☼ Astrilla: antipsychotic mess and sleep anxiety

[astrilla]

Hi all, glad to be here. Relatively new to the world of psychiatric medication. Here is my journey so far.

 

I was on Latuda for a few months for mood issues (formal diagnosis of bipolar 2) and the stability was very nice. I also was placed on Guanfacine for ADHD.

 

Back in early July I sunk into a kind of depression, I realized I took no joy in anything in life, whether it was hobbies or even loved ones. I had flat affect and lack of motivation and couldn't gain pleasure from anything.

 

On the night of July 13 when I was laying in bed about to sleep, I had what felt like a multiple hour panic attack, with intense shaking and thrashing around. I was begging my partner to take me to the hospital but they wouldn't get up and I was unable to drive. Since that night I have been unable to sleep.  I am not sure what caused that attack but I feel like my body is stuck in a state of constant fight or flight and the insomnia is intense, I have no idea how to treat this. Psyc. doc. thought the episode was a manic break.

 

Seroquel was added to help with sleep, but it's been hit or miss whether it helps me get sleep or not. The dose has been continually increase to help with the supposed mania.

Latuda was fast tapered and I got off by the end of July. 

 

Psyc. doc. thought the sleep issues were due to mania so I was placed on Lithium 600mg recently. I do not believe I am manic, and I feel the sleep issues are a trauma response.

 

Recently I have been taking the Seroquel at various doses from 75-200 mg. I hate the way 400mg made me feel, like I was drunk and still didn't help me sleep. I think my body is stuck sympathetic nervous system dominance. I never get that sleepy feeling. Last night I took 100mg Seroquel and spent the night in a light sleep state where I couldn't tell if I was awake or asleep all night. This is exhausting, non-restorative and common experience for me lately. The other day I talked to my primary care physician re: insomnia and they suggested to not go to bed until sleepy. I ended up staying up until 3am then took 75mg Seroquel and got 3 hours of sleep. I am trying to be pragmatic about the sleep issues and pursue two treatment modalities: Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia. As far as personality, I am feeling more alive on the days that I am able to get some sleep, which might be once a week.

 

I am just scared of being on Lithium, I don't think I need to be on it. I am worried I won't be able to sleep at all without the Seroquel but I hate taking a pill to sleep, especially since it is not even reliable. Tomorrow I have an appointment with my psyc. doc., we have been meeting about once a week since July because they say I am in crisis mode and I just don't know where to go from here. 

 

Edited August 17, 2020 by ChessieCat
added paragraph spacing

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, astrilla.

 

I have brought your situation to the attention of the administrators and other moderators.

Edited August 18, 2020 by Gridley

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Astrilla.

 

Thanks for that good drug history in your signature.

 

What is your daily drug schedule? When was your last drug change, up or down or added or off a drug?

 

On 8/17/2020 at 4:03 PM, astrilla said:

On the night of July 13 when I was laying in bed about to sleep, I had what felt like a multiple hour panic attack, with intense shaking and thrashing around.

 

Was Latuda increased at the very end of May? Had you accidentally forgotten a dose or taken one off-schedule? Had a drink of alcohol or an antibiotic or other drug?

[astrilla]

Thank you Gridley. 

 

Thank you for responding Altostrata. I just updated my signature, after gaining access to my prescription records I realized I made some errors initially. Signature has been update.

My current daily schedule is: 

10AM - Lithium 300mg

10PM - Lithium 300mg

11:30PM - Seroquel 200mg

My last change was yesterday, I was ordered off the Guanfacine, and had Seroquel decrease to 200mg (from 400mg). I was at 400mg for less than a week. My psyc doctor would like me to continue taking Lithium because I was expressing suicidal ideation during the recent depressed period and my mood improved upon starting Lithium. Although I am not sure if it improved just because I had been off Latuda for a while. No way to say for sure unless I stop taking Lithium.

Like I said I messed up the dates initially  and the Latuda was actually increased to 60mg in the middle of April. I hadn't skipped any doses or taken any antibiotics. I had been drinking 3 beers/day ~5x/week and smoking a lot of cannabis during the months of May-July. I quit drinking and smoking the day after the panic episode.

 

My family and psyc. know I don't want to be on medication at all, but they also continue to remind me that I need to stabilize because I was in a very dark place just two weeks ago. But I truly want to stop taking seroquel as soon as possible. I feel the longer I take something to sleep, the harder it is going to be when I eventually have to get off of it. I am worried for the sleepless nights that will be ahead of me but I just don't want anymore antipsychotics in my life. I know I need to treat the underlying reasons of the sleep issues but I am not sure how.

[Shep]

On 8/19/2020 at 5:35 PM, astrilla said:

My last change was yesterday, I was ordered off the Guanfacine, and had Seroquel decrease to 200mg (from 400mg). I was at 400mg for less than a week.

 

Astrilla, since you may be okay with this decrease in Seroquel, since you were only at the 400 mg rate for a very short time. Do you feel it's covering any withdrawal from the Latuda? 

 

The Guanfacine reduction may be too quick, as you'd been on that since March, so you may have developed a dependency. 

 

 

On 8/19/2020 at 5:35 PM, astrilla said:

I had been drinking 3 beers/day ~5x/week and smoking a lot of cannabis during the months of May-July. I quit drinking and smoking the day after the panic episode.

 

Stopping alcohol and cannabis is good. Please do everything you can to eat healthy, drink plenty of water every day, and get some exercise, especially taking a walk in the sunlight each day. These are all great things to help with insomnia. For more, please see:

 

Tips to help sleep: so many of us have that awful withdrawal insomnia

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 

Please start a drug and symptoms journal to help us guide you in setting up a taper. Please also include:

 

• any other medications you take in addition to psychiatric drugs and any supplements you're taking
• the number of hours you sleep each night. 

The instructions for a drug and symptoms journal are listed below, along with an example: 

 

On 9/27/2016 at 2:49 PM, Altostrata said:

In the course of discussion in your Introductions forum topic, you may be asked to keep notes on paper of your daily symptom pattern, including when you take your drugs, their dosages, and any symptoms. We ask this because there may be something we can do to reduce the symptoms.

 

What we need to see for every single day over several days is what symptoms you get before and after you take your drugs. If you're not taking any drugs and have withdrawal symptoms, we still need to see your symptom pattern throughout the day:

 

The time of day, dosage, and severity of symptoms are essential information. Include

 

- Time and dosage for all drugs taken throughout the day, psychiatric and non-psychiatric.

