I have been diagnosed with dysthymia as well as various phobias and IBS. I also have very severe chronic insomnia that my psychiatrist says is part of my chronic depression. I tend to sleep 2-5 hours a night, if at all. When I do sleep, I have very vivid, disturbing nightmares. So far, I’ve tried the drugs Prozac and Celexa. Neither helped with the depression; Prozac worsened my IBS and made me lose weight, although it did help a little bit with the insomnia, and Celexa killed what little was left of my appetite, made me lose ten pounds (which is pretty bad for someone with an already low BMI), worsened my sleep disorder and made me feel like I had the flu (constant puking, dizzyness and achyness).

My shrink recommends that I try Zoloft next, but a big part of me wants to stay away from SSRIs because I reacted so badly to the ones I’ve taken (both of which were supposedly "mild SSRIs"). Lately, I’ve been looking for atypical antidepressants that are helpful for sleep disorders and have little risk of weight loss or digestive side effects. I came across Remeron in my search, and a friend of mine who has been on nearly every antidepressant on the market recommends Trazodone. I’ve researched them both, and both sound equally attractive to me. I like Remeron for its reduced risk of digestive side effects and weight loss and for its superb track record for curing sleep disorders. Still, the risk of weight gain holds me back a little. I could stand to gain 10 or 20 pounds, but the idea of putting on any more weight than that does not sound at all appealing to me, and gaining obscene amounts of weight is not unheard of with Remeron. I like Trazodone, again, for its good track record with sleep disorders and lowered risk of dependency. Still, I don’t like risk of diarrhea/constipation. Also, my friend who recommended the Trazodone told me that it’s usually prescribed with another antidepressant (he took it with Zoloft). I’m very medication sensitive, even before going on psych meds (even small doses of baby aspirin and antibiotics almost always give me stomach problems), so I’d like to avoid taking a cocktail of meds if I can.

Anyone have any experience with either of these drugs? If so, how did they effect you? Which one do you think would be better for my situation?

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i have recently switched to an anxiety med from an antidepressant med, about 2 weeks ago. Im not taking Valium a Benzodiazepine med. the side effects i have noticed are, mild insomnia, not good at memory on little things, loosing train of thought, increase in sex drive, increase in thoughts of suicide and wanting to cut again.

im seeing my doctor in lil over a week, besides these side effects, my anxiety is gone which is a relief with the absense of attacks, im happy, not depressed. The thoughts of suicide and wanting to cut dont effect my depression b/c these thoughts are soothing to me. Any advice on whether i should stay w/ this medication or switch?
i have attempted suicide in the past when the suicidal thoughts were over powering, afraid they could intensify to this level again.

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I’m a chronic insomniac and have been working with my DR. on the problem for the past 8 years. Any ideas on what can help. Here’s what hasn’t. Gave up caffine, bedroom used for sleeping only (no tv), regular exercise, routine bedtime rituals, not eating after a certain hour, hot bath 90 min before bed time. Making my bed the most comfortable place I know. Hypnosis (cured my smoking habit so I thought I’d try). Fan on in bedroom to drown out noises that could wake me up when I do fall asleep, aroma therapy, calming music, and reading books. OTC’s like including tylonol pm, and Nyquil. (works for a coupled days then doesn’t) RX such as Lunesta, Ambien and Rozerem (to mention a few) all with no results. The only thing that gives relief at all is Xanex, but it’s controlled and after 5 years on it, my tolerance is very high and it’s not working well anymore. Any suggestions? I need to get some sleep! Thanks
**oh, and I forgot to mention all the herbal products I tried. Please help.
I asked the dr about a sleep study, but she says it’s not sleep apnea, so it wouldn’t help. I asked for other benzos and she says I’ll have the same tolerance. I’m on both an antidepressant and an antihistamine, neither of which helped. Some great answers though. As for the pot, if it could be prescribed I absolutely would try, but at this time, it’d cost me my career. We have manditory testing at my job. Oh yeah, I’ve done the graveyard shift too. Same issue only worse. I know it seems I have an answer for almost anything, but keep trying please. 8 years is far too many and I’m fed up. Thanks so much!!

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