Depression (major depression)

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• October 14, 2011 4:57 a.m.

  Hi iv had bad sleep for the last 8 years, What i found that helped was a small dose of lexipro per night, lexipro has a side affect of sleepiness half an hr after taking it, I would recomend this to anyone, it is a modern antidepresant. I also found haveing a phsical daytime Job helps too as i feel very tired after a busy day at work, I was also told not to goto bed too early even though i feel very tired, this gives you more quality sleep time as one of my main problems was frequent waking during the night, hope this helps.

  - wayne

• February 23, 2011 1:30 a.m.

  I was diagnosed with major depression 6 years ago. After some trial and error with other meds, I started on Cymbalta with good results. Worked as a travel nurse for several years without a problem. I have been in a permanant position for 18 months. Things were fine until last October when I was placed in a night shift job. My depression is now almost as bad as before I sought treatment. I can't find any documentation on NRI use and working nights. My sleep is not as good even with darkening the room and turning off the phone. Any suggestions or data?

  - Karen

• February 17, 2011 9:18 p.m.

  I have taken Anti-depressents for 25 years. Most of them have as side effects sleep problems. I have Major depression. I also have Central Sleep Apnea, talk about a double whammy! I am on Ensam now and given that 3 of it's major side effects have to do with not sleeping, I'm getting off it. I'm going to take something that is compatible with trazodone. The best sleep I ever got was when I was taking trazodone.

  - Julie

• January 30, 2011 8:50 p.m.

  Developed a sleeping disorder while working full time and attending San Diego State University - Graduated 1979 Sunday January 30, 2011: Poor sleep is currently still a problem, take three milligrams of Xanax and 300 of Serquel XR at bedtime. Sometimes still up thirty-six hours often.

  - Kenneth

• January 29, 2011 6:11 p.m.

  last sentence below was cut off....ANTIDEPRESSANTS CAN CAUSE LACK OF SLEEP, and lack of sleep can cause depression!

  - renee

• January 29, 2011 6:10 p.m.

  Why is there no mention in this article that ALL major antidepressants, except trimipramine, mirtazapine and nefazodone can suppress REM sleep! "This often causes increased fatigue in patients who take large doses of antidepressants for extended periods of time. Such fatigue can interfere with a patient's everyday activities. Abrupt discontinuation of MAOIs can cause a temporary phenomenon known as "REM rebound" in which the patient experiences extremely vivid dreams & nightmares." For almost 3 years, I suffered from EXTREME exhaustion, no matter how much "sleep" I got. I felt like I was a zombie, couldn't concentrate, felt like I was running in circles. I had a sleep study that revealed I did NOT get ANY REM sleep. This is the stage of sleep where our bodies (& minds) get rejuvinated. I was also diagnosed with PLMD (periodic limb movement disorder) my legs kicked 685 times while I was asleep, I was not aware at all, & PLMD can cause arousals that prevent Stage 3 and 4 (REM) sleep. Antidepressants can also cause PLMD! If you are not getting enough sleep or feel exhausted no matter how much sleep you get, you NEED to have a sleep study! Whether it's because of sleep apnea or other issues, you won't really know until you have a sleep study done. I've stopped my antidepressants, am working with a sleep doc, psychiatrist & soon a neurologist to figure out what the next steps are, but ANTIDEPRESSANTS CAN CAUSE LACK OF SLE

  - renee

• October 31, 2010 4:43 p.m.

  Hi, I Know what a lot of you are going through. I have fibromyalgia and am really struggling. I am currently on savella. It worked at first and now has seemed to take a turn for the worse and I am in sooooo much pain. It hurts to move, to be touched. No matter how much sleep i get it's not enough. I wake up in tears from exhaustion. It's making me reallly depressed. Like I don't know what I am supposed to do. All i know is I want to feel better. I have never been so depressed in my life. I find myself just crying all the time. Quality of life is really hard. Its hard for me to work.

  - Katrina

• September 26, 2010 8:11 a.m.

  i am taking doxycyclin and escitolorapam for depression ,when i was in depressed i dreamed in night that i am walking ,not in practically but im my dream ,i want to know what is this? my second question is that i see a vision in air that small tiny like water drops are floating in air not a single but more than hundred attached one another and when i fell in depressed it increases in number please explain me.

  - mriganka

• June 23, 2010 3:03 p.m.

  The post below descibes my whole life (except Im not BiPolar).It is living with feeling like your entire body is exhausted .Even if I could sleep,,,I dont think i would feel rested .Lack of sleep is an awful way to live .

  - K

• June 22, 2010 5:46 p.m.