- Following each dose, note any symptoms. If you are having a reaction to the drug, it may take hours for a symptom to show up -- that's why we ask you to keep notes all day long.

- If you're not taking any drugs, your symptoms throughout the day.

- Your sleep pattern. Since so many drugs disturb sleep, if you find you're waking in the middle of the night, it could be from a drug you took earlier in the evening. If you're not taking any drugs, there may be ways you can improve your sleep.

And so forth. A diary, in chronological order, looking something like this:
 

Example:

DATE:

 

6 a.m. Woke with anxiety
8 a.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
10 a.m. Stomach is upset
10:30 a.m. Ate breakfast
11:35 a.m. Got a headache, lasted one hour
12:35 p.m. Ate lunch
4 p.m. Feel a bit better
5 p.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
6 p.m. Ate dinner
9:20 p.m. Headache
10:00 p.m. Took 50mg Seroquel
10:20 p.m. Feeling dizzy
10:30 p.m. Fell asleep
2:30 a.m. Woke, took 3mg Ambien (NOT "took 1/2 tablet Ambien")
2:45 a.m. Fell asleep
4:30 a.m. Woke but got back to sleep

 

[astrilla]

Thank you @Shep for your reply. I will start the symptom diary today.

To be honest I think the Seroquel is just helping me bridge that gap between laying in bed resting and losing consciousness. It's not keeping me asleep as I manage to wake within two hours of taking it almost every night.

I have been having headaches and eye pain everyday, almost all day since the last post I made. Not sure where that is coming from. Maybe from stopping the guanfacine. Maybe lack of quality sleep. Or maybe from the lithium. It's so hard to know for sure and making me very frustrated. I don't feel like myself, like I'm just living to deal with symptoms. My partner and family is really sick of my constantly talking about how I feel but I can't help it. I don't want to suffer alone in silence.

[ChessieCat]

5 hours ago, astrilla said:

My partner and family is really sick of my constantly talking about how I feel but I can't help it.

 

Females generally want to talk about things even if they know that the other people can fix their problem.  Whereas males generally want to try and fix things.

 

People don't want to see a loved one suffering.  They can feel helpless and might get frustrated and upset because they aren't able to help stop the suffering. 

 

I suggest that you explain to them that you understand that they don't want you to suffer and that they want to try and make things better.  Then you need to tell tell what you do need from them and what doesn't help.  If you think that you or the other people might get upset talking about it you could write it down for them to read.

 

We have members here who have a relative or friend through psychiatric drug withdrawal and they write about how helpless they feel and how hard it is to see the person having to go through it.

 

These might be helpful:

 

helping-family-understand

 

withdrawal-dialogues-encouragement

[astrilla]

On 8/26/2020 at 6:08 PM, ChessieCat said:

Females generally want to talk about things even if they know that the other people can fix their problem.  Whereas males generally want to try and fix things.

 

People don't want to see a loved one suffering.  They can feel helpless and might get frustrated and upset because they aren't able to help stop the suffering. 

Thank you for informing me with this perspective. I really didn't think about it like this. It really is better for me to figure out concrete ways my loved ones could help me, instead of crying and saying "I don't know." I appreciate your reply.

[ChessieCat]

You're welcome.  When we are suffering we are self-centred and less able to understand what impact our words/actions, lack of words/actions, etc can have on other people.

 

Several years ago I had a melt down (found out later that I my drug was in poop out) and couldn't stop crying in front of my boyfriend.  Thankfully I realised that it was confusing for him and that he didn't know what to do so I said to him "just hug me".

[astrilla]

On 8/24/2020 at 5:20 AM, Shep said:

Please start a drug and symptoms journal to help us guide you in setting up a taper. Please also include:

 

• any other medications you take in addition to psychiatric drugs and any supplements you're taking
• the number of hours you sleep each night. 

Below are the first two days of diary, I will continue to post them as the days go on.

Just talked to my psyc. doc. yesterday. They said the headache could be caused by Lithium and prescribed me propranolol to be taken morning and evening. Not sure of dosage as I haven't picked up the script yet. I requested to be taken off Lithium and to go on a med. break but the doc. was not open to it. They said my affect had improved since starting Lithium and they don't believe it's just a result of having gone off Latuda. I will probably try the propranolol + Lithium for a week/until next appointment so I am not seen as a combative patient, but at the next appointment I will be more persistent about getting off Lithium. I just feel I don't need to be medicated. I am diagnosed BP2, leaning more towards depression than mania. I have only had 2 identified hypomanic episodes in my life (I am 30ish) and nothing bad happened, just a lot of ranting and ideas of grandeur. Plans to save the world and all that jazz. The depression was previously managed without medication, through therapy and a lot of crying time.

I have been playing with the dose of Seroquel: took 150mg one day last week, and 200mg the rest of the days. This week I have taken 150mg for two days (as indicated below), and will take 200mg the rest of the days. After reading more about tapering here over the past week, I know this is the wrong approach. I don't notice any difference in sleep whether I take 150 or 200. I am just not getting good sleep at any dose so I feel like it doesn't even matter how much I take. I am tempted to not take it all, I don't know how much worse the sleep could get, but again I know that's probably not a good way to go about it. My bedtime is late (midnight) because I never feel sleepy, just tired but wired. According to CBT-i I am not supposed to go to bed until sleepy, hence the staying up late. I attempting to implement CBT-i on my own using the book Say Goodnight to Insomnia by Dr. Gregg Jacobs as guidance. After some reflection, this might not be the optimal time to implement CBT-i as I don't feel very mentally or physically stable but I feel motivated to try because I need to try to fix the sleep issue sooner than later. 

 

I use the term "half-sleep" to mean it's indistinguishable to me whether I am sleeping or awake. I have a million random thoughts that go through my head all night, and a lot of the time I can't tell when I am dreaming or just thinking a lot. I used to wear a fitbit to bed that indicated I was waking up quite frequently, but I stopped wearing to bed because the tracking of data was stressing me out. This is another thing that makes CBT-i hard, I cannot tell if I am tired enough to fall asleep again or awake enough to get out of bed. Kinda feels like micro-sleeping for periods of 2-3 hours in between periods of wakefulness where I do get out of bed. I estimate I am getting 3-4 hours of half-sleep a night. Un-restorative, I definitely have mental and physical hyperarousal in bed.

