more sleep troubles [Archive] - RonFez.net Messageboard

AngelAmy

07-15-2006, 06:11 PM

There are many reasons why I can't fall asleep at night but the one I want to address tonight is the fact that I start getting paranoid that someone is going to come into my room and kill me or rape me or both.  My room is on the ground floor and very easy access for anyone on the street.  I rationalize with myself for a secondand tell myself that my dogs would start barking when people would get close but if they're sneaky and quiet enough I'm sure the dogs wouldn't find out until too late.  I just lay there or sit there with my heart pounding thinking of different ways people are going to break in and if I could grab my phone or sidekick in time to give someone some last words or if I were to be kidnapped that I would be able to grab a phone or sidekick to tell someone to save me.  All these things go through my head night in and night out an I am just wondering how to stop it because I really get myself freaked out.  I mean I play out my own murder in my head every night of my life, it's fucked up and I just want it to end.  Help me please!

Don Stugots

07-15-2006, 06:15 PM

why arent you sleeping with Reef?  Seriously, try smoking a joint or have a glass of wine before bed.  On a side note, my dad just went for a pysc test at the VA not to long ago, he got some $$$$ for the same thing that you are talking about.

angrymissy

07-15-2006, 06:21 PM

Major anxiety.  I had that for a while a few years ago, I did a round of PAxil and it wasa horrible drug.  Ativan (like Valium) helped to slow down my obssesive "somethingbadisgoingtohappentome" thoughts at night so I could sleep, but doctors are scared to prescribe that because it has abuse potential.After a course of a few months of Ativan I retrained myself to not get so paranoid and anxious, but I still get that way sometimes, and that is why I like to keep a giant bottle of White Zinfandel in the fridge.I would try to find an understanding shrink.  They're going to try to load you up on SSRI's first, which I personally wouldn't take.  All they did was make me feel more nutty.  The benzos help more (Ativan, Valium Xanax).  It's a mild sedative and will slow down the obsessive thinking.

This message was edited by angrymissy on 7-15-06 @ 10:23 PM

sr71blackbird

07-15-2006, 06:30 PM

Once a black guy broke into my old apartment while I was asleep.  I heard this loud bang and I woke up and all of a sudden, my kitchen light went on!  I was naked but grabbed a baseball bat and went running into the kitchen and the guy saw me and I yelled GET OUT OF HERE! and he turned around and took off.  My instincts took over and I went running up to the door after him and I could smell he was drunk and herd him running down the stairs, stumbling and crying out.   I was VERY scared, and called 911 right away and they showed up in 2 minutes.  I saw they nabbed him as he was walking down the street.  I got dressed and the cops came up to my apartment and they they told me he was drunk and came to the wrong house!  It scared the shit out of me.  My door was broken and I called your boyfriend and he came over in the morning.  But I could NOT sleep the rest of the night, even though I was dead tired.  I sat in bed all night with a loaded shotgun in my lap!  The next day I fortified the door and spent money on an alarm and brackets on either side of the door and a heavy steel I beam to bar the door.  It never happened again, but I was able to relax once I fortified my place.  Look into an alarm and window guards and some weapons like a baseball bat or a gun and youll feel better.<img height="166" src="http://www.securityproductsinc.com/images/Katy/KatyBarDoor-Photo.jpg" width="225" border="0" /><a href="http://www.securityproductsinc.com/products/Katy.htm">http://www.securityproductsinc.com/products/Katy.htm</a><img height="220" src="http://www.baseball-bats.net/images/rawlings-wood-bat.bmp" width="220" border="0" /> 

This message was edited by sr71blackbird on 7-15-06 @ 10:32 PM

Don Stugots

07-15-2006, 06:37 PM

angrymissy wrote: Major anxiety.  I had that for a while a few years ago, I did a round of PAxil and it wasa horrible drug.  Ativan (like Valium) helped to slow down my obssesive "somethingbadisgoingtohappentome" thoughts at night so I could sleep, but doctors are scared to prescribe that because it has abuse potential.After a course of a few months of Ativan I retrained myself to not get so paranoid and anxious, but I still get that way sometimes, and that is why I like to keep a giant bottle of White Zinfandel in the fridge.I would try to find an understanding shrink.  They're going to try to load you up on SSRI's first, which I personally wouldn't take.  All they did was make me feel more nutty.  The benzos help more (Ativan, Valium Xanax).  It's a mild sedative and will slow down the obsessive thinking.This message was edited by angrymissy on 7-15-06 @ 10:23 PM hey how can i get rid of my anxiety without pills?

