Pregabalin and ME- from Black Hole to Super Nova or a small cool faint RED Dwarf?

[hanshan]

Hi David,

Good to hear that the pregabalin is having some effect on the anxiety. I hope the increase in dose helps. The maximum is 600 mg per day in Australia.

Sorry to hear about the insomnia. You may want to consider switching your AD (although I know you have had trouble with that in the past). I am taking mirtazapine 45 mg per day. Like all ADs, it gets mixed reports, but many people say that it helps them to sleep.

Hang in there.

Hanshan

[JT69]

Hi Ando

I take 50mg in the morning and 50mg at night along with 7.5mg of mirtazipine....pregabalin really turned my life around but with anxiety...hope it helps you.

Jo.x

[Ando1967]

Day 6 Sunday 19-08-2012

Little sleep last night – still awake at 3 am
Slept/ lay in bed most of the day – sooo tired
I seem to manage being out of bed (usually tired and depressed) about 4 to 8 hours a day – this is questionable in terms of quality of life
Anxiety levels are much reduced (averaging 1/5) so I have that to be thankful for!!!!!

7am Pregabalin 150mg
Will take 8pm Pregabalin 150mg

---------- Post added at 18:55 ---------- Previous post was at 18:46 ----------

Thanks Hansan and Jo
I had a trial on Mirtazapine but my liver enzymes went up (seems that this is a potential problem with this drug and there are some well documented reports concerning it's adminitstration and ALT (liver enzyme alanine amino transferase) elevations - and I also became manic and had pyschotic episodes - it was prescribed with the view to helping with my insomnia (central histamine receptor effect) but unfortunately "we" didn't get along well... My hope is that if my anxiety levels drop (and they seem to be) my insomnia will improve .... i think if i could sleep (i have never slept since i was a little boy) my life would be very different buit anyway there are lots of things that i want to change - I just need to keep plugging away... Jo - i am really happy for you i.e. in that the pregabalin seems to have made so much difference- i don't think it's easy to convey to people how horrendous it is to live with constant anxiety - low grade or fuill blown panic- it rips your soul to pieces - I hope things continue to go well for you
LOL
DD

[hanshan]

Hi David,

Have you tried morning light therapy (sunlight is free, but I think there are commercial light boxes available) to get your circadian rhythms back in sync? I think it has to be a fairly bright light source, not just an ordinary room light.

Hanshan

[Ando1967]

No Hanshan I haven't had experience with light therapy but will look into it- I was intersted in melatonin but you can't buy it in the UK (cf OZ) - you need a script and my GP/pyschiatrist will not give me one (for reasons i don't understand given that it is such a benign treatment)
p.s. it is available for over 55s in the UK as a prescription so its use for me would be "off label"

Thanks for the suggestion
David

[hanshan]

Hi David,

I'm not an expert in this, but I think the theory goes like this: In the normal cycle, melatonin is produced at night and ceases during the day. Some people's cycles get disrupted and they produce melatonin during the day, making them sleepy, but not enough at night, giving them insomnia.

Viewing bright light during the morning is meant to stop the production of melatonin during the day and and increase wakefulness.

The complement to this is to avoid bright lighting at night to allow melatonin production. It is the blue light contained in white light that prevents melatonin production. For this reason, some people recommend wearing "blue-blocker" yellow tinted glasses at night. There is also a free software program called f.lux which automatically adjusts computer screens to reduce blue light at night.

Hope this helps.

Hanshan

[Ando1967]

really interesting Hanshan - i will look into these suggestions.
thanks David

---------- Post added at 00:19 ---------- Previous post was at 00:14 ----------


Day 7 Monday 20-08-2012

I slept a little bit more last night- asleep about 2 am
Anxiety levels being well controlled during day, which is great, but generally mood very low and I am still struggling with tiredness

7am Pregabalin 150mg
8pm Pregabalin 150mg


Day 8 Tuesday 21-08-2012

Very bad morning - mood low – in bed till 1pm - I can feel the turmoil and anxiety below the surface – almost palpable but the pregabalin seems to be keeping a lid on things . Went to work for 2 hours then home to bed for an hour – amazing how many hours you can be asleep in a day

7am Pregabalin 150mg
8pm Pregabalin 150mg

[hanshan]

Hi David,

I have to say, while I have long been an advocate of getting out into the sunshine as early as possible, for various reasons, I can't vouch for the efficacy of light boxes or yellow tinted glasses. However, I have switched my computer over to the tangerine glow of f.lux at night.

Merck is also in the final stages of trialling a new sleeping pill, Suvorexant, which may provide some relief for insomnia.

[Ando1967]

Thanks again Hanshan


Day 8 Tuesday 21-08-2012

Got more sleep last night but things not getting better during the day
It seems I can sleep pretty much most of the day- I am weighed down by a gloomy grey duvet of dread and lifelessness – it seems to start to lift about 3 pm and then by 5-6 things are getting better. I have this every day but thanks to the Progabalin it is without the anxiety which to be honest was pushing me over the edge. I just feel that my whole biological clock is completely out of whack. I need my 3pm to be happening at 8 am!
Anyway I hjave ordered melatonin from OZ and I will trial the tangerine glow of f.lux J

7am Progabalin 150mg
8pm Progabalin 150mg

[hanshan]

Hi David,

I had a friend who used to work through the night, went to bed around daybreak, and got up around 5pm every day, and other friends in live theatre who went to bed well after midnight, and never got out of bed before 10am. I'm not sure what I'm trying to say, but they weren't unhappy because those hours suited their lifestyle. Anyway, I welcome your response.