Posted by Lindenblüte on October 25, 2006, at 7:37:38
In reply to Re: need support » JerryPharmStudent, posted by Phillipa on October 24, 2006, at 23:47:56
Hi Jerry,
I have strange dreams when I take seroquel (like eating chicken prepared with the food additive Abilify), but only 1 nightmare in 6 months.I used to take 25 or 50 mg to help me fall asleep at night. More recently, my pdoc has increased my dose to 300 mg, because it has been shown to be a powerful and fairly fast-acting anti-depressant for bipolar depression. Now, while I've never been told that I'm bipolar (and I would never diagnose myself as such), it's possible that it may work for different people in different ways.
I was super sleepy (IMPOSSIBLE to get up in the am) for the first 3 weeks of increased dosage. Now I'm starting my 3rd week at the full 300mg dose, and it's actually getting easier every day to wake up in the am.
See what people say regarding seroquel and nightmares.
The hypersomnolence and nightmares sounds like you may not be experiencing all of the sleep stages your body is demanding. You are resting, but not truly in a restorative sleep. Is this possible? I don't know which drugs you are on that might be interrupting your sleep cycle. I've heard that benzodiazepines (specifically klonopin) may have this effect if taken in the evening.
Whatever you decide to do, regarding your meds, please know that babble will be here for you.
I'm sorry that depression is sapping all the joy out of life. It's such a cruel disease. At least you can still enjoy your dog :) I have 2 suggestions for you-
1) does your landlord or maintenance staff live in an apt immediately adjoining yours? If not, and if your doggy is quiet, I think you might be able to get away with keeping your dog at your place for a weekend or during some days. My landlord had similar restrictions, but my roommate was forced to take care of her brother's dog when he had to go work in Hong Kong one summer. This is a big dog- German Shepard mix. Barked a lot too. My landlord never said anything- even though my roommate (little Chinese woman) was out walking the beast several times a day, all summer long!
2) do you own a pair of largish headphones? you can wear these when you go out to places where you might run into folks you know. They will be much less likely to disturb you if you're reading a book and have big headphones on. Just seeing people, perhaps by walking around the neighborhood in the evening when people are walking their dogs will help you. No conversation required- just say Good Evening, and keep going
I know when I am really really depressed I tend to get paranoid, thinking that everyone is whispering about what a FREAK I am, and what a FAILURE... etc. The truth is that people are usually so absorbed in their own lives that they don't pick up on subtle changes in behavior that seem so symptomatic of insanity to myself!
You have a fairly substantial change in behavior to explain, namely taking the semester off. Well, you won't be forced to explain it to anyone. If they ask where you've been, what you're up to, it might be because they MISS YOU! Not because they think you're a drop-out, and want to confirm the rumors.
Have a set of stock phrases ready:
"I'm taking a leave of absence for health reasons" (at which point annoying people will ask you What's Wrong?)
You can respond "It's really something I'd rather not discuss."
"I'm still going through different tests to figure out exactly what's wrong."
then you can tell them that "I'm pretty stressed out, and depressed too, but I'm really hoping to start classes again after Winter Break".
"Well, you haven't seen me around, because I'm not taking classes this semester."
Or, you can just keep the focus of conversation on THEM. Most people are more than happy to talk about themselves.
"Jerry, I haven't seen you around much! Are you still in school?" "Hey! What's up? I haven't seen you around EITHER! How's _______ going for you?"
or just have your headphones on (no music necessary) and pretend to ignore them :) wave a quiet unenthusiastic wave when you see them, but don't say anything! :)
-Li
poster:Lindenblüte
thread:697235
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20061018/msgs/697560.html