First line of defense: psychotherapy

[hyphenate]

Because of the depression and a hundred other things, I went back to a therapist last winter. The problem for me is that there are too many calamities all happening either concurrently or right after each other.

Well, the new guy and me didn't quite work out, and yesterday, I told him I quit. First of all, I cited the Fibro/CFS for making me constantly, which is true. I told him I wanted to have some kind of peace and quiet, with no obligations for a little while.

This is one of the problems I have with people--they just don't understand that if you are trying to achieve some semblance of normality and have a condition that keeps you from having real sleep, you want the ability to sleep when you should, and not when you shouldn't. The ex-doc unfortunately is attributing the desire to sleep as depression, and says I still need "help."

He kept telling me that I seem to avoid problems by refusing to discuss them. I think we ALL have some secrets that we don't want to discuss with anyone, and that even goes for seeing a shrink. People like this doc take everything you say trying to find the hidden motives behind it, and that's not the real problem. I began to go to him because of the physical problems which keep growing in my life, as well as all the other shit in my life. I've been forthright about many things, but there are some things I would rather keep to myself. There aren't a lot of these things, but they're simply none of his business, and they aren't blocking me from getting somewhere. BTW, politics is one of the things I want to discuss, and he won't go into that, which is likely one of the things I have to talk about and get off my chest. The therapist I had 3 years ago was great--I could talk about so much with him, and I hated to see him leave. I needed a sounding board then, and that's what I need now and what I wasn't getting.

Anyway, sleepiness tends to creep up on me quite frequently when it shouldn't, and yet I spend a great deal of time during the night with NO sleeping. I need to reset the internal clock and get myself back to normal with the main intention to get off the damned sleeping pills if possible. And that can be achieved as I slowly bring myself back to a real schedule.

Sorry if I'm rambling--it's just after noon and I can barely keep my eyes open.

[mopinko]

1. you are taking meds and still not sleeping?

what are you taking? i have fibro, and i am MUCH better since taking ambien.
but i do hear ya. shrinks have a hammer, everything is a nail. neurochemical disorders are just not seen as something that is different and yet the same. they can't sort it out.

[hyphenate]

2. Uh, yeah

I'm taking a whole drugstore it seems. The new regular doc put me on Ambien because she wouldn't give me a narcotic pain killer, and said I should get a good night's sleep with it, but truth be told, I feel like it's only making me foggier at times. I'm also taking my Elavil and Flexeril just before bedtime (50mg and 10mg, respectively) which aren't really doing a whole lot of good.

If I don't take the Ambien, I end up with rebound insomnia, and I hate when I end up physically dependent on something. I'm going to try this coming week to get off the Ambien and reset the clock to get back on a regular schedule.

[mopinko]

3. i also take a melatonin

at night. i do the flexeril, too. i think that the combo has given me good sleep. although i sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, i usually can get back to sleep. the melatonin seems to make my sleep a lot more restful. my dreams are more peaceful. i used to always have dreams where i was running, or fighting. now they are much more calm.
good luck. this shit sucks.

[Warpy]

4. I had to reset my clock, bigtime

because I'd been working nights for 18 years. In the beginning, I'd sleep only every third night or so. The other nights I'd just read or keep meaningless TV on, anything to distract the runaway freight train brain clattering in my head and keeping me awake. Gradually, I've come to sleep about four nights out of five. If I don't sleep, I keep myself awake any way I can. Naps don't work for me, just insure another rotten night's sleep.

The only bedtime meds I take are a Tylenol and 25 mg. of Benadryl. On good nights, they knock me out until morning. On bad nights, I get about 3 hours. I did bitch and moan nonstop for a long enough time that I do have a good pain med, Ultram. Everything I've read in the literature has said that's the most effective thing for fibro patients and it's worked out well for me. An added benefit is that it's $4.00 at Wally's.

The problem with most sleeping pills is the rebound insomnia, and the only way past it is through it. Some of them are very dangerous to stop all of a sudden and your doctor is your best guide for which ones.

The keys for dealing with fibro are regular sleep, decent exercise, and pain control. It's the latter that too many docs are ignoring, and that is what is contributing most to the disability so many of us face.