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Hi everyone! My name is Kari and I'm from Minnesota. I've been dealing with insomnia and anxiety for a couple of months now. Each of them fuels the other – the more I can't sleep, the more anxious I am, and the more anxious I am, the more I can't sleep! It's like my own bed has turned against me and now acts as a trigger for the anxious feelings when I lay down. To be fair, some nights are better than others. Friday and Saturday nights in particular are fine, since I don't have to get up for anything the next day. I've been seeing a sleep psychologist for a couple of weeks, so I'm hoping he will be able to help me. I went to a family practice doctor initially who prescribed me trazodone. It helped a little, but I didn't like how it made me feel the next day. I was also worried about dependency. I was thinking about looking into anti-anxiety medication, but I also worry about dependency, as well as side effects.
I look forward to reading posts from people who get what I'm dealing with! Despite the support I've gotten from family and friends, it's been a lonely couple of months.
'kromeoc' wrote on '01:I was thinking about looking into anti-anxiety medication, but I also worry about dependency, as well as side effects.
Everytime someone posts here, I want to say HI DR NICK! *shrug* I don't even like the Simpsons. But some things sort of stick.
Anyway.
Anxiety is a huge problem for me as well. I put off taking meds for it until after I had two exhaustive stress breakdowns, and now I wonder why I let things get that far along. But sometimes it takes going through that to make you realise what's important.
I hate trazadone, personally. The thing about anti anxiety meds is that there are so many of them, you kind of have to try them out until you find which one, at what dose, works the best for you. It's taken me about three years to find the right one. An sometimes doctors don't always listen when you say you need to be on something else, so you really have to push your case if you don't think your medicine is working for you. Yes, they are trained professionals, but they can't possibly know what it's like in your body, day in and day out. You have to pay attention to what your body is telling you. And then make them listen. As for addiction, well, if you need the medicine to function, that isn't addiction, it's simply needing something to live the best life possible. Yes, you may be on it for the rest of your life. But your life could be much better for it. I'm on very strong pain pills, and will be forever, and in time I'll have to take more and more, and yes, they are highly addictive. But I have to manage that, and be careful, and stick with the dosage plan very strictly so the addiction does not get out of hand. That's just the way it is, and I'd rather this than always being in agony. It's worth it, to me.
If you don't want to take medications for it (and you should sit down and have a long talk with a doctor about them, and which may be best for you), then talking to a psych could help with identifying the source of the anxiety, and that could give you some relief.
But either way, we're here as well. So welcome to the board!
'kromeoc' wrote on '31:Hi everyone! My name is Kari and I'm from Minnesota. I've been dealing with insomnia and anxiety for a couple of months now. Each of them fuels the other – the more I can't sleep, the more anxious I am, and the more anxious I am, the more I can't sleep! It's like my own bed has turned against me and now acts as a trigger for the anxious feelings when I lay down. To be fair, some nights are better than others. Friday and Saturday nights in particular are fine, since I don't have to get up for anything the next day. I've been seeing a sleep psychologist for a couple of weeks, so I'm hoping he will be able to help me. I went to a family practice doctor initially who prescribed me trazodone. It helped a little, but I didn't like how it made me feel the next day. I was also worried about dependency. I was thinking about looking into anti-anxiety medication, but I also worry about dependency, as well as side effects.
I look forward to reading posts from people who get what I'm dealing with! Despite the support I've gotten from family and friends, it's been a lonely couple of months.
Yes, lonely is the word, Kari. But you will really like this group that I've found here at Insomnialand. I've only been a member for a couple of weeks, and already the knowledge that “I am not alone” has helped me so much.
Welcome aboard, Kari. Your cycle of insomnia/anxiety is a familiar one – you definitely aren't alone in suffering from that one. It's good to hear you're seeing a sleep psychologist – please keep us updated with your progress and how it's helping. It may be a good idea to discuss your concerns with medication for your insomnia/anxiety with the sleep psychologist. Hopefully they'll be able to help you get some sleep without the need for pharmaceutical intervention.
Keep in touch, and keep us updated. You're not alone now that you've found Insomnia Land.
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I sure do know what you mean when you say the insomnia fuels the anxiety. When my insomnia began in March of this year, it literally freaked me out. I spent every free minute I had doing research into what could be causing the insomnia. I spent endless hours searching for answers, talking with whoever I could. It didn't matter to me if the person I was talking to was the pharmacist at Walmart or the cashier at GNC (general nutrition center). I was just hoping someone would be able to shed some light on the subject. Well anyway, its been 8 months since the insomnia began and presently I am not taking any medications, however neither am I sleeping much. Your concern regarding the medications is a valid one, but in the end you will have to decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks; Its a tough decision.
