Talk about a train wreck.....

@Double00Kevin

I'm fist bumping other new people today. I've not dealt with insomnia in a long time, but it is one of those challenges that changes everything. I'm hoping you have some support to help with the kids as you are working through this.

Hi Kevin, I myself and new here as well We are not alone! All it seems to be with doctors is “trial and error” with different meds. I myself suffer from anxiety, for the most part I have self managed mine. I’m very particular about what my body consumes (bit against meds) I am currently, as of 3 days ago on a anxiety pill. Makes me feel sick.

Hi Kevin. I just wanted to say that I understand your feeling of not having faith in doctors anymore. I’ve been going through that myself. I feel like I’m always getting the run around and just shuffled from one doctor to the next. One reason I wanted to try this first before getting into therapy was that I don’t want to get stuck with another doctor that I feel isn’t helping me.

Hi Kevin, I'm new here too. I get it , I'm a CPtsd anxiety/ depression person. Just want to say for me writing in a journal is incredibly helpful. I write whatever I'm thinking, journals don't judge. I also researched art therapy because I love art. I have a journal I just put art into, anything stickers, doodles, scribbles, sketches. Something in the brain is working differently when art is involved. It has a meditative healing quality. It's also helps me to write in those "I can't sleep " moments just to get it out/;racing thoughts or dreams, flashbacks ..... Just a suggestion that's not Dr/ meds related. I hope this helps..... just know you're not alone

Thanks everyone for dropping some encouragement!! Has any of yall ever heard of Alpha-Stim? Its something that my doctor talked about during my last visit.......its interesting for sure but I have way too much ADD to just accept it......I would research it til the cows come home.

Wow, I’ve never heard of alpha stim before but I’m now fascinated. If you try it I’d love to hear you report back. My teens, 20s and most of my 30s were all about insomnia. Biofeedback helped a little. Antidepressants helped a meh amount, but had I known about magnesium I would’ve gone for that. Figuring out that my nighttime anxiety issues were often due to food sensitivity messing with my gut helped a ton. And then I went for a sleep study, had a diagnosis of very mild apnea with extremely fragmented sleep (it wasn’t true insomnia, I was just in and out of consciousness every other minute). They tried a cpap and once I got adjusted to it I started conking out immediately. I think I became conditioned to falling asleep as soon as it turned on. -great for sleep, not so great when your kiddo wakes up with a stomach virus, runs to tell you, and pukes all over you because you’re too asleep to have a decent reaction time to get out of the way. And I was good for many years. Until I got sick with mystery illness that wakes up up several times a night with palpitations and cold flashes. And that’s why I’m here.

Hello Double00, I was also diagnosed 11 years ago as bipolar. My first real manic episode happened after taking concerta ( ADHD pill) and stressful events have triggered manic events over the years. I live in a country where they don't do regular blood tests with psychiatric meds so had to take out abilify and depakote that was messing my system and just take lamictal.