waking in the night with major anxiety

[A zombie]

also, hypoglycemia is cause by an adreanaline rush, usually due to low cortisol. If you eat a protein before bed it CAN help.

 

[flower]

Hi Flower, i'm so sorry to hear you are feeling like this. I have had extreme bouts of anxiety that lasted for a very long time, so i can relate to how desperate you feel. The last time i had severe anxiety it was brought on by only two doses of Citalopram - it took me a while to get it out of my system and for the naxiety to calm down.

I have heard anecdotally of other PWME having extreme reactions to low doses of SSRI anti-depressants. I wonder if you are taking any other drugs/herbs or supplements that could contribute to this - examples are St Johns Wort, high doses of vitamin B6 etc. I was advised not to take ANY B6 or anyhting that interfered with brain serotonin while i was recovering.

I have also read on the net of others without M.E having side effects such as these. I believe that i may have been suffering from akathisia whihc is a severe form of restlessness and turmoil http://www.antidepressantadversereactions.com/side_effects/agitation.php

I wonder what you are taking the antidepressant for? and if it is absolutely necessary. Can you talk to your prescribing Dr about the anxiety problem?

I also notice that Zopiclone can cause anxiety - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zopiclone

I think many of us with M.E can be extremely sensitive to some drugs and sometimes in very low doses. I also take low doses of Valium occasionally - when my anxiety was bad the low dose didnt touch it. I also found the anxiety was worse the more ill i was. I suggest that if it gets bad you take a full valium dose (if safe with your other meds and has been prescibed) and go to bed for at least 24 hours and just rest as much as you can. I sometimes did this just for a break from the anxiety anmd agitation.

I know that Hip has a thread titled 'i cured my anxiety with 3 supplements' - i havent read the thread so not sure if it will help you, just ahunch to check it out.

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...nxiety-symptoms-with-three-supplements.18369/

Waking in the night with anxiety can also be a symptom of hypoglycaemia. This also happened to me and i managed to cure it with a night time snack - preferably protein or carb if you eat them. It did take a while to work, but dealing with hypoglycaemia helped my sleep in general.

Please do take care,
Justy x

thanks just for your reply. yes im taking zopiclone but ive been taking it for such a long time and never had any probs like this before. It really got worse after we came back from the uk in may. I think the long haulk trip did me in. ive read Hips thread and did get some turmeric but am reluctant to take it as I don't need diahorrea.

A low dose valium doesn't touch it as you say.and yes it does get worse the more ill I feel.i only take zopiclone as a med and an anti nausesa drug as I suffer from severe nausea too. am going through a bit of personal trauma eg moving house again and stuff so I don`t think that`s helping either.

it seems like we are going through the same stuff. I read one of your threads the other day. im from the UK - lake district and I wish I was there at the moment!!
I did wonder about low blood sugar but im menopausal too which doesn't help. Ive had all the glucose tests etc and they show nothing.

never heard of akathisia before but ill look it up.
its been a true nightmare the past few days....I don't think I can tolerate any antidepressants.And anyway they only mask symptoms.

I was back in the Uk for ayear and it worsened. never found a dr who was willing to help. Dr Myhill was too expensive.

Thanks for your help
thanks for your info Justy.

 

[flower]

Oh hun, i'm so sorry for what you are going through. It sounds ADRENAL / and or thyroid /hormonal to me.

Have you tested your adrenals? you need to do it via saliva. Having HIGH or LOW cortisol at night can cuase awful night disruptions/// been there, done that.

I have high cortisol at night and have suffered terrible insomnina. What helps me now is melotonin, Gaba , cortisol manager and magnesium.

Iv`e just been to see an endocrinologist 2 weeks ago and he said it could be thyroid. I am menopausal too. melatonin doesn`t agree with me. ive tried magnesium. im waiting to hear back from endo to see if he wants to do more tests but up to now all my thyroid tests come back normal but haven`t done a saliva test before. he did say I could have high cortisol levels as I am so unwell.

Not heard of cortisol manager. is it a supplement?
its all truly awful isn`t it. Its scary and I make it worse by panicking but doesn't everyone feel like that sometimes. that dying feeling when its bad aargh!!!!

 

[justy]

Hi Flower - yes i agree that feeling that ill is scary and can bring on anxiety. It's so hard suffering from an illness where it is hard for others - includinf doctors to see and believe you are ill. I believe that anxiety can be a problem caused by feeling worse in 2 ways
1. infalmmation
2. fear of symptoms - which is normal and only to be expected.

I taught myself to meditate using a book and tapes when my anxiety was at its worse - it was the only relief i would get in the day at all. At one point i did ahalf hour relaxation tape and half an hour meditation every day, just so that i could get through the day. One good side effect of this was the acceptnce it helped to bring.

another thing that has helped enormously has been private testing - not because it has made me better but because it SHOWS something is going on, which then explains my symptoms, which then means i can relax a bit more about them.

Recent;ly my anxiety came back for a few weeks - i had suspected labrynthitis and the dizziness etc made me feel extremely vulnerable. For me this feeling of vulnerability causes a lot of anxiety. Its hard for me to go out in the world alone as i feel genuinely too ill to cope if i became exhausted, dizzy etc etc.

My anxiety has mostly gone now - at least the crippling kind. But i rarely go out alone and dont drive far. Im afraid of being stranded, especially as i live in a very remote place with no houses for miles and no mobile signal.

I would suggest a saliva adrenal test, which you can order online - not sure where you are so perhaps others can advise? I also suggest asking for and keeping records of ALL your lab tests from endo etc. Perhaps you could post your thyroid labs with ranges here? I have found seeing regular consultants such as NHS rheumies, endos etc to be absolutely pointless. They only run a few standard tests and arent at all knowledagble about all the myriad things that can go worng with us.

Keep strong!
Justy x

 

[flower]

I am in new Zealand and yes we live remote so its scary. I cant drive far either. I have another problem with my appetite. I don't know if you have this too but ive gone completely off my food and have lost a lot of weight and am very thin. I have to keep telling my dr that I am not anorexic and that its ddue to my illness.

she tells me to see a dietician but whats the point when I cant get it down its a vicious circle. one day its a bit better then the next awful.i have the most crippling anxiety today. I woke upo this morning feeling like you do when you know its going to be abad day.

I too have seen the usual rheumis, allergists, nd recently an endo but they just think you are making it up. why cant they understand its a majopr illness worse than cancer. I sadi to my hubby this morning its like having a wasting disease.

Private testing costs a lot of money which we haven't got. I was a teacher but had to give that up which was hard in itself. today ithink is a valium day. im so bloomin tired I jut want to crawl away and hibernate. all I can say is thankgoodness for this website. ive tried to point my dr in this direction but I don't think she is interested.

Anyway trying to keep strong today with out falling complteley to pieces. Got the horrid brainfog going on which is bad enough. please excuse my awful spelling! I haven't got the enrgy to go through and correct it all!

Kia kaha

 

[Hip]

ive read Hips thread and did get some turmeric but am reluctant to take it as I don't need diahorrea.

It's N-acetyl-glucosamine (NAG) that you really want to try. This is the supplement that seems to work miracles for people with anxiety. I get feedback from many people saying that NAG worked very well for them. NAG takes effect rapidly (within 2 hours of taking it).

Turmeric will not give you diarrhea if you keep to a low dose of 1000 mg or less.

 

[flower]

Thanks for the info Hip

 

[maryb]

@A zombie
hi there only just noticed your post about cortisol manager - can you tell me what's in it?