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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by nolegirl23 on January 23, 2007, at 20:42:10
I have had this problem all of my life, but for the most part have attributed it to my eating habits..
There are certain points of the day in which, no matter what, I cannot stay awake. Usually it is right after lunch or in mid afternoon. I do everything possible, I drink 24 oz. of coffee in the morning, drink Diet Pepsi throughout the day, and no matter what, it is like my body shuts down and my eyes cannot stay open to save my life.
When I was in school, I would just fall asleep, no big deal. Now that I am in the workforce, it is becoming increasingly difficult.
I don't know if this is a symptom of my depression, or if it is a result of my meds.. I don't know what is going on, but it seems as if after I eat, I have NO choice but to sleep. It is going to happen, regardless.Does anybody know if these periods of extreme exhaustion are a result of depression??
BTW, I am on 40 mg. of Lexapro; 4 mg's. of Xanax XR, 50 mg's of Lamictal, and 50 mg's. of Vistaril ( for sleeping at night, when I am SUPPOSED to sleep )
Posted by blueberry1 on January 23, 2007, at 21:16:58
In reply to Periods of Narcolepsy ??, posted by nolegirl23 on January 23, 2007, at 20:42:10
Could be one of the meds. But then, you said it has happened all your life. So maybe not the meds.
I have a strange pattern too. My mood always dips pretty bad after lunch and through the afternoon. No matter what. Doesn't matter what I eat, whether I'm active, lazy, or even what meds I'm on. The afternoon 'sinking' I call it. There must be some strange bodily metabolic thing involved with your pattern and mine.
Whether your pattern is part of depression or not I don't know. Doesn't really sound like it.
What to do about it? Yikes. That's a tough one. Change dosing times maybe? Try protein lunches with no carbs? Other than that the only thing I could think of is to add yet one more med to your cocktail which doesn't sound very attractive. But if the whole issue is depession, then maybe it would be attractive. That med would be Provigil. It is for narcolepsy and is also highly rated for depression. Dosing time might be mid to late morning so it works through the afternoon and wears off by evening.
Posted by Phillipa on January 23, 2007, at 22:30:46
In reply to Re: Periods of Narcolepsy ??, posted by blueberry1 on January 23, 2007, at 21:16:58
They say after a meal you get tired. Providgil is gaining a reputation for giving energy without anxiety. love Phillipa
Posted by polarbear206 on January 23, 2007, at 22:34:22
In reply to Periods of Narcolepsy ??, posted by nolegirl23 on January 23, 2007, at 20:42:10
> I have had this problem all of my life, but for the most part have attributed it to my eating habits..
>
> There are certain points of the day in which, no matter what, I cannot stay awake. Usually it is right after lunch or in mid afternoon. I do everything possible, I drink 24 oz. of coffee in the morning, drink Diet Pepsi throughout the day, and no matter what, it is like my body shuts down and my eyes cannot stay open to save my life.
>
> When I was in school, I would just fall asleep, no big deal. Now that I am in the workforce, it is becoming increasingly difficult.
> I don't know if this is a symptom of my depression, or if it is a result of my meds.. I don't know what is going on, but it seems as if after I eat, I have NO choice but to sleep. It is going to happen, regardless.
>
> Does anybody know if these periods of extreme exhaustion are a result of depression??
>
> BTW, I am on 40 mg. of Lexapro; 4 mg's. of Xanax XR, 50 mg's of Lamictal, and 50 mg's. of Vistaril ( for sleeping at night, when I am SUPPOSED to sleep )
>
>
Funny you mention narcolepsy. I thought I had it at one time. Same time of the day as you, I would experience overwhelming fatigue. I actually pulled over my car to the side of the road one time when I couldn't stay awake. I remember drinking whole pots of coffee to prevent these sleep attacks. Sounds like your circadium rhythm is out of wack. Does this happen more in the winter and fall months? Is your appetite increased at all? What time of the day are you taking the xanax? Is it prn? I would discuss with your Doc about switching to a more activating antidepressant that targets more than one nuerotransmitter like effexor or cymbalta. I was on 40mg of Paxil at the time I went through this without a mood stabilizer. I wouldn't be surprised if you would increase your Lamictal, you would get a better response, that meaning better sleep without these sleep attacks occuring during the day. People usually respond better at higher doses between 100-200mg.
