Ya know, trying to get oneself stabilized is like balancing a small row boat in the water...first you slide to one side...then hurry to the other side..then port...on and on. It always screws my sleeping up. Insomnia as been a serious issue for me since childhood. I remember pulling all nighters (not willingly) at 8-9 years old.While I hate it, Ive grown accustomed to it. Now at 38 its beginning to not be so easy during these bouts. My recovery isnt as fast etc.

Right now I am up due to my wellbutrin and effexor with no lamictal. The wellbutrin and effexor can induce mania (which for me usually translates as insomnia and cleaning frenzies). But I get to see my doctor Monday morning and hope to be able to balance better .

I've been taking welbutrin for several years. There was a span when I did not take it, but overall, Welbutrin has been my staple medication. I've also taken adderral in different forms and doses, as well as ritilin and provigil. Recently, I trialed straterra, and found that Straterra and Welbutrin provided a remarkable combination for me. It does not seem to be keeping me awake, it has not had a negative sexual function affect, it has not caused over-stimulation, it has not caused a tendency towards temper, it has not caused anxiety. More importantly, what it has caused has been the most organized thinking I have ever experienced in my life, as well as the ability to concetrate without effort. I am always focused now, at the appropriate level of attention to the task, and there does not seem to be an effort to block all other things out. I'm much more relaxed. So this is a new experience. A lot of my anxiety over being stuck in a personal stalemate, where I can't get anything done and wonder where all the time went, that has disappeared and been replaced with an ability to get things done, schedule my time more effectively, and feel relatively organized. Its a new experience and a postive feeling. It has been about 4 weeks since I started this combination, and I'm very pleased. I'm glad the pharmaceutical companies are now designing drugs specifically to target ADD. I'm sure there will be many other drugs coming out in the future, which will make it much easier for people to find the right combination.

And yes, it is a balancing act. If I take all my medications but don't wear my CPAP, well, lousy day, here I come. If I wear my CPAP but don't take my medications, lousy day here I come. If I stay up too late and dont get enough sleep, my day definetly does not go as well. So it is a balancing act. I agree and understand. And it often takes years to find the right way to balance it all.

Jon

"Don't let the diagnosis buckle you at the knees"

What is a CPAP?

My Dad has one....I believe its a forced air machine. You wear a mask at night, that helps provide air to you. People with sleep apnea have disturbed sleep because their breathing stops for short periods of time.

My 12 year old daughter has a huge problem with sleeping paterns , sleep rarely comes her way before 3 am , no matter what I have tried ,bath,lavender oil,diet change,she even had her adanoids removed because we thought it was her snoring that prevented her sleeping well, after years of battling with her, I have let her be, I am accustomed to her wandering the house at all hours, drinks, bathroom, drink again,ya know the vicious circle, she copes well and tends to sleep late at weekends to make up for her lack of sleep on school days. For some reason she can sleep very well during the day, but not at night............can anyone explain this.

kate x

You may want to look into Circadian Sleep Disorder or Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (among others). The hypothalmus produces melatonin, which helps regulate sleep. There has been quite alot of research done on this.

Here are some links:
http://www.circadiandisorders.org/
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stanford.edu%2F% 7Edement%2Fdelayed.html
http://www.ivillagehealth.com/conditions/endocrine/articles/0,11299,234284_126357,00.html
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro01/web1/Quirashi.html
http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/circadian.html
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/922567322.html

I too have sleeping problems have ever since birth. I have severe insomnia and have to take amytriptalin to fall asleep. I hate taking this because I am groggy all the next day. And to top that off I was dx'd with CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)

Ok talk about a double whammy. I'm tired but can't sleep. (Rolls her eyes)

Oh well just another hurdle in this game we call life. ;)

Huggz all,

I spent my life not sleeping much, wandering around at night writing etc.. My kid cant fall asleep before midnight, hes 7. As an infant naps were unlikely. The longest he slept for the first 1 & 1/2
years was the first night he was born. He slept 5 hours maybe. Now he gets 8 to 9. (As we homeschool, we get to sleep in.)
It used to worry me and I spent my days when he was a baby, nursing, singing, driving him around in hopes for a nap.
I am convinced that many of the more creative souls are driven at
night. Maybe because the rest of the world is shut down, and we can easier focus? What do you think about that?