sr71blackbird

07-15-2006, 06:46 PM

I also got myself a Crosman 357 lookalike pellet gun that looks very realistic and actually will hurt someone if they came in (if you didnt want to go out and buy a real shotgun or anything).  If you pulled this out from under your bed at someone, they will think its real and run away.  <img height="494" src="http://www.adventuresinairguns.com/357.jpg" width="678" border="0" />Ignore these people telling you to take drugs!  You dont need it.  When my brother came over after my incident, we went and bought some heavy duty door hardware, like a super strong plate that the deadbolt goes through, and I fortified the door with these brackets that you can get in Home Depot that you bolt through the door frame and you can use a 2 X 4 across the door and no one could get through the door with that in place!  Youll feel better once you know you fortified it and your anxiety will lessen naturally.

angrymissy

07-15-2006, 06:49 PM

STUGOTS1 wrote: angrymissy wrote: Major anxiety.  I had that for a while a few years ago, I did a round of PAxil and it wasa horrible drug.  Ativan (like Valium) helped to slow down my obssesive "somethingbadisgoingtohappentome" thoughts at night so I could sleep, but doctors are scared to prescribe that because it has abuse potential.After a course of a few months of Ativan I retrained myself to not get so paranoid and anxious, but I still get that way sometimes, and that is why I like to keep a giant bottle of White Zinfandel in the fridge.I would try to find an understanding shrink.  They're going to try to load you up on SSRI's first, which I personally wouldn't take.  All they did was make me feel more nutty.  The benzos help more (Ativan, Valium Xanax).  It's a mild sedative and will slow down the obsessive thinking.This message was edited by angrymissy on 7-15-06 @ 10:23 PM hey how can i get rid of my anxiety without pills?Good luck w/ that.  I was a wreck for two years.  SSRIs made me more jumpy, withdrawing off of the "non-addictive" Paxil was 3 months of hell.  I was a basket case at the height of my anxiety, my mind was all full speed thinking of any and all bad things that could happen to me.  I still get like this sometimes but can control it better.  Once I was on the the Ativan, I was slightly drugged up but able to be less anxious and more normal and I sort of retrained my mind, since I was able to not feel anxious.  It's kind of hard to explain.  Also, I had a good shrink that taught me how to work the anxiety out in my head.I only get really bad panic attacks once or twice a year now, and for that I use WINE.

narc

07-15-2006, 06:50 PM

You could always get one of those anti-rape devices that takes the guy's dick off that someone posted about in another thread recently.

angrymissy

07-15-2006, 06:50 PM

sr71blackbird wrote: I also got myself a Crosman 357 lookalike pellet gun that looks very realistic and actually will hurt someone if they came in (if you didnt want to go out and buy a real shotgun or anything).  If you pulled this out from under your bed at someone, they will think its real and run away.  <img height="494" src="http://www.adventuresinairguns.com/357.jpg" width="678" border="0" />Ignore these people telling you to take drugs!  You dont need it.  When my brother came over after my incident, we went and bought some heavy duty door hardware, like a super strong plate that the deadbolt goes through, and I fortified the door with these brackets that you can get in Home Depot that you bolt through the door frame and you can use a 2 X 4 across the door and no one could get through the door with that in place!  Youll feel better once you know you fortified it and your anxiety will lessen naturally.This is a horrific solution if she is truly having panic attacks.  If you pull it out at someone who HAS a gun, they're going to blow your ass away.  I had the same exact thing and it was full blown anxiety.  I had a loaded rifle in my house and I still paniced every night.  

