Seripd Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Hey all, This is probably a waste of time but i figure i'll ask anyhow. So i'm a grad student, which means I have a ton of brain work that needs to get done 24/7. Now my brain only seems to function at full speed from 9pm until 4am. Now i can't stay up until 4am (because i can't live on 5hrs of sleep) so I use remeron to help me get to sleep around 2am (it also helps with my depression and GAD). Is there anyway, chemical or otherwise, to reset my clock so that my brain starts working earlier in the day. That way I could get my work done and take the remeron earlier so i could have a more normal schedule. I waste so much time during the day because my brain doesn't work. Part of it may be ADD or some other undiagnosed problem but with my severe panic disorder I have absolutely no interest in taking stimulents. any suggestions? -seri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemini Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Research melatonin. But don't go taking it while on an antidepressant. I'd give more info but I'm all insomniac and out of it right now myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Rozerom has worked wonders for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemini Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 I'm a little more awake right now. This is what melatonin is typically taken for. It's a naturally occuring hormone that regulates our sleep cycles, and it's available over the counter very cheap. Still, look into it more to understand why it can be less advised in combo with SSRIs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wifezilla Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 You can also use light to reset your cycle...have lights on timers going off at a specific time, adjust the light levels, etc... Do a google search on light therapy for more details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frosty Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 If seeing a Doc ask him/her for melatonin advice. after years of no sleep I sleep at night with doctor prescribed Ltrytophan and melatonin?? So many different answers... can be confusing. Always follow your Docs advice. P.s I am/was on Celexa, lamotrigine, ativan, topamax, while taking Melatonin. 6mg and 500big ones of l tryptophan and slept like a baby for the first time in 37 years. Such bliss... NO heavy sleep drugs ...never worked for me anyway. Good Luck. Frosty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemini Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 No comment about always listning to your doc's advice, but... I've had several docs who, INEXPLICABLY, have never heard of melatonin. Melatonin is THE hormone that causes sleep in human beings. It rises and falls in a circadian cycle. It is the precursor to serotonin too, which means that (oversimplifying) the more melatonin you produce, the more serotonin you may produce, which is why it can interact with anti-depressants. The main things to learn about it are how to take it, which is mostly about *when* to take it, and is very specific. You need to learn a little about how your natural cycle works. You can search my past posts, I know I've given out a bunch of info about it in the past. A couple doctors who had heard of it warned me not to take it because "it's a hormone, and you should be careful messing with hormones." Rubbish. Since the early 90s, it's been recognized that there is no physiological difference between what was once called a hormone (a protein carrying messages throughout the bloodstream) and a neurotransmitter (a protein carrying messages between nerve cells), as it was discovered that all known neurotransmitters have receptors throughout the GI tract, and it's suspected the reverse may be true. (check out _Molecules of Emotion_ for a cursory view of this). IMHO, you should be careful messing with drugs that are interrupting the functioning of transmitters/hormones in largely unknown ways that are thought to remedy hypothetical disorders that are likewise poorly understood. Melatonin is most commonly taken for people with jet lag. If taken right, it works just fine and the only side effects are the same as those from normal sleep, provided you have a human physiology. If taken wrong, it can make your cycle worse or make you sleep too deeply. But it's pretty simple to learn how to take it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seripd Posted November 22, 2005 Author Share Posted November 22, 2005 thanks for all the info. i'll talk to my pdoc on thursday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckaJo Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Might be late for this, but in addition to the melatonin, my doctor basically suggested that I force myself to stay up until exhausted, then go to sleep at the time I wanted to reset myself to. I wasn't much good for the two days it took me to get exhausted, but I did manage to reset my schedule. Then finals happened and it all went to hell again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemini Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Force yourself to stay up? Being very active helps a lot, though it's sometimes far easier said than done. Nothing will wipe you out at night like being physically and mentally busy all day. Sometimes all you need is to add a little exertion, ideally in the morning. Go for a run, do some yoga, or do some writing before starting the rest of your day. This will help jump-start your system, even if it's not a lot of exertion, and make you more tired at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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