 

Wed. 8/26

6:10 AM – woke up feeling shaky

6:30 AM– walked dog, heart pounding

8:00 AM– ate breakfast

9:30 AM – eye pain and twinges of pain in head

10:00 AM– took 300mg Lithium and multivitamin

11:00 AM– felt headache starting, still feeling shaky

2:00 PM – ate lunch

5:30 PM– ate dinner

8:30 PM– had a snack

10:00 PM – took 300 mg Lithium

11:40 PM – took 150 mg of Seroquel

12:00AM – went to bed, heart pounding

1:30AM – woke up, got out of bed, dozed off in chair while listening to meditation

2:30AM – laid in bed and tried to relax, half-sleep

 

Thurs. 8/27

5:45 AM – woke up and laid in bed for a while

6:30 AM – got out of bed, felt anxious

9:00 AM – twinges of pain in head and eyes

9:50 AM – laid down with eyes closed

10:15 AM– ate breakfast

10:20 AM– took 300mg Lithium and multivitamin

10:45 AM – headache started

11:45 AM– headache intensified/high anxiety (exacerbated by being at school)

3:00 PM – headache felt less intense

5:30 PM– ate dinner

10:00 PM – took Lithium 300 mg

12:00 AM – took Seroquel 150 mg, went to bed with heart pounding

1:30 AM– woke up

2:00AM – went back to bed, half-sleep

4:00 AM– woke up

4:45 AM – went back to bed, half-sleep

[senseless]

On 8/27/2020 at 3:53 AM, astrilla said:

I have been having headaches and eye pain everyday, almost all day since the last post I made. Not sure where that is coming from. Maybe from stopping the guanfacine. Maybe lack of quality sleep. Or maybe from the lithium. It's so hard to know for sure and 

I struggled with this for a couple weeks, i think its most likely due to sleep deprivation as it is a common symptom resulting from it.

 

On 8/27/2020 at 3:53 AM, astrilla said:

I don't feel like myself, like I'm just living to deal with symptoms. My partner and family is really sick of my constantly talking about how I feel but I can't help it. I don't want to suffer alone in silence.

 

I can relate to this big time. I had/have similar problems with my partner, at the start of my withdrawals she was very attentive/empathetic but as time went on and i continued to suffer. She became emotionally fatigued and as result she became less and less receptive to listening to me, I could feel i was pushing her away. Unfortunately to keep her iv had to learn to bottle up my feelings, put on a happy face and pretend my withdrawals don't exist. 

We shouldn't resent our partners for this, its just hard for them as its painful for them to helplessly watch us suffer. Honestly i also don't think they can understand/appreciate how horrible coming of these drugs is.
That why this community is such a blessing, we don't have suffer alone.

With that in my mind if you ever need someone to talk to, i'm here for you as i know exactly what you are going through. 

[Shep]

On 8/28/2020 at 12:52 PM, astrilla said:

 I will probably try the propranolol + Lithium for a week/until next appointment so I am not seen as a combative patient, but at the next appointment I will be more persistent about getting off Lithium.

 

Please don't add in more drugs. You are already taking multiple drugs that cause sedation, so adding in another one can lead to paradoxical reactions. When you dampen down the nervous system with sedating drugs, the nervous system fights to stay alert. This is the paradoxical reaction. This can make anxiety and insomnia worse. 

 

Unless you're on forced treatment, you don't have to take any drug you don't want to. Please see:

 

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

 

 

Please note that Guanfacine withdrawal can include headaches. From the article Intuniv (guanfacine) for ADHD: 

 

Quote

 

Can symptoms occur if Intuniv [Guanfacine] is discontinued?

 

Withdrawal symptoms of Intuniv can include headaches, tremors, agitation, and nervousness. Abrupt discontinuation can also cause a rapid increase in blood pressure, so maintain contact with your doctor and seek medical attention if necessary when discontinuing the drug.

 

 

Question - did the headaches start or get worse when you stopped taking Guanfacine? 

[astrilla]

Thank you senseless for the understanding approach to my issue. The past few days I've been trying to act more "normal" and less pained around my partner and child and they seem to appreciate it. Them being happier and more comfortable around me makes this more bearable as I was starting to feel like a pariah in my own home. I appreciate you being there for me and sharing your experience openly.

[astrilla]

2 hours ago, Shep said:

 

Please don't add in more drugs. You are already taking multiple drugs that cause sedation, so adding in another one can lead to paradoxical reactions. When you dampen down the nervous system with sedating drugs, the nervous system fights to stay alert. This is the paradoxical reaction. This can make anxiety and insomnia worse. 

 

Unless you're on forced treatment, you don't have to take any drug you don't want to. Please see:

 

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

 

 

Please note that Guanfacine withdrawal can include headaches. From the article Intuniv (guanfacine) for ADHD: 

 

 

Question - did the headaches start or get worse when you stopped taking Guanfacine? 

 Thank you  for the information shep. I've taken the propranolol a few times already but will stop now. Thank you for the link. Given my diagnosis of BP2 I am going to have to be VERY persistent with my psyc. doc. They are very kind and caring but very vigilant in medicating me for anything that remotely looks like mania or depression.

My blood pressure was taken recently and according to the person who did my vitals it was pretty good as in low. I may get a blood pressure monitor at the behest of my father.

Yes I noticed the headaches did start around that time. Psyc. doc. said to stop taking the Guanfacine 2mg (usually taken in the evening) on 8/18/20 but I actually remember taking 1mg for a couple days before completely discontinuing. But the headaches started the day or two after lowering the dose and have just become worse over time. 

The headache timing coincides with the start of extreme eye dryness (I have to yawn and blink constantly to try to "rehydrate" my eyeballs). Maybe something to do with Lithium as it dries me out even though I am drinking 100-120 ounces of water a day. Wish I knew my blood levels for Lithium but the lab messed up in sending results to doc., so I have no idea where I'm at.

 

[astrilla]

Two more days of diary. Sleep was a little better. I really need to leave my Seroquel dose alone as I can't tell if it's because I took a higher dose than the other nights, or introduction of Propranolol, or continued efforts with CBTi. I have been dozing off again before bed time for the first time in a month so that's encouraging. 

