No idea what to do...

[Judge Yourself]

I'm having a lot of problems with getting to sleep, staying sleeping and not waking up at ridiculous times. I wake up with my heart racing and feeling sick and dizzy like the worlds gonna end. I know its down to stress but I'm at a loss with what to do, cause I'm getting like no sleep at all lately and its making me even more depressed than I am normally

[Sarah Louise]

My physician's answer was prescription sleep pills (not necessarily the best idea long term).

Sarah L.

[beckster]

Sleeping problems can be really tough to crack.  If you are stressed/depressed already then its worth going to see your doctor and discussing those along with your sleeping problems as they are likely to be the cause, especially with what you have described.  Sleeping pills can help but the best treatment in my opinion is trying to treat/resolve the stress and depression.

I haven't slept well for about 3-4 years now, mainly due to stress/depression, anxiety and panic attacks.  There are things I have done to try and get a better nights sleep though so have a look at this link as it has some really useful tips ...

http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Booklets/How+to/How+to+cope+with+sleep+problems.htm

There is also some information about depression and anxiety ...

http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Booklets/Understanding/Understanding+depression.htm

http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Booklets/Understanding/Understanding+anxiety.htm

Hope it helps

Becky
xx

[Judge Yourself]

Thanks very much for the advice. It's definitely a stress thing - mostly related to the fact I won't be seeing my gender specialist till July 17th. Mu doc however, is refusing to give me sleeping pills as they are 'addictive' My perspective is that all of these pills are addictive in one way or another so if it helps keep me sane in the mean time then it would definitely be worth a try. I guess more than anything it's the waiting and waiting and waiting that's been getting me down and worrying my brain into waking me up. It's driving me absolutely insane. I was thinking of maybe trying some herbal remedies - the way I see it, somethings gotta work. I'm gonna try the things suggested and see how I get on.

thanks again for the advice

[Lucy]

I stronly suggest that a doctor would be a good idea, They may not give you sleeping pills and can discuss the alternatives. Beckster is a very bright girl and know what shes talking about, stress and depression can cause insomnia and it can be life thretning so please get help.

Love Lucy

[Judge Yourself]

I definitely need to get an appointment today, I slept from 6am till 12pm and even then a restless one. I actually dread going to sleep thesedays cause it seems like more stress than its worth

[beckster]

Heya Hon,

Your doctor is right that sleeping pills can be addictive, my doctor gave me a weeks worth and wouldn't do more than that.  Its a horrible feeling isn't it when your sleep is so messed up that you dread even getting in to bed, maybe if the doctor doesn't want to give you sleeping pills then a course of anti depressants would help.  It may not sound like an ideal solution but I know for me they have given me that bit of breathing space to help me get my head together and deal with what was getting me down and giving me the panic attacks.  Although I still have problems waking up in the night and waking up very early I am actually starting to get a half decent nights sleep.  Let us know what the doctor says !!

If you dont mind me asking Judge, where are you in the grand scheme of waiting to see your gender specialist, will this be your first appointment ?

Beckster is a very bright girl and know what shes talking about

Keep your voice down - I don't want everyone to know !! 

Becky
xx

[Judge Yourself]

It's just crazy I'm walking around in a total daze today lol My appointment in July will be my first one, yeah. So I'm stressing about that one, a lot. As well as that I have a college interview - mid June BEFORE my therapy appointment so I'm not sure what i'm going to do there either. I've tried anti-depressants and nothing seems to work much. I just feel hellish and depressed 80% of the time and I guess that has a lot to do with not sleeping.

[Robyn]

Ask your doctor if ONE antihistamine tablet - like Benadryl - might help you get into a deeper sleep at night. 

[beckster]

The thing to remember with anti depressants is that they dont always provide "a cure" for how you are feeling, they can take a while to help but the best cure for depression/stress/anxiety is you.  I am lucky to have 3 of the most amazingly supportive friends I have ever known, they have been there for me over the last two months and have done so much for me but in the end the only person who could help me was myself.  I know I am guilty of always making things sound easy but you need to try and stop worrying, focus on the reasons you are going to your appointment and college interview and what life is going to be like when you get the outcome you want.

