Afraid to sleep?
 

I was just wondering if anyone else here is ever afraid to fall asleep???

I am this way every night...

I don't know why but the thought of falling asleep makes me very anxious/panicky....

:o:o:o
Abbie

Dear Abbie,
Yes.
I am afraid to go to bed.
I don't mind falling asleep on the sofa with the tv on, but going to sleep for real produces all kinds of anxiety.

I'm sorry that you are dealing with that.
It is hard to be rested the next day -- or ever.

M.

dear abbie,
do you think it may have to do with being afraid that you won't be able to sleep? and that you need to sleep and worry about not getting enough sleep or that you are afraid of just lying in bed trying to sleep and sleep won't come?
I am sorry that you are having this problem...is this a new problem?
Have you spoken with your therapist about it?
((((HUGS))))
beth

i'm sorry abbie
 

i have only been afraid of going to sleep during periods where, because of meds, i was having repeated parasomnias - repeated semi-awakenings throughut the night where i would have sleep paralysis and typical accompanying hypnagogic/hypnapomping hallucinations (like with someone trying to strangle me or whatever).

i am wondering like Bizi if it has to do with fear of not being able to go to sleep... or not being able to get up by a certain time... that is another instance when i am afraid to go to sleep - when i have to be up the next day for any reason, and i have been suffering insomnia so i am afraid i won't fall asleep in time and then won't wake up. then i get feeling like i MUST SLEEP NOW, and the harder i try, the harder i fail... the more awake and anxious i get, and the later it gets, the worse it gets... a vicious cycle.

can you connect the fear to anything specific? are you afraid of losing control? are there any other things that bring on this fear, besides sleep? is it fear of sleep at any time (eg napping) or just the "formally" going to bed at night - or whenever?

definitely talk to your doctor about this. if you are still dealing with manic symptoms... the less you sleep, the less you sleep.
:hug::hug::hug:

~ waves ~

I'm afraid to fall asleep ALL the time... not just at night.

I can't figure out why I feel this way.... I do know that I CAN NOT fall asleep if I don't take my Seroquel... I will stay wide awake all night up to the time I do end up taking it.

I don't feel tired when I do this... I seriously am WIDE AWAKE:eek:

As for the fear... I don't understand it.... my Tdoc knows I don't sleep well and that I have been sleep walking and possibly driving as my family has found my car in the drive running a couple of times....

My Pdoc knows I have trouble sleeping but doesn't know about the sleep walking....:o I see him next Tuesday... will try to remember to tell him about all fo this then...

:(
Abbie

hey there
 

yes, definitely tell doc about the sleep walking AND driving.

if it has started recently it could be med-associated.

fyi, the problems i had with sleep paralysis and associated terrifying hallucinations occurred when i was taking 400mg of Seroquel at night (it was not for sleep specifically but as my mood stabilizer overall). at 600mg however i slept like a slab of rock. so i am wondering if an increase in Seroquel if your dose is not maxed out already could possibly help you also.

but i don't know... if you were having the sleepwalking before using seroquel what he will want to do. certainly something must be done.

and by the way, knowing i do this when i sleep would be enough to make me afraid of sleep as a process.

write yourself a note to take to the doc maybe, so you don't forget. the sleep-driving is really scary! :eek:

:hug::hug::hug:

~ waves ~

This has been going on for a while...

I am maxed on the Seroquel at 800mg... Pdoc said he is going to change it as soon as things stabilize for me... he wants me on Lamictal and Abilify...

I wish I knew what was going on... my brain is a mess... :(

Abbie

Abbie, I simply don't want to sleep for the most part because I think I will miss out on something sort of speaking. I took will stay up all night without my loxapine.

Abilify had me sleeping less.

barbara

I have been thinking about me not wanting to sleep... I too sometimes simply don't want to fall asleep...but mostly it is a fear... panicky feeling.

I am at a frightful point when it comes to medicine... I take many for the RSD and BiPolar.... I HATE taking them but I know how dangerous it might be if I were to quit taking them... I know I need these medicines... but I don't want to need them.

:(:(
Abbie

abbie you are not alone in these feelings.
(((((HUGS))))
beth

Abbie, I know what you mean.

barbara

pills by the fistful
 

Thankfully i no longer take a fistful of pills... but i have in the past... and i still have quite a plethora of "as needed" meds... which i do need at times... and have to have around. some with me at all times.

I sure know that feeling. :Sigh: :(

(((Abbie)))

~ waves ~

My dd 13 and I are the same way.
She is afraid of the "darkness' emotionally of sleep. not that it is dark out. BUT dark out means sleep.

