Depression Meds - A Question

[neonlyte]

Came off my meds on Thursday in preparation for medical tests next week: I've done nothing but sleep since!

Admittedly , I've been through several weeks with little sleep, so it's nice to catch up but 9 hours a night and I've just slept for 4 hours this afternoon strikes me as excessive.

Anyone else had this experience?

 

[impressive]

In my periods of deepest depression, I slept a LOT. (It was preferable to being awake.) However, I've never had that experience due to coming off meds.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Which meds are you on?

 

[joeys-game]

A couple of years ago i was taking Paxal, fairly high dose for about a year, then I took myself off..boy oh boy did that ever send me spinning, I didn't figure the weaning off process was so important..
I didn't sleep, I couldn't sleep and felt like i was experiencing a severe withdrawl..lasted about a week or so then it gradually wore off...
good luck withyour testing neon.

 

[neonlyte]

20mg Citalopram - antidepressant
1000mg Naproxen - anti-inflamatory

Both warn they might cause drowseness, but seem to have had the opposite effect.

 

[Stella_Omega]

20mg Citalopram - antidepressant
1000mg Naproxen - anti-inflamatory

Both warn they might cause drowseness, but seem to have had the opposite effect.

heh, maybe you're also a little ADD! I have to imagine the sleep feels gooood to you right now huh?

 

[neonlyte]

heh, maybe you're also a little ADD! I have to imagine the sleep feels gooood to you right now huh?

it would, if I woke up feeling refreshed.

I'll ignore it and push on with the editing before the med effects wear off completely. No doubt I'll have to do the editing again

 

[Nirvanadragones]

In my periods of deepest depression, I slept a LOT. (It was preferable to being awake.) However, I've never had that experience due to coming off meds.

What she said.

 

[Guest]

Came off my meds on Thursday in preparation for medical tests next week: I've done nothing but sleep since!

Admittedly , I've been through several weeks with little sleep, so it's nice to catch up but 9 hours a night and I've just slept for 4 hours this afternoon strikes me as excessive.

Anyone else had this experience?

for the medical crud you have to deal with now.

Maybe you should just concentrate on writing porn.

(We'd like that.)

 

[neonlyte]

for the medical crud you have to deal with now.

Maybe you should just concentrate on writing porn.

(We'd like that.)

Thanks, sweets. There will be blow by blow accounts during the week... particularly the electrical conductivity tests on Monday - might be gruesome

Currently editing a novel, down to the last three chapters, probably contains too much porn for the intended market

I'm going to wait for the meds effect to completely vanish before finishing my Christmas entry - Mr S and the Chocolate Covered Lesbians - I think I need to be crazy to write it.

 

[Guest]

Thanks, sweets. There will be blow by blow accounts during the week... particularly the electrical conductivity tests on Monday - might be gruesome

Currently editing a novel, down to the last three chapters, probably contains too much porn for the intended market

I'm going to wait for the meds effect to completely vanish before finishing my Christmas entry - Mr S and the Chocolate Covered Lesbians - I think I need to be crazy to write it.

Or really horny.

Conductivity tests?

 

[neonlyte]

Or really horny.

Conductivity tests?

yeh... electrical pulses sent through different parts of the body to check neural pathways. Had it a couple of years ago, was not pleasant.

 

[Emerald_Dragon]

20mg Citalopram - antidepressant
1000mg Naproxen - anti-inflamatory

Both warn they might cause drowseness, but seem to have had the opposite effect.

Citalopram is a medication that works by building up to a level dose that stays in your system at all times. That is why it can take a while to work and the effects start gradually. I would assume that that is why it is taking a while to work through the withdrawl symptoms too. It takes a while for the drugs to be flushed through the system.

If a doctor told you to drop it cold turkey I would read him the riot act. You are NOT supposed to stop taking medications without carefull supervision by a doctor and you should have been weaned off. This is BRAIN CHEMISTRY you are messing with and going off meds can seriously fuck with you, up to and including suicidal thoughts and actions.

Seems like an awefully big risk for a few medical tests. It also sounds like your doctor needs to be drop-kicked into the next examination room.

I don't know anything about naproxen.


I would educate yourself by researching the meds you are on so you can make good decisions with reguards to them. I think a lot of doctors need to wise up and take more time with each patient. They certainly make enough money.

 

[buxxxom]

Came off my meds on Thursday in preparation for medical tests next week: I've done nothing but sleep since!

Admittedly , I've been through several weeks with little sleep, so it's nice to catch up but 9 hours a night and I've just slept for 4 hours this afternoon strikes me as excessive.

Anyone else had this experience?

I was on Lexapro for a couple of years, and during the weaning off process, I was so very sleepy. Everything eventually leveled off, but not for several months. Good luck, we'll be thinking of you and hoping for a good outcome of your tests.

 

[glynndah]

20mg Citalopram - antidepressant
1000mg Naproxen - anti-inflamatory

Both warn they might cause drowseness, but seem to have had the opposite effect.

I take naproxen (It's sold here as Aleve.) quite frequently as recommended by my doctor for various aches and pains. I'm not sure my dosage is that high, perhaps 500 mg. twice a day. I've taken it for weeks at a time with no problems after stopping it. I've never had any problems with drowsiness while taking it.

 

[l8bloom]

yeh... electrical pulses sent through different parts of the body to check neural pathways. Had it a couple of years ago, was not pleasant.

Jesu Christe. I had that once. It's a grim procedure at best. I'm very sorry to hear it's necessary & will hold a good thought for you. Hang in there.

L8.

 

[MaeveoSliabh]

Emerald Dragon has the right of it here.

All antidepressants (or at least 99-ish% of them) actually help to regulate the production of hormones that have an effect on the brain. You should have been VERY SLOWLY weaned off of that dosage over the course of a few weeks instead of being told to just stop.

Quitting like that has effectively caused a 'crash' in your system - the specific hormone the drug was causing to be produce just stopped. It sent you into a down, kind of like getting stoned, but it will last a LONG time unless something is done to regulate that hormone again.

Whichever doctor told you to do that should be reported to whatever health board you have there. Causing that type of crash is highly dangerous to the patient.

 

[Pure]

hi neon,

you're dealing with a classic SSRI, and have elevated your serotonin.

when that stops suddenly lots of reactions are possible, including sleepines.

as others say, one should be weaned gradually.

it's also a possibility that indirectly your norephinephrine levels were raised, through little undersood mechanism. this is a stimulant (related to adrenaline) and coming off it would produce sleepiness.

people coming off SSRIs have reported weeks or months of adjustments, in the worst cases.

 

[neonlyte]

Thanks for all the advice, I understand better what is happening.

People are concerned about the medical ethics of suddenly stopping the treatment. This was done with my consent and agreement. I've been on the depression meds for about two months; as part of the legal action against the neurologist who got me into this mess, I need to undergo a mental function test to compare my mental ability with an average male of my age. The test cannot be done while I am on the depression meds. The test is ten days away, enough time to clear my system and after the test, I resume with the medication. It is not ideal but it has to be done and I can only wonder at why they didn't do it before I started the meds.