Nocturnal Eating Disorder- please give me sleeeeeep!

[someday...]

I really hope there is someone out there in sleep land (or no-sleep land) that has this as well.

(I suffer from P.T.S.D., depression, G.A.D., all sort of those goodies as well.)

I am in my late 40's and since middle teenage years- I get up several times every night to eat. It used to be cute and funny to my friends and myself. I'd wake up and 1/2 a cake would be gone and I'd have no memory of it, and eventually the memory would come back... this has gone on for decades. Many a times my child has suffered- to wake up and the Easter Bunny left a basket with 1/2 a chocolate easter bunny, with many teeth marks in it. (Many tears!) Seriously- that's happened many times. My child's older now- she walked into my room scared because she thought there was blood all over my bed and face and hands. She was horrified, she scared me- then we quickly realized it was melted chocolate. I wake several times a night, wander and eat. Needless to say- this has left me with YEARS of chronic lack of sleep. I think I'd trade my car to sleep, I'd actually start to sell off some of my belongings if it meant I could sleep.

My shrink and I thought I had an eating disorder. After much research, she found out that this is Nocturnal Eating Disorder- a Sleep Disorder.

So- to help me sleep through the night (because it really does affect a person mentally), she has put me on a heavy antidepressant at bed - Trazadone, and 3 other pills to take to sleep through the night. (one is a sleeping pill, one a serious anxiety pill that makes me so tired and one is a.... I think a neuroleptic? I don't know... it's Gabapentin.) So I take this handful at night- so I don't wander all night and eat and have serious screwed up sleep- but it comes with a price- being tired the next day, and my memory is bad and I've been told this is due to all the sleeping pills. So if I make it through the night, I'm tired all day... is it a trade off? Not really... doesn't make sense to me yet, too tired to make sense of it.

Hate taking alot of pills. These are only for the sleep. During the day I take other pills for depression/anxiety.

Does anyone else suffer from this?

If so- please let me know what you are doing about it, or how or if you've been helped.

Thanks.

[melissaw72]

YES!!! I had same problem, mainly with all sweets, would find wrappers, ice cream would be gone (that was a big one), etc, like you said. Pdoc put me on NALTREXONE. I was having problems during the day as well, but I was aware of it then. When I was tired I ate more and more. But the naltrexone suppresses appetite, while at the same time making you hungry "normally", ie it isnt a diet pill. It is usually used for smoking cessation, or alcohol abuse (habits that need to be broken).

In general, having an eating problem is worse compared to smoking and alcohol b/c cigarettes and alcohol you can live without; food you cant. And for me, one bite of anything - even a healthy food -- will set me off eating. So we tried this med and it is really helping.

[someday...]

Interesting. Were you actually diagnosed with Nocturnal Eating Disorder?

Primarily it's a sleep disorder- they are considering sending me to sleep lab, but currently I'm on sleeping pills and have to go off of them first. They can see what's going on with your brain waves and why you are waking to eat. That will be interesting... but it will take awhile to get off all the sleep meds. first.

This disorder generally is associated/ or rather being overweight can be a side effect (but not always). Do you / did you have extra weight prior to the medication?

WHY did they figure you were waking during the night to eat? Or why does the Dr. think you wake to eat?

I haven't researched it enough- maybe I'm thinking.... because I wasn't or am not getting enough calories during the day....but when I'm not tired- I eat a fair amount, and high calorie foods, but would STILL wake several times a night to eat any sugars or carbs. Or maybe I burn calories like crazy....

It is medically classified as a Sleep Disorder though, not an Eating Disorder. If my appetite was suppressed, I think I'd shrink to nothing. (I've always been thin though, one of those women that women hate, because they complain they'd like to gain weight- seriously, I'd rather have meat on my bones than too thin). The thinness is not to be envied though. It comes with it's problems. Medically too- it's not too good to be thin.

I still have to learn about this further, it's affected my life for years. I don't have the same Dr. and my new Dr. and I haven't discussed it yet.

When I'm tired- I do not eat.

I'll have to read about the med. your'e taking. It sounds like it would make a person lose weight. Sleep is so critical. I feel like I haven't slept in decades. I'm glad it's working for you and hope you're getting the sleep you need.

Anyone else out there with this?