This message was edited by angrymissy on 7-15-06 @ 10:51 PM

Sleeves

07-15-2006, 06:50 PM

You could always listen to my radio show. <img src="http://www.ronfez.net/messageboard/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smile.gif" border="0" />If you are having major anxiety and not sleeping and really finding it disrupting your life, you should definitely go see someone.  It's one of those things to just watch.  See how big it really is and try to see if it's getting worse. if you want to think about anything, think about how worried Fez is about things, like his heart, and how Ronnie's always pointing out that such things are just in his head.  "You're not really having a heart attack, you just think you are..." etc. Worries are self-created. That doesn't mean that it's easy to dismiss them.  It just means that when you start to realize where they come from - your head - and really really start to realize that, you begin to stop believing so intensely in them.  Instead of thinking someone's outside your door, you realize that you're just thinking it.

sr71blackbird

07-15-2006, 06:53 PM

angrymissy wrote: sr71blackbird wrote: I also got myself a Crosman 357 lookalike pellet gun that looks very realistic and actually will hurt someone if they came in (if you didnt want to go out and buy a real shotgun or anything).  If you pulled this out from under your bed at someone, they will think its real and run away.  <img height="494" src="http://www.adventuresinairguns.com/357.jpg" width="678" border="0" />Ignore these people telling you to take drugs!  You dont need it.  When my brother came over after my incident, we went and bought some heavy duty door hardware, like a super strong plate that the deadbolt goes through, and I fortified the door with these brackets that you can get in Home Depot that you bolt through the door frame and you can use a 2 X 4 across the door and no one could get through the door with that in place!  Youll feel better once you know you fortified it and your anxiety will lessen naturally.This is a horrific solution if she is truly having panic attacks.  If you pull it out at someone who HAS a gun, they're going to blow your ass away.  I had the same exact thing and it was full blown anxiety.  I had a loaded rifle in my house and I still paniced every night.  This message was edited by angrymissy on 7-15-06 @ 10:51 PM I do not think drugs are her answer.  I think if she had something (dog, weapon, etc.) she will feel secure.  Remember: I actually had someone break in...

narc

07-15-2006, 06:55 PM

The odd thing is thinking about Fez having a heart attack makes me think I'm having one. I'm 25. Yes I know how crazy this is. I had my first full blown panic attack last fall which was awful. I ended up putting on a dvd and just pacing. I'm still not taking anything, but luckily enough it hasn't recurred.

angrymissy

07-15-2006, 06:56 PM

EDIT - I mean to say that she should go to a doctor.  I am not adovacting drugs, but I had the same exact problem with the obsessive "somethingbadisgoingtohappen" thoughts.  

This message was edited by angrymissy on 7-15-06 @ 11:00 PM

angrymissy

07-15-2006, 06:58 PM

narc wrote: The odd thing is thinking about Fez having a heart attack makes me think I'm having one. I'm 25. Yes I know how crazy this is. I had my first full blown panic attack last fall which was awful. I ended up putting on a dvd and just pacing. I'm still not taking anything, but luckily enough it hasn't recurred. Totally normal.  I had NO anxiety at all until I dated someone who had major anxiety issues and would always take his pulse... My mother died of a heart attack so this made ME want to take my pulse... which lead to me constantly thinking I was having a heart attack.  You might be able to control it with just therapy.  The answer for me was benzos and therapy together.  I still get the panic attacks and want to drive myself to the ER, but I can control it much better now.

sr71blackbird

07-15-2006, 07:06 PM

I'm sorry missy

SatCam

07-15-2006, 08:27 PM

Once a black guy broke into my old apartment while I was asleep.

I bet if it was a white guy you would've sat down and had a cup of coffee with him

Gvac

07-15-2006, 08:54 PM

Anxiety, panic attacks, depression, irrational fears...they're all manifestations of a deeper problem.  Until you learn to deal with what's truly troubling you, these symptoms will persist.  When I was dealing with similar problems a few years ago, I found self analysis to be the answer.  Others might feel more comfortable talking to a therapist or therapy group.  Whatever works.You're incapable of analyzing anything if your mind isn't working properly, though.  Some medications may be needed to get you thinking rationally.  There's no need to fear them.  Talk to your doctor about some meds but realize that they're the means to an end and not the end itself.  Hang in there and best of luck.

narc

07-15-2006, 09:30 PM

I take the Ron Bennington approach to therapy.

