty bad nights once in awhile, but I also have a lot of normal or near normal sleeps so it does get better over time. I too had suicidal thoughts that I really do not think that I would have ever acted upon. I think that the lack of sleep and mounting anxiety just makes you think that way. I noticed that my moods are darker following bad nights now, when otherwise I haven't really had symptoms other than insomnia for a long time now so lack of sleep must play a big role.

 

Things are going to improve to where you can start to handle your withdrawal symptoms, including the insomnia, but I am afraid that any improvement will be delayed as long as you continue to take Ambien. It may give you 2 or 3 hours of sleep for now, but you will need to take more and more to get that in the future and ultimately your healing won't really begin until after you stopped taking Ambien.

[[pa...]]

He told me I will take Ambien until Monday,and then nothing,not even single med for sleep.

But how will I fall asleep?

I'm affraid to get psychosis.because I have borderline personality disorder.

 

[Guest [ba...]]

It will probably be a little difficult at first.  You may sleep very poorly for a few days or even a week or two, but sleep will slowly come back if you can be calm about it.  I slept very poorly at first - some nights I don't think that I slept at all.  But the first time that I slept for 4 hours completely on my own was like this totally joyous occasion.  I finally realized that my body was working properly again.  Yeah, 4 hours is pretty pathetic, but it was a start.

[[pa...]]

I'm really not optimistic at all.I do think my brain is screwed up from all those meds,and I have some damage caused by a lot of stress accumulated over these 2 years.

What do you mean be calm about it?

 

[[al...]]

I'm really not optimistic at all.I do think my brain is screwed up from all those meds,and I have some damage caused by a lot of stress accumulated over these 2 years.

What do you mean be calm about it?

 

It is almost impossible to be optimistic or calm while going through what you are going through right now, but it doesn't really matter because you are going to get through it regardless, provided that you get off of the drugs.

[[mu...]]

Hi Paparazzo

 

Like you and many others I was in a horrible place for a while due to insomnia.  Like Aloha I had many many low sleep to almost sleepless nights and it caused severe anxiety, depression and thoughts of being better off dead....  Obviously that is not the way to go, but it takes time for your brain to heal.  It is not a fast process nor is it a fun process.  It is stressful but you need to realize it will make you stronger in the long run.

 

I am not med free but I am in a good place right now.  I have managed to curb my anxiety and return to being a normal productive, fun member of society.

 

I am sleeping 6-7 hours average now sometimes even more.  I feel like my brain is finally clean of most of the drugs from Lexapro, xanax, drinking and higher doses of ambien.

 

I still do experience some crappy nights but I would venture to say out of 30 days a month I might have 3-5 nights of random crappy sleep.  Compared to when I was taking 1mg xanax, 12.5mg ambien, 10mg lexapro and drinking a 6 pack a night I would only get 2-4 hours on average and every day I went through withdrawal until I took control and started my taper.  Taper wasnt fun but i am here to say I feel almost normal now I would venture to say 90%+

 

You can do it and you will do it because it is what you need to do.  You ever need to chat ffeel free to send me a message!

[[Ph...]]

I'm really not optimistic at all.I do think my brain is screwed up from all those meds,and I have some damage caused by a lot of stress accumulated over these 2 years.

What do you mean be calm about it?

 

It is almost impossible to be optimistic or calm while going through what you are going through right now, but it doesn't really matter because you are going to get through it regardless, provided that you get off of the drugs.

Aloha is right.  You have two choices.  You can remain on this terrible cocktail of pharmaceuticals for the rest of your life, or you can decide to get off them and nurse yourself back to health.  With the help of people here, and perhaps with a holistic doctor, construct a plan that can succeed and start on your course, one step at a time.  Don't rush it.  Be prepared to take years.

[[pa...]]

Do you guys mean to stop taking lexapro too?

I don't know whats happening to me,but for a month like,I feel huge lack of concentration.

Could it be that lexapro is giving me insomnia all this time,which would be obvious because I can't sleep over day too,even not nap.

On Friday doctor told me to split dosage 10 mg of lexapro in the morning and 10 mg in the evening.

Hmmm I still haven't tried.

I googled and read sdomewhere that insomnia can lead to hallucinations brain damage and I'm affraid I will become psychotic.

How long you guys haven't slept normal (6-8 hours)?

[[mu...]]

long have you been on lexapro?

 

I decided on my own to get off of it.  I am of the mindset I was normal before this shit happened so no need to think I can be normal again without any meds.

 

If you do decide to get off lexapro look at my list below and see how I did it.  It went smoothly pretty much but some sensitivity to lights and a little light headed.

[Guest [ba...]]

How long you guys haven't slept normal (6-8 hours)?

 

My 'normal' sleep these days is 5-6 hours.  I get 7 a few times a month and 3-4 a few times a month.  Very rare to get 8 hours.  I'm used to this sleeping regime.  It's the way that I slept before I started taking benzos, but I was unhappy back then with the amount of sleep that I was getting.  I'd wake up at 3-4 AM and be angry at being awake.  I've learned to be calm (not irritated) when I wake at 4 am.  Maybe half of the time I can get back to sleep for another hour or two.

[[pa...]]

Bad,I meant how long you guys had insomnia and what kind of?

I didn't asked how much you sleep nowdays.

[[Si...]]

My initial insomnia from coming off this crap was about 3 or 4 months. Then I had a huge setback from alcohol / flu combo in month 10 that screwed me up for another 9 or 10 months or so. I wasn't sleeping for 2 or 3 nights (at all) sometimes. I then eventually got to where I was sleeping only every other night. Eventually that got to where some nights I'd sleep a few hours and maybe miss one or two nights a week. Now I haven't missed a night since Dec. 2015. Most nights I sleep an average of 7. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Bad nights only happen for me now every few months. And now I consider a bad night 4-5 hours. Nothing like it was, not sleeping for days.

 

Some people do have problems with Antidepressants. You'll never know for sure until you're off of them though if it's what's causing the problem or not.

[Guest [ba...]]

Bad,I meant how long you guys had insomnia and what kind of?

I didn't asked how much you sleep nowdays.

 

Sorry - I misunderstood.  I've slept consistently poorly (meaning less than 6 hours a night) for well over a decade, and can remember bouts of insomnia from my mid-20s (I'm 61 now).  I've not slept the 'recommended' 8 hours a night for most of my life except when I took klonopin.  It got me up to 7 hours most nights (8+ sometimes), but after some years it stopped working properly.

 

My poor sleep is due to minor anxiety.  My brain wants to keep thinking about stuff late at night, and that interferes with my sleep.  It's not severe enough to affect me (usually) during the daytime, but when things get quiet at night, my brain keeps going at its daytime level and I find it difficult to fall (or stay) asleep.  A decade ago, I was taking doxy (Unisom) nightly and getting 4-5 hours of sleep.  So I'm actually sleeping better now than a decade ago and with fewer drugs in me.  Obviously, I'm not the Posturepedic Poster Child, but I'm doing OK and slowly (very slowly) improving.