Welcome, Kari. I have suffered from anxiety, too. I found, for me, that bentonite clay worked very well in getting rid of my anxiety. It also helped with my insomnia, but not consistently. Just in case you don't know, bentonite clay removes toxins from the body and is also an easily absorbable form of minerals. If you're interested in more info, feel free to email me. In any event, I hope you are able to find some help here. 🙂
Hi, Kari! I actually tried to welcome you earlier, but Chrome ate my post. Oh well…figured I'd try again! I'm glad you're seeing a sleep psychiatrist (not that psychs are all so great, but still, a better choice) rather than a GP for your meds. I took atrocious amounts of trazodone for a while, and it didn't do a whole lot of good for me, either. Whatever your doc prescribes, I recommend checking it out on rxlist or wherever to find out exactly what MIGHT happen to you. I know, they have to list everything that might happen (and even so, some stuff isn't discovered until later), and some things are quite rare, but some popular meds, like seroquel, can cause glaucoma, liver damage (you'll have to keep an eye on your liver enzymes big time), diabetes, and in my case, gum disease. Weird stuff. You're wise to look at your medications with care.
I'm looking into some non-pharmaceutical options now. I find I just have trouble shutting down my thoughts, and meditation does zip for me. I'll post more about some new (new to me, anyway) things that MIGHT work if I find that they indeed do.
Amy
Hi Kari, Just curious: what dosage of Trazadone were you on? Maybe it wasn't high enough? I personally take 150mg, which is rather high considering it's usually prescribed at 50mg for sleep, but I require 150mg and it only works while I am taking my antidepressant since it appears my insomnia is a result of depression. When I began it I didn't like the way it made me feel the next day, but as your body gets used to it, at least in my experience the hangover feeling goes away. My counselor, who is pretty anti-medication is pro-trazodone because she says (and my psychiatrist says) it is not addicting whereas a lot of anxiety meds like xanax, colonopin, valium, etc. are addicting. I have gone off trazadone in the past with absolutely no problem. Just wanted to share my experience with you. Good luck! Nicole
'kromeoc' wrote on '01:Hi everyone! My name is Kari and I'm from Minnesota. I've been dealing with insomnia and anxiety for a couple of months now. Each of them fuels the other – the more I can't sleep, the more anxious I am, and the more anxious I am, the more I can't sleep! It's like my own bed has turned against me and now acts as a trigger for the anxious feelings when I lay down. To be fair, some nights are better than others. Friday and Saturday nights in particular are fine, since I don't have to get up for anything the next day. I've been seeing a sleep psychologist for a couple of weeks, so I'm hoping he will be able to help me. I went to a family practice doctor initially who prescribed me trazodone. It helped a little, but I didn't like how it made me feel the next day. I was also worried about dependency. I was thinking about looking into anti-anxiety medication, but I also worry about dependency, as well as side effects.
I look forward to reading posts from people who get what I'm dealing with! Despite the support I've gotten from family and friends, it's been a lonely couple of months.
Thanks for the welcome everyone! I appreciate the support and suggestions.
Nicole – the highest dosage of trazodone I tried was 100 mg. It's possible that my body just needs to get used to it. I'll keep that in mind.
I saw another doctor recently who prescribed me Lexipro. I haven't filled the prescription yet. I read comments about it online, and it's just bizarre to see one comment saying “This drug saved my life!” and the very next comment saying “This drug made me suicidal!” I think I'll try to stick it out at least another week without any pills and see how it goes. This week was quite a bit better, sleep-wise, although I started feeling more anxious during the day, which was weird.
Has anyone tried hypnosis for their insomnia? An aunt of mine said it helped her once. The idea kind of freaks me out, but it could be interesting, if it actually has an effect.
I too would love to know if hypnosis has ever worked for anyone. And is it a permanent fix, or do you have to re-do it periodically? 😕
Yeah, it's wierd how different people's experiences are with the same drug. I was on lexapro for maybe a year, then felt it wasn't doing much for me. I had no problems with it that year I was on it. If you can function ok without any meds, then obviously that is the way to go! I HATE having to be on meds to function 🙁 But of course if you need the meds to function or to truly enjoy life then I guess it is foolish to refuse them right? I have no experience with hypnosis. Good luck to you!
'kromeoc' wrote on '05:Thanks for the welcome everyone! I appreciate the support and suggestions.
Nicole – the highest dosage of trazodone I tried was 100 mg. It's possible that my body just needs to get used to it. I'll keep that in mind.
I saw another doctor recently who prescribed me Lexipro. I haven't filled the prescription yet. I read comments about it online, and it's just bizarre to see one comment saying “This drug saved my life!” and the very next comment saying “This drug made me suicidal!” I think I'll try to stick it out at least another week without any pills and see how it goes. This week was quite a bit better, sleep-wise, although I started feeling more anxious during the day, which was weird.
Has anyone tried hypnosis for their insomnia? An aunt of mine said it helped her once. The idea kind of freaks me out, but it could be interesting, if it actually has an effect.
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