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beneficii
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15 Feb 2016, 12:57 pm

I am considering if I have a sleep disorder separate from my psychiatric diagnoses and my medication. Because of its major hypnotic effects and because I haven't been able to see a psychiatrist lately (and because my previous psychiatrist had been in the middle of cutting my dose before I moved, anyway), I've been cutting down on my Seroquel, switching from extended release to the instant release, so I don't keep getting hit with the medicine during the day when I take it at night. Nevertheless, though I don't sleep as much at night, I still notice I need multiple naps during the day, though only for about 20 minutes each, after which I feel refreshed; whereas, on the Seroquel XR, my naps would be an hour or two long each.

This has also caused me to reconsider an event back in 2012. After having gone full-time as a trans woman in January, in October, as I realized sex reassignment surgery, were it in my future, was very far away, I began to panic and to also rage about my situation, leading to a suicide attempt and a massive decompensation in my mental health that has yet to fully resolve and has landed me on disability pension. Nevertheless, I remember the period before that in which I frequently felt exhausted, starting around August. I had been doing bimonthly electrolysis (facial hair removal) since the previous November where I had to travel a good distance each time. At the end of the last time, I felt exhausted, tired. I started being late for work and taking long lunches and breaks, lowering my total pay (as I was an hourly worker). My money had largely been spent from the electrolysis, and I wasn't gaining much more because of not working as much. I was thinking about sex reassignment surgery and trying to figure out how I could accomplish it. I could not see any way, because I often struggled to overcome my fatigue--it had become an almost daily battle to stay awake--and wasn't even working full-time anymore. I felt trapped in my situation, leading to the panic and rage I had in October. Until October, I was not on any psychotropic medications.

It seems that both my doctors and I just assumed it was depression, and we did not explore it very much. I was initially diagnosed as having bipolar disorder, but that diagnosis has since been dropped. Also, in order for it to be depression, at least one of the following must be present (aside from the other symptoms, which must also be present):

1. Persistent low mood for most of the day, nearly everyday, for at least 2 weeks.

2. Anhedonia (reduced or absent capacity for pleasure) for most of the day, nearly everyday, for at least 2 weeks.

During that period from August to October, when I had the fatigue, I still had the ability to experience pleasure, and I wasn't always in a low mood. I was just tired and sleepy. Since then, I had difficulty working 40 hours a week, and frequently took intermittent medical leave. Fatigue was a common factor.

I do see a psychologist on Wednesday and a psychiatrist on Friday, so I plan to bring these issues up with them.

Does anyone else have any similar experiences?


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Ashariel
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15 Feb 2016, 2:15 pm

I've been diagnosed with Bipolar 2, but for me, it often feels more like 'high energy' vs. 'low energy' phases. So yes, I'll often have 2 weeks of feeling hyperactive, and then 2 weeks of feeling tired and sluggish - but not actually sad.

I hope your upcoming appointments will be helpful in figuring this out!



beneficii
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21 Feb 2016, 9:15 am

I went to the appointment, and the psychiatrist noted that I had issues with my sleep that would need a sleep study to accurately diagnose. I've been keeping a sleep diary. When I am not taking any medication I notice weird things with my sleep. Like just now, I fell asleep easy enough, and had this weird sequence of dreams, and then I gradually transitioned to wakefulness. I got up, and found that I had only slept for about 30 minutes. For years, it seems without meditation, I have weird problems with my sleep. A couple years ago, I had even come to tolerate a high dose of Klonopin.


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"You have a responsibility to consider all sides of a problem and a responsibility to make a judgment and a responsibility to care for all involved." --Ian Danskin


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