Reephdweller

07-16-2006, 04:43 AM

Gvac wrote: Anxiety, panic attacks, depression, irrational fears...they're all manifestations of a deeper problem.  Until you learn to deal with what's truly troubling you, these symptoms will persist.  When I was dealing with similar problems a few years ago, I found self analysis to be the answer.  Others might feel more comfortable talking to a therapist or therapy group.  Whatever works.You're incapable of analyzing anything if your mind isn't working properly, though.  Some medications may be needed to get you thinking rationally.  There's no need to fear them.  Talk to your doctor about some meds but realize that they're the means to an end and not the end itself.  Hang in there and best of luck. I think Gvac nailed it. We're all different, so different things work for different people. We've been trying to get to the bottom of these fears for a while now. I think in part that a lot of that fear will subside when we ultimately get our own place. She and I have talked in the past that whenever we are together and sleep together that she sleeps much better. That's why I think getting our place in itself will go a long way. Perhaps therapy may be needed, or drugs, personally I'm a big fan of self analysis myself so I generally will break down my feelings or what's troubling me to a certaiin level and to try to work things out and help clear my mind. Though hopefully whatever works will ultimately bring her the peace she needs so she can get to sleep better.

AngelAmy

07-16-2006, 09:16 AM

I value everyone's sincere suggestions to help me out, even sr71, though I'm not quite sure I'd go his route hehe.I have been thinking a while about going to a sleep clinic or something of that nature even though I know it won't help with the panic attack stuff but I do have other sleep issues.  I think talking to someone along with self analysis may be the way to go even though I am so lost as to how to fix this problem and all my sleep problems.I toss and turn a lot while I sleep.  I grind my teeth while I sleep.  I have noticed in the past few months that no matter how much sleep I get, the later in the morning I go to bed the more rested I feel in the morning>  For a month I tried to go to sleep at somewhat of a normal hour only to wake up much more exhasted than I felt before I had gone to bed so I have gone back to my 3:30-4:00 bed time and I feel much better during the day.As reef said when we sleep together I find it much easier to fall asleep and I don;t move around as much.  Until we finally move in together, though, I will have to figure something out to help me along the way.  Friday night I had one of the worst trying to sleep experiences I've ever had.  I was extremely exhausted and I lay awake in bed in the dark without the computer or tv on for 2 hours trying to fall asleep.  That's when the panic attacks and mind racing and worrying and all that bullshit started happening again.  When I knew that it just wasn't happening I turned the tv on to see if it could relax me for a bit.  I finally called reef at 3am in tears because all I wanted to do was fall asleep and it just wasn't happening, I was feeling that I would wind up staying up all night because I wasn't even close.  I finally fell asleep at about 5am but it should not be this difficult.I think part of my problem is that no matter how hard I try to shut my mind off it just wants to keep going.  My dad suggested meditation but I hate yet to be able to relax to the point that my mind is blank and I can just go with it.Going back to the original topic at hand, though, this is what I do for some of the time.  I'd rather know if someone was there than to be suprised about it so I look through the cracks in my blinds to make sure I don't see any shadows.  Sometimes I see the flag swaying and that used to scare me but I have it in my mind now that when I see movement over there it's just the flag.  I also get a little panicy if a car with loud music comes tearing down my street late at night because I am always fearful of my car getting hit again....but again, that's a little off topic.  After I am done freaking myself out by looking out the cracks I try to turn over and try to relax and that is when my mind starts racing and my heart starts pounding harder and I go into fantasy land where I see my awful death.  Sometimes I wish I could hit myself in the head with a frying pan to knock me out for the night.

Reephdweller

07-16-2006, 09:22 AM

Not to go off topic but congrats on 7000 posts snookums!!

WhistlePig

07-16-2006, 09:24 AM

Move to a high-rise and get off the ground floor.

Jennitalia

07-16-2006, 09:39 AM

ambien rocks...

HeyGuy

07-16-2006, 09:46 AM

I have similar thoughts and cant sleep either. I always thimk I'm going to die, or get arrested for something I didnt do or something bad is going to happen to me. I have been told its anxiety, ocd, add etc. I recently started to take paxil cr, it has helped a little but not much. I still have problems sleeping and still feel like blah sometimes. What are SSRIs that some of you were talking about? Any help would be great. Thanks

HeyGuy

07-16-2006, 09:47 AM

Jennitalia wrote: ambien rocks... I took ambien for 2 years and stopped about 2 months ago. That shit is the best, but gets very addictive and after awhile it doesnt work as well.

