Need help with insomnia

[jsrn66]

I have been in a hypomanic state for about 3 weeks now.  Even though I take Restoril 30 mg, Lunesta 3 mg, and Clonipin 2mg at bedtime, I'm still up all night or in and out of bed all night except for about 3 hrs of sleep.  Then I'm exhausted in the morning and make the mistake of napping for 3-4 hrs which my shrink says I shouldnt do.
This has been going on too long.  I have only had about 3 nights of 6-7 hrs sleep since Halloween and I dont know what to do.  I've tried relaxation tapes, hot baths, etc but still have racing thoughts all throughout the night when I"m awake.  I'm back to spending too.......which is not good...........but the holidays coming up are definately a good excuse for buying !
I am on Lamictal 100 mg, Geodon 80 mg 2x/day and then the above sleepers. Its almost 5 am and I'm still up.
Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks

[BP2PROFESSIONAL]

The benzodiazeapams you are on have used up all of your GABA in your system. You're also likely to have very low melatonin (the hormone that makes your body tired) and high cortisol from the stress. Same thing happened to me I couldn't get to sleep and when I did Id sleep in all day. Get a cortisol saliva test done across the day to check your levels as well as melatonin blood test. If I'm correct you reduce cortisol levels by exercising during the day and taking phosphatidylstyrene just before bed. You also up melatonin by taking it as drops just before bed as well. You're likely addicted now to the benzodiazeapams as it's used up your GABA. Best way to replace GABA is to take PreGABA which is a supplement to produce more GABA, which is the exact opposite of what will likely happen as your doctor will likely say your more anxious can't sleep so take more benzodiazeapams which will only make it worse.

[Stacia04]

My manic episodes were causing me a lot of trouble now I'm taking 80mg strattera. hopefully it helps.

[cornyguy]

one more thing you should not drink alcohol with it.All the anti psychotics cause weight gain so if you are concerned with weight gain you would be better off without them but that should be decided by your Pdoc

[cornyguy]

Hi,I have been taking Tegretol since the past Eleven years and been doing very well on it except in July 2009 a huge personal stressor caused a hypomanic episode and I needed Risperidone for 4 months.I have been tapered off Risperidone by my Pdoc and am stopping it tomorrow.Tegretol does not cause weight gain but in a small minority of patients it can cause a decrease in white cell counts or liver enzyme abnormalities so initially you will need blood tests to check your white cell count,liver function test and tegretol level in blood.After a few months you need to get these tests done once in six months.It is a good mood stabilizer with minimal side effects as compared to other mood stabilizers and is an effective mood stabilizer in  Bipolar disorder.Hope this helps.

[jsrn66]

Hi,  I asked about the tegretol.......can you tell me about your experience with it and what possible side effects that it has on you.  I'm very interested in getting personal info on it b/c that may be my next possibility (as per my shrink)
Thanks

[jsrn66]

I was on Seroquel for the calming effect at bedtime but I gained 20 lbs in about 7 wks.  It did work to help me get to sleep but I cant afford the wt gain b/c I have high triglycerides and want to stay off of meds for that PLUS I dont want to be obese b/c of meds.  I am very paranoid about my wt gain from this and although my husband says its not important, I feel that people will judge me and not realize that I didnt eat myself into obesity.

[theguts]

Just wanted to let you know you are not alone.  I also have the insomnia problem.  Not quite as bad as yours anymore (my pdoc has been tweeking my meds).  But is has thrown me into a hypomanic state.  I go see my pdoc on Monday, hope I can last till then.  Just know you are not alone!

The Guts

[ILADVOCATE]

Geodon can be activating. From what I know that is a subclinical dose of Lamictal. I believe it doesn't start working until 150 mg. but you could ask your psychiatrist. As for sleep aides, Rozerem is an FDA approved medication that works like melatonin to adjust the sleep cycle and is safe and non addictive. The other sleep aides you are on are ones a person can build up a tolerance to. Don't make any changes on your but first your psychiatrist should find out if the cause is that the medications aren't working and you are still rapid cycling or that the Geodon is keeping you up at night or both.

[Mme86]

Hi I posted this in another thread and I think it is relevant to you also.
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Im not a doctor or an expert, I do know however that the way I stop my racing thoughts(to help me sleep/relax) is to draw or paint, I know it sounds weird, but getting some of that stuff in your head out into the real world has helped me calm down many, many times.

Just get an A4 peice of paper and scribble on it, you cant get it wrong or make a bad drawing. Just make some marks on the paper and express yourself, do it for as long as you can, and when you simply cant focus anymore, go and get a drink of water, or look  at the stars/clouds, then go back to scribbling. If you find you want to draw something in particular, go for it, but dont get cought up into thinking "I cant draw im no good at drawing".  Try some paint or colored pencils!
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Also I know its a broad concept, but do you excercise during the day? A small amount of excercise early in the morning can help you to balance your energy levels throughout the day and evening.

Similarly its not rocket science, but try to eat 3 regular meals of vegs and meat in a day, avoid processed food, and drink lots of water.

I managed to turn my life around by just changing my lifestyle. A small amount of discipline goes a long way.

Hope this advice is useful.

Cheers.
M.

[cornyguy]

It seems that Lamictal is not working for you as you are having racing thoughts.You should consider asking your Pdoc for Tegretol as a mood stabilizer.The Geodon can be activating in some people so you could request your Pdoc to change it to Seroquel which is sedating and will help as it has a better mood stabilizing effect amongst the anti psychotics.Hope this helps.