  I hadn't slept for 14 days except for 30 or 40 mins a nite. I got so crazy from it that I kept taking multiple doses of my anti-anxiety meds one night, and the next thing I knew I was in a psych ward for over-dose. I didn't try to kill myself, I just wanted sleep!! (p.s. I found out that I was addicted to xanax and didn't even know it!!!!!) Now I am having the same problem again, my mind just won't shut off, and when it finally does, I am awake an hour later. I cut out coffee after 10:00am, force myself to stay awake all day, eat regular meals, turn off tv 1/2 hr before bed, write my worries down before bed, but this hasn't helped any. I am so tired everynight and in the morning, my mind goes into panic mode again. Rapid breathing, holding breath, constant looking over my shoulder, clenching jaw etc. I am really getting tired of this.. (Yes I have been prescribed sleep medications, but they doesn't work). I am bi-polar, major depressive, acute PTSD and a bunch more stuff. (every psychiatrist I go to adds one or two on).

  - Scherry

• April 24, 2010 8:13 p.m.

  Two years ago I became severly depressed, I have tried medication and theraphy and nothing seems to help me. Sleep, I have no ideal what that is. I have tried everything. I will only sleep for about 20-30 mins. now. This is a long time for me. I can take 10 sleeping pills and other things and I still will not sleep. My doctor has given medication, but it too doesn't work. I have tried many things. At points I don't care about waking up, I just need sleep. I can't seem to move past troubled thoughts and I try to sleep to make the time pass. I'm afraid that if I don't control my sleep I will not make it at times. i HAVE Thought alow about killing myself, but, I do put that out of my mind, it's truly something I do not want to do. But I know when I don't sleep I become a different person. Once when I was in the emergercy room the doctors gave me something, that too let me sleep, rest for about 10-25 mins. I know my body is highly strung. Death and adulty is the casue. I just need to find a way to rest. I'm tried of medication and everything else. I hate myself becasue I'm not stron enough to move on

  - v

• April 27, 2009 6:18 p.m.

  I go through cycles of no sleep. The last for a couple months. I dose my own medications which is an awful idea. I finally crash and tell by psyc what is going on. This time I got so bad that I ended up in a psych ward for 5 days. My husband has stated that I've recently started snoring. I'm wondering if I have sleep apnea. I'm currently diagnosed with Bipolar. I take enough meds to knok out an elephant

  - Crissy

• April 22, 2009 11:21 a.m.

  I developed a severe major depressive episode in 1997 and with that, I experienced severe sleep problems. Problems with severe insomnia, extremely restless sleep, completely nonrestorative sleep, constantly waking up repeatedly, etc. The psychiatrists I used just prescribed psychiatric meds...nobody even suggested I have a sleep study and get screened for sleep apnea. I suffered severely for ten years with "treatment resistant depression," being rotated from one psychiatry drug to another, to no avail. Finally, in 2007, a pulmonary specialist sent me to a sleep study, diagnosed me with obstructive sleep apnea and I was put on CPAP, with good results. Finally, the restless sleep is gone, my sleep is much more restorative, my insomnia improved dramatically and my mood and cognition improved. It also helped restore my ability to exercise hard. Im somewhat angry at psychiatry for stringing me along for ten years and never taking the bull by the horns and not referring me for a sleep study. Its obvious to me...as well as my family...that sleep apnea is at least half my problem. Psychiatry needs to get with it...they have a poor reputation and a bad name and its reasons like this that many dont care for the specialty. All they are is pill pushers and most Pdocs dont look aggressively for underlying medical conditions that could be causing mood/anxiety problems or psychosis. I still take an SSRI, but without CPAP compliance, it hardly works.

  - Reggie

• March 25, 2009 11:55 p.m.

  If you are experiencing poor sleep on an ongoing basis it WILL lead to other problems like depression, ED etc. In my case the culprit was sleep APNEA (severe while in REM sleep). The classic symptoms were there, included waking up at night holding my breath feeling like I was choking, morning headaches, low energy, always tired etc.. A diagnosis by the sleep lab led to CPAP therapy. I am gradually getting my life back now that I can sleep well. Good sleep IS neccesary as it allows one to have the energy to cope effectively with the daily stresses of life.

  - Alan

• October 8, 2008 8:42 p.m.

  Hi there I'm not sure if you know more about what I have the Doctor I spoke to here called it "nocturnal anxiety". I have five times the amount of arousals per hour a night then the average person. And I am looking for more information about these "arousals" that spike me into wakefulness for a split second. I don't want to take addictive sleeping pills or paxil as was suggested because the side affects are scary. But I need to start sleeping right because its starting to affect my life and ever aspect of it... health , relationships, job, concentration, physical strength and of course sleep. The doctor I spoke with said I was born this way... and I have had issues since I was a child, but I would really like to figure this out more...learn about it so I can stop it from happening. Can you send me information about "arousals" during sleep cycles. Thank you, Stef

  - Stef

• July 13, 2008 9:03 a.m.