8/28

6:40AM – got up, with eye pain/dryness and headache

8:40AM – ate breakfast

10:00AM – took Lithium 300mg

1:00PM – ate lunch

6:00PM – ate dinner

9:00PM – took Propranolol 10mg

10:00PM – took Lithium 300mg

11:30PM – took Seroquel 200mg

12:00AM – got in bed

 

8/29

6:15AM – woke up very groggy with mild headache, eye pain/dryness

6:40AM -got out of bed, laid down in living room

8:30AM – got up and ate breakfast

10:00AM – took Lithium 300mg + Propranolol 10mg

12:00PM – headache felt more intense, ate lunch

6:00PM - ate dinner

9:00PM – took Propranolol 10mg

10:00PM – took Lithium 300mg

11:30PM – took Seroquel 200mg

12:00AM – got into bed

[Shep]

17 minutes ago, astrilla said:

Yes I noticed the headaches did start around that time. Psyc. doc. said to stop taking the Guanfacine 2mg (usually taken in the evening) on 8/18/20 but I actually remember taking 1mg for a couple days before completely discontinuing. But the headaches started the day or two after lowering the dose and have just become worse over time. 

 

I would reinstate the Guanfacine. Blood pressure drugs shouldn't be stopped cold turkey. The Propranolol may be helping with Guanfacine withdrawal, but it's really best to stay on the Guanfacine and taper off and not add in new drugs. Since you just came off Guanfacine 12 day ago, you can safely reinstate. You could start by going back to 1 or 1.5 mg, if you don't wish to reinstate the full 2 mg (you can always increase). Please see:

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Please post your thoughts. 

 

21 minutes ago, astrilla said:

Given my diagnosis of BP2 I am going to have to be VERY persistent with my psyc. doc. They are very kind and caring but very vigilant in medicating me for anything that remotely looks like mania or depression.

 

We really don't put a lot of stock in psychiatric diagnosis here. A lot of medication management in psychiatry is to mitigate the side effects and withdrawal effects of the drugs. The mind cannot literally be diseased, since it's an abstraction. You may want to read this book, which comes highly recommended here:

 

Anatomy of an Epidemic

 

You haven't been on these drugs for as long as many people here, so you really have a good chance at stabilizing, setting up a slow and careful taper, and going on to heal and have a great drug-free life. Please spend some time in this section:

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 

These are the kinds of things we need to keep us healthy and happy. 

 

 

[astrilla]

Thank you for the links to helpful threads and to the book. I will be sure to go over each resource, got a good amount of reading time, if I could just get my mind to focus! I frequently get discouraged when it comes to self-care for my mental/emotional self because the things I used to do are now difficult, due to symptoms: yoga, meditation, journaling, DBT workbook and just plain rest is just hard to engage in even though I know it will make me feel better on some level. In the end I must continue doing these activities instead of distracting myself, from myself. If that makes sense.

 

I can try reinstatement of Guanfacine, I do have a limited supply (60 1mg tablets) but it should be enough to see how I feel after a week or a few weeks, if I am reading the reinstatement thread correctly.

 

My main concern is with the Lithium and Seroquel. I've been on both for not too long and rather get off before I become more dependent on them. I am somewhat fearful of sleepless nights as I had insomnia prior to starting these medications so I can't really hope for an eventual improvement in sleep upon cessation, because my baseline is poor sleep. 

[Shep]

6 hours ago, astrilla said:

My main concern is with the Lithium and Seroquel. I've been on both for not too long and rather get off before I become more dependent on them.

 

Yes, I'm also concerned about the Lithium and the Seroquel, as well. The Seroquel may be helping with the Latuda withdrawal, which you were on for about 6 months, which is more than long enough to become dependent on.

 

But the Lithium is very new, so you may be able to do a more rapid taper off it. Please let us know how you're doing with the Guanfacine reinstatement. 

 

Please continue posting your drug and symptoms journal. 

[astrilla]

Hi, to update, I haven't been getting headaches as much. I reinstated the Guanfacine for a couple nights but missed last night's does. I have been getting slightly better sleep since implementing CBTi techniques. For the past 4-5 days I have been getting 5 and a half hours with maybe one wake up in the middle of the night. I started CBTi on my own over a week ago and just now making gains. Mind you I am still taking Seroquel every night but I am confident I can quit it in short order. I'm prepared for any sleepless nights that may lay ahead of me. I think the better sleep may be helping with the headaches, rather than reinstating the guanfacine but I won't know for sure unless I skip the guanfacine for a few days. I don't know if that is advisable, I feel I am always experimenting with myself.

 

I have made up my mind to quit the Lithium ASAP. I've been on it for three weeks now and see little risk in getting off it at this time. After that I could address the Seroquel. I won't be talking my doctor until the 15th but do I have to wait that long to quit Lithium?

My main issues with it is the high side effect profile and the fact that I don't believe I am at risk of mania. I  also know how to cope with depression, my recent very low experience taught me a lot, along with the resources on this site.

Since starting Lithium, my eyes are super dry, I have constant thirst, frequent urination, and I this weird feeling in my head, like a constant headrush at times, as documented I am way more prone to headaches as well. I am experiencing a lot of anxious periods along with moodiness, so what is the point of taking a potentially toxic mood stabilizer if I am not sure I am getting the benefit?

I get so angry looking at the bottle of pills and resent taking them everyday; I skipped a morning dose for the first time on 8/30 because I was just furious that I "have to" take a pill. If my doctor is truly worried about mania then having some emergency Seroquel on hand should ease their mind. The therapist I see is kind of whack at times but she made me realize that this is my body, my mind and my choice of what to put in it. I'm not a victim and even though I am pretty shy, I need can be brave and tell my psyc. doc. I don't want to take these medications any longer. Sorry if this sounds quit rant-y.

 

Any advice to stopping the Lithium ASAP after 3 weeks of usage? It comes in capsules of 300mg, and I take two each day. Any feedback is much appreciated.

