Early-morning waking - managing the morning cortisol spike

[bubble]

I feel the same Rhi... Although I started sleeping longer and actually sleeping a lot and not waking up too early, I don't remember when was the last time I woke up with that morning dread and mental nausea.

 

I say that I operate with the help of the crane that comes to drag me out of the bed. It's soooo hard to do the motions of going to work. My only consolation is thinking of coming back home to sprawl on the bed. That's when I usually fall sound asleep for an hour or so which doesn't prevent me from sleeping for another 8 hours (struggling with intense dreams, sometimes very shallow) but when I read about other members struggling with insomnia, I can only count my blessings...

 

My days have been so repetitive, just endurance and putting one foot after the other as you say.

 

But I somehow feel that with the passage of time, I will start feeling better. Or at least stable enough to start tapering...

 

Big hug Rhi as I'm waiting for my bed time. I wish I could do more for you. But I like it that you allow yourself to be a downer. I see that as a sign of a special inner strength...

[mattinsmom]

Ohhh, I'm so confused. I thought that adrenalin dumps happen, the body gets irritated. provoked, and anxiety starts - then cortisol comes and calms everything down. I don't get it?

 

I've tried going through other posts/topics but most say anxious = cortisol?  I go from very anxious to lethargic when I've panicked. I wake up, I guess anxious. My heart does pound at first but lately it seems that my heart just pounds more often than not regardless of the situation. My morning feels more like I don't want to deal with the day than anything else.  

 

So cortisol?

[EternalOptimist]

Anyone identify with getting out of bed in the morning only to barely do 5 mins of simple chores then end up laying down soo ill and weak?

[alex]

Yes , I do.

It gets better;albeit very slowly.

 

Hang in there.

[Fitby50]

I now have to deal with reactive hypoglycemia and I'm back on the "dawn patrol."

 

It may be that low blood sugar plays a part in this early-morning alerting. To deal with hypoglycemia, it seems that ingesting some protein during the night can help reduce the early-morning cortisol spike (the adrenals release cortisol to deal with low blood sugar).

 

I've heard that taking some whey protein isolate when you wake up in the middle of the night can help. Have some unflavored whey protein with NO SUGAR or artificial sweeteners mixed in some water handy. It doesn't taste bad, it's very neutral.

 

Take this with a cider vinegar tablet to prevent a blood sugar spike, which will further wake you up. Vinegar and lemon juice slow the progress of sugars into the bloodstream.

 

This seemed to help me to get back to sleep last night. Theoretically, this ameliorates low blood sugar in the early morning.

Not sure if you will see this, since this was from June.... but I was told by my Integrative doc that eating some form of protein right before bed can help with the sugar spikes and the higher morning cortisols, so very much what you have stated here!  Now that its around 7 months past this post, how are your mornings??  Please say way better!  I really need to get some better shades or curtains to give this a try.

[Fitby50]

This anxiety in the mornings is one of the big ones I'm worried about coming back when beginning this taper. I did not get this until about four weeks after I finished my last prozac dose. I took my curtains down because I thought it had something to do with not having enough sunlight. Now I'm reading it's the opposite.  Somehow even though I had a rapid taper, I was fine while weaning. With my husband traveling it leaves me to be the one to put on the chipper face and wake the kids up which is so hard when I'm alone and feeling miserable. I remember wanting to flee my house and not wanting to be in there. Which is kind of hard when you're a stay at home mom. I was kind of hoping since I now know how to correctly come off the meds that I might not get this again.

Kris,  I think if you do the slower/slowest taper that works for you, that it will help manage the AM anxiety.  I still have it, but it has gotten better with the slow taper and goes away faster once I get out of bed and start the day.  I plan to try the darkening room suggestion that has been made.  Throw up some dark material over the window.  Sleep masks don't work for me, but some people suggest that.

[lexhex]

Take a look at my post about Taurine and heart arrhythmia. It addresses this exact problem of this constant morning anxiety and panic. It may work for some of you. It's been a complete game changer for me.

[trouper]

i came across this post about cold therapy to help you sleep.

http://wellnessmama.com/4936/how-to-improve-sleep-naturally/

 

i tried it a few times when my cortisol was pretty high by putting cold packs around my neck and trying to relax. surprisingly it seemed to cut the cortisol some. of course its not very comfortable so I'm basically trading one form of being uncomfortable for another, but it was a nice break. i'm not sure i can bring myself to cold baths or showers but was happy with the cold packs.