It may not have been part of my 2 year RLT but the most difficult part of transitioning for me if it counts was waiting for that first appointment as I had no idea what was going to happen.  Everything went well and if I remember the dates properly I was full time 5 months later.  I understand completely how stressful waiting is, especially when you add the college interview in to the equation but you need to take things easy, look after yourself and focus on what you are doing.  Your appointment and interview are both going to be fine and when you get through both of them you are going to feel so much better.

Dont let the stress/depression control you - you need to control it !!

Becky
xx

[Lucy]

I know what you are saying about t anti-depressants but there are many types, you need to bere with them and try another, it took 6 weeks b4 mine were working properly. I wej.nt 10 days without any sleep. Im still like bec said waking up at silly times but atleast i am getting some sleep.

[Dennis]

Another thing that might help is exercise. It helps deal with the demons of depression, tires you out a bit, and you'll have a head start on working on the body you want. If you're already regularly exercising when you go on T, the results are spectacular - almost like cheating

Dennis

[Judge Yourself]

Thanks for all your advice guys, means a lot to know you're all willing to help. I definitely need to get in control with my own mind and as you say not let it control me. i'm gonna make an appointment with the doctor and tell her all my worries - she's pretty understanding and was the same one I went to with respect to my gender issues. I guess all this waiting is making me stress ridiculously and making me so unbelievably depressed. As for exercise I've just bought a cross trainer and bike for my flat so I think if I kick my ass onto that, it might help, it has done in the past. It's like a vicious circle really.

Again thanks for all your advice, its good to know i'm not the only one stuck in this rut

I think I'll feel better come July, but it's just getting to that point that's so hard.
Well I went to the docs today. I've been given an anxiety pill which side effect is drowsiness so we'll see how that goes. She is also trying to get onto the clinic about getting me a sooner appointment. I don't know just how effective her doing that will be, but she says sometimes theres cancellations and another referral by a doctor can help me access one *Fingers Crossed* Getting ready to take my tablet now and im hoping to be knocked for six, well the facti  had no sleep all night and slept all afternoon, prolly isn't looking too good for me..

[J.T.]

Fresh air... fresh air can do wonders.  Take a walk around the block, breathe in the fresh air.  Diet can also help.  Eat lots of fresh food, fruits and vegetables.

Lack of sleep is a killer, it makes everything ten times worse than if you have a full night of sleep.

Good luck, hope you're able to find an acceptable solution.

[Judge Yourself]

Well I freaked myself out of taking the mirtazopine or whatever it was.. so i'm now trying kalms and exercise. that and the fact i didnt sleep for longer than 2 hrs last night means its a possibility tonight

thanks dude, need to try and kick myself out the door i think - it would help so much if scotland werent the wettest place ever 

[J.T.]

that just means the air is that much fresher

hope something works

[MeghanAndrews]

Ambien can really help if you are able to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. I took that for a while and it really makes you sleep well. I'm not sure of any drugs that you can't take on Ambien. I used it for 2 weeks and it really helped me. Also, don't do anything in bed except sleep, no reading, watching tv, etc. If you get your body used to just sleeping in bed it seems to be trained to sleep when it gets in there.

[Judge Yourself]

Yeah, I'll give them a look - I'm not too up on medicines much - though I seemed to get a decent sleep on Kalms last night.. of sorts. A whole 6 hrs

Yeah I've got a bad habit of watching the tv to go to sleep and now its like i cant without noise - so i think youre right.. must-train-body-to-sleep!

I'm supposed to be up earlyish tomorrow, so perhaps getting less sleep will spur me onto a normal routine

Thanks for all your advice people, youre too good to me

[saraswatidevi]

I'm sorry I just noticed this thread. I would like to suggest l-tryptophane. It was taken off the market in the US some years ago because of severe health problems with a few people. It turns out that it wasn't the tryptophane itself; it was 2 bad batches that were processed with an illegal unproven method by one manufacturer. It is now available over the counter. I mention this because it helped me sleep for years with no bad side effects. 500 mg/night.

[freedomfromyself]

melatonin sorta worked for me 1-3 mg..you can find it in a health food store. it might not help if you aren't lacking melatonin but it's worth a try i guess...yea...i have issues getting to sleep...but i can't exactly say it's a stress thing as i've had this issue my entire life...usually takes at least 4 hrs to fall asleep...kinda annoying but doctors don't help