Search the Community

My brain going into dream condition but not into sleep condition every night or day when ever I attempt to sleep I have believed the information about remote neural monitoring in all over internet and browsed internet 2 years heavily which resulted heavy thought process ,doubts and suspicion over near and dear. So I went to a psychiatrist and requested to bring me out of heavy thoughts.He made me use lorazepam for 10 days ,risperidone and trihexyphenidyl combination drug for 30 days.After 30 days my thoughts reduced so I did not go to doctor again.What a mistake ,I was ignorant of how psychiatry medicines work and slow tapering nor my doctor warned me while prescribing an anti psychotic.It is happened in july 2016. From then my brain going into dreams when ever I attempt to sleep.In october 2016 again I went to the same doctor and reported about the condition I am in.He prescribed olanzapine silently.I started using olanzapine ignorantly and innocently.When i was experiencing stomach upset that is when I researched in the internet about risperidone and olanzapine. Now this is june 2017 I have tapered risperidone and olanzapine safely and became drug free safely.But the thing is my brain still into dream condition and not allowing me to sleep when ever i attempt.My querry is what risperidone and trihexyphenidyl and lorazapam [10 days]did to my brain?what chemicals they blocked.Now stopping them cold turkey did what on my brain?what chemical i should take to get my sleep pattern back.?If I wait patiently with time will the brain correct its condition naturally?Any brain researcher please help.

ADMIN NOTE This essay first appeared in Dan998's success story. Also see: Tips to help sleep: so many of us have that awful withdrawal insomnia What is the sleep cycle? Melatonin for sleep Supplements for sleep * Sleep and withdrawal by Dan998 I thought it would be a good idea to write an article about sleep. Everyone’s symptoms and experiences will be different, but the vast majority of our members suffer terribly from issues surrounding sleep. For me, sleep was probably my biggest struggle. Right from the beginning I had a hard time sleeping and it’s probably only in the last year or two that it has returned to what I would call normal. Sleeplessness closely followed my pattern of windows and waves. Arriving a few days before and improving a few days afterwards. I’m convinced that these two things are closely linked to each other. During the worst of withdrawal I might have been lucky to get an hour of sleep per night. This sometimes went on for months and undoubtedly contributed to the mental confusion and cognitive incapacity that I have previously described. The cortisol mornings were particularly brutal. Fear, dread and panic rising from my core and quickly filling every part of my body as soon as I woke up. Getting a good night's sleep is vital for all humans, not just those in withdrawal. I still occasionally get nights where my sleep is interrupted and I always feel groggy and slow throughout the following day. Thankfully, like everything else on the withdrawal rollercoaster your ability to sleep will improve with the passage of time. Dosage timing - Some psychotropic drugs are activating, some have a sedative effect. You can use this to your advantage. Citalopram used to make me feel slightly drowsy, so I took my dose at night to help me sleep. Try to stay away from sleep meds if you can as most of them are highly addictive and you’ll quickly build up a tolerance to them. Take a nap - Sleep can often be elusive. Get it whenever you can. If you feel tired in the afternoon, then by all means take a nap. Every minute of sleep is valuable. It doesn’t have to be reserved for bedtime. Blue light - Blue light interferes with our natural circadian rhythms. In nature, blue light is only available during the daytime. The blue light emitted by T.Vs, computers and smartphones disrupts these natural rhythms and signals to our brains that we should be awake. Make use of the blue (night) light filters available on most computers and phones. If you’re watching TV, the movie setting often has a warmer colour temperature. I personally wouldn’t go online after about 10pm as I found it far too activating. Instead, I’d watch wildlife documentaries or sports as these provided much gentler viewing. Bedtime stories - Ok, I didn’t have actual bedtime stories. I would listen to talk radio. A soothing voice, quietly whispering in the background would help me drift off. I used to listen to BBC Radio 5 as it didn’t have any annoying adverts. Nowadays, you’ll probably find all sorts of podcasts, audiobooks and background noises to listen to. Make sure it’s nothing too stimulating. Boring is best. Darkness - I found blocking out the light really helped my sleep. The darker the better. I messed about with blackout curtains, but some light always got past, and it only took the tiniest sliver to wake me up. In the end I solved this problem by screwing a sheet of ply board over the window, this also helped block out most of the street noise too. Secret sleep - Sometimes you don’t realise you have been asleep. It seems that you’ve been laying there awake for hours and hours. In fact, there are many different levels of sleep. Just because you didn’t have any dreams, doesn’t mean you haven’t been asleep. So, even if you're not tired, you should go to bed at the same time every night. Lay down, make yourself comfortable and close your eyes. You'll be giving your body a rest and you might even grab an hour or two without even realising. I hope these hints and tips are of some benefit to those of you who are struggling with sleep. Things do get better as time goes on. Hang in there. Better days, and nights, are ahead of you. *