 

8/30 – missed AM dose of medication

6:15AM-woke up, very groggy and eye pain, some pressure in head but no headache

6:30AM – got out of bed, went to lay down in the living room, on and off dozing off

9:30AM – got up and ate breakfast

10:40 AM  - felt headache

1:00PM – ate lunch

5:30PM – ate dinner

10:00PM – took Lithium 300mg + Guanfacine 1mg

11:30PM – took Seroquel 150mg,

12:00AM – went to bed, heart pounding very loudly, bit of trouble falling asleep

Middle of the night (sure of time)-woke up to use bathroom, took a while to fall back to sleep

 

8/31

6:15AM - woke up groggy, dry eyes

6:30AM – got up, went to lay down in living room

9:00AM – got up and ate breakfast

10:00AM – took Lithium 300mg

11:00 AM – slight headache and feeling shaky/anxious

2:00PM – ate lunch

6:30PM – ate dinner

10:00 PM – took Lithium 300mg + Guanfacine 1mg

11:30 PM – took Seroquel 200mg

11:40 PM – went to bed, heart pounding

9/1

6:15AM – woke up groggy, dry eyes

6:40AM – got up, lay down in living room

9:00AM – got up

9:30AM – took Lithium 300mg and ate breakfast

10:40AM – slight headache while driving to school, heavy anxiety

12:30PM – headache intensified

6:00PM – ate dinner

9:30PM – took Lithium 300mg

11:30PM – took Seroquel 150mg

12:10AM – went to bed, heart pounding 

 Middle of the night (sure of time)-woke up to use bathroom, took a while to fall back to sleep

[Shep]

9 hours ago, astrilla said:

8/30

11:30PM – took Seroquel 150mg,

8/31

11:30 PM – took Seroquel 200mg

9/1

11:30PM – took Seroquel 150mg

 

Astrilla, it's very important that you take the same dose of Seroquel each night. Because you wish to start a rapid Lithium reduction, that should be the ONLY change you make. Otherwise, you won't know if upticks in symptoms are coming from the change in Seroquel or the change in Lithium. Please see:

 

The rule of 3KIS: Keep it simple. Keep it slow. Keep it stable.

 

Please pick a dose of Seroquel and stick to that same dose each night.

 

9 hours ago, astrilla said:

I think the better sleep may be helping with the headaches, rather than reinstating the guanfacine but I won't know for sure unless I skip the guanfacine for a few days. I don't know if that is advisable, I feel I am always experimenting with myself.

 

No, we don't advise skipping doses and random experimentations. If you've been on a drug for over a month, we recommend a slow taper. Otherwise, you're traumatizing your nervous system, which in the long run, can cause major setbacks. This post is on antidepressants, but it really fits for all psychiatric drugs. Antipsychotics affect dopamine and dopamine receptors in a similar manner as far as adaptation goes. 

 

How psychiatric drugs remodel your brain

 

9 hours ago, astrilla said:

I have made up my mind to quit the Lithium ASAP. I've been on it for three weeks now and see little risk in getting off it at this time. After that I could address the Seroquel. 

 

I would recommend stopping the evening Lithium dose. 

 

The reason I would recommend dropping the evening dose first is because of the drug interaction between Lithium and Seroquel, which may be causing some of the heart pounding. 

 

Drug Interaction Report - lithium, Seroquel, guanfacine

 

Also, please note the MAJOR drug interaction between guanfacine and grapefruit and grapefruit juice. Make sure you avoid anything with grapefruit until you are off this drug.

 

Please keep ALL your other drugs at the same doses and times of the day. Right now, getting off Lithium before dependency sets in should be your number one goal. 

 

Questions: 

• What do you think of stopping the evening Lithium dose?
• Are you able to keep all of your other drugs steady at the same doses and times of the day?
• Please write what type of Lithium and Seroquel you are using - are they regular release or sustained release? The bottles may have XR (for extended release). If not, they are regular release. 

[astrilla]

 

On 9/3/2020 at 7:48 AM, Shep said:

• What do you think of stopping the evening Lithium dose?
• Are you able to keep all of your other drugs steady at the same doses and times of the day?
• Please write what type of Lithium and Seroquel you are using - are they regular release or sustained release? The bottles may have XR (for extended release). If not, they are regular release. 

Thank you Shep. I appreciate your reply and wisdom, it's been guiding me throughout this week. Your links are always so helpful, reassuring and informative.

 

I saw your post on the morning of the 3rd and have since dropped the evening dose of Lithium. So far so good. I am nervous to talk to my psyc. doc. again in a week and a half, they may drop me as a patient for being noncompliant. I would like their support (and prescribing power) when I am able to taper from Seroquel. Dealing with these 200mg tablets (regular release) is a pain in the butt. For the Lithium I have 300mg capsules that are regular release.

 

Thank you for the information on drug interactions, I was having trouble finding that on my own.

 

I will stay at 150mg Seroquel for the evening. I made some uneven cuts recently and suffered some sleep disturbances for a couple nights. I have since bought a pill cutter. I did notice on the nights with bad sleep, I got the terrible all day headache again. Lately I have been so groggy in the morning that I lie down in the mornings for 2-3 hours after waking because I can't function. I know I take Seroquel late but it's because of my CBTi prescribed bedtime of 12AM. If I go to bed at say 10 or 11 then sleep is more fragmented. The fact that sleep is so dependent on this medication is revolting to me, but I am just trying to be kind to myself and accept that I will be able to get off it soon.

 

9/2

6:15AM – woke up groggy, dry eyes + walked dog

8:00AM – ate breakfast then laid down because still groggy

9:00AM – got up

9:30AM – took Lithium 300mg

10:20AM – felt tension/pressure in head

12:30PM – got headache

5:30PM – ate dinner

9:30PM – took Lithium 300mg

11:30PM – took Seroquel 150mg

12:00 AM – went to bed

9/3

5:45AM – woke up groggy with dry eyes, did dog training, then laid down

9:00AM – got up and ate breakfast

9:30AM – took Lithium 300mg

10:40AM – got headache (probably exacerbated by being at school)

6:30PM – ate dinner

11:30PM – took Seroquel ~150mg (looked like a smaller dose b/c pills cut unevenly)

12:20AM – went to bed

2:30AM – woke up

3:30AM – went back to bed

9/4

5:50AM – woke up with headache groggy w/ dry eyes

6:30AM – laid down

9:30AM – took Lithium 300mg and ate breakfast

6:00PM – ate dinner

11:30PM – took Seroquel 150mg ((looked like a smaller dose b/c pills cut unevenly) and Guanfacine 1mg

12:15AM – went to bed

1:45AM - woke up

2:30AM - went back to bed

[Shep]

4 hours ago, astrilla said:

I saw your post on the morning of the 3rd and have since dropped the evening dose of Lithium. So far so good. I am nervous to talk to my psyc. doc. again in a week and a half, they may drop me as a patient for being noncompliant. I would like their support (and prescribing power) when I am able to taper from Seroquel.

