Night 2 insomnia no sleep help
 

So last night I didn't sleep at all. Today I fell asleep for maybe 45 mins. Waking up like I had full nights rest. Feeling the same as last night, my mind is racing.

Just curious how unhealthy this is for my brain? 4 weeks into pcs and last night was first night of real insomnia. It had been hard to sleep but I always went to bed by 4 or 5 am the latest. I'm just wondering if I should go to er so they can check me out? Or wait and see doctor Tom? I'm worried about the tool it is taking on my injured head and if it's ok. Or I need to go to the hospital?

I know it's late hoping someone replys! Thanks ~ Justin

P.s I would prefer doc Tom because money reasons let me know

I don't think going to the hospital is necessary. There is really nothing they can do for you...and if you tell them your there because you can't sleep, they might look at you funny =O...

Sleep is the only time your brain isn't in use. This is when your brain is doing most of it's healing. So, it is important to get as much sleep as you can.

I can only offer you suggestions. They may work, they may not.

First of all, there is nothing you can do tonight (as far as going to see your doctor)...unless your not from the USA and it's day time wherever you live. So, let's just talk about tonight. What is it that's keeping you awake? Is it the racing thoughts? I know it's easier said than done, but you need to try and focus your thoughts elsewhere. Have you tried falling asleep with the TV on? How about a little soft music?

I've heard some people having success with "white noises". Like, a fan, air conditioner, water running, etc. There are things on YouTube you can find to help you get to sleep. Just do a search for, say, "white noises sleep". Try a few of those and see if that works.

Tomorrow, you can call your doctor and let him know of your troubles. He might be able to get you on some kind of medication to help you sleep better.

Good luck and keep us up to date.

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I was sleeping first weeks like 16hours per day or even more, afterwards i had your situation, there was nights i couldnt sleep at all, when i fall asleep i woke up with racing heart, had feeling like someone was punching my head all the time. I was thinking to call 911 that night but didnt. It stopped with time, im now sleeping 8-10 hours pnight.

Thank you I feel alittle better now feel alittle sleepy. Not just racing thoughts even if I close my eyes. They move like a twitch like my brains in speed mode. Ya hospital would prob think Im on drugs lol I would to. I look terrible I feel for ppl who suffer with long term insomnia let alone all the other things that come with pcs.

I do believe after this I won't complain as much about a cold or a headache. Things could always be worse. It is amazing how strong man kind can be. It's just another trial in my life thanks for the quick reply. ~Justin

Try taking a magnesium supplement. It helps the sleep system work.

I give up
 

I give up on my doctor. He obviously has not dealt with this much. I go in this morning and didn't sleep at all last night again. Told him about the constant anxiety attacks all day and the two days no sleep and nothing. Why would do I always get the doctors that don't try and help? If someone's having 15 to 25 anxiety attacks a day don't u think they should be on anxiety medicine?

Even a small amount if it would help some. I left in tears and cried the whole way home. I don't know what to do that was the last of my money untill Thursday. And he said the steroid he gave me might be causing it. I stoped taking it two days ago. Everything was getting worse on it and he thinks I still need to continue with it cuz it should help. Ok doctor I get that it might help but if it makes me feel 100 times worse in the process atleast give me something to contract what is getting worse. 48 hours awake now and I'm about to loose it I'm just at a loss for words and hopes!

Im sorry to hear about your struggles. We all have been there. I would call the MD back and speak with them about medication. If they aren't going to help you then another MD might be a way to go. It boggles my mind why some doctors can be so inconsiderate. I would also try advil pm it works pretty good. I hope you get some rest soon.

When I have that much trouble sleeping, I try to remember to take some passionflower. It's a tincture - I use one that's alcohol free. (Most tinctures have alcohol in them, so try to remember to make sure it doesn't if you want to try it.)

I took some just the other night. After tossing and turning for well over an hour and then experiencing some unusually depressive thoughts that alarmed me, I drank about 36 drops in some water and was calm and sleeping in about fifteen minutes.

Of course, if you want to try taking it, check with your Dr. to make sure it doesn't interfere with anything else you are taking.

I have also tried 5HTP, but I didn't notice if it helped me at all.

I was on steroids at one point during my recovery too. I didn't notice that they helped me and I was dealing with some rare complexities that the Dr.'s were trying to ascertain and taking them ruled some things out and helped me get properly diagnosed.