Hi all, glad to be here. Relatively new to the world of psychiatric medication. Here is my journey so far. I was on Latuda for a few months for mood issues (formal diagnosis of bipolar 2) and the stability was very nice. I also was placed on Guanfacine for ADHD. Back in early July I sunk into a kind of depression, I realized I took no joy in anything in life, whether it was hobbies or even loved ones. I had flat affect and lack of motivation and couldn't gain pleasure from anything. On the night of July 13 when I was laying in bed about to sleep, I had what felt like a multiple hour panic attack, with intense shaking and thrashing around. I was begging my partner to take me to the hospital but they wouldn't get up and I was unable to drive. Since that night I have been unable to sleep. I am not sure what caused that attack but I feel like my body is stuck in a state of constant fight or flight and the insomnia is intense, I have no idea how to treat this. Psyc. doc. thought the episode was a manic break. Seroquel was added to help with sleep, but it's been hit or miss whether it helps me get sleep or not. The dose has been continually increase to help with the supposed mania. Latuda was fast tapered and I got off by the end of July. Psyc. doc. thought the sleep issues were due to mania so I was placed on Lithium 600mg recently. I do not believe I am manic, and I feel the sleep issues are a trauma response. Recently I have been taking the Seroquel at various doses from 75-200 mg. I hate the way 400mg made me feel, like I was drunk and still didn't help me sleep. I think my body is stuck sympathetic nervous system dominance. I never get that sleepy feeling. Last night I took 100mg Seroquel and spent the night in a light sleep state where I couldn't tell if I was awake or asleep all night. This is exhausting, non-restorative and common experience for me lately. The other day I talked to my primary care physician re: insomnia and they suggested to not go to bed until sleepy. I ended up staying up until 3am then took 75mg Seroquel and got 3 hours of sleep. I am trying to be pragmatic about the sleep issues and pursue two treatment modalities: Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia. As far as personality, I am feeling more alive on the days that I am able to get some sleep, which might be once a week. I am just scared of being on Lithium, I don't think I need to be on it. I am worried I won't be able to sleep at all without the Seroquel but I hate taking a pill to sleep, especially since it is not even reliable. Tomorrow I have an appointment with my psyc. doc., we have been meeting about once a week since July because they say I am in crisis mode and I just don't know where to go from here.

I found this site after beginning to taper off venlafaxine. Effexor was prescribed for me ten or so years ago to help with fibromyalgia. Through the years doctors or nurse practitioners have upped my dose (usually due to situational depression and dysthymia). Somewhere I was switched from regular to XR and to the generic. My dose ended up at a high of 225 mg/day of venlafaxine XR. The few times I forgot to take my dose, I had quite a set of discontinuation symptoms: wild dreams, nightmares, "acid flashbacks." Because I have learned healthy ways of coping with fibro and dysthymia, I want to taper off the venlafaxine. My NP and I discussed and on Friday March 22, I started the taper as per what we figured out: 2-75 mg of XR + 1-37.5 nonXR, for a total of 187.5 mg/day. She told me to hold at this level for two months. What is that? 17%? A couple days later I had one night of insomnia, and then when I finally slept, my dreams were really crazy. One week and one day after, I had the worst migraine of my life. Usually I just get the aura and a slight headache for about 20 mins., but this one lasted all day; I was sick to my stomach and felt bad for two days. I also noticed I am sort of trembly and mentally dim. (What complicates this is that I also have had a nagging flu/cold for the last three weeks, and my head is still stuffed up, so I don't know what might be that and what might be the withdrawal.) Anyhow, I'm able to function, but feel crappy. The insomnia ended after one night as did the dreams. No more headache but I feel real tired and achy and still sort of dull. After reading about the 10% guideline, I'm wondering if I should go back up to 225, then drop 10% (I'd actually just split the 37.8 in half; it would be less than 10%), or if I should muddle through and reduce 10% the next time. Looking forward to support on this site. SugarDollMary Venlafaxine for 10+ yrs. For fibromyalgia, situational depression and dysthymia. Highest dose 225/day XR Taper #1 = 187.5 mg/day (2-75mg XR + 1-37.5 regular)