Depression and Insomnia........

[tweetykiss]

My two lifetime ailments.......can't even get motivated...

[tweetykiss]

Why does not someone just take a hammer and knock me out just to put me to sleep and then whatever magic it takes to get rid of the depression.......

Any of you have a hammer so you can come knock me out....

[Roxy]

Tweetykiss, I know exactly how you feel! I think you might have mentioned in another post, but have you ever gotten pills for either?? I'm at the point that I'm on so much medication, I figure what can another pill or two do! Or if pills don't work, is there anything that makes you sleepy? I don't have a hammer to knock you out with...but if I find one, I'll let ya know 

[st789]

A hammer here , wham, wham.  Hope it help.

[kitkatz]

I have a big stick. Will that help?

[tweetykiss]

A hammer here , wham, wham.  Hope it help.

I have a big stick. Will that help?

Yes, thank you...now come over tonight and conk me out and put me to sleep.....

Tweetykiss, I know exactly how you feel! I think you might have mentioned in another post, but have you ever gotten pills for either?? I'm at the point that I'm on so much medication, I figure what can another pill or two do! Or if pills don't work, is there anything that makes you sleepy? I don't have a hammer to knock you out with...but if I find one, I'll let ya know 

Roxy,

Back in 99 after driving certain people crazy, it was suggested to me to go to the doctor and have some meds set up for me.....this one doctor put me on something for depression and something to help me relax and help me sleep as well.  I got so sick that I almost died and had to be taken to ER and they right away put me in the Critical Care....they right away took me off the meds and ran some tests as well as monitored my input of food and water and output of urine (and that is not fun at all...lol ) until they released me a few days later.....since then I refuse to take any type of meds since there are all types of side effects in those type of meds.......

I am sorry you have to be on so many meds......

My ob/gyn has me on actinol and I don't even take that half the time......I don't plant to take it again until I get the story on it......

[keefer51]

Tweety, i have the same problem. I have enough bp. meds that the combination of all of them together helps me sleep. The depression is another thing. I have been given allot of different meds through the years for that but nothing ever worked. Sleep however can be helped but the meds are too expensive and insurance won't cover them. When your mind is over loaded with all that dialysis brings whether you are on it or a caregiver can keep you up for hours. I usually don't sleep till around 3:00 am. Then i awake around 6 or 9 am. I wish i new of something that wouldn't make you sick but i don't. I'm sorry. Well maybe being on here for hours will get you drowsy. Or sometimes a couple glasses of wine or something can help.

[tweetykiss]

Tweety, i have the same problem. I have enough bp. meds that the combination of all of them together helps me sleep. The depression is another thing. I have been given allot of different meds through the years for that but nothing ever worked. Sleep however can be helped but the meds are too expensive and insurance won't cover them. When your mind is over loaded with all that dialysis brings whether you are on it or a caregiver can keep you up for hours. I usually don't sleep till around 3:00 am. Then i awake around 6 or 9 am. I wish i new of something that wouldn't make you sick but i don't. I'm sorry. Well maybe being on here for hours will get you drowsy. Or sometimes a couple glasses of wine or something can help.

I have heard the same complaint for meds for depression and some also say it has helped them....however those things have side effects and I don't want to deal with them....now with the sleep aids, I think Lunesta and Ambein both are overrated......I also heard those stop working after a while.....I use to deal with my insomnia by just reading into the night or doing other things like cleaning but I don't want to clean while my husband is sleeping since I could wake him up.....I cannot really focus on my reading at the present time and I have two good books waiting for me.....I did read the 12 step kidney book the other day....that is really the only reading I want to do....I also spend time on the Internet researching about KD.......I also hope being on late nights can put me to sleep......it never did on another site (non-KD related).....lol.....

I have heard BP meds do make one drowsy.....

[Roxy]

Tweetykiss, I'm sorry to hear that all those meds made you so sick!!! You are right about ambien, well at least in my experience. I took it for a while and then the only way i could get it to work is if i took extra pills. I really do hope you find something to help you sleep at night. I know how frustrating it is to not be able to sleep.

[Sara]

Some people have good luck just taking Tylenol PM - have you tried that?  Maybe a warm bath just before bed?  I always read about the importance of keeping your bedroom a calming place - no TV or computer, just peaceful surroundings.  Also I've read that watching TV or using the computer within a few hours of bedtime can make it harder to fall asleep.

[MyssAnne]

Sara!!!!! Don't SAY that!!!! I both read AND get on the computer in hopes that it will GET me to sleep!  I also take tylenol pm!!!! No baths though. When I get sleepy, I do go to playing solitaire, in hopes that will further relax me. I'm doing more on my cycler, more fluids that is,
which is very uncomfortable, and makes it hard to fall and stay asleep.

[tweetykiss]

Baths do  relax me but not put me to sleep.....thanks for the heads up that computer will keep me awake..... .......warm milk never helps......cleaning use to help but I cannot do it anymore at night like I stated.......music use to help but not anymore.....some drinks at night would put me to sleep but since I may need to donate my kidney to my husband I don't want to drink anymore.....

[tweetykiss]

Tweetykiss, I'm sorry to hear that all those meds made you so sick!!! You are right about ambien, well at least in my experience. I took it for a while and then the only way i could get it to work is if i took extra pills. I really do hope you find something to help you sleep at night. I know how frustrating it is to not be able to sleep.

Sorry I missed this Roxy.......also sorry you had to deal with that on Ambien.....it is just nuts how they keep advertising these sleep aids and antidepressants when they really don't work and all they do is give side effects.....now I know a lady who swears by Zoloft but I don't think she really needs it since she really is a happy person......

Now I had anxiety real bad when I went to bed last night and then finally went to sleep.....I think what I need is to join a gym and really work out and sweat...I think for now though I will do the stationary bike we have....

I will also try meditation and guided imagery since one time a nurse told me I should try guided imagery.....

[paris]

As a renal patient, I have found Ambien to be a lifesaver.  I have so much trouble falling asleep, staying asleep.  My mind races with all the problems going on and I can't shut it off. Nephrologist prescribed it and monitors my blood work.  Also, I take an anti-depressant -----  because believe me,ESRD can be very depressing!!!  I also have anxiety problems and it really helps me with that. I never took any medicines before this disease, but it is too much to deal with by myself.  Now my husband (the caregiver) sleeps like a baby!!!  Takes him 5 minutes and he is out for the night. 

[livecam]

Depression and insomnia seem to go hand in hand.  One can precipitate the other very easily.  If something is really on my mind to the point that it is starting to affect my mood I find that a bunch of sleep really helps.  Doing 10 or 11  hours in nite nite land at times like that can turn things completely around by the time morning comes.

I also find that being very busy and involved right up until bedtime is not a good thing when it comes to trying to sleep.  Walking 5 miles a couple of hours before bed, trying to fix a frustrating problem, eating too late, or having too much caffeine too late in the day are all no no's.  On the other hand doing something that is pleasant right up until bedtime is no problem at all.

I like to eat about 4 or 5 hours before bedtime and spend a couple of hours in the evening slowly winding down.  That can mean goodtimes in the chatroom, listening to music, a little hamming, television time, or just some time sitting out in the back yard as the day cools and the stars come out.

I have always been opposed to medication and drugs of any kind.  I very grudgingly had to start bp, cholesterol, and transplant meds in order to stay alive but I avoid anything else. 

Sleeping meds didn't work well for me.  I was much worse off with them than without even during my darkest days on dialysis. 

Insomnia is almost a given with dialysis so none of us are alone here.  We all have to deal with it.  It can be a major problem but the good news is that it always seems to get better with time.