My psychiatrist gave me Zyprexa for a sleep disorder. Does she know what she!


Question: My psychiatrist gave me Zyprexa for a sleep disorder. Does she know what she's doing?
My disorder consists of being unable to sleep until 6-7 am, pretty much no matter how tired I am. I also spoke to her about my worries about the ultimate outcome of life, and my fear of ceasing to exist. Because of what I told her, my psychiatrist told me that my sleeplessness is caused by a surfacing psychosis, and that a neuroleptic would do me good. She put me on 2,5 mg Zyprexa to begin with, which will be increased to 5 mg later.

I have never had a hallucination in my life. My thoughts are organized, I am a successful college student, and I have a very high IQ (140+, tested multiple times). Even with my insomnia, I am fully funtional and no one ever even indicated that I could be losing my mind (and I certainly don't feel that way). Do I still qualify for a psychosis? And even if I do, isn't Zyprexa a bit too much? I've read about it and it causes permanent brain damage, tardive dyskinesia, mental sluggishness and drowsiness. It really sounds like a last resort. Should I trust my psychiatrist's judgment?

Answers:

Do you have a mental disorder? If not, you'd be better off seeing a sleep specialist. They would be able to help you better not by just giving you medication but looking at sleep habits. Also, they might have you do a sleep study.

I take Zyprexa for insomnia. Only after I had tried everything else. It's the only thing that helps me get to sleep and stay asleep. I take 2.5 mg. I wish I didn't have to take it but right now it saved me from terrible insomnia (that got so bad I was halluscinating). And after awhile the sedation went away. Things are definitely worse when I don't take it.

It sounds like you don't like her diagnosis, so if I was you I would go get a second opinion. You should definitely see a sleep specialist. And I look at Zyprexa as a last resort because if Ambien can help you, it's better to take Ambien. What really helped me were the benzodiazepines, xanax is nice because it has a very short half-life. Maybe you even have delayed sleep phase syndrome. Maybe melatonin and changing your sleep habits would help. Good luck.

*Add* I also have very severe anxiety, the Zyprexa has helped with that.



I would not take antipsychotic for a sleep disorder. Please go and get a second opinion. I do, however, take an antipsychotic but that's for schizophrenia and I wouldn't take it if I had the option.



No! Realise that although your conscious mind knows that death lies in the far distant future, the part of your brain which is conscious is like an iceberg, with the vast bulk of the subconscious mind supporting it.

Unfortunately, to the subconscious mind, everything is in the present tense - "NOW", so whenever you think about your ultimate demise, it considers it as an immediate threat to your continued existence, and may well deal with it in its usual manner, by activating the very ancient "fight or flight" response. It also is unable to deal with negatives well, if at all, so it's far better to learn to use positives when dealing with it. There are basically 2 approaches. One is to not think about death. But it's unhelpful to say to yourself: "don't think about death", because it doesn't understand the "don't" concept, so say: "let's think about something else, like what to do next", etc. You can employ the following: It's important to regularly monitor, and deal with a negative internal monologue (self talk), or mental process, such as disturbing thoughts, images, impulses, or emotions, by the process of (a): recognising it, and (b): challenging it immediately. Technique For Re-Programming Negative Thoughts: When you notice something negative, such as: or: "What's going to become of me?" or: "When will it all end?" or even an image, emotion, or a memory; recognise that it is being generated from the negative part of your mind. After identifying and labelling it, visualise a large, red, flashing, "STOP!" sign, and/or possibly a stern faced person wagging an index finger at you in a negative manner, then say to yourself as forcefully as you can, even aloud in a big voice, if alone: "I know this tactic: GO AWAY FOR A WHILE !!!"

You may want to use either: "ruse", "ploy", "game", or "trick". In the case of an image, visualise a large "STOP" sign, or your preferred version. Some people go so far as to keep a wide rubber band in their pocket, then put it around their wrist, when they catch themselves backsliding, stretch and release it, as a method of reprogramming their mind sooner, but I don't regard it as being strictly necessary. Remember to remove it, afterwards, if you use this method. Try replacing a negative thought with a positive affirmation of your choice, like: "I'm here now, so I may as well enjoy myself or do something interesting, enjoyable, or exciting when not making a contribution to the society which supports me". Hypnosis is merely a heightened state of suggestibility, in which you are better able to communicate with your subconscious mind. 85% of people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either preferably seek professional hypnotherapy. If it is not an option, hypnosisdownloads.com has ones about stopping negative thoughts, and fear of death. Another way is to focus on death so long and often that your subconscious mind becomes desensitised to the subject, and no longer activates the fear response. There was a time, billions of years ago when there was no death, just (poorly) self replicating molecules, all derived from a common ancestor, according to the genetic evidence. It was more than 2 billion years later that sex, and death began. Then primitive nervous systems, later evolving into simple brains, with a sensorium, to detect dangers, and fear came into being. Overlaid on that basic fish brain is the amphibian brain, then the reptilian brain, then the animal brain, then the primate brain, and finally the massive cortex which enables full self consciousness in the human brain.

Then consider that the very molecules which make up your body, even the bones, are being replaced every several years, so extremely little of what was originally "you" remains. And the fact that all atoms of an element (which aren't isotopes) are identical, so it didn't matter which atoms were originally combined to form those first self replicating molecules, which all forms of life are descended from. Ultimately, there is no real death, as long as life continues on this planet, which it is likely to for at least 500,000,000 years, when the sun starts to become a red giant. We are all but different forms of the one basic creature; death is illusory, at least to some extent; that of the end of this vehicle for DNA. View: http://a-dogs-breakfast.8m.com/cgi-bin/u… for a totally different scientific point of view you may find helpful.




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