 

Because Lithium requires bloodwork, it's not a drug you can lie about to your psychiatrist because he or she will know from the bloodwork whether or not you are taking it. So you may want to frame it that you were getting sick on Lithium, so you're stopping it, but you are doing really well with Seroquel and Guanfacine. All psychiatrists are interested in is you taking some type of drug and accepting whatever diagnosis they give you. If you report you aren't feeling well, they will be more likely to want to add in more drugs than if you say your current drugs are working well. Since psychiatry isn't a real field of medicine and the mind can't literally be diseased, it's really about how you report your symptoms. You have a lot more power than you think! Say you are doing really well on Seroquel and Guanfacine, and your pdoc will likely be satisfied and wish to move onto the next patient. 

 

That being said, you may want to see if there's a doctor in your area who is up on withdrawal, just to make the process easier for you. Here are some links to check out:

 

Recommended doctors, therapists, and clinics

 

Mad in America - Provider Directory

 

Please note you don't need a psychiatrist to prescribe these drugs. Any medical doctor, including GP's, are able to prescribe them. If you find someone on one of these lists who is a PhD or Social Worker in your area, you may want to reach out to them to see if they know of any doctors in the area who are up on psychiatric drug withdrawal. 

 

5 hours ago, astrilla said:

I will stay at 150mg Seroquel for the evening. I made some uneven cuts recently and suffered some sleep disturbances for a couple nights. I have since bought a pill cutter.

 

I'm glad you were able to get a pill cutter. For some tips on use, please see:

 

How to cut up tablets or pills

 

You don't have "heart pounding" as a symptom since you dropped the evening Lithium. Are you feeling better and that symptom is no longer present? You also aren't reporting needing to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Since Lithium causes thirst, are you finding you aren't drinking as much liquid in the evenings? 

 

[astrilla]

Thank you for the reply, I feel relieved that I can ask my primary care physician (a nurse practitioner) can offer support in the case that my psyc. doc. can't. I got kind of turned off from my PCP because they waved off my sleep difficulties at a recent appointment, but will reach out to them if needed.

 

About the heart pounding: starting 9/2 I have been going to sleep each night with headphones in, listening to sleep hypnosis video on youtube, so didn't notice if I had that symptom or not. I started this "ritual" because it soothes me after staying up late doing homework, which is pretty stimulating. Tonight I will go to bed without headphones and see how I feel. As for the bathroom habit, I started restricting fluid intake past 9PM and yes, since I am taking less Lithium it seems I am drinking less water and urinating less frequently. 

[Shep]

Thanks for the additional information, Astrilla. Please keep posting your daily drug and symptoms journal.

 

Hopefully you'll be ready for another Lithium reduction soon, but it will help to have your journal as a guide. 

[astrilla]

Hi Shep, the heart pounding seems to be must better most nights  but if I have a lot of anxiety about sleep then it is still apparent. Thinking that it's partially medication related and partially anxiety related. I have been getting up to use the bathroom again but I might be getting a UTI from eating too much sugar lately or b/c I'm drinking more due to the smoky air in my area. 

I have been changing the night time medication dose time to try to counteract the grogginess I feel in the morning.

9/5

6:45AM - woke up with a head ache and dry eyes, extremely groggy

7:15AM – went back to bed, slept off and on for about 3 hours

10:00AM – got up, took Lithium 300mg

1:00PM – ate

3:50PM– took a nap

4:30PM  – got up, headache felt  better

5:30PM – ate dinner

11:30PM – took Seroquel 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg

12:15AM – went to bed

Middle of the night (unsure of time)-woke up to use bathroom, fell back asleep quickly

 

9/6 – headache on and off all day

6:45AM - woke up with dry eyes, extremely groggy

9:30AM - took Lithium 300mg

1:30PM – ate lunch

5:30PM – ate dinner

11:15 PM – took Seroquel 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg

12:15AM – went to bed

Middle of the night (unsure of time)-woke up to use bathroom, fell back asleep quickly

 

9/7 – mild headache on and off all day

6:15AM - woke up with a head ache and dry eyes, somewhat groggy

7:15AM – went back to bed, slept off and on for an hour

9:30AM - took Lithium 300mg

5:30PM – ate dinner

11:15PM – took Seroquel 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg

11:50PM – went to bed

Middle of the night (unsure of time)-woke up to use bathroom, fell back asleep quickly

 

9/8

6:15AM - woke up with a head ache and dry eyes, somewhat groggy

7:15AM – went back to bed, slept off and on for an hour and half

9:30AM - took Lithium 300mg

11:30AM – headache felt worse

5:00PM – headache felt better

5:30PM – ate dinner

11:00PM – took Seroquel 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg

11:50PM – went to bed

Middle of the night (unsure of time)-woke up to use bathroom, fell back asleep quickly

 

[Shep]

20 hours ago, astrilla said:

Hi Shep, the heart pounding seems to be must better most nights  but if I have a lot of anxiety about sleep then it is still apparent. Thinking that it's partially medication related and partially anxiety related. I have been getting up to use the bathroom again but I might be getting a UTI from eating too much sugar lately or b/c I'm drinking more due to the smoky air in my area. 

 

Thanks for continuing your drug and symptoms journal, Astrilla. Here are some links you may find helpful:

 

Urination and bladder issues (male and female)

 

If you do find you have a UTI, please be careful of any antibiotics that may be prescribed. Some people find fluoroquinolone antibiotics to be especially problematic. 

 

Here's a list of the fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which many of us try to avoid especially during withdrawal:

 

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics

 

Here is the thread on SA about antibiotics that may be helpful:

 

Cipro, Levaquin, Azithromycin (Z-Pack), and other antibiotics

 

For anxiety symptoms, Dr. Claire Weekes comes highly recommended for helping people learn how to manage and cope with anxiety:

 

Dr. Claire Weekes - How To Recover From Anxiety

 

And you can find loads more out there on YouTube by googling Dr. Claire Weekes. 

 

You may also find guided meditations helpful in the evening. I used this one with success:

 

Guided Meditation Deep sleep | anxiety and insomnia relief | relaxation before bedtime video (20 minutes)

 

And you can find many others on YouTube. Lots to explore.

 

20 hours ago, astrilla said:

I have been changing the night time medication dose time to try to counteract the grogginess I feel in the morning.

 

Please write more about this - it looks like you're still taking 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg between 11 PM and 11:15 PM. 

