Aa
Adrenaline rush when trying to fall asleep
Hi, my partner has been having terrible trouble falling asleep, he complains of feeling a huge surge of adrenaline just as he is about to drift to sleep, this can continue for quite a while until he is so exhausted his body has no choice but to sleep.(this feeling is not associated with any physical twitching or jerking of muscles or limbs)
He has fairly recently stopped taking citalopram which was prescribed to alleviate anxiety which he was diagnosed with many years ago.
Could this problem he is experiencing when trying to sleep be SSRI discontinuation syndrome? If so, is there anything you could recommend to relieve this unpleasant symptom?
He has fairly recently stopped taking citalopram which was prescribed to alleviate anxiety which he was diagnosed with many years ago.
Could this problem he is experiencing when trying to sleep be SSRI discontinuation syndrome? If so, is there anything you could recommend to relieve this unpleasant symptom?
1) I am 36/m
2) Started 9 years ago...same time I started teaching (added stress - but I have always been a work-a-holic
3) Before it first started I ate whatever I wanted to at anytime; now I am down to eating chex cereal every night for dinner (most nights ...sometimes I push it and pay the price)
4) 'Panic' attacks soon followed with thoughts of dying etc. This lasted about 2 years until I realized what was going on and now no longer have the panicky feeling b/c I know when my heart becomes elevated and my head cloudy, something is going on that will not kill me...rather just tick me off
5) About 6 years in I shook when trying to fall asleep which is now the main thing/reason for this post...I can stay up all night sometimes shaking/dipping/roller coaster feeling, etc...
6) If I have any real food for dinner..forget about it...shaking...dipping...have to throw it up. And then shakes are still there sometimes.
7) I have acid reflux.
8) I do not have anxiety. People say I stress. I don't think I stress any more than other. When I go to sleep. I am not thinking about much of anything. I love my life. Am a happy-go-lucky dude. But I have LOTS of energy/work with children. So when I come home...it's crash-central
SOLUTIONS for Me
1) Don't eat after 6:30...however, should you eat too early, I find a piece of bread (many times) helps stop the shakes if I do start shaking. Do not eat the bread until AFTER shaking as the bread itself could cause shaking. Only eat a piece of bread if you start shaking. This works about 1/2 time...means my stomach was too empty.
2) I take a quarter of Lorazapam to calm my nerves an hour before bedtime. If you take it right before bed and are not shaking...it may cause the shakes. If you are shaking and have to take another quarter...it may stop the shakes. See how that works? :) Yea...confusing me too. This works about 3/4 of the time. Very good.
3) Throw up acid...this is the number one thing that works and naturally is the worst thing for you for obvious reasons. I throw up a little acid and for years this would work. The past month though, it has become less effective. I will shake like a tree on a windy October night and then boom...throw up a little acid and done..no shaking whatsoever.
4) Take a shower an hour before bed
5) Lay in bed an hour before sleeping
6) Take 1 antacid and hr before sleep
7) Think of obscure things before falling asleep like running on top of a building while holding a jack-in-the-box...this works for me b.c. it keeps me from thinking of real life stuff and it gets me into obscure dream-world
Things I have tried and no longer work
1) Melatonin worked ...and then it actually kept me up all night
2) Eating regular food for dinner ..nope
3) Working out later in the evening to calm me down...nope..gets me jacked up where I don't want to sleep
Things to keep in mind
1) I don't really stress about things - I am a problem solver
2) I don't like how everything is attributed to anxiety/stress - I believe these are relative terms
3) Most important...what we are dealing with is real...maybe if enough of us discuss we can find a solution...I feel like it is a simple fix...but so simple it has Docs perplexed.
2) Started 9 years ago...same time I started teaching (added stress - but I have always been a work-a-holic
3) Before it first started I ate whatever I wanted to at anytime; now I am down to eating chex cereal every night for dinner (most nights ...sometimes I push it and pay the price)
4) 'Panic' attacks soon followed with thoughts of dying etc. This lasted about 2 years until I realized what was going on and now no longer have the panicky feeling b/c I know when my heart becomes elevated and my head cloudy, something is going on that will not kill me...rather just tick me off
5) About 6 years in I shook when trying to fall asleep which is now the main thing/reason for this post...I can stay up all night sometimes shaking/dipping/roller coaster feeling, etc...
