Feeling hopeless and helpless

[gasp]

Yes, I spent two nights in the sleep lab. I haven't looked at the results lately.

I am not completely opposed to taking antidepressents, but I am wary of them after trying several that didn't work (Prozac, Effexor--horrible stuff, Wellbutrin, Lexapro + Adderall, and Cymbalta + Adderall). . . .

I know many who have benefited from going to a naturopathic doctor and getting a preparation made by the doctor of St John's Wort. It is far more highly concentrated than over the counter health food store St John's Wort.

St John's Wort should never be taken with an anti-depressant as it is an anti-depressant. It works like an SSRI such as fluoxetine (Prozac). However, it has far less side effects such as weight gain.

Many find it improves their sleep and improves overall mood.

I hope you find the solution as I, like many here, understand how it feels to be desperate for sleep.

Best wishes.

[goose]

To go along with what minerva said.....
My referring doc told my wife, the RN in denial, (when she complained I was sleeping a lot).....
"He has 25+ years of sleep debt to sleep off. He may sleep a lot for the rest of his life".....
Not particularly what she wanted to hear, but it validated what I've been telling her for 6 months or more....

I generally sleep 8.5 to 9.5 hours a night......

When I was on a gluten free diet it was a pain to find gluten free foods, but it is not impossible. I did a lot of shopping at "Trader Joe's". Natural and Health Food outlets can also be a wealth of gluten free foods. That started me on the regime of being a habitual label reader. Once I got my diagnosis of diabetes, that just cemented the concept of reading the health info as well as the ingredients of all foods I buy....

I'm glad Gasp mentioned the sides of St. John's Wort. It is a good herbal remedy, but there can be some serious side effects when mixed with some pharmaceuticals. I would not take it without the knowledge of my doc (but my doc also believes in alternative treatments so he's open to that avenue).....

Sending you good vibes amandalee!!!! Keep us up on how you're doing -- it's obvious there's a lot of folks here that care!!!!!

take care
cheers
goose

[lvehko]

Hmmm... OK, it looks like you've tried a *lot* of antidepressants. I'm thinking if none of them helped you, that may be a sign that your problem isn't depression (assuming you gave them a fair trial: most need at least three months to 'kick in' fully -- if you only took them a few days or weeks, they wouldn't have been of much help).

From there, I go immediately to chronic fatigue. If your doctor doesn't 'believe in it,' I'd say go find one who does (side rant: what the hell is up with doctors who don't 'believe in' factually proven diseases?).

I love Wikipedia, check out their entry on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_fatigue_syndrome

You can read through it and see if the description rings true. It seems to be you've been pretty thorough in thinking about what your issue could be, and now you've looking to 'home in' on something. Thank the gods for the internet -- you can do some pretty good research on your own and find out what your symptoms are most likely to be, which can help you get the treatment you need.

If your doctor is treating you like a pain in the ass, switch doctors. This is your life, and you need to get some relief. If they aren't willing to help you get it, don't put up with that. Find someone who will work with you and help you. It's their job!

M.

[oceanpearl]

The first thing that I usually do if anything changes in my physical or mental health is to go here.
http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/Interactio ... 9,,00.html

You can also list most otc meds, viatmins and minerals.

[lvehko]

To go along with what minerva said.....
My referring doc told my wife, the RN in denial, (when she complained I was sleeping a lot).....
"He has 25+ years of sleep debt to sleep off. He may sleep a lot for the rest of his life".....
Not particularly what she wanted to hear, but it validated what I've been telling her for 6 months or more....

I generally sleep 8.5 to 9.5 hours a night......

Geez... let's see. I was untreated for... thirty years. That's 10,950 nights of sleep. Let's say I got 4 good hours of sleep a night (I'm being generous), thats 43,800 hours of sleep. Sleeping eight good hours, I'd have gotten 87,600 hours of sleep, leaving me a sleep deficit of 43,800 hours. If I sleep two extra hours a night, it will take me 60 years to pay that off. In other words, never.

Now, if I were to sleep round the clock, I could pay it off in 7-1/2 years. I'd wake up at 54, fully refreshed and ready to go! With really long hair and a hell of a case of B.O.

I'm being a little bit silly here -- Amanda's situation sounds to me like more than just simple sleep deprivation. There's a big difference between feeling sort of tired during the day and what she's describing. But it's worth remembering that most of us, depending on how long we went untreated, are probably always going to sleep lovers.

M.

[amandalee]

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. It's nice to have people who care.

I do think I gave all of the anti-depressants I tried a fair chance--I kept taking them until my doctors switched me to something else (after I'd complained that they weren't working ) Since I have been off antidepressants I have finally been able to lose weight, which was next to impossible when I was taking them (especially Cymbalta, that stuff was just awful for me).
The weight gain alone is enough to make me want to stay far away from them. I would be open to the idea of St. John's wort though. Maybe I will ask the naturopath about it when I go next week.

Hmm... sleeping round the clock sounds nice! Or at least laying on the couch and not doing anything... which is how I spend most of my time on the weekend. Ugh, it makes me feel pathetic.

The article on chronic fatigue seems to ring true, which kind of scares me because it seems like there's not much that can be done to help people with the condition.

[Guest]

Chronic fatigue can be cured with diet. I knew someone who did it. But it's a long slow process. I think it took her 5 years. And I think it's meant a permanent dietary change.

The Gluten free diet seems to be the most efficacious route towards that, but if you google Chronic Fatigue and diet, you'll find lots of ideas.

Cheers,
Babs

[Nodzy]

Amanda,
I feel for you. CFS...and its forms are very nasty, as are the numerous other ailments prone to OSA sufferers. Right now I'm too harried to think straight on this, but will post again later or tomorrow. But know that there's no lack of caring and support for you from the folks around here.

Nodzy

[Guest]

This may be completely worthless, but I just found it on google:

W W W DOT endfatigue.com

I dunno how relevant it might be, but I can't resist sharing in case it might be helpful. Initial read intrigues me enough to want to read more.

There's also something pretty flakey sounding to me out there called The Coconut Diet. I don't suppose adding a few tablespoons of coconut oil to one's diet can be too harmful. I don't know if it's the miracle cure they claim it is, though:

coconutdiet.com/

coconutdiet.com/cfsfibro.htm

Good luck,
Babs

[Barks1]

My naturo bangs on about Coconut oil she has me putting it on the toast.

[Guest]

How long have you been taking it? Do you look/feel any better?
B.

[Barks1]

About 3 months it's helps you not catch any flu's or colds.
The coco oil is in a solid form and you can really us it any where you would use oil.
It tastes petty good too.

[Barks1]

forgot to say I haven't catch any colds or flu's in the last three months when all around me at work were dieing from them.

[amandalee]

I have some coconut oil that I got after reading that it can be helpful with weight loss. Other things I've read about it have been mixed--some say it's helpful for fighting off fatigue and increasing energy levels, as well as improving immunity; other articles say it's worthless.

Wouldn't hurt to give it a try I guess...I am desperate and will try anything. I'll look into that CFS diet and gluten free diet too. Thanks!

[Barks1]

Please do as I think it's helping me.