I graduated from college about a year and a half ago. Since then I have had horrible problems, I don’t know if its a combination of realizing the last twenty years of my life were a waste, getting my heart broken, or not planning for the future.

I guess since I had no set schedule and I worked in the summer late nights I had horrible problems sleeping. I would sleep every other night over the summer, go to bed at weird hours, and if I did sleep wake up feeling like I didn’t sleep.

As a result I had depression, gained weight, had hopeless thoughts, no energy, headaches, couldn’t concentrate, and was generally spaced out. I was also just wacky, I would do stuff I never would have thought I would in a million years. I would say weird stuff, do weird things, take stupid chances that in some instance almost got me killed. I don’t think I was completely sane during some times this year. I had bags under my eyes.

Could not sleeping cause all this?
I am sleeping normally now, and I feel AWSOME.
How did I do it? I hit rock bottom.

Technorati Tags: bags under my eyes, concentrate, depression, google, headaches, heart, million years, rock bottom, sleep, twenty years, weird hours, weird stuff, weird things, years of my life

I’m having a nightmare finding a set of meds that sucessfully treat my bipolar disorder, does anyone have any experience/advice on this? I suffer predominately with depression and rapid cycling.

Technorati Tags: bipolar, bipolar disorder, depression, google, having a nightmare, meds, rapid cycling

I’ve been treated for depression (unsuccessfully) for a long time, and I think I may actually have bipolar disorder.

Technorati Tags: bipolar, depression, google, long time

I’m in 11th grade and am experiencing extreme fatigue lately. I always get to bed around 10 or 11ish and am up around 7, so I get my full 8 or 9 hours sleep. However, in school, I can barely concentrate. I fell asleep in math class today and my eyes are always watery and I just wanna go to bed. I’m on prozac for depression right now, but i dont think it’s that cuz it’s getting better. How can I stop this? School is hell cuz I cant even work!

Technorati Tags: cuz, depression, extreme fatigue, google, math class, prozac, sleep

I had broken a leg and was given percocet. in the hospital i was taking it 24 hours a day due to the pain, but about six days later, i was sent home and given a prescprition. i only took it at night, about 20mg per night. its been about two weeks and i have a few days left of the percocet. since i just took it at night will coming off of it be a problem? i m SURE ill have insomnia i know that much. bc it aided my insomnia that i usually have. but what about other effects? i know i also get depressed from using pills.. how will the depression be..? will i be depressed for a few weeks?

Technorati Tags: depression, few days, google, Insomnia, percocet, pills, six days

I’ve heard that there are onlne support groups for people who have been diagnosed with a mental illness such as depression or bipolar disorder. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. I think an online group might help me relieve some of my feelings of isolation when I am alone. I know that an in-person type of group might be beneficial as well, but I’d like to start slowly.

Technorati Tags: bipolar, depression, feelings, google, isolation, mental illness, person type, support groups

In bipolar disorder,I just want to can have euphoria and then be depressed or do you first become depressed and then have euphoria?
Do you first have depression and then euphoria or first feel euphoric and then get depressed? (or the order doesn’t matter?)

Technorati Tags: bipolar, depression, euphoria, google

I was watching a program on tv discussing how much this disorder gets misdiagnosed and was curious about it. How hard is it for someone to tell the difference between "normal" depression and bipolar? Also, how can someone identify a person as being bipolar and not just going through the typical highs and lows of adult life? How often does this get confused with a mid-life crisis or typical teen/young adult problems?
bobblehead, it wasn’t a question about me, but i appreciate your concern. i was just wondering in general how hard it is to identify since the symptoms seem so vague.

Technorati Tags: adult life, adult problems, bipolar, depression, google, highs and lows, mid life crisis, young adult

I have been diagnosed with bipolar type I, which I understand has hallucinations and is more extreme than bipolar type II. I know the symptoms that every website lists for bipolar- increased energy, decreased need for sleep, etc…for mania and decreased energy, feelings of hopelessness or guilt, etc…for depression. What I’m looking for is individual experiences with this disorder. For example, I get really involved in things like painting, then feng shui, then collecting several different things, then geneology, then physics, etc… when I’m manic. I switch from one thing into a completely different thing and completely lose interest in the thing before. Does that make sense? I know that each person’s experiences will vary, but I would like to hear about behaviors besides those listed in the typical diagnostic criterea.
These answers are great. I have to laugh because I can relate to so many of you!