 

Are you wanting to take it earlier in the evening? Please keep everything steady with these drugs until you are off the Lithium. Let's really focus on the Lithium right now, as you're right at the one month mark where dependency can set in. 

 

Are you ready to reduce the Lithium again? You could drop from 150 mg to 75 mg for a few days and see how you do. 

 

Please post your thoughts. Also, please update your signature to reflect your current drugs (Seroquel and Lithium have both decreased). A direct link is here:

 

Account Settings - Create or Edit Your Signature

 

 

 

[astrilla]

Thank you Shep. After reading through the first linked thread, the urination issue could be due to nervous system issue like high cortisol. I know it's worse in the day when I am nervous, especially at school when I am around a lot of people. Also since I am still taking Lithium that could be a culprit. I am feeling kind of irritated down there, sorry for the TMI, so probably will abstain from sexual activity for a few days and see if it gets better. I know I need to clean up my diet too. I'm a small person and seem very sensitive to medications and bad diet. 

 

About the Seroquel, I used to take it strictly at 11:30PM. When I first started taking it, I didn't have morning grogginess too bad, but back then I was much more anxious and aroused. I feel a little calmer now than a month ago, so maybe that leaves rooms for the grogginess in the morning since I'm not constantly in a hyper-aroused state. Usually I just feel antsy in the evening. Anyway, I tried moving the dose to 11:15PM, with no impact on grogginess, then 11:00PM, again no results. Last night I was very tired and took Seroquel at 10:30PM and this morning felt less groggy in the morning. I still tried to lay down in the morning around 8:30AM but was interrupted by all my responsibilities and a zoom appointment. So tonight I will try taking Seroquel at 10:30PM again. I really don't want to mess with the timing too much in the interest of stability but I can't afford to be groggy in the morning anymore. Too many chores and schoolwork to get through, not to mention homeschooling my kid. I hope as I progress through CBTi and get an earlier bedtime, it will help me feel more rested.  I can't wait to check out the meditation you shared, greatly appreciated.

 

I have been taking 300mg Lithium about 9:30AM. It comes in the form of powder in capsules. My scale is not precise enough to measure these capsules so I will attempt a suspension tomorrow. Basically empty capsule, mix all the powder from a  300mg capsule with a measured amount of water and drink half of that for 150mg. And after some days I can drink a quarter as much to get to 75mg...sound about right?

 

Another new development is more depression...I was feeling a little better and occupied with my family and school for these past couple weeks, but I feel that sinking feeling coming back in. Maybe a sign I need to do more mental and emotional work, which I keep avoiding. COVD makes it hard to lose myself in other pursuits like once before. No work or friends to distract me. I just feel like nothing again and it really sucks.

[senseless]

Hi Astrilla, 

Congrats on getting down to 150mg, you are on a good road to recovery

In regards to the urination issues, itd say its caused by the anticholinergic effects of the seroquel. 

 This is a well known side effect of anticholinergic drugs. So as you lower the dose this should be less of a problem, shown by the below graph which comes from this study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16928430/
(I no longer deal with any urine retention issues).

 

In regards to grogginess, i still suffer from it and i'm on a tiny dose. My one remedy is running, have you tried that?
  

[Shep]

12 hours ago, astrilla said:

I have been taking 300mg Lithium about 9:30AM. It comes in the form of powder in capsules. My scale is not precise enough to measure these capsules so I will attempt a suspension tomorrow. Basically empty capsule, mix all the powder from a  300mg capsule with a measured amount of water and drink half of that for 150mg. And after some days I can drink a quarter as much to get to 75mg...sound about right?

 

Please don't be too concerned about getting precise measurements since you're doing a rapid reduction off Lithium. Being precise will be much more important with your other drugs as you reduce by 10% or less over long periods of time, but for the Lithium, let's concentrate on getting off it in the next few days before dependency sets in. 

 

BTW, what type of scale do you have? You should be able to make a 50% reduction with some accuracy for the scales such as the Gemini-20 that's recommended on the site. For more, please see:

 

Using a Digital Scale to Measure Doses

 

By suddenly switching from capsule to liquid, you may have differences in absorption rate. So you may want to stick with measuring the capsule by scale. Just a thought. 

 

12 hours ago, astrilla said:

Another new development is more depression...I was feeling a little better and occupied with my family and school for these past couple weeks, but I feel that sinking feeling coming back in. Maybe a sign I need to do more mental and emotional work, which I keep avoiding. COVD makes it hard to lose myself in other pursuits like once before. No work or friends to distract me. I just feel like nothing again and it really sucks.

 

This is very insightful, Astrilla. Yes, noticing that your depression is likely coming form your life circumstances is important. A lot of us who've written success stories (including myself) are also dealing with that "sinking feeling" at times due to what's going on in the world. 

 

Work on those distractions and non-drug coping skills. They will serve you well now and long after withdrawal. Perhaps look to art or music or start a new hobby. A project that you look forward to every day can make a world of difference. 

 

[astrilla]

12 hours ago, senseless said:

In regards to the urination issues, itd say its caused by the anticholinergic effects of the seroquel. 

 

Thank you for the info and linking the study. After seeing your post, I spent some time today reading more about how seroquel works.

Didn't know it had effect on urination! 

13 hours ago, senseless said:

In regards to grogginess, i still suffer from it and i'm on a tiny dose. My one remedy is running, have you tried that?

I read that lower doses are more sedating so hopefully the grogginess won't increase as I lower the dose in the future. It's so bad I can barely walk straight when I first wake up. Got bruises from running into the doorframe. Running could pep me up, unfortunately the air quality is really bad in my area from wildfires. I will try doing cardio in the morning via youtube workout videos to see if it wakes me up. Maybe a cup of decaf coffee upon waking will feel like the real thing and put some pep in my step. I start to feel human at about 10AM, approx. 12 hours after I take the seroquel.

[astrilla]

10 hours ago, Shep said:

BTW, what type of scale do you have?

Looking at my scale, it only measures to .1 g  so not precise enough. My options in the meantime are to eyeball the powder amounts or make a liquid. I could order one online as well. 

 

Thank you for encouragement when it comes to depressed feelings. Feels like I am rediscovering life but also unearthing a lot of feelings, good and bad, again.

[Shep]

10 hours ago, astrilla said:

Looking at my scale, it only measures to .1 g  so not precise enough. My options in the meantime are to eyeball the powder amounts or make a liquid. I could order one online as well. 

