Severe Nighttime Anxiety

[Raena]

This is day 3 in a row where my anxiety is very intense at night and I can't fall asleep. I'm having yet another panic attack. I'm currently taking 150mg of Zoloft daily, and 0.25mg Klonopin as needed for severe anxiety. I've been trying to conceive a 2nd child for a year and I haven't been successful yet. I've been off of Klonopin daily for several months, though lately I'm experiencing panic attacks at night. I'm doing deep breathing exercises, taking 0.25mg Klonopin and trying to distract my mind. The fear of dying is so real and scary that I cannot fall asleep. I fear that I won't wake up. I have a 4 year old son, and I'm not ready to die. I've lost 3 close relatives in the last 2 years, and that has had a significant role on my fear of dying. Also, I believe I have nocturnal panic attacks. I've been tested several times for sleep apnea, though the tests show I'm negative. I think I have PTSD from a childhood incident where someone tried to break into my home through my window. Although the person was unsuccessful, I fear any repeats and I currently have an alarm system in place. That incident occurred at night. I see a psychiatrist and a psychologist regularly (once monthly and every 2 weeks, respectively). I switched antidepressants from Cymbalta to Zoloft last year, but I'm not sure how well Zoloft is helping. I recently went from 100mg a day to 150mg a day. I'm begging for relief, as this affects me every day and it is so very real and scary for me. I'm going to call my psychiatrist tomorrow and seek assistance on what to do. I can't continue living with this severity of anxiety. I need additional guidance on how to manage my severe anxiety.

[brokenlight]

I’m sorry for your pain & suffering.

Have you tried meditation?

[Raena in reply to brokenlight]

Thank you for your kind words. I am trying to get myself into a routine of daily meditation. I've downloaded the app, Calm, and I'm liking it so far, but I've only done 1 day. I need to get into a habit of daily meditation to reap the full benefits. One foot in front of the other! 😊

[blackcat64013]

Hi Raena,

I have been in your situation when sleep seems impossible.

Mirtazapine (sold under the brand name Remeron among others), is an antidepressant often prescribed in combination with other psychiatric medication because of it's sedating side affect (it works for me).

When you see the psychiatrist ask for a medication review and suggest the mirtazapine. Its full effect may take more than four weeks to occur, with some benefit possibly as early as one to two weeks.

Adding a sleeping tablet for short term relief is a guarantee of sleep. I have used Temazepam but only for a week at a time.

A psychologist can suggest some therapies to deal with the anxiety.

If you would prefer to get ideas from books I recommend the free book website free-ebooks.net/

All the best

[Raena in reply to blackcat64013]

Thank you for your suggestions. I will discuss Remeron with my psychiatrist and see if it would be worth a try. I'm keeping in mind that I'm trying to get pregnant, so the drug may not be an option, but it is worth discussion. Also, thank you for the free book website. I'll browse it and find a few good books on helping anxiety. 😊

[Houstongirl51]

Have you had a DNA done by your psychiatrist ? This was done for me to find out what medicines actually work for my anxiety and the ones that don't. Come to find out the medicines I was on didn't work for my DNA so she switched me to the ones that do plus put me on Deplin (Folic Acid) which has really helped me. I am still tapering off the medicines that didn't work which were given to me by a regular doctor in which I told my regular doctor and she said she was so glad I am seeing a psychiatrist/ Neurologist as that is their speciality. You should ask for a DNA to see what medicine will work for your body plus the Deplin. Hope it helps

[Raena in reply to Houstongirl51]

Thank you for your suggestions. I will have to inquire about that with my psychiatrist.

[anonymous-one]

I have severe PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder. It's developed over the years from stressful military experiences, an abusive marriage and a terrible car accident with a drunk driver. I used to have terrible nightmares and thoughts that kept going through my head at night and keeping me awake. My first attempt to deal with it was using self-hypnosis CDs with subliminal messages. That worked for a while. Then I was put on Klonopin and Lamictil. That helped some. I've also been in structured trauma therapy for the last 6 years. That's helping. But the latest most natural help I've gotten to sleep is taking CBD drops. I buy them online from Lazarus Naturals.com. They have a discount program to cut costs. Anyway I use 2 drops before going to bed and if I get up in the middle of the night, I use another single drop. That's the only way that I've been able to sleep. Somehow it just works to turn off those nagging thoughts and I've been getting best sleep for the past 9 months. I hope my advice helps you. I know what your going through. After my car accident and having 30 stitches in my head, I had horrible nightmares of the accident happening over and over again. Best of luck! Things are bound to get better for you.

[Raena in reply to anonymous-one]

Thank you so much for sharing your story. Do you feel groggy the next day from the CBD drops? I've been on Klonopin 1mg/day for several years, but I had to wean off because I'm trying to get pregnant. It helped a decent bit with anxiety but drowsiness was a big side effect. I recently switched from Cymbalta to Zoloft and my depression is so much better, but my anxiety is worse I feel. I'll research CBD oil and talk with my doctors about taking it. Thank you for the suggestion.

[anonymous-one in reply to Raena]

Well, I'm not really a morning person anymore. That's why caffeine helps. But at least, I can sleep well at night. Definitely check out CBD products. CBD oil works great. The CBD gummies (platinum X CBD apple rings) are tasty too. And CBD lotion, Charlotte's web works wonders on sore joints. I use the CBD lotion on my knees nightly. It helps with restlessness of my legs at night too. CBD products have lots of benefits.