  My husband was diagnosed with extremely severe sleep apnea approximately 3 year ago. At the same time he went into a major depression episode lasting for a year. He uses a C-Pap. Now he has gone into another depression and to date the medications have not helped. I know he doesn't sleep "normal" even with the C-Pap and he stays in bed almost 24/7. What can I do to help him? At this point I am fighting going into a depression along with him. I am emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted. I also am in pain 24/7 from back problems which I can not get treatment for due to lack of insurance. I have a hard time staying patient and understanding with him due to my physical pain and feel that I am letting him down. Thank you for allowing me in your blog.

  - Sandy H.

• May 29, 2008 7:48 p.m.

  I am happy to see such a pertinent but yet simplified version of issues concerning sleep apnea. If I did not already have knowledge and experience with both depression and sleep apnea, I would certainly understand them both better after reading this article. Thanks so much. Penny

  - penny foss

• May 28, 2008 11:08 a.m.

  My condition began with extreme pain, then hormone changes & allows me to fall asleep without difficulty, but I wake up after 3-4 hours of sleep. If the sleep was uninterrupted, then I feel somewhat refreshed, but not as much as on weekends when I can roll over & go back to sleep for another hour or so. I do not take RX sleep meds, but I do take hormones, as without them, I was getting 1-3 hrs per night: and all of my life I averaged 6 hrs of sleep per night. I stay away from many meds as I have hyper reactions to most & end of feeling spacey, having vertigo type symptoms & the effects take at least 72 hrs to leave my system. I sincerely would like to get back to 6 hrs/night.

  - Barbara

• May 28, 2008 12:46 a.m.

  I've got bipolar disorder type II, and I've been on all the meds. Remember that meds adjestment is a constant process. What works for one person may not work for another. There are lots of possibilities--find a really good psychiatrist and engage in a constant dialogue. Unfortunately mood disorders are hugely difficult, but not impossible, to battle. A second opinion is always a good idea too. Some of the disorders are very hard to diagnore. BPII is 70 percent misdiagnosed originally. This has big consequences, since the meds for major depression are ineffecctive against bipolar depression. You may also get a lot of useful information from peers at a support group. I go to a DBSA--Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, and it is very helful. I was skeptical: I've been sick over 30 years-what could I learn? Coincidentally, our topic last week was sleep (also diet),precisely the issues being discussed here. Lots of good advice to be had. As for the vivid dreams, one of the atypical antipsychotics did that to me. I didn't like it either. The meds I'm on now result in zero dream recall. Talk to your doctor. A lot of the comments, for example still being tired after lots of sleep,are reflective of standard characteristics of clinical depression. Again, talk to your doctor or educate yourself by getting more info on some of the really good sites==DBSA, NIMH (National Institutes of Mental Health), Nami. What you are going through is normal.

  - taras mom

• May 27, 2008 3:48 p.m.

  Normal People Either Sleep Or They Don't Benydral is all they have to offer, If you take any presciption Medication That's That's a Mistake, All the Drug Companies want to do is get you addicted to it.

  - Ed

• May 23, 2008 5:57 p.m.

  I've always been in the category of "depression plus hypersomnia". I sleep 8 hours or more every night and still don't feel refreshed. I, too, get the "thinking conversations" sometimes but rarely have trouble falling asleep more than 20 minutes after going to bed. Something that helps me is meditation/guided imagry CDs. There are some good ones out there that help put you "in the moment" instead of thinking about what happened that day, or will the next day... A recent problem for me has been nightmares and vivid dreams that wake me up every couple hours. Anyone else been through this?

  - Erin

• May 22, 2008 11:34 p.m.

  I have some of the same issues....I end up just "sitting up" watching tv until 4, but its usually due to the endless mindless "self-talk" that goes on in my brain 24-7. No, I dont hear things, but its like a continuous "thinking conversation" with myself. Depacote seems to quiet this down, its something new for me to take. My prescriber started me on it to get my sleep habits down to normal. Im reall kinda new to the "asking for help" thing too, so this site here came along so I signed on....

  - skydiver57

• May 22, 2008 4:17 p.m.

  Sleep is usually the first indicator that my depression is taking a turn for the worse. I never sleep well or wake up refreshed, but when it takes hours to fall asleep and then I wake up every 30-40 min, I know I'm in trouble. As of late, I give up by ~3:30 4 a.m. and am up for the unending day. I am miserable and cannot function to any degree with this quality of sleep and depression. I have been evaluated by several sleep specialists and it all comes back to it's just the depression and take a pill and live with it. The trouble is all the sleep meds don't help me sleep but make me even groggier during the day. I don't understand how I can be so sleepy and exhausted all day long, but yet can get no quality sleep at night.

  - elmur