Permanat sleep. something happening during sleep. not being able to wake up, and also the night terrors we have.

Every night, I cry out, restless sleep. no deep sleep, I wake exhausted and sad. I am sure it is part of depression.

Do people with depression have more issues with sleep, patterns, and attitude towards bedtime?
di

yes, sleep issues are on "the list" of possible depressive sx
 

Di, :heartthrob: i'm really sorry you have such horrid experiences with sleep. :(

Yes, absolutely. Problems with sleep, and or changes in sleeping pattern are documented as one of the many possible presenting symptoms of depression. Sleep disturbances alone do not indicate depression, but they are often part of the clinical picture. Any or several of the issues you mention, and also possible are (any of) hypersomnia, sleep latency, and overall reduced sleep. That said, not everyone who suffers with depression has sleep disturbances.

Anxiety is also associated with sleep disturbances, but in this case the link is much more intuitive, isn't it.

Also keep in mind, many medications, including antidepressants and the benzo's a lot of us take, can in the short or long run mess with our sleep.

~ waves ~

I am sorry to read about your night terrors di.
so sorry that so many folks here have sleep problems.
(((((HUGS)))))
beth

I have been sleeping off and on today... no one is here but me so no reason to really get out of bed....

I am soooo tired.... today I found myself freaking out when I did wake up... I only sleep about 30 minutes at a time but wake up feeling really panicky.....

I had to take extra xanax to deal with all of this but is seems I am stuck in a never ending cycle....

I'm not sure I want to fall back asleep tonight... but I am sooooooooo tired.

:(
Abbie

benzo's and anxiety/panic/sleep
 

((( Abbie )))

i'm glad you caught a catnap. sorry you woke up in a panic though. :(

May i ask do you take any other benzo's besides Xanax and how often do you take Xanax?

the reason i ask is that it is very short acting, producing steep peak-and-trough pattern in blood level and clinical response. Depending on frequency taken, it can result in problems sleeping as well as rebound agitation. At the extreme end (taken too frequently) it can produce total sleeplessness.

Klonopin is longer acting... i am wondering if you are also taking that.

This also makes me wonder if there is some kind of interaction between meds that is flushing out your benzo's faster... and creating that peak-trough thing and possible rebound anxiety/panic.

I will check into Seroquel/Xanax since i know you take those, but it might be good to ask your pharmacist about interactions between your meds, specifically if anything could be affecting (esp. inducing) the metabolism of the benzo's you take.

I do hope you can sleep some tonight. Dang i wish this weren't so hard. :(

~ waves ~

Hey Waves...

I also take Amitryptilin...50mg at bed time.

Doc just switched me from Klonopin to Xanax.... a couple of weeks ago that is....


:(
Abbie

hi Abbie
 

how much Xanax and how often do you take it?

~ waves ~

I take half a milligram of Xanax 4 times a day.....

:o
Abbie

Hmmmm...
 

Hi Abbie... well, the total daily dose of Xanax is not excessive but you definitely could be getting peaks and troughs... that is what makes Xanax so addictive. i totally do not get the logic of switching you from Klonopin to Xanax.

Another thing i can suspect at this point is that you might actually be getting some withdrawal from the Klonopin, which the Xanax probably doesn't "cover." Your vulnerability to withdrawal would partly depend how much Klonopin you were taking, but it takes a couple weeks for the stuff to clear, so i could see more pronounced symptoms emerging about now, Xanax or not.

How do you actually feel? Were things better or worse when you were on Klonopin? Have you noticed any differences in general?

What would have made more sense to me if he had kept you on Klonopin in regular dosing, and let you take Xanax ONLY for actual panic attacks. I mean, for crying out loud, Xanax is NOT a sleep med, but if used as one, it should only be taken 1ce daily - before bed. that still risks premature awakening if part of your problem is light sleep and general anxiety. :Sigh: I really would love to know what this guy was thinking.

aww heck... i still haven't checked interactions either... let me do that right now.