Good question and direction. I find I enjoy the times I am alone late at night. Buty I also know its symptomatic of my bipolar state.

Oh and by the way i am just ending a three year homeschool time. Im going to miss it.

I just wanna testify that at 2am AZ time (5am est) no one but me is roaming the forums. Wish someone else was sleepless. I raised my phenobarb 25 mg. I am trying (with not much help from my dr) to titrate off phenobarb. there are 3 drs involved (primary, neuro, and psych) and they all refuse to talk to each other.if i could get them all in one room and tell them what i KNOW about my body, we might get somewhere. its amazing the difference 25 mg does. i am wired. i think i ust pop my meds in my mouth most times, not conceiving of the immense impact these meds have on me. Im so tired....I get up in 4 hours and i dont do well with less than 8. may i have some cheese with this whine?

I use Unisom or Tylenol PM when I really need to get up on time for something. I just drug myself to sleep really early. Not a good Idea, but necessary at times.

I have found Melatonin to work. Unfortunately I consistently forget to take it. :rolleyes: I need to finish (no, make that start :o ) making my daily checklists for various things so I remember stuff like that.

With the Melatonin I've found that timing is critical though. Needs to be taken about 1 1/2 hours or so before I will be in bed with the lights out. If I take it right before bed it takes too long to take effect. If I take it and 2 hours later I'm still watching TV I'm screwed.

Also, I've found the more time I spend outside, not necessarily active, just outside in the sun, especially if I can be outside during sun-set it helps a lot. It makes sense to me, I'm sure your brain works much better when using the sun vs looking at a watch to realize it's bed-time after a 16 hour day under artificial light.

Bet no one has tried this - LOTS of coffee before bed- It will always help me sleep except during some particullarlly bad episodes that i will get 1-2 times / yr.

I have experimented with my Dexedrine - but too hard to get dosage right and seems to kill my dreams. Very relaxing though.

I have never had a sleep med or sedative that did not make my problem worse - WAY worse!

I have ADHD- so the doc says. I really think a lot of our sleep issues are just "schedule" issues.

If we could go to bed when we FEEL like it and not be interupted until we wake on our own!! AHhhh - I have had that on occasion when I do the odd al night shift. It wonderfull - unfortunatly our scociety on a whole will not allow it.

And I have tried the sleep "therapys" for adjusting the body clock- If your off schedule by even 1 hour - START OVER!! Never again.

Try cal/mag/zinc complex. That stuff knocks me out after 4 or 5 hours I take it.

I do lots of coffee at bed too, I have switched to tea as coffee was making my stomach hurt

Oh and by the way. My mania is hypo mania, which translates into i do NOT get delusional :) In fact Im sharper than usual........wonder if I can edit this.........

I failed a sleep test..... am in the same boat as Spirit and I rarely sleep. When I do it's heavy and I have sometimes not heard the train go through which is right behind our house.

I should ask the doctor for a sleep aid.

Poor thing, ask him and see what he come sup with for you

For what its worth, sleep disorders in kids are often overlooked. If all else fails treatment wise, then one possible idea might be a sleep study.:)

The sleeping problem I have is Restless Legs. If I don't take my medication like I'm suppose to, on time.... I am up for the night.

I have to go to the Sleep Clinic here once a year.

I heard recently from a friend that restless legs can be an indication of sleep apnea?

Restless brain wakes me up, it is like my dreams are so facinating(to me) I want to view them in both realms.

I just get focused in the wee hours of morning. I think of myself as a hypo-maniac also.

My doctor said that they aren't 100% sure what causes Restless Legs, but people with RSL are missing magneseum in the body. I take a medication called Mirapex and I also take Magneseum oxide daily.