Gvac

07-16-2006, 10:03 AM

Like I stated in my previous post, the medications are only to get you thinking clearly enough so you can deal with what's really troubling you Campo.  It took several weeks before Paxil started working for me, but the side effects were that it made me incredibly lethargic and I gained a ton of weight (about 40 lbs.).  It was worth it to stop those damned panic attacks, though.  It's tough to live your life when you feel like you're having a heart attack several times a day.  Being brutally honest with yourself is tougher than it sounds, but it's the only way you're going to get your life back.

Gvac

07-16-2006, 10:09 AM

FYI - I was on Paxil for 4 or 5 months before I weaned myself off of it.  I haven't taken any meds in over 4 years and I feel fantastic.

HeyGuy

07-16-2006, 10:40 AM

Gvac wrote: Like I stated in my previous post, the medications are only to get you thinking clearly enough so you can deal with what's really troubling you Campo.  It took several weeks before Paxil started working for me, but the side effects were that it made me incredibly lethargic and I gained a ton of weight (about 40 lbs.).  It was worth it to stop those damned panic attacks, though.  It's tough to live your life when you feel like you're having a heart attack several times a day.  Being brutally honest with yourself is tougher than it sounds, but it's the only way you're going to get your life back. thanks

ChimneyFish

07-16-2006, 10:59 AM

angrymissy wrote: angrymissy wrote: Good luck w/ that.  I was a wreck for two years.  SSRIs made me more jumpy, withdrawing off of the "non-addictive" Paxil was 3 months of hell.  I was a basket case at the height of my anxiety, my mind was all full speed thinking of any and all bad things that could happen to me.  I still get like this sometimes but can control it better.  Once I was on the the Ativan, I was slightly drugged up but able to be less anxious and more normal and I sort of retrained my mind, since I was able to not feel anxious.  It's kind of hard to explain.  Also, I had a good shrink that taught me how to work the anxiety out in my head.I only get really bad panic attacks once or twice a year now, and for that I use WINE.What was your withdraw like????I was on Paxil for a while, and I was forced to quit because I couldn't afford the prescription.(no insurance) It seemed to help me ,but I would never tell anyone to take medication like that. I didn't seem to go through any withdraw, but then again I really like alcohol.I know what your saying about your mind being "all full speed", but mine don't actually translate into actual thoughts. It's like a thousand different thoughts, but none of them make any sense. It's gotten to the point where I can't sleep without alcohol or sleeping pills.

Don Stugots

07-16-2006, 11:05 AM

CampoNJ wrote: Gvac wrote: Like I stated in my previous post, the medications are only to get you thinking clearly enough so you can deal with what's really troubling you Campo.  It took several weeks before Paxil started working for me, but the side effects were that it made me incredibly lethargic and I gained a ton of weight (about 40 lbs.).  It was worth it to stop those damned panic attacks, though.  It's tough to live your life when you feel like you're having a heart attack several times a day.  Being brutally honest with yourself is tougher than it sounds, but it's the only way you're going to get your life back. thanksjust ask Ronnie.  Seriously, i feel anxiety building up inside me all the time.  i usually just take a minute for myself and clear my head.  it has been happening more and more lately.

Gvac

07-16-2006, 11:10 AM

I just want to tell you that alcohol is about the worst possible thing you could be doing to yourself ChimneyFish.It's an incredibly powerful depressant, and those effects are usually most evident the next day, after you've slept off the drunkenness.  Then it becomes a cycle of dependency, having to drink again to counter the feelings of depression.  It's in your best interest to get off booze and any illegal substances you might be using for self-medication.  Talk to your doctor and let him know you've got no insurance but that you've taken anti depressants in the past with some success.  Chances are he'll hook you up with some samples.

