Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Hi Matt,
Just a real quick response to your question about the er, um, unpleasant unmentionable side effects of celexa.
I'm a chick, so obviously theres a difference in the importance of how satisfactorily my plumbing works, but just wanted to share that I have been on almost every SSRI on the market at one time or another, including celexa and lexapro. Out of all of them, I would rank it the second least interfering in that area, with my personal top choice being Effexor for the least sexual side effects. Everyone is different, however, and what works for me may not for you and vice, versa. I bet it will help with your seratonin levels. If you don't like it, you can always switch. Took me about ten years to finally find the right drug and dosage but I'm do glad I stuck it out, because I'm do much better off emotionally.
Good luck! Let me know how it turns out.
Michelle
Oh, I wasn't trying to imply that we were completely alike… And not sure if I may have offended you… I just thought our similarities with being on many types of medication (I didn't list them ALL by the way) and how both of us obviously had chronic pain issues (again, I didn't go into detail about my neck or my other issues) and the lack of support/anxiety inducing actions from our partners, well I just wanted to let you know there was another soul suffering. I guess I thought it would help both of us feel better and saner in a way.
I don't want you or anyone else to think Im the type of person to get in a pissing contest when it comes to the unpleasant battles in my life… I'm definitely not one to try to “one up” a person or try to prove that my life is shittier somehow. Lol. I'm quite young to have the issues that I do and worry about the long road I have ahead. I can't imagine how I'll feel when I'm 40 or 50. You sound like you have been through hell and back. Whether or not our situations are alike, I still would like to offer you my listening ear and my sympathy should you ever like to take advantage of it.
Hope you get some rest. I'm thinking about just staying up at this point. Lol
Take care.
Michelle
Speaking of anxiety affecting sleep, I just took my normal handful of night time “sleepy meds” and I have started to feel very drowsy, which is supposed to be the point, right? Only now, I'm struggling to suppress a panic attack that I can feel building as a result of the medication drowsiness, because I constantly fear accidental overdose and worry that I've taken too much medicine and now if I ALLOW myself to fall asleep, what if I went overboard and stop breathing? What if I don't wake up?
It's such a horrible cycle that I've gotten myself into. I just wish one day to be completely free of prescription medication, live my life without pain, free from anxiety, and acquire the ability to sleep normally on my own and wake refreshed, happy, and confidently and be the best mom, girlfriend, friend, and overall good person I know I can be WITHOUT pills.
That is my wish for myself and for all of you. 🙂
Michelle
Becky!
I'm brand new to this site and this very post of yours is the first I have opened. I'm amazed at how similar our situations are and I just wanted to let you know that I can TOTALLY relate and empathize with your situation 100%!
What happened to you is frightening and can be difficult to understand for people who are not in our situation. I too, am on prescribed daily narcotics and muscle relaxers for a plethora of painful issues with my cervical spine. I also suffer from OCD, PTSD, and major anxiety. As a result, I also take an SSRI and a benzodiazepine daily.
As if all of this medication wasn't overwhelming by itself, I've recently developed horrendous insomnia (which I attribute partly to sometimes taking my percocets too close to bedtime, if that makes any sense, partly to anxiety, and partly to my OCD). Now, most of my friends have suggested that I see a doctor and ask to be prescribed Ambien or something similar so I can sleep. That would seem like an easy fix, but then of course comes the fear of something occurring like what happened to you, or worse. I definitely worry about accidentally overdosing or taking a combination of prescriptions that may potentially harm or even kill me!
Just like you, my significant other completely disapproves of the types and amounts of medication I take. When he sees me with my normal nightly handful of some combination of diphenhydramine, Ativan, unisom, chlorzoxazone, oxycodone, and whatever the new trial holistic sleep-aid-of-the-week is, he just about bursts a blood vessel in his forehead while nagging, arguing, begging, pleading and belittling me in an attempt to make me “JUST STOP TAKING ALL THOSE PILLS BEFORE YOU KILL YOURSELF!!!”
Of course, I'd friggin LOVE to stop taking all those pills. I'm sure you would too. We ALL would rather be medication-free, but the fact is, most of us would never get a wink of sleep without SOME kind of crutch, drug, or holistic remedy. Since our husbands or boyfriends, wives, girlfriends, lovers, what have you… If they're anything like mine, can fall asleep 30 seconds after crawling into bed and sleep peacefully through the night and jump out of bed at 6am joyfully exclaiming, “It's morning!!! Hooray!!!”, they probably will never understand our desperation and willingness to do or swallow almost anything to get just enough sleep so that we can maintain some semblance of a normal productive life.
I know for a fact that if I fell into the situation that you experienced, my boyfriend would absolutely react just as your husband did. He'd be furious. There would be no sympathy for me, only anger. I can imagine that the way he handled your accidental overdose has hurt you and probably stressed you to the point that maybe you're now afraid ALL THE TIME to take your medication, for fear that he'll disapprove or become angry or disappointed. I know I would be. It sucks when the person you love the most, your partner, who you have chosen to spend your whole life and allof your dreams with, through all of life's crap does not offer his empathy or support when you're dealing with something so difficult. It is NOT YOUR FAULT that you have insomnia, and it's not your fault that you ended up in the ICU.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that there's someone out there just like you, going through the same issues without the help of and despite the resistance from your husband. I hope I have made you feel a little better. Oh! Before I forget, a simple trick I have learned to remember whether or not I've taken my meds is, after I take my pills, I flip the bottle upside down and leave it that way in the cabinet. I used to screw up ALL the time.
Feel free to message me anytime, even if you just need to vent. Hope maybe this helps a little. 🙂
Michelle
'Martin' wrote on '10:Hi Michelle and welcome to Insomnia Land. You will most certainly find PLENTY of support here – we're all in the same boat and want to help one another. Have you sought any medical advice for your sleep problems? If you are able to sleep during the day, you may be suffering from sleep phase disorder – take a look at a brief comparison of sleep phase disorder and insomnia over on the blog, and see what you think:
http://www.insomnialand.com/blog/the-difference-between-delayed-sleep-phase-syndrome-and-insomnia/
Enjoy your stay and don't be afraid to get involved. I look forward to reading more of your posts and getting to know you better.
Thanks for making me feel welcome Martin. I'm still figuring out how to navigate the site… I've already had a couple of helpful ideas from other members!
Looking forward to getting to know everyone. 🙂
Michelle