Technorati Tags: bipolar, depression, different things, experiences, feelings of hopelessness, feng shui, google, guilt, hallucinations, increased energy, painting, physics, sleep, sleep etc

It feels like I spend most of nights in REM sleep. I have intense dreams every night and it exhausts me. I also suffer from depression and research says that too much REM sleep is connected to depression.

What can I do to spend less time in REM?

Technorati Tags: depression, dreams, google, rem sleep, sleep

I’m on anti-depressents, but recently I heard of bipolar disorder, and that sounds much more like what I have than depression! How can I tell whether i have it or not? What are the causes and symptoms? I just want to find out the facts so I can be sure of what I am really suffering from.

Technorati Tags: anti depressents, bipolar, depression, google

As much as I hate so say it, my girlfriend shows symptoms of bipolar disorder, or depression; I really can’t tell the two apart. Her mother has diagnosed bipolar disorder, and so does her grandmother. I was wondering if that kind of thing can be passed down genetically.

Technorati Tags: bipolar, depression, girlfriend, google, grandmother, symptoms of bipolar disorder

I am taking venlafaxine for depression and anxiety, and I’ve mixed it with sleeping medication several times in the past month without consulting a doctor or pharmacist. I know that is risky, so I threw out all my sleeping pills and resolved not to buy any more. But now, I just don’t sleep, period. In the past three nights, I only slept for one of them, and that was from 3am to 12 noon.

Any suggestions? Thanks for reading.

Technorati Tags: 3am, anxiety, depression, google, medication, pharmacist, several times, sleep, sleeping medication, sleeping pills, venlafaxine

On Friday in health we were talking about suicide and depression and my teacher said some people take pills to kill themselves. I take 3 mg of melatonin to help me sleep at night and it says take 1 but sometimes I take 2. How many would it take to kill someone? I’m really nervous I don’t want to overdose or something-Will 2 kill me one night or something??? I’m realy scared now
What would happen if someone took too many? Would they pass out and would have to be saved or do they die immediately?

Technorati Tags: depression, google, health, melatonin, pills, sleep, suicide

My son is one month old and he’s an excellent sleeper
for almost 3 weeks now he’s been sleeping for 4-5 hours at a time
and he’s always known his days from nights

so basically no reason for me to have sleepless nights, right?

yet
since his birth I have yet to have gotten sleep for more than 2 hours at a time
either I can’t fall asleep
or I do fall asleep but then its a light sleep without REM cycle
or I do fall asleep with a REM cycle and I wake up screaming from nightmares
and regardless of the type of sleep, the length is always the same:
never more than 2 hours at a time

I was starting to have, as my OB/GYN put it "sleep deprivation induced postpartum depression"
I started not wanting to hold my son, crying for no reason, just feeling overwhelmed and hopeless, things of that nature…

So my OB/GYN gave me a prescription for Lunesta
-she said to take one (3MG) tablet before bed two nights in a row to get some catch-up sleep, and to have my husband watch the baby at night for those two nights
Then after those two nights, take Lunesta one night a week when my husband has a day off so that he can watch the baby and I can rest for that one night a week

Now my first two nights of catch-up sleep are done, and I feel so much better
(and so grateful to have my husband be so supportive and willing to help)

My OB/GYN did tell me that I couldn’t breastfeed while taking the Lunesta, that I’d have to pump and discard to keep my milk supply up
However
my OB/GYN had an emergency c-section with another patient and had to run out before she could tell me how long to wait after taking the Lunesta before I could start giving my son breastmilk again

I tried calling her office, however there was a huge snow storm last night and their office was closed due to the weather and I didn’t want to bother the on-call nurse unless I absolutely had to

so does anyone know how long I have to wait for Lunesta to leave my system so it will be safe for me to breastfeed my son again?
or where I could find out this information?
any help greatly appreciated- thank you
to Dyot-
I took Ambien during my labor and had a bad experience with it
Ambien caused a partial memory loss…I have no memory of my son’s birth thanks to Ambien
once again- thank you for your responses
but I’m NOT asking for a safer sleep aid

I’ve already taken the Lunesta which my OB/GYN prescribed me, I just want to know:
how long do I have to wait before its safe to breastfeed again? (since I already took the Lunesta- please)

Technorati Tags: 3mg, breastfeed, depression, emergency c section, google, lunesta, milk supply, nightmares, rem cycle, sleep, sleepless nights, snow storm, weather