angrymissy

07-16-2006, 11:37 AM

ChimneyFish wrote: angrymissy wrote: angrymissy wrote: Good luck w/ that.  I was a wreck for two years.  SSRIs made me more jumpy, withdrawing off of the "non-addictive" Paxil was 3 months of hell.  I was a basket case at the height of my anxiety, my mind was all full speed thinking of any and all bad things that could happen to me.  I still get like this sometimes but can control it better.  Once I was on the the Ativan, I was slightly drugged up but able to be less anxious and more normal and I sort of retrained my mind, since I was able to not feel anxious.  It's kind of hard to explain.  Also, I had a good shrink that taught me how to work the anxiety out in my head.I only get really bad panic attacks once or twice a year now, and for that I use WINE.What was your withdraw like????I was on Paxil for a while, and I was forced to quit because I couldn't afford the prescription.(no insurance) It seemed to help me ,but I would never tell anyone to take medication like that. I didn't seem to go through any withdraw, but then again I really like alcohol.I know what your saying about your mind being "all full speed", but mine don't actually translate into actual thoughts. It's like a thousand different thoughts, but none of them make any sense. It's gotten to the point where I can't sleep without alcohol or sleeping pills.My withdrawl was horrific.  I was on 30mg (I think) for around 8 months.  I stopped taking it cold turkey and had to taper off for months.  I got what I can only describe as "zaps".  It was like a head rush every few minutes.  I was shaky and had horrible crying jags and got very very sick to my stomach.  I wouldn't go back on an SSRI because of it.  They now have withdrawl warnings on the paxil.Combo of therapy and the Ativan worked for me.  Once I was able to feel slightly normal again, I got better.

ChimneyFish

07-16-2006, 12:10 PM

I'm pretty sure I've had the "zaps" as you say, so maybe I did go through some sort of withdrawl.Ativan won't work for me, because any doctor who has my medical history won't prescribe it.(I'm an addict)And Gvac, while you are very right about the alcohol, I used to be a junkie. I don't drink every single day, but when I do I get drunk. I know I'm an alcoholic, but my life is actually livable right now.The time is going to come soon when I have to quit drinking and smoking. The problem is, I'm going to have to go back on the brain drugs when I do this. After I got off heroin, and was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder(along with a few other things), I spent a few years as, basically, a guinea pig. I was on 7 different meds at one point.I was basically an emotionless vessel of flesh. I didn't find any joy in living like that, so I took myself off of the meds(I know, not a smart idea). The only thing I've taken since then is Paxil, because I started to get really bad anxiety attacks a couple years back.While I know the alcohol and cigarettes are killing me, I can at least find some happiness in life right now(although not much). My problem is, I really don't trust psychologists/psychiatrists because of all the shit I've been through with both.I'm 30 now, and I guess the time is near to decide if I'll die form the lung cancer/cirrhosis, or live the rest of my days as little more than an android.

suggums

07-16-2006, 12:14 PM

you dont need drugs amy <img width="331" height="384" border="0" src="http://www.cannabis.com/growing/bigbudpix27.jpg" />i recommend a plastic molded mouthguard for the teeth grinding, my mom uses one and it worked for her.  id also say give meditation another shot, maybe from a different perspective than whatever you tried before.  there's no easy way to start meditating, but it can really help a lot if you can get into it 

This message was edited by suggums on 7-16-06 @ 4:16 PM

angrymissy

07-16-2006, 12:19 PM

ChimneyFish wrote: I was basically an emotionless vessel of flesh.  That is exactly how I felt on SSRI's.  I was not happy about anything, or sad about anything.  I was just totally level.  I had no emotion really at all.  I'd rather be depressed and anxious

Death Metal Moe

07-16-2006, 12:25 PM

I will never put any of those drugs doctors push on you in my body for a fucking second.  I have heard and seen far too many horror stories.  And any success story is always followed by a "But it took me 2 years of trial an error to find this drug" stories or some similar side effect story.Fuck that.

ChimneyFish

07-16-2006, 12:27 PM

angrymissy wrote: ChimneyFish wrote: I was basically an emotionless vessel of flesh.  That is exactly how I felt on SSRI's.  I was not happy about anything, or sad about anything.  I was just totally level.  I had no emotion really at all.  I'd rather be depressed and anxiousExactly.I wasn't suicidal, but I had no intrest in living the rest my life like that.By the way, I'm not sure I know what you mean by SSRI's.

