jettybean Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 I researched this somewhat and haven't found much of a correlation, but I am an insomiac (and loving every minute of it) and I don't take prescribed medication for it-so lately I was using a generic OTC sleep med and when I wake up, I am depressed...bad. Does anyone know if there is a connection? Please tell me. I don't like feeling this way. I would rather be up all night then down all day. It's not a regular down either- it's a just end it all down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olga Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 jettybean, I hadn't heard of that one before. Are you taking an antidepressant? I take Unisom once in a great while if I'm really wired or my hot flashes are waking me up too often, and it doesn't seem to affect my depression at all. Can you discuss this with your doctor? Maybe you need to try all the non-medical things for your insomnia---warm bath, herb tea, boring book, turn off the TV, etc. olga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sorrel Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 OTC sleep meds are antihistamines, and antihistamines are, essentially, psychiatric drugs (many antidepressants and antipsychotics were initially derived from antihistamines.) Getting depressed from an antihistamine is unusual, but people have all kinds of different reactions to stuff. So I would not be surprised if that's the cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelikejazz Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 I know you said you love being an insomniac, but having trouble getting to sleep is often a symptom of anxiety, and waking up early can be a symptom of depression. I know for me trouble sleeping started before a lot of other symptoms started. High doses can cause anxiety. I haven't ever heard of a drowsy antihistamine causing depression, but it could be worsening things for you. It's more common to feel "hungover" with some daytime drowsiness. If things are bad enough that you are thinking about ending your life, please go see a doctor. They will be able to help you out with the sleeping, and make sure there is nothing more going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 FWIW, I've spent the last two months or so on a long and painful process of discovering that PRESCRIPTION sleep meds (i.e. benzos) make me suicidally depressed. I don't have a chemical rationale for this, but I feel that if the prescription ones do it, the OTCs probably could as well. After all, the point of sleep meds, broadly speaking, is to "put you down" and depression is just being too far down. Just my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
december_brigette Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Hi, as some of the others mentioned - i wonder if there are other issues distrubing your sleep. sleep is one of the most important things for us humans - when they say "food, shelter, & clothing," sleep should be added. unfortunately we live in a culture that doesnt really support good sleep. sleep is also important if one has a MI. good sleep definitely helps in the good moods department. definitely discuss this with your dr or if you have a pdoc. sweet dreams, db Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 jettybean, I hadn't heard of that one before. Are you taking an antidepressant? I take Unisom once in a great while if I'm really wired or my hot flashes are waking me up too often, and it doesn't seem to affect my depression at all. Can you discuss this with your doctor? Maybe you need to try all the non-medical things for your insomnia---warm bath, herb tea, boring book, turn off the TV, etc. olga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jettybean Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 I fired my doctor. No, I don't take any medication, I just can't sleep. It must be my chemistry, I would like to try Ambien, but it's a script and I hear it's a lot of dollars and cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jettybean Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 FWIW, I've spent the last two months or so on a long and painful process of discovering that PRESCRIPTION sleep meds (i.e. benzos) make me suicidally depressed. I don't have a chemical rationale for this, but I feel that if the prescription ones do it, the OTCs probably could as well. After all, the point of sleep meds, broadly speaking, is to "put you down" and depression is just being too far down. Just my two cents. Yea, I know. Damned if you do and damned if your'e down. Life is a conundrum when you're down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jettybean Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Hi, as some of the others mentioned - i wonder if there are other issues distrubing your sleep. sleep is one of the most important things for us humans - when they say "food, shelter, & clothing," sleep should be added. unfortunately we live in a culture that doesnt really support good sleep. sleep is also important if one has a MI. good sleep definitely helps in the good moods department. definitely discuss this with your dr or if you have a pdoc. sweet dreams, db Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jettybean Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 I know you said you love being an insomniac, but having trouble getting to sleep is often a symptom of anxiety, and waking up early can be a symptom of depression. I know for me trouble sleeping started before a lot of other symptoms started. High doses can cause anxiety. I haven't ever heard of a drowsy antihistamine causing depression, but it could be worsening things for you. It's more common to feel "hungover" with some daytime drowsiness. If things are bad enough that you are thinking about ending your life, please go see a doctor. They will be able to help you out with the sleeping, and make sure there is nothing more going on. The loving insomnia comment was sarcastic, I hate it. I do have the history of major depressive moods; the insomnia came first though when I was like 12-13. I don't know if it, along with life stressors caused my depression or not. The OTC pills seem to do something to my seratonin levels possibly. Idk. It get's lonely because it's not normal and all I have around me is normalcy. Friends, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jettybean Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 FWIW, I've spent the last two months or so on a long and painful process of discovering that PRESCRIPTION sleep meds (i.e. benzos) make me suicidally depressed. I don't have a chemical rationale for this, but I feel that if the prescription ones do it, the OTCs probably could as well. After all, the point of sleep meds, broadly speaking, is to "put you down" and depression is just being too far down. Just my two cents. We must have the same brain ooze. lol What do we try now? Coke & rum? Or just rum & rum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jettybean Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Most OTC sleep aids are the same thing as benadryl-- diphenhydramine. It makes me hallucinate, so I rarely use it. It can have psychiatric effects. Sorrel's post hit the nail on the head. I take Zyrtec (cetirizine), which is the active metabolite Vistaril (hydroxyzine), an anti-anxiety drug. It's not supposed to cross the blood brain barrier as much as Vistaril does, but I get a marked improvement in my anxiety levels when I take it. It might just be that the med hangover from Benadryl makes you feel like shit in general. Long-term insomnia can wreak havoc on your moods too. Yea, Insomnia has been my achilles heel-most definitely. Anti-depressants give me all sorts of trouble and I have ADD too, but I don't take any meds for it. Did try...vyvnase? for a bit, but it was like snorting cheap coke and couldn't handle it's "up" result. I just have issues about sleep and moods period, but I don't want it to interfere with my day life anymore and it has very much so the last few years since I've been out of college. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jettybean Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Hi, as some of the others mentioned - i wonder if there are other issues distrubing your sleep. sleep is one of the most important things for us humans - when they say "food, shelter, & clothing," sleep should be added. unfortunately we live in a culture that doesnt really support good sleep. sleep is also important if one has a MI. good sleep definitely helps in the good moods department. definitely discuss this with your dr or if you have a pdoc. sweet dreams, db ...love and pain become the same in the eyes of a child. yea, there's a lot of other issues disturbing my sleep... what is MI? and pdoc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelikejazz Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 MI= mental illness pdoc = psychiatrist, or whoever prescribes crazy meds tdoc= counselor/psychologist/therapist Sorry about missing the sarcasm, I was a little sleep deprived myself. I thought maybe you just had a weird sleep rhythm, and it was only a problem if you worked or something (and couldn't sleep in) and then took otc meds. Yeah doesn't make sense to me either... Moving on, are you still seeing some sort of doctor now? There's probably a lot more options med-wise than when you were 12, for the add and depression if indeed you are experiencing it right now. I recommend therapy for everybody, if some of the can't-get-to-sleep is due to you worrying over things it might help for you to have somebody to talk to, especially if your social support isn't so great right now. There's natural things you can try for the insomnia, like Valerian and Melatonin (sp?) but go chat to your doc first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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