Light therapy is another option that is very helpful.Polarbear
effexor/lamictal
klonopin prn
Posted by shasling on January 24, 2007, at 21:35:15
In reply to Periods of Narcolepsy ??, posted by nolegirl23 on January 23, 2007, at 20:42:10
Provigil does a prety good job for me of preventing the after lunch crash. I had that same pattern (among other sleepy issues) and it turned out i did have narcolepsy, but another possibility is low cortisol. Might try having your a.m. cortisol level checked if you can talk a doc into it. Anyway, Provigil is approved for excessive daytime sleepiness, whatever the cause. Im also using reboxitine, which augments the provigil very well. Good luck.
Posted by nolegirl23 on January 25, 2007, at 18:06:48
In reply to Re: Periods of Narcolepsy ??, posted by polarbear206 on January 23, 2007, at 22:34:22
> > I have had this problem all of my life, but for the most part have attributed it to my eating habits..
> >
> > There are certain points of the day in which, no matter what, I cannot stay awake. Usually it is right after lunch or in mid afternoon. I do everything possible, I drink 24 oz. of coffee in the morning, drink Diet Pepsi throughout the day, and no matter what, it is like my body shuts down and my eyes cannot stay open to save my life.
> >
> > When I was in school, I would just fall asleep, no big deal. Now that I am in the workforce, it is becoming increasingly difficult.
> > I don't know if this is a symptom of my depression, or if it is a result of my meds.. I don't know what is going on, but it seems as if after I eat, I have NO choice but to sleep. It is going to happen, regardless.
> >
> > Does anybody know if these periods of extreme exhaustion are a result of depression??
> >
> > BTW, I am on 40 mg. of Lexapro; 4 mg's. of Xanax XR, 50 mg's of Lamictal, and 50 mg's. of Vistaril ( for sleeping at night, when I am SUPPOSED to sleep )
> >
> >
>
>
> Funny you mention narcolepsy. I thought I had it at one time. Same time of the day as you, I would experience overwhelming fatigue. I actually pulled over my car to the side of the road one time when I couldn't stay awake. I remember drinking whole pots of coffee to prevent these sleep attacks. Sounds like your circadium rhythm is out of wack. Does this happen more in the winter and fall months? Is your appetite increased at all? What time of the day are you taking the xanax? Is it prn? I would discuss with your Doc about switching to a more activating antidepressant that targets more than one nuerotransmitter like effexor or cymbalta. I was on 40mg of Paxil at the time I went through this without a mood stabilizer. I wouldn't be surprised if you would increase your Lamictal, you would get a better response, that meaning better sleep without these sleep attacks occuring during the day. People usually respond better at higher doses between 100-200mg.
> Light therapy is another option that is very helpful.
>
> Polarbear
> effexor/lamictal
> klonopin prnThanks for the support and suggestions!
I am actually gradually increasing my dosage of lamictal. My pdoc eventually wants me at 200 mg's.
I take the lamictal at night though (thats when the doc said to take it..), but I find that when i take it at night, I have very strange and agitating dreams. Sometimes these dreams are borderline nightmares.
I'm a laymen, so I don't know what prn means. My Xanax XR is taken once in the morning (2 mgs), and once in the evening (2 mgs).
BTW, what does PRN mean?
In terms of my appetite, I have had an increased appetite but I ignore it ( I have an eating disorder).
Anyways, thanks for the response and advice!
Posted by Jimmyboy on January 25, 2007, at 19:15:33
In reply to Re: Periods of Narcolepsy ??, posted by nolegirl23 on January 25, 2007, at 18:06:48
For several months I was convinced I had narcolepsy also, I would sleep 13 + hrs a day and fall asleep sitting up and while I was doing stuff and everything was in a fog..I was trying to go to a sleep doctor and everything. A real nightmare, it is horrible. Turns out it was a symptom of my depression. Now that my depression has gotten somewhat under control that was the first symptom that got better. Good luck to you
JB
Posted by Phillipa on January 25, 2007, at 19:35:08
In reply to Re: Periods of Narcolepsy ??, posted by nolegirl23 on January 25, 2007, at 18:06:48
PRN means take as needed not always. Love Phillipa
Posted by nolegirl23 on January 25, 2007, at 21:03:55
In reply to Re: Periods of Narcolepsy ?? » nolegirl23, posted by Phillipa on January 25, 2007, at 19:35:08
> PRN means take as needed not always. Love Phillipa
Oh, than in that case xanax XR is not PRN. I take 4 mgs daily - 2mgs in the am, 2 in the evening..
Posted by elanor roosevelt on January 27, 2007, at 21:50:28
In reply to Re: Periods of Narcolepsy ??, posted by nolegirl23 on January 25, 2007, at 21:03:55
1) we all have sugar lows in the late afternoon
2) are you taking that dose of lexapro all at once?
i don't take my lexapro until almost noon so i don't go into that strange yawning thing during the day
This is the end of the thread.
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