Are you taking something that causes insomnia? Vitamins, fish oil, chocolate, artificial sweeteners, caffeine?

[compsports]

I know this sounds crazy but could the fact I quit taking a multivitamin caused my sleep issues to worsen?

 

As I ran out, I didn't buy anything new because it just seemed like it wasn't helping. I also had started taking cod liver oil/butter oil that has helped with my teeth so I didn't want to risk taking to much vitamin A.

 

But since I have made this change my sleep issues have worsened. Not that I was sleeping great before but at least I would rate the quality a C+. Not it feels more like a D.

 

I guess the only solution is to buy a multivitamin supplement and test out the theory. But the thought of taking anything doesn't appeal to me.

 

I am finding I am really tired of taking pills of any kind.

 

By the way, I did take a liquid multi and that didn't seem to make any difference. Maybe I will try Chocolate emerald Balance as that has vitamins and I really liked the taste. I will purchase it where I can get my money back.

 

CS

 

PS - I know it sounds like I am gasping at straws but I can't help it.

[alexjuice]

I know this sounds crazy but could the fact I quit taking a multivitamin caused my sleep issues to worsen?

 

....

 

CS

 

PS - I know it sounds like I am gasping at straws but I can't help it.

 

Well, I'll grasp with ya.

 

I have found that, lately, my sensitivities/symptoms are not immutable. They change all the time, inreaction to changes I've made and sometimes they just change for reasons unknown.

 

Change, abrupt change, has rarely been a positive as I look back at my journey over the last 20 months. Maybe tapering the multi would be better. I try to ramp up/down with everything that seems to affect my mental/psychological functioning b/c stopping/starting has been so bad with the meds. A multi seems problematic too b/c so many component elements... which is the culprit?

 

I wish I had an answer for you, cs. I know others have a different view, but I generally don't take any supps instead try to eat to the best of my ability for sufficient nutrition.

 

Certainly I send you good-sleep energy. It sucks that this continues. I wish I had a solution for you and everyone else. Hang in.

 

Alex

[Altostrata]

Hard to tell, cs. Your system has always been very sensitive in unusual ways.

 

There are so many things in a multivitamin, could be something there was helping stabilize your nervous system.

[compsports]

Thanks Alex, it is hard to know what to do.

 

I did finally get my C+ quality sleep last night which is an improvement after several nights of D sleep.

 

I guess I will make my decision about MV after seeing how I sleep tonight.

 

CS

[compsports]

Hard to tell, cs. Your system has always been very sensitive in unusual ways.

 

There are so many things in a multivitamin, could be something there was helping stabilize your nervous system.

 

Thanks Alto.

 

As I said to Alex, I will see what happens tonight

 

I have read that a few B vitamins help with sleep as long as the dose isn't too high. If necessary, perhaps I will try the remaining B complex vitamins that I have.

 

That doesn't exactly excite me as I think I have developed a real aversion to pills.

 

Anybody know of a multivitamin substance that taste like Godiva chocolate:)?

 

CS

[compsports]

Out of sheer desperation, I took a B complex vitamin yesterday because I was going out in the evening and didn't want to miss out. It worked like a charm even though I did my usual falling asleep after dinner routine.

 

But fortunately, I was with people who were aware of my problems with sleep and very understanding.

 

Anyway, I think the problems I may have been attributing to lack of sleep were due to missing necessary vitamins. I hate like heck being a slave to pills but if that is what keeps me functioning optimally, so be it. At least, I am not hooked on psych meds.

 

CS

[Trichotomous]

A doctor had me start fish oil supplements a long time ago, probably while I was on Paroxetine. When I got off Paroxetine, I suffered the same anxiety and sleeplessness everyone else does. After a couple years, and with a little DHEA, the anxiety disappeared. I cut way back on supplements, because I continued having problems I suspected were caused my taking things I did not need. And after a couple years off Paroxetine, I finally started sleeping through most of the night—nothing like I did while on Paroxetine, but better than in a long, long while!

 

Days ago, I noticed the bottles of fish oil I was no longer taking, and decided to start up again—for my heart health, you know. The next day I started waking up at one or two in the morning, just as I did when going through withdrawal. Only this time I had a clear mind and the ability to recognize the only thing in my life that had changed.

 

I googled "fish oil insomnia." Turns out it is a thing. Just read the NIH case report.

 

I stopped taking the fish oil and started sleeping better a couple days later. After two years of Paroxetine withdrawal, I'm a bit touchy about my sleep, and am going to be very careful when adding any supplement to my diet in the future. Never would have imagined fish oil could keep me up at night.