 

also for morning high cortisol i make a mug of tulsi tea (holy basil) and it does seem to help a bit most times. it has a nice taste. i try to skip days when i can though, based on what alto said about it pooping out after a few days in a row.

[SigmundFreud]

to those taking aspirin, when is the best time to take it and at waht doses? thanks all..

[Altostrata]

You might try a low dose of 81mg at night to see if it helps your sleep.

[btdt]

i came across this post about cold therapy to help you sleep.

http://wellnessmama.com/4936/how-to-improve-sleep-naturally/

 

i tried it a few times when my cortisol was pretty high by putting cold packs around my neck and trying to relax. surprisingly it seemed to cut the cortisol some. of course its not very comfortable so I'm basically trading one form of being uncomfortable for another, but it was a nice break. i'm not sure i can bring myself to cold baths or showers but was happy with the cold packs.

 

also for morning high cortisol i make a mug of tulsi tea (holy basil) and it does seem to help a bit most times. it has a nice taste. i try to skip days when i can though, based on what alto said about it pooping out after a few days in a row.

There is a certain type of fat below the back of the neck.. andipose fat... and cold packs where andipose fat is concerned is suppose to reduce weight... there was a time I did a huge study on this and now can't recall.... 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3146611/

 

If you smarter than me you may know what this says..

This cold induction of PGC-1α is largely due to sympathetic nervous system input through β-adrenergic receptors and cAMP action (20,21).

There are reports that FGF21 is expressed in BAT, but its role in metabolism has not been investigated (11,14,22). Instead, FGF21 produced in the liver promotes thermogenic activation of brown fat and is dispensable during starvation-induced torpor (23,24).

Here we demonstrate that BAT of mice not only responds to FGF21 produced in the liver, but also overexpresses FGF21 after cold exposure or selective β3-adrenergic stimulation. This FGF21 might act as an autocrine factor.

 

I have no idea but did not it mentions the nervous system... 

it is suppose to help you lose weight and stay skinny... I read about it in a book 

1. Feel the Burn | Science News

   https://www.sciencenews.org/article/feel-burn‎

   •  

   by TH Saey - ‎2012 - ‎Related articles

   Turning brown fat on may also benefit people who cannot exercise because of ... andbrown fat cells from mice and humans to produce more of some proteins  ...

    

   I think there may be more to it then that just don't recall what.  I forget. 

[Ks1994]

 

i came across this post about cold therapy to help you sleep.

http://wellnessmama.com/4936/how-to-improve-sleep-naturally/

 

i tried it a few times when my cortisol was pretty high by putting cold packs around my neck and trying to relax. surprisingly it seemed to cut the cortisol some. of course its not very comfortable so I'm basically trading one form of being uncomfortable for another, but it was a nice break. i'm not sure i can bring myself to cold baths or showers but was happy with the cold packs.

 

also for morning high cortisol i make a mug of tulsi tea (holy basil) and it does seem to help a bit most times. it has a nice taste. i try to skip days when i can though, based on what alto said about it pooping out after a few days in a row.

 

There is a certain type of fat below the back of the neck.. andipose fat... and cold packs where andipose fat is concerned is suppose to reduce weight... there was a time I did a huge study on this and now can't recall.... 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3146611/

 

If you smarter than me you may know what this says..

This cold induction of PGC-1α is largely due to sympathetic nervous system input through β-adrenergic receptors and cAMP action (20,21).

There are reports that FGF21 is expressed in BAT, but its role in metabolism has not been investigated (11,14,22). Instead, FGF21 produced in the liver promotes thermogenic activation of brown fat and is dispensable during starvation-induced torpor (23,24).

Here we demonstrate that BAT of mice not only responds to FGF21 produced in the liver, but also overexpresses FGF21 after cold exposure or selective β3-adrenergic stimulation. This FGF21 might act as an autocrine factor.

 

I have no idea but did not it mentions the nervous system... 

it is suppose to help you lose weight and stay skinny... I read about it in a book 

•  

   

  Feel the Burn | Science News

   

  https://www.sciencenews.org/article/feel-burn‎

   

   

•  

 

by TH Saey - ‎2012 - ‎Related articles

Turning brown fat on may also benefit people who cannot exercise because of ... andbrown fat cells from mice and humans to produce more of some proteins  ...

