hello

[milkyjoe]

hi
   im 40 years old. i was first diagnosed with depression and anxiety when i was 33 when i quit playing football. i have always suffered from irrational thoughts, shoehorning illness into my real life.

i think i was 16 when i had my first episode when i thought i was terminally ill, it passed no problem. when i was 33 i was convinced i was a goner and my sleep went away. life without sleep is horrible for me. i cant function. so i can go years without incident. but if im ill i think the worst and fall apart. my latest episode involved finding a lump in my armpit and thinking its lymphoma straight away. of course it wasnt but im now left with crippling insomnia.

my usual treatment is to get annnihilated on alcohol for a few weeks. i feel terrible in the morning and great at night, whilst waiting for the citalopram to kick in.
however this time i was already on the citalopram(20mg) just got it bumped to 40 mg but nothing is happening so really worrieed im never gonna sleep again.

in fact im not sure i have enjoyed life for a few years now. .

[Amanda_George]

Thank you for your intro, Joe, and welcome to the forum!

You could almost be talking about me with most of your message so I really do understand where you're coming from.  Have you found anything that helps you to sleep or not really?  What is your nightly routine?  Have you tried meditation or anything like that? 

You will sleep again, but I understand the insomnia... have you found anything helps you to relax at night?  A hobby or anything like that?  What about randomly surfing the net?  Or creating a website in HTML?  Something creative like a colouring book for adults that you can get off Amazon?

I'm far from a doc, but getting drunk while you're on the Citalopram could be the cause of the pills not working, so how would you feel about not using alcohol for a few weeks?  It's just that alcohol is a depressant is all which may be why you've needed to increase your dose is all.

Not meaning to lecture you or anything, just trying to offer a few suggestions is all   

[milkyjoe]

hi amanda and thank you for replying.

my usual night is watching tv in bed and when im tired trying to sleep with little success. after a few restless days i then drink and catch up. it really isnt ideal i know. but its the only day i feel normal again. im going to docs tomorrow and gonna level with him about my drinking. i just feel like i have developed a bad habit regarding my sleep pattern.

[Amanda_George]

Do you go to bed before you're tired?  Maybe stay out of the bedroom until you're tired then listen to the radio instead of watching TV?  That's what I do!   

How would you feel if he offered you a short course of sleeping pills so that you could catch up on your sleep a bit?  Not forever or anything, just a month's worth so that you can get into a new, better, sleep routine?

[milkyjoe]

yeah i dont go bed till im tired. i been on zopiclone before, they worked okay but docs never give them me till i get even worse.  very frustrating. i defo still got severe anxiety as i soak the bed with sweat when i wake up after a very short sleep

[Amanda_George]

I've got no idea about anxiety, but maybe ask for something that eases it and makes you sleepy as a side effect?   

[milkyjoe]

wow. something like that would be great

[Amanda_George]

My previous AP (anti psychotic) sent me to sleep for 12 hours within minutes of taking it so maybe there's something similar for anxiety?   

[Pip]

 :welcome:

I suffer with severe depression, anxiety and have manageable OCD.  It has been an issue for me over the years over sleeping but now it's not too bad but that's probably more to do with the combination of meds I take.  What helps me when I can't sleep is to read but it's different to everybody.

[milkyjoe]

hi pip.

        well i decided to drop the alcohol and see how i go regarding sleeping. last night wasnt great, think i had about 3 hours tops so im drained today. i did buy a sleep aid with has valerian in it but didnt take it yesterday. was wondering if anyone knows if it could interfere with 40mg citalopram?

[Amanda_George]

It might take a while to see any effects of not drinking alcohol but keep going, Joe!  Your body is sorta going "I want alcohol" right now, but if you can get through the cravings then hopefully you will see the positive affects of the Citalopram slowly start putting in an appearance which will help your mood... you're doing well so keep going!

[SteveW]

Joe
Valerianic Acid, which is the sedative bit of Valerian Root, doesn't have any interactions with any anti-depressants that I have heard only  St Johns Wort falls into that category. I wouldn't advise taking a sedative anti-psychotic like Olanzepine or Quetiapine. These are potent drugs intended for the treatment of psychosis and schizophrenia. The sedative effect is a side effect that many people don't get. This type of drug can raise cholesterol and many claim they can trigger Type 2 Diabetes. They aren't nice benign little drugs. Using them to control insomnia is a bit over the top.

Taking Promethazine or Amitryptyline would be a far safer bet. Promethazine is OTC but you might have to discuss things with a pharmacist before they gave it to you.

I wish you luck. Insomnia can be misery.

[milkyjoe]

hi steve.

             thanks for the advice. im gonna try the sleep aid tonight.  hopefully  it will help

[Amanda_George]

How did it go last night, Joe?  I hope you were able to sleep!

[Pip]

Joe,

Not drinking alcohol is a good idea even if it doesn't seem like it at the moment.  I drink but keep it to once a week or special occasions but I do know what it's like not being able to sleep.  I use one of my meds, Amitriptyline, as a sleeping tablet as well as for pain.  Citalopram didn't help me after the first few months which is why I take sertraline.