SatCam

07-16-2006, 12:45 PM

How about sleeping with the radio on? Works for me. Also, a fan or AC to relax you (both physically and mentally). Do you sleep with the light on? That could help.

If it hasn't been said already, you need to realize that your fear is, for the most part, irrational. Although what you're imagining CAN happen, the chances of it happening to you are slim-to-none. There are so many first floor windows, so many women, and so little guys who are like that.

This probably doesn't help at all, but you also must realize that there is very little you can do. They will always be able to break a window, force in a door, etc. There is nothing you can do to make this threat go away but accept that it exists and accept that the chances of it happening are so small that it most likely won't happen. And if it does, not sleeping is only going to make you weaker.

just speaking the troof

back into the hole, satcam...

narc

07-16-2006, 01:32 PM

Just to clear the air - SSRI = Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. A lot of antidepressants are SSRIs, with the theory that depression/anxiety comes from your body reabsorbing too much serotonin that is let out naturally. 
I was on prozac for awhile. A lot of people I knew were too, and it sounds like a lot of people here were as well. But I was on a really low dosage just to take the edge of the anxiety and OCDs. I know a lot of people had bad experiences with them, but I was fine with it. Not much change one way or the other (probably because of the low dosage). It just evened me out like Missy said. But then in my first year of law school, I just stopped taking it, in large part because I felt like I could stand to be more obsessive. 
I still have some of the anxiety things like I said above. But now, I try to recognize it and deal with it, and not be too hard on myself about it, which is the tough part. I mostly sleep great now. But the weird thing is that like Amy was saying, the one time I had that panic attack was when I literally had not much else to do for the semester, and as a result, tried to go to bed early. I was really tired, but my body just couldn't take it, and I started freaking out that the one thing I had left to do that semester would go completely wrong. And then I started freaking out that I was freaking out, and it fed off of itself. Really bad. Really bizarre. But like I said, for the most part, I can keep it together.

AngelAmy

07-16-2006, 02:38 PM

i recommend a plastic molded mouthguard for the teeth grindingI have one, it just falls out during the night, sometimes i think I take it out without realizing it because a few times i have woken up and it's back on my shelf. I find it funny.How about sleeping with the radio on? Works for me. Also, a fan or AC to relax you (both physically and mentally). Do you sleep with the light on? That could help. I wouldn't be able to fall asleep with the radio on because I am such a light sleeper but I do have my fan on to soothe me and the moon light of my bearded dragon's tank is always on.

FUNKMAN

07-16-2006, 03:27 PM

i was really tired last night and went to bed earlier than usual. my normal time is approx 3 a.m. and i went to bed at 1 a.m. and was out like a light. 1:30 my daughter calls me from her friends house. she's sleeping over but got an upset stomach and asked me to pick her up. Got her home and was up til 6 a.m. before i could fall asleep again...

sr71blackbird

07-16-2006, 04:17 PM

I can only sleep with a fan on in the room or a white noise generator (look in the top right of the closet on "my" room),  It makes a static noise like if radio was set to a non existant station.  Try to rationalise like Satcam says of the likelyhood of something happening.  Would YOU break into somoenes house if you thought they were home?  The act of making it seem as if someone is home is a form of self therapy.  You know me, I worry all the time about my job and if I lose it and whatnot.  I somehow can sleep even though I am worrying.  I also take meds for anxiety too, but they do not stop me from worrying! Try walking when you get home.  Walk until you are very tired and come home and take a hot shower and then go to bed.  Keep a book by your bed so you can sleep.  I usually only read a paragraph before I pass out.  The excercise helps a lot, believe me!

JarvisCocker

07-20-2006, 05:45 PM

You need to talk to someone.  Don't try marijuana like people are suggesting b/c of its paranoia properties.  Drinking and drugs are far from the answer and if you don't have a habit - why start now.  Be careful with the benzos for anxiety - they are not supposed to be taken for more than two weeks.  See a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist.  Interview a few before deciding on the one you are most comfortable with.  In the meantime, get some good locks on the doors and windows, security lights outside and an alarm system that links to the police and fire dept. if possible.  It will help you mentally knowing that you've done all you can.  Lack of sleep will fuel your anxiety so take care of that first.