~ waves ~

no interactions i can see
 

cross-checked Seroquel, Xanax, and amitriptyline and they do not have drug-drug interactions as best i can see.

if you also take other medicines, try the following online checker:

http://www.drugdigest.org/wps/portal/ddigest

(click on check interactions on the bar at the top, or this live link directly to the interactions page)

it is always safer to verify with the pharmacist though.

i also did some reading on Xanax... it does peak real fast (1-2 hours) but the half life is 11 hours. I don't know how heavy you are but weight plays into it too: half life can vary more in heavy persons - usually longer, but sometimes shorter. with the dosing schedule you have, you shouldn't be too bad off... but there is definitely still room for peaks and troughs, due to the rapid peak.

well... that's about it for my pharmacology input. :o

i wish i could give you a magic pill for sleep.

i am wondering about something much more long-acting too... like Valium. not sure if it is more sedating than Klonopin - it is also used as an anxiolytic more than a hypnotic but it does get used for sleep. It may have stronger muscle relaxant properties than Klonopin or Xanax. It also has a verrrrrrry long half life (several days) and so is much less addictive and is much SMOOTHER in action.

Just "dreaming up" alternatives here...

anyway, toss me a cookie... let me know what, if anything you noticed, improvement, worsening, or just any differences, between when you were on Klonopin and now with Xanax.

for now... (((((( HUGS ))))))

:Heart:

~ waves ~

I wish I could say that I feel a difference between the Klonopin and Xanax... I DON'T!!

I'm still very panicky feeling both before and after sleep... plus having pretty major anxiety attacks in between... Xanax does seem to help keep me from going from major anxiety to full blown panic attacks... at best...it keeps the edge off...

I had to go to the grocery today... 1st time out of the house in a couple weeks.... My mom was with me... and my best friend and her daughter came into the store while we were there... I hugged her daughter but for the life of me... I couldn't tell you what my friend was wearing... I was in a protective mode... I don't look at anyone when I am out of the house... I have a tunnel vision mode and as long as I am with a family member or my friend then I have no idea who else is there...

If I have to go somewhere by myself... like the doc... I somehow manage it but can't tell you much of anything about the trip there and back or what the doc was wearing or anything like that...

I have to go to the Pdoc tomorrow afternoon.... I hopefully will be able to remember to tell him that my meds don't seem to be working... I find myself either at the bottom of the canyon or on top of the mountain looking for place to jump off....

Sorry this is so wordy and rambling... I could go on and on but will spare the details as I'm sure by now that I am not making much sense....

:(
Abbie

Dear Abbie,
Print out what you wrote here and bring it with you and hand it to the pdoc.
That's what I would do.
That solves the problem of worrying about remembering what to say.

OR

Write down a short list of three or 4 important things.
You can even bring 2 lists -- one for him and one for you.


OR

Call ahead of time and leave a message for the pdoc that you are doing horribly. I've done that.
This way, when you walk in for your appt, he already knows your condition and can start figuring out ways to help you.


M.

Dear Abbie,
never worry about the lenght of your post we are just happy that you trust us enough to share what is going on, I agree with mari about printing this out and calling ahead to let them know ahead of time that you are not doing well.
great suggestions.
beth

Mari and Bizi

I really like the idea of calling ahead to let him or her know. Because in
my case even if I have a list I don't always remember I have it.

Donna

I'm fairly new here, but I can so relate to not wanting to go to bed/sleep... I have battled insomnia since I was 19, so it's been nearly 40 years. It's just gotten worse over the years. I take Ambien, Lorazepam, Hydrochodone and a muscle relaxer to get to sleep. Once I'm asleep, I'm fine, and then I hate getting up again. I've stayed awake as long as three days and slept for more than 30 hours. Long hours of being awake and then sleeping has become my routine.

WElcome and I am sorrry that you too have sleep issues.
I think it is more common these days than I realized. so many folks not being able to sleep well.
beth

I'll be leaving here in about 30 minutes.... off to Pdoc...

I was able to talk a little with doc's office... was assured that doc would talk with me as long as necessary....

I have a bunch of post-it's with notes about what has been going on since last appointment....



I'll buzz in this eve and let everyone know what happened....

:(
Abbie

I'm back...

Pdoc believes everything going on is related to increased anxiety due to circumstances beyond my control!!!

Kept all meds the same but wants me to come back in two weeks and to call him before if things swing into the "dark canyon" or if I feel stepping off the edge....

Right now, I'm just tired and very frustrated...

:(
Abbie

Dear Abbie,

That stinks.

But it is good that he wants to see you in two weeks.
And it is very good that he wants you to call him.

M.

I am sorry abbie,
It sounds very frustrating.....
It is good that you see him again in 2 weeks.
and that you can call....
(((((HUGS))))))
beth

I have an appointment with my Tdoc on Thursday... I am so frustrated right now... :( my brain found a trampoline and is bouncing all around....
:Dunno:
Abbie