What the (*!@#! is this?

[WholeNewHomeBody]

In short, I either sleep too much or I sleep too little.

I get into cycles that last more than a few weeks during which I sleep up to 3 days straight, waking only to go to the bathroom and get a drink of water. This is sometime- but by no means always- seasonal. 

My "too little" history is a little more complicated, so I will just explain it as it is right now. Not long ago I stayed awake for 8 days straight, sort of. (During the last 3 days, I started having narcoleptic-type episodes-- nothing more than a minute or so).  Right now it's a little better- I'm not staying awake for more than 3 days in a row. But when I actually do get to sleep, I get ~2hours of it.

To call this seasonal would be easy, but there's never any middle ground. Plus, I really don't leave the house.  Triazolam was the only drug that ever helped put me on a normal schedule, but tolerance develops to that. (duh)

[cabal]

Maybe you need to see a sleep specialist.

Is everything else all right ? A severely disturbed sleep pattern can sometimes be followed by a psychosis or mood disorder. If there is any indication that something is going on, it would seem wise to visit a psychiatrist.

[WholeNewHomeBody]

No, silly, of course everything else is not alright. Look what board I'm posting on.

I have  MDD, severe w/out psychotic features, recurrent, (20 years and counting) and bulimia w/ hx of anorexia  and a fx of anorexia(17 years and counting) and I *know* I have a sleep disorder- I've always been an insomniac, at the very least.

However, the last remotely competent shrink I saw (end of 2003) finally came to terms with, "gee, I think you might actually have a legitimate sleeping disorder."  The 2 asshats I've seen since then through county resources haven't put the thought or time into reaching the conclusion that I obviously have a legit sleep disorder that is comorbid w/ my depression.

My last qdoc tried to tell me that "insomnia" is not a mental illness!!! Then she refused to break out the DSM-MD because she is wrong.

Seriously, though. I'm about to move to Dinkyville, USA. There *are no* "sleep specialists" in Dinkyville.  My resources are limited to whatever that state's Medicaid covers. 

I appreciate your support, but I really need some clues as to what this might be.

Maybe I have Jupiter's Circadian Rhythm Disorder?

[cabal]

I see.

Have you ever tried temazepam (maybe add some promethazine for more effect), loprazolam, zolpidem (Ambien), zopiclone/Lunesta, nitrazepam or any other sleep med that might help you sleep and is not as addictive and dangerous as triazolam ? But If you've built up a tolerance to triazolam (with Midazolam, the most powerful sleep med), it's doubtful that an alternative sleep med would work. But it might, if it's different enough.

I'd suggest Seroquel. At which dose it's most effective for sleepiness is questionable. You could start on a low dose. And yes, Seroquel is an antipsychotic too. If low doses don't work, people sometimes increase their dose up to 1000 or 1200 mg before going to bed. But I suspect that's not without risks.

You have said that there are no sleep specialists where you are going. Maybe you can get a good psychiatrist or gp to help you out ? I have experience with a sleep disorder like that, and it preceded my psychosis. Maybe it makes sense to get on an antipsychotic, such as Seroquel or Risperdal. That would suppress any psychotic tendencies that might exist in your subconcious. So, you might decrease your chances of a psychiatric reaction/condition and increase sleep.

Also, you could try trazadone or a low dose of remeron for sleep. Just be careful, remeron might fatten you up. But the higher the dose, the less sleepiness remeron causes.

You could also try to drink some alcohol before you go to bed, maybe eat a bit too. Whether that works, depends on person to person. Alchohol tends to make the process of falling asleep easier, but decreases the quality of one's sleep.

Some people swear by hot milk before going to bed. Anyway, don't mix alchohol with antipsychotics or benzodiazepines.

Edited to add: maybe you need to treat the depression to solve the sleeping problems. maybe an SSRI, with maybe a mood stabilizer added ? There is a chance that that would end your problems with sleeping.

[WholeNewHomeBody]

I see.

Have you ever tried temazepam (maybe add some promethazine for more effect), loprazolam, zolpidem (Ambien), zopiclone/Lunesta, nitrazepam or any other sleep med that might help you sleep and is not as addictive and dangerous as triazolam ? But If you've built up a tolerance to triazolam (with Midazolam, the most powerful sleep med), it's doubtful that an alternative sleep med would work. But it might, if it's different enough.

I'd suggest Seroquel. At which dose it's most effective for sleepiness is questionable. You could start on a low dose. And yes, Seroquel is an antipsychotic too. If low doses don't work, people sometimes increase their dose up to 1000 or 1200 mg before going to bed. But I suspect that's not without risks.

You have said that there are no sleep specialists where you are going. Maybe you can get a good psychiatrist or gp to help you out ? I have experience with a sleep disorder like that, and it preceded my psychosis. Maybe it makes sense to get on an antipsychotic, such as Seroquel or Risperdal. That would suppress any psychotic tendencies that might exist in your subconcious. So, you might decrease your chances of a psychiatric reaction/condition and increase sleep.

Also, you could try trazadone or a low dose of remeron for sleep. Just be careful, remeron might fatten you up. But the higher the dose, the less sleepiness remeron causes.

You could also try to drink some alcohol before you go to bed, maybe eat a bit too. Whether that works, depends on person to person. Alchohol tends to make the process of falling asleep easier, but decreases the quality of one's sleep.

Some people swear by hot milk before going to bed. Anyway, don't mix alchohol with antipsychotics or benzodiazepines.

Edited to add: maybe you need to treat the depression to solve the sleeping problems. maybe an SSRI, with maybe a mood stabilizer added ? There is a chance that that would end your problems with sleeping.

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See my post regarding Strattera in Non-SSRI Antidepressants.