6) If I have any real food for dinner..forget about it...shaking...dipping...have to throw it up. And then shakes are still there sometimes.
7) I have acid reflux.
8) I do not have anxiety. People say I stress. I don't think I stress any more than other. When I go to sleep. I am not thinking about much of anything. I love my life. Am a happy-go-lucky dude. But I have LOTS of energy/work with children. So when I come home...it's crash-central
SOLUTIONS for Me
1) Don't eat after 6:30...however, should you eat too early, I find a piece of bread (many times) helps stop the shakes if I do start shaking. Do not eat the bread until AFTER shaking as the bread itself could cause shaking. Only eat a piece of bread if you start shaking. This works about 1/2 time...means my stomach was too empty.
2) I take a quarter of Lorazapam to calm my nerves an hour before bedtime. If you take it right before bed and are not shaking...it may cause the shakes. If you are shaking and have to take another quarter...it may stop the shakes. See how that works? :) Yea...confusing me too. This works about 3/4 of the time. Very good.
3) Throw up acid...this is the number one thing that works and naturally is the worst thing for you for obvious reasons. I throw up a little acid and for years this would work. The past month though, it has become less effective. I will shake like a tree on a windy October night and then boom...throw up a little acid and done..no shaking whatsoever.
4) Take a shower an hour before bed
5) Lay in bed an hour before sleeping
6) Take 1 antacid and hr before sleep
7) Think of obscure things before falling asleep like running on top of a building while holding a jack-in-the-box...this works for me b.c. it keeps me from thinking of real life stuff and it gets me into obscure dream-world
Things I have tried and no longer work
1) Melatonin worked ...and then it actually kept me up all night
2) Eating regular food for dinner ..nope
3) Working out later in the evening to calm me down...nope..gets me jacked up where I don't want to sleep
Things to keep in mind
1) I don't really stress about things - I am a problem solver
2) I don't like how everything is attributed to anxiety/stress - I believe these are relative terms
3) Most important...what we are dealing with is real...maybe if enough of us discuss we can find a solution...I feel like it is a simple fix...but so simple it has Docs perplexed.
ME TOO! And a year ago, it did not. I stopped taking it b/c of the weird dreams. But then I tried to take it again and it worked for a week, but then kept me up all night shaking. Not good.
Like many of you I have been experiencing this same sleeping problem. It started about 11 days ago. I woke up in the middle of the night in a sudden scare. Went back to sleep and then kept waking up. Last wednesday I started taking Atenolol for High Blood Pressure. Which made me feel really strange. I was sad and crying and I felt lifeless. I only took the one. Then next day I was still tired and slept ok. The next day on Friday I felt anxious all day. That night and every night after I have been having trouble falling asleep. I have missed 2 nights of sleep already. And I still have the anxiousness. I went to see a doctor and he prescribed me some Ativan. I took one and it calmed me nicely. I took another that night and I slept at least 7 hours. I tried to go with the Ativan the next night but was up all night. I wonder if my situation has to do with a Withdrawal of the Atenolol?
Then there is a part of my that realizes that this is just from Anxiety. My wife and son went on a trip to Florida for 8 days! I have been so depressed without them. I also have to appetite at all. Do you think that this is just Psychological?
Then there is a part of my that realizes that this is just from Anxiety. My wife and son went on a trip to Florida for 8 days! I have been so depressed without them. I also have to appetite at all. Do you think that this is just Psychological?
This is going to sound crazy but here's how I've dealt with it. The surge, I think, is a physiological response to your awareness of yourself being between the physical and spiritual realm. When you get these, you are very tired and your body has issued the chemicals that prevent you from moving. You're paralyzed and you feel like you're completely vulnerable as you become aware and these surges come. At first they are scary and you might even cry out for help - not physically of course but within your 'state' - like a desperate prayer. I actually started taking advantage of these states to pray, not in desperation, but in peace and with sincere inquisition because it's in this place I think we're out of the physical and into the spiritual world, a little closer to God.
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