 

I think there may be more to it then that just don't recall what.  I forget. 

 

 

 

So doing this would stimulate the sympathetic nervous system then? That is what is the problem though, isn't it?

[trouper]

here is a description from one of the links:

 

This technique sounds pretty weird, but it works. When your distress feels intense, fill a sink or large bowl with ice water (that's right, ice water), take a deep breath, and immerse your face in the water for 30 seconds or so. It's not as terrible as it sounds. This calming technique is believed to work because it elicits what's known as the body's dive reflex. When you're in ice-cold water, the body slows its metabolism in order to spare vital organs. A slowed metabolism reduces tension, so when your face is in ice water, your metabolism slows, your tension goes down, and you stop fretting about the things that are bothering you and your negative mind chatter ceases. It sounds weird, but try it!

[btdt]

I did not try this but I have used cold packs I keep in the freezer they type that do not freeze and cold therapy lotions ... they type for sore muscles.. I have used both on my back and on my face and head ... tried them just about every place there is.  

I find it is somehow calming after the first impulse of freezing.  I find the lotions make me very cold and I often confuse my system on purpose cold pack on my neck and heat on my spine I send mixed signals as I can't take the cold alone but if I mix the two... and leave them in place my body kind of resets something.  I have no idea what is going on inside the body but have found when I had intense burning or pain I would try this... often pain and burning came with mind chatter... that was secondary to me at the time. 

It may be it shocks the body out of some confused state it is in I don't know it was all quite accidental. 

 

I also use this cold lotion or jell over my entire head at times when I have a severe head ache it brings on chills and I keep a heating on my spine to offset the effects.  It is eventually calming tho not so pleasant the first few minutes. 

[itslistmonster]

I've been suffering from this. I wake up every morning scared and panicing....and often I'm confused too.....it takes me like 10 to 15 mins to come back to reality and become awake. And this is cause so much stress on me that I'm scared to go to sleep.....cause I will wake up in a panic attack.....does this ever go away? Please let me know

[lexhex]

Does the morning panic usually send you scurrying for the bathroom or is it more a mental feeling? Are you having nightmares when you do sleep? Are you still on meds or are you completely off? There may be some things you can try depending on where you are in w/d. Like many of us, I've been at this a while now, so chances are, we can help you with some suggestions.

[Nikki]

lexhex where is your post on taurine?  I'd like to read it.

 

itslist monster I have been having this for years.  It takes me alot longer than 15 minutes to come out of it. 

 

I know how you feel.  It is the reason I have taken so many meds.  None of it helped.

[lexhex]

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5759-taurine-for-heart-arrhythmia/?hl=taurine

 

I am still taking it - and it's still working. I also recently added a few more supplements that seem to be helping with some of the other issues I developed. (ongoing gastro problems, nosebleeds, yada yada yada). If you're interested I'd be happy to share.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

There are other great suggestions in this thread. Taurine helps some but not others. One of the most beneficial things for me, for example, has been mag glycinate. And darkening the windows and other light sources. Tape over those led lights on the surge protectors and other electronic devices. It may be that when your system is sensitized, any smidge of light that hits your closed eyelids is enough to raise the cortisol levels and wake you up. But during periods of WD it goes into overdrive, overshoots the mark. We are programmed to wake with light.

 

I use black plastig bags. Have to take them down during the day because the dim room upsets me. Bright light during the day can be bad for some. Jemima made a post about just the other day. You have to try these things to see if they will work. There are also suggestions about what you eat before bed helping.

[Rhiannon]

Just bumping this thread because I'm hating cortisol mornings again. Had one today. It's almost 1 pm and I'm finally settling down.

 

This is aggravated by the GI problems I'm having in association with my Valium taper (at least I think that's what it is, that's the only thing I've really changed, still very slowly tapering the other stuff but never really had this particular flavor of GI sensitivity before). Seems like my bellybrain is most upset during those cortisol morning times.

 

Anyway just had to grumble and I remembered this thread is here.

[Barbarannamated]

Ohhh, I'm so confused. I thought that adrenalin dumps happen, the body gets irritated. provoked, and anxiety starts - then cortisol comes and calms everything down. I don't get it?

 

I've tried going through other posts/topics but most say anxious = cortisol? I go from very anxious to lethargic when I've panicked. I wake up, I guess anxious. My heart does pound at first but lately it seems that my heart just pounds more often than not regardless of the situation. My morning feels more like I don't want to deal with the day than anything else.

