Suicide Warning

I used to not be able to sleep, try to do as many pushups and jumping jacks or whatever until you can't anymore. Usually knocks me out.

YES

Hi OP! You obviously have every right to decide which meds you do and do not want to take, so I'm certainly not trying to tell you what to do. But I thought I'd offer this tidbit in case it changes your opinion at all about the suicide warning aspect of this:

The main reason anti-depressants have a warning label (and are related to an increased risk of suicide for some people) is that some people who are severely depressed have not yet killed themselves only because they just cannot work up the energy. When they start taking anti-depressants they start to feel a little better and have more energy - just enough to come up with and follow through with a suicide plan. So this probably would not be an issue in your case. (I'm not a drug expert or anything, but I'm a clinical psych graduate student so I've had a little exposure to discussion about this issue.) It IS surprising that your doc didn't talk to you about what he/she was prescribing and why, and what the potential risks are.

Good luck with your sleep! Not sleeping is the worst. Hope you are able to get some rest - by whichever means works best for you.

This is FAR from the truth in my case. A good theory I suppose but no. I was NOT depressed and I was prescribed Cymbalta, an anti-depressant, which also works for pain. 3 months later, I began to have agressive thoughts and thoughts of suicide. The withdrawals from coming off of this caused these and other side effects to amplify resulting in an entire month of my life being put on hold.

I haven't read through the replies so I don't know if this has been suggested yet but back when I used to have a lot of trouble with insomnia I took a Valerian root supplement before bed. It worked WONDERS and was all natural.

OP- I use Melatonin to fall asleep at night, it works wonders for me. You may want to check it out.

Otherwise I've heard prescribing antidepressants for sleep aid quite a bit.

mostly EVERY medicine is like that... you end up with something so much worse than what you originally needed it for.. good thing you read it first, doctors are stupid sometimes...

^this

except that doctors aren't stupid, they are very smart, but mostly for their own good. they get well paid from pushing certain pills and that's probably why you got those pills in the first time. hope you solve your sleeping problems soon.

Hi, many drugs have multiple uses.

For example I am currently taking amitriptylene for chronic migraines/headache. It is a very low dose for me. This drug is used for anxiety at higher doses, general pain management, sleeping disorder ectect.
One of the side effects said you may suffer suicidal thoughts!! There were also some other worrying side effects, such as drowsyness, but they are all manageable. And if you really dont get on with one type, there are numerous other ones you can try.

I take the dose in the evening and I have slept like a baby ever since, and I havnt had a headache for weeks (considering I had them daily).

Its up to you whether you take them or not. Have you tried other more natural remedies like camomile tea or like someone else suggested, just completly knackering yourself out??

Not that I'm aware of.

I've been having trouble sleeping lately and called inquiring about whether the dosage for my thyroid could be off, causing me to wake after a few hours of sleep. I spoke with the nurse, who in turn spoke with the doctor, and she thought a sleep aid might help. So I figured I'd try it or at least have it for weeks where I just can't sleep. I'm definitely not taking it now.

Are you on Synthroid or natural Armour thyroxine? You should visit the thyroid forum---there are some VERY knowledgeable ladies there who can give you guidance. A much more natural sleep aid is melatonin (it is a hormone that your body produces under the influence of low light and it prepares one for sleep). My husband takes it and sleeps like a baby now--in spite of chronic sciatic pain. But I'm not sure that hypothyroid folk can/should take it. Ask over on the thyroid forum---there's bound to be someone there who knows about it. Another thought is to lower the lights an hour before bedtime (and you should stay off the computer and television as well). The bright light into the eye, stimulates the pineal gland and diminishes your own natural supply of melatonin.

The reason why your doc prescribed an antidepressant is likely because, waking after a few hours of sleep and being unable to get back to sleep is a "symptom of depression". He's (and even female docs often believe this) been trained in medical school that most women are depressed most of the time. If what you have been prescribed is an SSRI, you should know that there are actual structural changes that occur in the brain after a few weeks (that is why it takes up to six weeks for them to begin "working"). I wouldn't touch them with a ten-foot pole. In the counseling I have done with people who are on them (both before and after they went on them), I have discovered that it affects thought processes. No one really talks about this "side-effect" but I'm convinced that it does something to disturb normal thinking. It isn't well-known (and it is hushed up in the corporate media) but most of the homicidal shooters have a long history of being on psychoactive drugs of some sort--but particularly SSRIs. The drug companies have known for a long time that about 5% of the people who are on them "long-term", will have a "psychotic break" at some point. Not everyone becomes homicidal when they have a psychotic break---I knew one lady who ended up in E.R. claiming she was the reincarnated Queen of Sheba.

google melatonin, it is used as a sleep aid and is natural, maybe it is an alternative for you.

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/tc/melatonin-overview

if a doctor doesnt mention melatonin first hes an idiot

Or he does not make any money from mentioning melatonin

That was my doc's first prescribed drug. Yes, ***prescribed*** from the BACH military hospital pharmacy. Blanket statements people have made in this thread claiming most docs only prescribe drugs to get a kick back is based in ignorance. To get into the pharmacy formulary, in a military hospital, the drug had to be vetted by a large number of doctors and other health care personnel. After everyone looked at the cost/benefit ratio, taking patient outcomes into consideration, the drug made the cut. It didn't turn out to be what I needed, ramping all the way up to 21 mg per night over several months did nothing except move my initial bedtime up 45 minutes to an hour. No effect at all on the frequent waking problem. The salient point is that is was available and was tried first.

Not that I'm aware of.

I've been having trouble sleeping lately and called inquiring about whether the dosage for my thyroid could be off, causing me to wake after a few hours of sleep. I spoke with the nurse, who in turn spoke with the doctor, and she thought a sleep aid might help. So I figured I'd try it or at least have it for weeks where I just can't sleep. I'm definitely not taking it now.

