Posted by utopizen on June 26, 2003, at 13:23:47
I just entered the ER two days ago after not being able to sleep for two days. I have no history of depression, and my only history is with social anxiety disorder and inattentive ADD.
I've had chronic insomnia for at least a year now, but have been able to ignore it because college let me take classes at 10:30 or 11am and nap when necessary.
Now that I've started my summer internship, and I must wake up to get ready at 7:30 each morning, I can't afford to be feeling terrible about how I won't function in the day when it's 4:30AM and I've either had no sleep or slept from 9PM to noon and couldn't go back to sleep.
I'm also out-of-state, making matters worse. I had a polysomnograph, but don't know the results yet because I won't be back to review the results with my pulmonary specialist (I guess my neurologist wanted me to rule out apnea?) until September when I'm back in state.
I thought I could keep things under control until them symptomatically. My psychopharmacologist said he'd be fine calling in and mailing in scripts as needed over the three months I'll be out of state. Well, it turns out he's a space cadet about doing this.
He's given me Trazodone, but that left me with really high blood pressure and heart palpatations, plus morning groginess that made me feel terrible in the morning (the first hour of the day is the only time I ever feel energetic-- I'm a morning person!)
I've called him, repeatedly, and finally got him on the phone last thursday, and he said he'd review my records and phone in a script to my pharmacy here. Well it's Thursday, and I've left messages, E-Mails, even pages to him, and he hasn't responded. And my pharmacy knows me by name now because I've called so many times asking if he called anything in.
I'm also waiting for him to mail me a script for Desoxyn, which he promised last Thursday as well. And I don't appreciate having to go to the ER two days ago and take a day off from work just to get a two-week supply of Ambien when he could have easily called that in way before then. It was embarassing to have to admit to the kids I'm staying with I went to the ER over insomnia
(I've since scheduled an appt. with a GP in case anything comes up again like that... but I'm also just very open about why I do things, so people don't think I'm "sketchy")
It's sad to see the ER doctor look so concerned over my problem, and realize it's something my regular doctor neglects to even call me over the phone about. I mean, I have no abuse history, or anything, it's not like he's avoiding some drug seeker! I didn't even ask him for a particular drug, I just told him I had chronic insomnia and the Trazodone wasn't helping.
So now I'm hoping this random GP I see will prescribe more Ambien for the remainder that I stay here (rebound insomnia is to me like rebound thirst from taking water-- yeah, you'll be thirsty if you stop drinking water, but you'll stay thirsty if you don't drink it too!)
Oh, I'm concerned my co-workers think I take drugs during the day. Some have told me they think this (even though we're friends) and are concerned about me. It's because I am so tired and exausted. Even with the Ambien, and Desoxyn during the day, I get so tired I can't function. Getting 8-9 hrs. of sleep just ensures I will be articulate enough (I had a sleep impediment when I was younger, comes out when I'm tired) to talk.
Has anyone had success with Provigil for their fatigue? I've never experienced depression before, but the fatigue is so painful I feel down all the time now.
I've read recent reports have found insomnia itself can induce depression, which is annoying because I have to tell doctors this after they've been lectured over and over about how depression causes insomnia and never thought the opposite could happen. If I continue like this, my jolly natural self, which I pride myself on for being happy all the time, won't be so myself still. I can't even do work, it exaccerabates ADD. And I think I'll need to switch stimulants, feels like the Desoxyn I've taken for the last few months has run its course and drained out a little too much adrenaline or something and needs a little break. I don't think it's tolerance, just sleep debt and EDS interfering with its efficacy.
poster:utopizen
thread:237263
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030624/msgs/237263.html