 

So cortisol?

Amy,

 

I'm just seeing this post. I've wondered about the cortisol-adrenaline connection, too. I THOUGHT that if cortisol is low, adrenaline kicks in, but I'd like to know more. I've been told that my cortisol is either normal or low in AM. I've been too afraid to try any cortisol supplements (PS).

 

I also have a nasty headcold...the worst in years....and wonder if that's worsening my cortisol mornings.

[primrose]

I still get cortisol mornings, but it's more a hormonal thing now.

I am in perimenopause, and the symptoms of it are really similar to the symptoms I had when coming off valilum.

In fact, they started about four years ago, and I took them to be valium withdrawals.

I went on HRT and that helped partially, and they didn't get worse as I tapered off the valium.

 

I am someone who, after waking up on a morning, likes to stay in bed and go back to sleep, but doing that really worsens the cortisol and the feeling of doom and dread.

When I get up soon after initially waking, I never have it as bad, but as the temptation to stay in bed is so strong, I often wake up feeling like my body is soaked in cortisol.

You know when you are on a roller coaster and it goes down a slope, and you get that feeling in your stomach, well, that's how my stomach feels from too much cortisol.

My heart feels like it is in a metal tight vice from inside.

[Barbarannamated]

I still get cortisol mornings, but it's more a hormonal thing now.

I am in perimenopause, and the symptoms of it are really similar to the symptoms I had when coming off valilum.

In fact, they started about four years ago, and I took them to be valium withdrawals.

I went on HRT and that helped partially, and they didn't get worse as I tapered off the valium.

 

I am someone who, after waking up on a morning, likes to stay in bed and go back to sleep, but doing that really worsens the cortisol and the feeling of doom and dread.

When I get up soon after initially waking, I never have it as bad, but as the temptation to stay in bed is so strong, I often wake up feeling like my body is soaked in cortisol.

You know when you are on a roller coaster and it goes down a slope, and you get that feeling in your stomach, well, that's how my stomach feels from too much cortisol.

My heart feels like it is in a metal tight vice from inside.

Primrose,

How did the HRT effect the cortisol awakenings? I'm on estrogen but havent been able to tolerate progesterone (oral or rectal -- triggers depression and UTIs because it is a steroid, I was told). However, every practitioner has told me that progesterone is the calming hormone of the two.

[Meimeiquest]

I THINK, not know, that adrenaline stimulates cortisol release. Progesterone is derived off cortisol, so if all your cortisol is being used as cortisol, progesterone will be low. But so not sure. CFS unplugged has a lot of info, as does the blog at larabriden.com.

[primrose]

 

I still get cortisol mornings, but it's more a hormonal thing now.

I am in perimenopause, and the symptoms of it are really similar to the symptoms I had when coming off valilum.

In fact, they started about four years ago, and I took them to be valium withdrawals.

I went on HRT and that helped partially, and they didn't get worse as I tapered off the valium.

 

I am someone who, after waking up on a morning, likes to stay in bed and go back to sleep, but doing that really worsens the cortisol and the feeling of doom and dread.

When I get up soon after initially waking, I never have it as bad, but as the temptation to stay in bed is so strong, I often wake up feeling like my body is soaked in cortisol.

You know when you are on a roller coaster and it goes down a slope, and you get that feeling in your stomach, well, that's how my stomach feels from too much cortisol.

My heart feels like it is in a metal tight vice from inside.

Primrose,

How did the HRT effect the cortisol awakenings? I'm on estrogen but havent been able to tolerate progesterone (oral or rectal -- triggers depression and UTIs because it is a steroid, I was told). However, every practitioner has told me that progesterone is the calming hormone of the two.

 

Hi

 

I still get cortisol mornings even with the HRT, because it only partially works for me, dunno why, when so many women say hrt completely took away their sysmptoms.

 

What type of progesterone were you taking please?

There is some types of hrt that has the synthetic progestin called norethisterone in it.

Many women cannot tolerate norethisterone, because it causes too many side effects for them.

A better synthetic progestin is dydrogesterone, but, ideally a bio-identical progesterone called utrogestin in the uk, and I think prometrium in the us is best, as it's easier to tolerate.

