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606d

I'm getting really frustrated with my doctor. I've been struggling with insomnia since puberty and I've tried almost everything, to dumb extremes at some points. Melatonin, zzzquil gummies, pure zzzs, diphenhydramine (I'll come back to this one), doxylamine succinate, trazodone, topamax, Zoloft, quetiapine the list goes on. Diphenhydramine worked for a while but my body builds a tolerance to medications so obscenely fast that I soon found myself taking what should have been a lethal dose every night for 6 months. I was taking 40 pills 25mg each. I kicked that habit after even 40 wouldn't put me to sleep or make me drowsy, just drugged up. Since then I've been BEGGING for some kind of sleep aid and my doctor has only been prescribing pills that are mainly antidepressants or antipsychotics. I understand that some of these pills have sedative properties but after my most recent experience with topamax completely altering my personality and seemingly dumbing me down and taking a week just to get it out of my system after only taking it for 4 days, I'm starting to really be hesitant about taking these multipurpose drugs. Most recently she prescribed me olanzapine, disregarding that I haven't had any psychotic episodes or manic episodes in about a month (which is great for me!) and I already am having issues with my depression and suicidal thoughts (not so great). I'm scared. I don't know what the right thing to do for myself is right now. I know I should trust my doctor and try it but I also don't want to start a pill that isn't listed as a sedative (it's a side effect meaning it might not even happen to everyone and I'm commonly not affected by drowsiness as a side effect) and will take at least a week to even work. But then I keep jumping back to the "what if it does help though?" Then is it worth all of the other side effects and the fact that now my "sleeping pill" is going to be following me into my daily life? That's a big commitment just to try and sleep for the first night in weeks after every other "multiuse" drug has done nothing but break me down and take away my ability to actually think. Ive been seeing this doctor since I was 16, she knows very well the issues I have with sleep. And to be fair, I get why she might not want to prescribe just plain sleeping pills because of how addictive they are but even still, there has to be other options or at the very least couldn't I have a sleep study done? It just feels like she's completely ignoring my pleas for help and I'm being left to literally wither away mentally. If I could just sleep maybe I could get my life together again. if I could just do something.

    • Cassa

      477d

      I see that you also have adhd, have you tried treating that first? For me it was really helpful, as well as cognitive behavioral therapy. Pills are not the only way to treat insomnia. How to adhd (a yt channel) has an amazing video on adhd and sleep and I would highly recommend.

    • Xovil

      584d

      For some reason doctors rarely are aware of inexpensive supplements which have been proven in studies to be much safer and more effective than prescriptions with less side effects. Some things you can safely take every night long-term that I recommend are valerian root, lemon balm, L-theanine, chelated magnesium, and ashwagandha (sensoril extract). These don’t trigger mania or depression. It’s safe and effective to combine all of them but if you’re gonna go with just one - I used to give my girlfriend with insomnia valerian root when she was having trouble sleeping and just one small capsule would knock her out and kept her asleep for the whole night. Once you get your sleep under control, your depression/anxiety should lift at least somewhat and you’ll be feeling okay. I highly recommend looking into nootropics for depression and anxiety - figuring out the right stack/combo has helped me a lot. As a side note, if you weren’t already aware, you pretty much certainly have caused yourself brain damage from taking an entire gram of diphenhydramine every night for six months. Even 25mg doses have been linked with increased rates and earlier onset of dementia. It might be worth it to look into some supplements that fight against brain deterioration. For example, noopept is used as a preventative measure and treatment for Alzheimer’s, also to help a patient avoid mental decline after a stroke, or just to improve cognitive function in a healthy individual. Lion’s Mane is a neuroregenerative nootropic as well.

☝ This content is generated by our users and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision

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