Are you on Synthroid or natural Armour thyroxine? You should visit the thyroid forum---there are some VERY knowledgeable ladies there who can give you guidance. A much more natural sleep aid is melatonin (it is a hormone that your body produces under the influence of low light and it prepares one for sleep). My husband takes it and sleeps like a baby now--in spite of chronic sciatic pain. But I'm not sure that hypothyroid folk can/should take it. Ask over on the thyroid forum---there's bound to be someone there who knows about it. Another thought is to lower the lights an hour before bedtime (and you should stay off the computer and television as well). The bright light into the eye, stimulates the pineal gland and diminishes your own natural supply of melatonin.

The reason why your doc prescribed an antidepressant is likely because, waking after a few hours of sleep and being unable to get back to sleep is a "symptom of depression". He's (and even female docs often believe this) been trained in medical school that most women are depressed most of the time. If what you have been prescribed is an SSRI, you should know that there are actual structural changes that occur in the brain after a few weeks (that is why it takes up to six weeks for them to begin "working"). I wouldn't touch them with a ten-foot pole. In the counseling I have done with people who are on them (both before and after they went on them), I have discovered that it affects thought processes. No one really talks about this "side-effect" but I'm convinced that it does something to disturb normal thinking. It isn't well-known (and it is hushed up in the corporate media) but most of the homicidal shooters have a long history of being on psychoactive drugs of some sort--but particularly SSRIs. The drug companies have known for a long time that about 5% of the people who are on them "long-term", will have a "psychotic break" at some point. Not everyone becomes homicidal when they have a psychotic break---I knew one lady who ended up in E.R. claiming she was the reincarnated Queen of Sheba.

What makes you think it's that the antidepressants caused their break? It seems more likely that they had an underlying mental illness that caused them to need antidepressants and to eventually have a psychotic break. Maybe I'm missing something?

Sounds totally reasonable to me - low doses of Diazepam are used to treat anxiety and panic attacks. Higher doses are prescribed for sleep.

Maybe you do need them if you're that paranoid about your doctor getting kick backs from a drug company??

Hi - I didn't read all the other comments, so I apologize if I am repeating something already said.

For mild sleep issues, this works GREAT. It was recommended by my naturopath and, while I don't have trouble sleeping, I don't feel like it's restful sleep (fibromyalgia) and have noticed a difference with this product.

http://www.amazon.com/Sundown-Naturals-Melatonin-Nightime-Capsules/dp/B004X8JMT0

Hope that helps!

But I'm not sure that hypothyroid folk can/should take it.

The reason why your doc prescribed an antidepressant is likely because, waking after a few hours of sleep and being unable to get back to sleep is a "symptom of depression".

He's (and even female docs often believe this) been trained in medical school that most women are depressed most of the time.

Are you freakin kidding me?

Seriously?

You should be banned for posting this bunk.

I take melatonin and valerian root every night...they work for me, no side effects
:happy:

Not that I'm aware of.

I've been having trouble sleeping lately and called inquiring about whether the dosage for my thyroid could be off, causing me to wake after a few hours of sleep. I spoke with the nurse, who in turn spoke with the doctor, and she thought a sleep aid might help. So I figured I'd try it or at least have it for weeks where I just can't sleep. I'm definitely not taking it now.

Are you on Synthroid or natural Armour thyroxine? You should visit the thyroid forum---there are some VERY knowledgeable ladies there who can give you guidance. A much more natural sleep aid is melatonin (it is a hormone that your body produces under the influence of low light and it prepares one for sleep). My husband takes it and sleeps like a baby now--in spite of chronic sciatic pain. But I'm not sure that hypothyroid folk can/should take it. Ask over on the thyroid forum---there's bound to be someone there who knows about it. Another thought is to lower the lights an hour before bedtime (and you should stay off the computer and television as well). The bright light into the eye, stimulates the pineal gland and diminishes your own natural supply of melatonin.

The reason why your doc prescribed an antidepressant is likely because, waking after a few hours of sleep and being unable to get back to sleep is a "symptom of depression". He's (and even female docs often believe this) been trained in medical school that most women are depressed most of the time. If what you have been prescribed is an SSRI, you should know that there are actual structural changes that occur in the brain after a few weeks (that is why it takes up to six weeks for them to begin "working"). I wouldn't touch them with a ten-foot pole. In the counseling I have done with people who are on them (both before and after they went on them), I have discovered that it affects thought processes. No one really talks about this "side-effect" but I'm convinced that it does something to disturb normal thinking. It isn't well-known (and it is hushed up in the corporate media) but most of the homicidal shooters have a long history of being on psychoactive drugs of some sort--but particularly SSRIs. The drug companies have known for a long time that about 5% of the people who are on them "long-term", will have a "psychotic break" at some point. Not everyone becomes homicidal when they have a psychotic break---I knew one lady who ended up in E.R. claiming she was the reincarnated Queen of Sheba.

What makes you think it's that the antidepressants caused their break? It seems more likely that they had an underlying mental illness that caused them to need antidepressants and to eventually have a psychotic break. Maybe I'm missing something?

There is no proof that the antidepressants "caused" their break, but in clinical trials, the drug companies themselves uncovered the link to psychotic breaks. It stands to reason that anything powerful enough to cause structural changes in the brain are strong enough to disturb normal cognition. Pretty much all of the homicidal mass shootings have occurred since the invention and widespread use of SSRIs in 1987. There are MANY now in the psychiatric profession who are growing very uncomfortable with the level of psychiatric drugs that are part of their profession. "Talk therapy" is a thing of the past. I'll post some links later to some websites where psychiatrists themselves are speaking out.

I think your doctor should be communicating with you more clearly.