I hope you all are having a wonderful day!
Today I want to share a story about what was going on with me last Fall.
I've taken Trazodone to sleep for many years and it has always knocked me right out. One night however, I woke up around 3 am and couldn't fall back asleep. I was exhausted the next day. Little did I know, this would be the start of major insomnia. I had never experienced insomnia before this.
The following evening, I did not sleep at all. I watched as every hour went by. My mind would not shut off. I was so frustrated because I couldn't fall asleep. I had to call off work because I could barely function. These night’s events continued for weeks.
After a few days of getting no sleep, I was desperate. I called my psychiatrist and asked to try a different sleeping medicine. She quickly prescribed something. I was hopeful it was going to work. However, it didn't do anything. I felt drowsy but still could not sleep. We tried several other medications, all to no avail.
I finally decided to go to the emergency room. My mom drove me to a hospital in the city. Everyone was so worried about me. In the ER, they asked about my history and medications. They did bloodwork. I had a consultation with the psychiatrist on call. He wondered if perhaps one of my medications was causing the insomnia. He told me to stop taking certain meds and to see if that helped. I was sent home. I felt discouraged and not taken seriously.
After a few more days, and a call to my PCP, I went to a psychiatric hospital. After discussing my issues, it was determined they couldn't help me. They transferred me to another hospital. Thankfully, I was admitted this time. I was given a large dose of Valium. I was to ring the nurse if I had not fallen asleep within the hour. I was still awake. They gave me more valium. This still did not work. They could not give me anything else that night so I was stuck awake again. The following day, doctors would periodically check on me, but I was mostly left to myself. I was kept for another night. I forget what they tried to give me that night, but I was able to get a few hours of sleep in. Finally. I was discharged with a prescription for Ativan.
At home, I was optimistic I would sleep. Unfortunately, it was more of the same. I was so sick by this point. Per conversations with my psychiatrist, it was decided I needed to go inpatient to safely get off all of my meds and start over.
I was scared to voluntarily admit myself into a psychiatric facility, but I knew I needed help.
My next post will describe my experience as a psych patient.
Stay well,
Megan
