I hadnt been sleeping normally for about a week due a jerking awake sensation I would get while dozing off (hypnic jerk) I was recently put on Amitryptyline 25mg (to start} with Ativan as needed for sleep.
I took them both the first night. The Ativan gave me a major buzz and knocked me right out. I slept 14 hours that night.
Over the next few nights the Ativan seemed to have less of an effect on me to where I didn't really feel anything from it but it still seemed to help with anxiety.
I had to get back into a work schedule so I was only able to sleep about 6-7 hours on following nights. The Amitryptyline left me very drowsy during the day after taking my dose at 2pm. Then, fast forward this weekend. I thought "great" I'll be able to sleep 10hrs again. I noticed I had an unusual amount of energy and stayed up later than usually watching and actually understanding TV. Something I hadn't done in a while due to anxiety.
I initially fell asleep and woke up about an hour later in a panic.i don't remember a nightmare or any trigger.
Even after I calmed myself down I was able to lay there with normal random dreams going through my head, but I didn't feel I was asleep. Just laying there awake. I was looking up at my clock every 1-3 hours.
Normally I'm not the kind of person who will lay in bed if I'm not sleeping I'll get up within 30mins. But I laid there in this state for about 8 hours, went to bathroom and laid back down for another 3 hours.
Ive been up for an hour but don't feel exhausted yet, so in guessing I got some sleep. But it's so weird that there didn't seem to ever be a transition between asleep and awake.
Anyone experience something similar? I'm feeling like I have a brain tumor or something.
I am waiting on a CBC/metabolic from my doc, but probably should have asked for thryoid and adrenals also.
One more note. I had been on Ambien for a while at a partial dose but had recently upped it to a full 1mg. It stopped working for me completely.
I don't think I was addicted to it but I got to a point where I was taking 1/4 to sometimes 1/2 pill every other day or sometimes every day for many months. I have read the acute withdrawal symptoms (rebound insomnia) from Ambien can last 3-5 days and I'm still in that window.