Thanks everyone! I finally slept just 5 hours but I feel alot better. It's just a stressful situation with me and my luck of doctors. I've seen him about once a week since my accident. Everytime he still always says a week or two weeks I should be better.

How does he know that? Is it because my MRI came back ok? I've read people that have had normal mri's have had pcs for long periods of time. It has just got worse and worse and I as I tell him this he always has a simple answer. I'm thinking of going to another doctor just for a second opinion.

Also I asked him about a referral to a neurologist. He said in a few weeks if your not better that's the route we will go. I even told him today that the anxiety is the worst part for me, he just seems to blow that off. If you have had high anxiety exp at a level were Ur chest hurts all day, then you understand were I am coming from. For now I'm going to try and relax and not stress the situation. I'm going to go pic up some vitamins and things and give that a go. Thanks ~ justin

....
 

I doubt he knows how long it will be like that...
My MRI came back bad and im doing better then some people whos MRI came back positive....

FWIW, my insomnia (including nightmares, anxiety, etc) has dramatically lessened since my injury, but this has taken months. It has only been in the last couple of months (months 9 and 10 post-injury) that I've started sleeping much better, although I still have some insomnia (now around 2 to 2.5/10 compared to 4 to 8/10 in the days and weeks following my injury). In my case it was just a question of time - I've never been on any meds.

Wow that crazy they should have tried something I actualy found a bottle of .5mg Xanax the hospital gave me one about 6 months ago I had an anxiety attack lasting 6 hours dunno why and it didn't happen again I only took two that day then forgot about them.

But shabam just like I thought my chest feels better, heart dosnt race, helps me sleep. I mean everything is alot better I'm still mad at my doctor because something this simple made me feel so much better thanks everyone

The docs have no idea how long it will take to heal.

I've read that they are taught to tell people it won't take too long. I don't understand why that is exactly, maybe it's so people don't get worried about how long it will take.

The first neurologist I saw kept telling me that - It should only be a few more weeks... he told me that for four months and I was getting worse!

Statistically it really shouldn't take more than a few weeks to get better.

Seeing another Dr. probably won't help you figure out how long it will take to heal. There's no way any of them can really guess how long it will take.

Ya it's not about how long it will take. More of to see another doctor to help with my symptoms. My doctor knows all my symptoms and won't adress any medication for any of them, that just stuns me. Since on the Xanax things have been alot better but now I'm out and my chest is already hurting again. My symptoms are worse and getting worse.

I know what will help but I can't tell my doctor hey I have taken Xanax and it helped. Everytime I've been there I've told him my anxiety is the worst symptom. They also help me sleep so it helps two things. Now I don't know what to do because I leave for Florida Friday for a vacation that's been planned 6 months ago. And I'm feeling terrible again i won't be able to enjoy it like this. I've called around trying to find some from friends and things and can't find any. Should I call my doctor Tom and ask if he will prescribe me something for my anxiety? I guess I'll try because I'm out of options.

If anyone else is having bad anxiety symptoms Xanax was a night and day difference for me. I'm no doctor but that's what anti anxiety meds do. If Ur having bad anxiety try and get Xanax , Valium , kolopin something because it will make you feel so much better. If anything maybe me experimenting will help others. Not only does it make my anxiety go away, I have energy i did not have my appetite is better honestly everything is better. I had such bad anxiety it was making it hard to breathe let alone get off the couch. Hope this helps someone. For now I gotta find more ASAP wish me luck I want to enjoy my family vacation

The meds you mentioned are all benzodiazepines which are sedatives. They are not recommended for long term use. They can become addicting and have questionable effects on the ability of the brain to recover.

Another drug that can be helpful is propanolol. It is a beta blocker that reduces blood pressure and the over-activity of the adrenal system.

Doctors who prescribe Xanax are often just appeasing the obvious symptoms without trying to understand the underlying cause.

What symptoms are you struggling with besides anxiety?

If your vacation is going to be at a busy location like Orlando or a spring break like event, you will likely be doing yourself a serious disservice. If you are still struggling with anxiety at a serious level, the over-stimulation and physical exhaustion of such a trip will a big problem.

If you want to explain what activities you have planned, maybe we can advice you of precautions you can take.

My best to you.

I am so glad that I don't need a referral for my insurance! That is just an added stress that I wouldn't have to deal with!

