I think I need a pep talk... or something

Hi Kelly,
  No answers from me (although the folks above gave great advice). Just thinking of you and sending good vibes. Depression sucks, as does insomnia -- I hope that whether it's with this doc or another, you find the strength and energy to keep working at it until you can find a treatment that helps.

hang in there

Best,
Laura

Kelly,

I am so sorry that you feel the way that you do ...

Do you think it is maybe hormonal?  I know that i suffered from insomnia up until I had the surgery ... mine was from pre-menopause crap.  I never slept more then 3-4 hours a night. I tried everything natural for all my menopausal symptoms, but finally gave into prescription meds when I started having mood swings.

Maybe it is not hormonal at all for you ... but I wanted to put the thought out there.

Praying for you that you figure it out with the meds, the doc and just for you to get in a peaceful place.

I think I can speak for a lot of people on here ... YOU are very special to us ...Be Well!

I've had insomnia for years.  I mean, since I was a teenager, at least.  Some times it's worse than others but I've had it forever.

I've suffered from chronic insomnia for years and years my sister and dad are the same. I've been taking Ambien for as long as I can remember. The insomnia was so bad that I was having anxiety about not being able to sleep, so I didn't! My doc added Trazodone, 100mg to take with 10mg of Ambien at bedtime and it works.

I'm right there with ya girl.  I only see a PA for med checks and a therapist for issues that I need to talk to or deal with.  That works well for me.

I won't repeat what everyone else has said.

Bottom line...I think you're awesome!  And that should be enough to get anyone through!  lol

 When I was in college I suffered from insomnia for about a year.  My psych put me on a small dosage of Seroquel.  In large doses Seroquel is an anti psychotic, but in low doses it helps you sleep and helps boost your anti depressants.  It was the best sleep I ever had!  Good luck.  You can do this.  Keep your head up and if you need help, come here!  There are so many people who support you!

This is going to be a long reply, so bare with me. I was on several meds for depression over the last 14 years, all prescribed by my regular doc. I was very reluctant to see a shrink (what an idiot I was) and I never understood why the meds would work for a while and then stop working. The phych doc that I now see (who is wonderful & writes the oral board exam for psych in the country) put me on Lamictal in addition to cymbalta and it's worked like I never imagined. It took a while for it to work. Once I reached a therapeutic dose @ 300mg, I felt the depression lift and it has not returned, this is since January!!! Not sure if you have tried these meds in the past, but they are great in my opinion. I had to switch from cymbalta to Effexor, because of my up and coming surgery, but I'm pretty sure all will be fine. Hope this helps. Big hug, Sharon.

I have tried Lamictil.

Let's see.  What meds I have tried: Effexor, Paxil, Prozac, Cymbalta, Lexapro, Wellbutrin, Seroquel, Abilify, Ellavil, Thorazine, Mellaril, Depakote, Lamictil, Lithium, Vivactil, Visteril, Ativan, Klonopin, Zoloft, Sinequan, Pamelor, Remeron, Trazadone, Nortryptaline... I know I'm forgetting some.  There were 30 when I sat down with a doctor last spring and counted.

Holy s*@#t Batman! That's mad, no pun intended. Yea, it sucks to feel completely unenthusiastic about going to the very person that should be able to help you. Well, since I don't know what else I can do to help you feel better, I've decided that maybe a little joke might cheer you up. BTW, I only know 3 jokes and this is one of them. A girl, that's bombed out of her brain, walks into a library. She goes up to the librarian and says in a really loud voice, all the while slurring her speech, "Can I have a vodka & tonic please?". The librarian, horrified, replies...."Mam, this is a library!" The girl leans in a little closer, this time whispering as quietly as she possibly can, still slurring up a storm, and says to the librarian.... "Ah, can I have a vodka & tonic please?" Heee heee. Hope this one cheers you up.

I won't bore you and tell you anymore about my history, but suffice to say I'm familiar with all of those drugs.  I don't want to scare you but I'd like to ask a serious question.  Do you feel like you want to give up?  That is a very dangerous place to be in and the next steps you take are very important.  Tell your Dr. tomorrow exactly how you feel.  Sometimes a hospitalization can give the docs time to try new meds for insomnia, depression or whatever and they can do a thorough evaluation of your case, since you've tried so many things.  Fresh eyes on your case is also very helpful.  Inpatient care can be the change you need in your care.  If you'd like to know more about this you can e-mail me privately.

Have a friend go with you tomorrow if you can.

I know there is help for you, you just have to hang in there and find the right people to help you.