 

hth

[Barbarannamated]

Prometrium is the one I reacted very badly to. Bizarre nightmares and deep depression within a few hours.

 

The others have been bio-identicals, but I dont recall exactly what.

[primrose]

Prometrium is the one I reacted very badly to. Bizarre nightmares and deep depression within a few hours.

 

The others have been bio-identicals, but I dont recall exactly what.

Ohh, sorry to hear you reacted badly to prometrium, or utrogestan as it's known here.

You are unlucky as most women get on with that.

 

I wish my doctor wouldnt insist on me taking a progestin, but she says she has to, because, with me being peri-menopausal and still haivng a womb, that to prescribe oestrogen alone would risk thickening and potential cancer of the womb lining.

Maybe you might be ok with a hrt that contains dydrogesterone. It is a synthetic hormone and is tolerated well by most women, it's the progestin that I use. My hrt is called femoston. Dunno  if you have heard of it.

[mattinsmom]

I don't understand any of it but I have learned that my body likes to go slowly in the morning. I wake up and just stay down for about 15-minutes. Then I scootch up and sit for another 20-minutes. Sometimes I meditate. There have been a few times I've dozed back off. I read my e-mail, don't answer unless I am really needed, and then head for the shower. The whole thing takes 45-minutes to 1 hour. I just let it happen. My mornings are mu

ch smoother when I go slowly. 

[mlrp]

Just bumping this thread because I'm hating cortisol mornings again. Had one today. It's almost 1 pm and I'm finally settling down.

 

This is aggravated by the GI problems I'm having in association with my Valium taper (at least I think that's what it is, that's the only thing I've really changed, still very slowly tapering the other stuff but never really had this particular flavor of GI sensitivity before). Seems like my bellybrain is most upset during those cortisol morning times.

 

Anyway just had to grumble and I remembered this thread is here.

 

(This turned out to be a ramble. Read what you like and leave the rest. :-)  )

 

Rhi, I'll have a bit of a grumble, too. :-) My current wave has seen a distressing return of fairly intense cortisol mornings - after a window (2 wks +/-) during which they'd subsided enough for me to notice that I wasn't whimpering (yes, literally) when the alarm went off. I still had to go slooow, but the dread was largely absent. Then this wave hit and cortisol mornings came back big time. They are ever-so-slightly subsiding now.

 

My waking ritual is to avoid all light sources, brush teeth, swig of OJ, and into a warm (not too hot) epsom salt bath. It's only about a five-minute soak, but it still helps ease me into waking. That said, when it's bad, I still have to go about the house, eyes barely open, dressing, having breakfast, but limiting my sensory exposure as much as possible. Sheesh.

 

My psych issues stem from a few traumatic months dealing with my Mom (personality disorder) resulting in extreme sleep distubance/deprivation. I'd try to fall asleep and my belly brain (LOVE that term, I'm gonna steal it!) would be hit by some kind of horrific zap - it felt electric - like a tazer. Oddly, it happened almost every night at 1:00 a.m. I wasn't on any meds at the time - I guess it was some kind of horrible adrenalin surge.

 

Anyway, since my original trauma involved night/waking terrors, I try to remember to practice positive self-talk upon waking: "that was part of your past, there's nothing to worry about now, you are safe in bed," etc., etc. It helps some, but not during the most intense mornings when very little cognitive rationalizing cuts through the panic. Thankfully, those mornings are increasingly rare.

 

I eat a handful of walnuts everyday for their cortisol reducing benefit. Lots of salmon, too.

 

I've read about the benefits of theanine in black tea for cortisol reduction. I already drink one cup a day in the afternoon. I'm wary of drinking more because of the caffeine, but perhaps I will experiment with a cup of tea in the morning, instead of a cup of decaf coffee.

 

My brain finding its way back? A few weeks ago, I felt well enough to travel 100 miles with my husband to see my critically ill niece in hospital. We drove to a hotel with plans to see her the next morning. What do you know, I woke up that morning clear-headed, fresh as a daisy, with one of the most brilliant windows I have had since this whole odyssey started. I was perfectly aware of my niece's predicament, but somehow, I had returned to the former un"depressed," unmedicated, perky me. It lasted about 10 minutes. I think it had everything to do with waking in a cool, clean, comfortable hotel room - my brain had taken itself back to one of my former passions, which is travel. It was such a brief moment, but I hold on to its memory, because I want to believe that if my brain could make that happy connection once, it will be able to do it again, and for longer and longer stretches.