 

Hope this finds a way to help someone else one day.

[getofflex]

I'm a member of a weight loss group. I've suffered with severe insomnia for months, which I assumed was due to my tapering off of Lexapro. However, my good TOPS friend just said that Splenda can cause insomnia.  I looked it up on google, and did find several articles concurring with this.  Now I need to quit Splenda and other artificial sweeteners.  

 

My question: is it safe or advisable to just quit Splenda and other artificial sweeteners cold turkey while I'm tapering off of my Lexapro?  I really would like to resolve this insomnia, but am afraid that quitting Splenda cold turkey could worsen my withdrawals.  What are your recommendations for what to do about Splenda?   

Edited June 17, 2022 by getofflex

[ChessieCat]

artificial-sweeteners-phenylalanine-sorbitol-etc

 

And a couple of things I found when I googled survivingantidepressants.org splenda:

 

On 5/19/2013 at 8:12 PM, Petunia said:

Several months ago, I stopped all artificial sweeteners, thinking that it would help my recovery and healing. I have used equal and splenda in drinks for years and often drank pepsi max. Now, after reading through a thread here and following some of the links, I think I might also be detoxing from aspartame.

 

I couldn't find any information about how long aspartame withdrawal can last, its been over 6 months that I haven't had any. Although about a month ago I suddenly got a craving for some pepsi max and decided to try a little to see what happened. I poured a little bit in the bottom of a glass and tasted it, it tasted like metallic chemical poison, I took another sip to make sure I wasn't imagining it - I wasn't. Then I threw the rest out. About 20 minutes later, I got stomach cramps.

 

On 1/14/2015 at 1:04 AM, luv2knit said:

I know sometimes it's just part of the pattern, but I'm always trying to determine if something has caused these setbacks. Here's what happened yesterday... Anybody think it could be related? Our daughter got my husband a Keurig for Christmas. He wanted to order K-Cups online, and knowing I'm not drinking coffee or tea right now, he wanted to order something I could drink. I will drink an occasional hot chocolate here with the cold weather, so he ordered some hot cocoa. We checked the sugar content, and it was pretty low. Our daughter was over, they were having coffee, and I was doing pretty well, so I decided to try a cocoa. Based on the sugar content, I was expecting it to not be very sweet, because I know he would not get anything with artificial sweetener. Well I took a sip, and it was pretty good--not as "unsweet" as I was expecting for 6g of sugar. I took another sip or two, and said, "Are you sure this doesn't have artificial sweetener in it?". It didn't taste like it, but tasted like more than 6g of sugar. My daughter went to check, and yelled out from the kitchen, "Don't drink any more of it!" Then she came in and said that sucralose (Splenda) was pretty low down on the list. It already seemed to me that my feet were starting to "buzz". I thought maybe I was imagining it, and it would go away, but my symptoms have kept getting worse since then. Seriously?! Three or four small sips of something with sucralose low down on the list of ingredients... Really?! I just don't know. Obviously I'm not drinking any more, but has anyone had this type of reaction to something like this? (I do not have this kind of reaction to an occasional cup of cocoa without sucralose.) Incidentally, apparently ALL the cocoa K-Cups have sucralose in them

[getofflex]

Thanks for the information.  I would like to quit Splenda CT, but am worried it will worsen my WD symptoms.  I will either taper off Splenda, or go off cold turkey. 

[ChessieCat]

If you are consuming a lot of it I think I would go the cautious route and taper it.  It will also be easier to transition to the different taste, either of using sugar or reducing the sweetness of food.

[getofflex]

I'm not consuming very much of it.  I have cut way back.  I did have a muffin this morning that I baked with Splenda, but that was it.  Let's see what happens tonight.   

[getofflex]

I have discovered a positive correlation between eating dark chocolate at night, and my insomnia.  That is, up until a few days ago I ate an average of 3 dark chocolate promises about 3 to 5 hours before bedtime, and it was taking me an average of 2 hours to fall asleep.  One night, I ate too much for supper, so skipped the chocolate, and was able to fall asleep right away.  So, I decided to avoid the dark chocolate, and ever since then I've been falling asleep much more quickly and easily.  I'm still not sleeping normally, but I am sleeping much better than I was, and feeling better.  I realize correlation does not mean causation, so this may be a coincidence.  However, the chocolate could have been compounding the W/D insomnia for me.  Chocolate has not only small amounts of caffeine, it also has theobromine, which can cause insomnia and increased heart rate. 

[Ariel]

FYI, for anyone about to eliminate coffee or in the process of doing so:

 

Caffeine Withdrawal: Symptoms, Timeline, What to Expect