63 replies to this topic

[munky]

During the MLST I didn't sleep at all. My first nap was an hour and fifteen minutes after I woke up. Then the second one was an hour after that one ended. Then after the second nap the sleep tech told me I only needed to stay for two more naps. Which really stressed me out! I mean if they ruled out narcolepsy already, what could it be?

 

That sounds odd to me. I thought the naps were supposed to be 2 hours apart, starting 2 hours after you woke up from the PSG. At least, that's what everything I've read told me, and how mine went.

 

I also didn't think I'd slept for most of the naps--I never felt like I was falling asleep, like I was sleeping, or like I was waking up, just like the sleep attacks that took me to the doctor in the first place--so when the tech came in and woke me up and asked if I'd slept, my answer for 3 of them was, "Has it been 20 minutes? Well ... I didn't think I slept, but I guess I must have, 'cause it only feels like a couple minutes, and if I'd lain here awake for 20 minutes, I'd be bored to tears and it'd feel like hours." (The other two were, "I guess I must have, 'cause I remember dreaming.") And, as it turned out, I slept for all 5 naps.

[dormir]

MIN:

 

The benzos are what my PCP and my own concerns are, too.  

 

The SSRIs and sedatives I have tried have made my sleep moderately to significantly worse.  I liked what Prozac did for me for alertness (though I still fell asleep/napped a lot), but my dreams were horrid.  It was non stop nightmares.  The content of the dreams were so violent (violence occurring around me) and crazy.  Trazodone made my SP and HH a lot worse.  Wellbutrin and Lexapro had moderate sleep interruptions, but nothing like Prozac.  

 

I don't think my doctor buys any of my tingling/numbness/knees shifting/collapse as cataplexy.  

 

 

BC:

 

The sleep technicians can't really rule out anything for you, but they do score the PSG and MSLT.  Hopefully you will have a good doctor.  

[MINItron]

MIN:

 

The benzos are what my PCP and my own concerns are, too.  

 

The SSRIs and sedatives I have tried have made my sleep moderately to significantly worse.  I liked what Prozac did for me for alertness (though I still fell asleep/napped a lot), but my dreams were horrid.  It was non stop nightmares.  The content of the dreams were so violent (violence occurring around me) and crazy.  Trazodone made my SP and HH a lot worse.  Wellbutrin and Lexapro had moderate sleep interruptions, but nothing like Prozac.  

 

I don't think my doctor buys any of my tingling/numbness/knees shifting/collapse as cataplexy.  

 

 

 

SSRIs and SSNRIs can be like that for many people. I know that Wellbutrin made my dreams crazy when I took it to quit smoking many moons ago. Has your doc talked about a TCA, Tricylics don't seem to have the same occurrence of dream disturbance that the newer antidepressants have. In fact, Protriptyline seems to have the opposite effect for me. Which is why my doc prescribed it in the first place. 

[lkl]

I can't afford another sleep study.  I can't afford a second opinion.  I don't know what to do about all of this.  I plan on trying the clonazepam to try to suppress the dreaming, but my PCP and I talked about benzos and anxiety a long time ago and we both agreed benzos are not a good long term solution.  I guess I'm glad the pulmonologist didn't completely swear me off to psychiatry, but I can't afford to keep going back to him for follow ups.  There is no one cheaper that I can see either.  I am considering calling a university here that has a highly regarding sleep clinic to see if they would be willing to work with me and my no insurance problems.
 

 

I remember in an earlier post, you talked about getting a referral to a neurologist, and that your PCP would give you a referral, if the pulmonologist didn't. Is that still an option for you?