 

I think you'll be fine eyeballing it. You're already a few days past the 1 month mark where dependency can set in, so hopefully you won't be on Lithium much longer. The point is to not make too big a leap off. So even if it's not exactly a 50% reduction, it will be close enough for a rapid taper. I wouldn't wait to transfer over to liquid or to get another scale. 

 

11 hours ago, astrilla said:

I read that lower doses are more sedating so hopefully the grogginess won't increase as I lower the dose in the future.

 

Just from my own experience with Seroquel, even though the lower doses are more sedating than the higher doses, it actually does get less sedating as you decrease at some point. For example, some people find that 300 mg of Seroquel is not as sedating as 150 mg. This is due to histamine being more affected at doses under around the 150 mg mark. But many of us find that 50 mg is less sedating than 100 mg. 

 

So please don't fear coming off this drug. 

[astrilla]

 Hi, hope all is well. Miss three days of journaling, I had a challenging week in terms of home circumstances. I feel okay so far with the drop in Lithium, its been four days at 150mg.

 

I found that 9:30-10:00PM is a good time to take Seroquel, because I don't end up falling asleep again in the morning after I take it at those times.

 

I drank some wine on Saturday night and it made me feel really sick so I will abstain from that in the future. I know it's something to be avoided, just wanted to give it a go for whatever reason. 

 

9/11

6:45AM - woke up very groggy

7:15AM – went back to bed, slept off and on for about 2 hours

9:00AM – got up, ate breakfast

9:30AM - took Lithium 150mg

1:00PM – ate lunch

5:30PM – ate dinner

10:45PM – took Seroquel 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg

11:50 PM – went to bed

Middle of the night (unsure of time)-woke up to use bathroom, fell back asleep quickly

 

9/12

6:45AM - woke up  groggy

9:00AM – ate breakfast

9:30AM - took Lithium 150mg

5:30PM – ate dinner

8:30PM – drank 2 glasses of wine

9:00PM - felt very nauseous 

10:20PM – took Seroquel 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg

11:50 PM – went to bed

 

9/13

7:00AM - woke up groggy

8:00AM – got out of bed

8:15AM – laid down and slept on and off for an hour

9:30AM - took Lithium 150mg

3:00PM – ate lunch

6:00PM - ate dinner

10:00PM – took Seroquel 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg

11:50 PM – went to bed

 

 

9/14

6:30 AM - woke up mildly groggy

7:45 AM – got out of bed and had breakfast

9:30AM - took Lithium 150mg

11:00AM – got a bad headache

3:30PM – ate lunch

7:30PM – headache felt better

8:00PM – ate dinner

9:40 PM – took Seroquel 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg

11:50 PM – went to bed

 

 

 

[Shep]

19 hours ago, astrilla said:

I drank some wine on Saturday night and it made me feel really sick so I will abstain from that in the future. I know it's something to be avoided, just wanted to give it a go for whatever reason. 

 

It's good you're going to avoid alcohol. I've seen so many people have severe setbacks from this, so please, treat your nervous system like crystal. 

 

Are you ready for the next 50% Lithium reduction? If you wait too much longer, you risk dependency. If you feel you're ready, I would go ahead and make the next reduction. 

[astrilla]

Hey, not been doing too well. The day of my last post (9/15) , I realized my mind has started racing, and I am feeling more depressed again, like I don't know what to do with myself, can't stay occupied with anything. I have been more stressed b/c of school lately. The next day 09/16, I decreased Lithium from 150mg to 75mg.

I had a really late night on Thursday and that threw me off. I have a yeast infection and those always drain me, and I am experiencing PMS so that can account for the low mood. I also get sleep disturbance every PMS time so that has been hard to deal with. I just try so hard to stay occupied with school work and funny videos, memes. Just starting to feel low like I did before and not enjoying a whole lot or being able to switch my brain off. It scares me because I felt like this in July when I was getting off Latuda and, later when I was just taking Seroquel (and Guanfacine); I felt was experiencing suicidality at that point. I don't know if that is just something I have go through on my recovery.

 

 

9/15 – started noticing my mind is loud again, a lot of thoughts, depression

6:15AM – woke up

7:00AM – got out of bed and had decaf

9:30AM - took Lithium 150mg

11:50AM – got a mild headache

3:30PM – ate snack + headache felt better

6:00PM – ate dinner

9:40 PM – took Seroquel 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg

11:50 PM – went to bed + trouble falling asleep b/c mind racing

Middle of the night (unsure of time)-woke up to use bathroom, fell back asleep

 

9/16

6:00AM - woke up

6:25AM – got out of bed

9:30AM - took Lithium 75mg

12:30PM – ate lunch

8:00PM – ate dinner

9:40 PM – took Seroquel 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg

11:40 PM – went to bed

Middle of the night (unsure of time)-woke up to use bathroom, fell back asleep but took a while

 

9/17

6:00AM - woke up

6:25AM – got out of bed

9:30AM - took Lithium 75mg

12:00PM – mild headache

3:00PM – ate snack + headache feeling better

7:15PM – ate dinner

11:00 PM – took Seroquel 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg

2:00AM – went to bed + trouble falling asleep b/c mind racing

Middle of the night (unsure of time)-woke up to use bathroom, fell back asleep but took a while

 

9/18

6:15AM - woke up very tired and anxious

6:25AM – got out of bed

6:45AM – laid down for a couple hours, couldn’t sleep

9:30AM - took Lithium 75mg

11:00AM – mild headache

3:00PM – ate snack + headache feeling better

8:15PM – ate dinner

10:00 PM – took Seroquel 150mg and Guanfacine 1mg

11:40 PM – went to bed + trouble falling asleep b/c mind racing

Middle of the night (unsure of time)-woke up twice to use bathroom, fell back asleep but took a while

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[astrilla]

Before this feeling of busy mind and lowness set in, I had about 5-6 days last week where I felt good was getting some more solid sleep (5-6 hours) and I was listening to music again. I had stopped listening to music around May this year until last week. Today I don't really have the urge to or think I'd enjoy it. Last week I was driving my car fast and experiencing the thrill, like I used to my motorcycle (haven't been able to ride for over a year b/c my bike is several hours away at my parent's house). Today that doesn't sound appealing. I am starting to feel really not good again, just drained and like I can't stop thinking random thoughts.