 

I wish you all better, happier, tranquil dawns.

[westcoast]

I think I have cortisol mornings, too. Is the dread I experience upon awakening considered part of a cortisol morning? I must say it's the most horrible, horrible feeling. Words don't do it justice, but it seems a lot of posters here are talking about the same thing.

 

In the past, before my psych med troubles, I'd experience low moods and sadness and lethargy and various symptoms of "depression." But nothing I experienced before comes close to this black dread. It's cosmic in scope. From the moment my eyes open I simply wish to cease existing, but it's not something I would call a suicidal urge. It's more hopeless than that.

The only relief is if by some miracle I can fall asleep again, but that's almost never.

 

[Barbarannamated]

I think I have cortisol mornings, too. Is the dread I experience upon awakening considered part of a cortisol morning? I must say it's the most horrible, horrible feeling. Words don't do it justice, but it seems a lot of posters here are talking about the same thing.

 

In the past, before my psych med troubles, I'd experience low moods and sadness and lethargy and various symptoms of "depression." But nothing I experienced before comes close to this black dread. It's cosmic in scope. From the moment my eyes open I simply wish to cease existing, but it's not something I would call a suicidal urge. It's more hopeless than that.

 

The only relief is if by some miracle I can fall asleep again, but that's almost never.

 

 

Yep. You describe it well, WC.

 

In early WD, it was more of a panic/anxiety that hit at about 4am. Now, a few years out, there is sometimes panic with palpitations, but more frequently the dread of life you describe. I don't know if this is a universal *progression*. It often doesn't begin to lift for me until mid to late afternoon.

[ToesInTheSand]

Wow. I didn 't know there was a name for these episodes other than "horrible". I have been getting these with varying degrees of intensity. There is the waking early, racing heart, anxiety, dread, nausea/acid stomach. A terrible way to start the day. Had it bad this morning. I keep my ipod close to my bed and when I wake up feeling like this, I play the guided meditation playlist. Even when that doesn't help, it makes me feel less alone.

[westcoast]

Does anyone here recall experiencing these dread-mornings before psych meds and/or withdrawal? I don't! Never even had them on meds.

[ToesInTheSand]

No, I don't remember having them, aside from a few instances when my stomach was acting up, but I could count the number of those occurrances on one hand. They were never part of my anxiety symptom set.

[primrose]

Does anyone here recall experiencing these dread-mornings before psych meds and/or withdrawal? I don't! Never even had them on meds.

No, although my mood is often lower when I get up in a morning, it wasn't until I was suffering diazepam withdrawals that I got them.

My heart goes out to anyone who has got them, because they are something I never want again.

 

I have had them after diazepam withdrawals, because, some time at the start of my taper five years ago, I started perimenopause. Cortisol mornings are also a part of perimenopause.

Apparently the symptoms of this and diazepam withdrawals are so similar, it is impossible to taper diazepam as it's impossible to differentiate perimenopause and diazepam withdrawal, so you can never monitor symptoms and time cuts.

Cortisol mornings were one of the symptoms I looked out for when monitoring whether to time cuts.

I don't know where my diazpepam withdrawals ended and where my permenopause symptoms began, but I think that they overlapped to some extent.

My taper took five years because, for the first four years, I was not aware I was  perimenopausal.

Beleiving my symptoms to be diazepam withdrawal related, and still getting cortisol mornings, I tapered at a ridiculously slow rate.

Once I got on hormone replacement pills I was able to differentiate and as a result, the last 1mg was the easiest for me to taper.

Diazepam withdrawals caused worse cortisol mornings for me than perimenopause did/does.

My hormone tablets only partially work. I still get hot flushes and bad anxiety/moods, but nothing like the early stages of my taper, and thankfully, the cortisol mornings have improved, although not totally.

[Barbarannamated]

Does anyone here recall experiencing these dread-mornings before psych meds and/or withdrawal? I don't! Never even had them on meds.

The ONLY time i had them was after being switched cold turkey between several meds in short period of time. I had no idea at that time that it was withdrawal, but i know now that it was. It's like deja vu now.

 

I must add that my personal/living situation is the main focus of my dread and doom. I know i have to get out of my house/marriage/isolation to stay alive. I spent about a month with friends over the summer and the cortisol mornings were almost nonexistent.