No my vacation is a family trip on a beach house and will be relaxing. But my anxiety is so bad I ant function because I get 15 to 20 attacks a day so I'll be relaxing and I don't plan on taking for along time. Just to get past the extreme anxiety that's been there fr about 5 days now it helps me that's all I'm saying. So Ur saying if someone is on anti anxiety there whole life and get pcs they'll make them stop witch that would be withdrawing while Ur brain is that bad. I don't see that being healthy. All I know I can function on them they help I won't Be on them for long and I'm not taking a bunch to et high just a little to get rid of my attacks I'll take the chance given. My anxiety made me feel 100 times worse and atleast I can enjoy the beach and relax without them I wouldn't leave the house when I et back I'll prob stop ten thanks for the information tho

If your chest is hurting, it sounds like you have be having episodes of high blood pressure and fast heart rate. You need a home Blood Pressure kit. With it, you can determine if your Blood Pressure is high. If it is, it is a big risk for your health.

A PCP (primary care physician) should be more willing to give you a prescription of propanolol that more Xanax.

If you can't get control of your anxiety triggers and blood pressure, you will take forever to recover.

What kind of activities do you do during the day? Your anxiety attacks are not just happening. Something is triggering them. It will help if you can figure out what the triggers are.

As I said, propanolol will reduce you anxiety by reducing the release of adrenaline. Anxiety attacks are due to an over-production of adrenaline (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that cause the heart rate (pulse) to increase and blood pressure to rise. It also cause the brain to try to process everything at a faster rate. Propanolol prevents this from happening.

My best to you.

Idk mark nothin laying on te couch and try happen all day. Even when I went to the doctor my chest was throbbing and they said everything was normal blood pressure heart rate ect.

All I know is it all goes away with anxiety medicine and it less of an attack and more of a constant anxiety. I'll try a few diffrent things bit it's def anxiety not blood pressure. How else would mine be normal and feeling that bad while at doctor?

I don't take these normally so it's not like it's from withdraws whatever is going on my anxiety is extreme. It's an amazing diffence with or without anxiety meds. If I take 1 I feel fine and about 6 to 8 hours later my chest starts knotting up and my symptoms increase. So Odontoceti realy have a clue it dose not matter if I'm watching a movie or trying to sleep it's always there.

All I know is it works for whatever reason would like your input again. Thanks mark

Have you tried any nutritional solutions to panic attacks. You can try magnesium and zinc supplements to see if you are deficient.

Medicinenet.com says about medications:

<Examples of such medications include sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), and citalopram (Celexa) from the SSRI group, duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor) from the SSNRI group, and clonazepam (Klonopin) and lorazepam (Ativan) from the benzodiazepine group. Although alprazolam (Xanax) is often used to treat panic attacks, its short duration of action can sometimes result in having to take it several times per day. Medications from the beta-blocker family (for example, propranolol [Inderal]) are sometimes used to treat the physical symptoms associated with a panic attack. Some individuals who suffer from severe panic attacks may benefit from treatment with gabapentin (Neurontin), which was initially found to treat seizures, or benefit from a neuroleptic medication like risperidone (Risperdal), olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel), or aripiprazole (Abilify).

Before SSRIs and SSNRIs became available, medications from the group known as the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) were often used to address panic disorder. Although TCAs have been found to be equally effective in treating panic attacks, SSRIs and SSNRIs have been proven to be safer and better tolerated. Therefore TCAs are used much less often.>

I can recommend Paxil (paroxetine) and Neurontin (gabapentin) as well tolerated. The Neurontin has very few side effects. I also have propanolol in the cabinet for those unusual situations. PCS can cause a condition called Adrenal-cortical hyperfunction where the adrenal system malfunctions. This is where the beta-blockers can help.

Amitriptyline ( a TCA ) is commonly used for PCS symptoms. Many on this forum have had success with it. But, its use for the anxiety attacks has not been mentioned by many.

Being limited to the care of a PCP can make it difficult to get the better meds. Maybe you can suggest Neurontin since it is quick acting and does not have withdrawal discomforts like Paxil.

Hope this helps.

My best to you.

help for sleep
 

Sorry you are having trouble with sleep. I did, because of severe stress and pain. I have had 9 surgeries in as many years. I take a very low dose of xanax. I don't even take it every night. Those nights I had trouble with pain,
well I have to admit, this really helps. I hated to take a medicine, but I deal with pain better when I am rested. Tell your PCP exactly what is happening and keep a journal on the pattern of your sleep, when and how much to show him. That will help him make a decision on how to help you. I do wish you better dreams and sleep time. ginnie