![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by raeleen on May 28, 2001, at 13:59:55
Does anyone else have trouble waking up? I don't take medication. I am a 39 yo female. I go to bed around 10 or 11 and usually sleep all night. I can get out of bed at 6am if I HAVE TO but if I don't I could easily sleep until 11 before I really feel rested. For the longest time I have thought I was just lazy but I am a pretty motivated person. Is it possible I need 12 hours sleep to function? What am I doing wrong?
Posted by paulk on May 29, 2001, at 13:46:21
In reply to can't wake up, posted by raeleen on May 28, 2001, at 13:59:55
Some people just need more sleep than others BUT, you should first get your thyroid checked out by an endroconologist.
You may also have ‘atypical’ (which despite the name is common) depression for which there are a number of effective drug treatments – SSRI’s Effexor, or MAOI. See a Pych doc that uses drug therapies – I strongly advise not seeing a general practitioner for this.
Before starting ANY antidepressant you should see a good endocrinologist who can rule out hypothyroidism. A good endocrinologist needs to be familiar with combined T4/T3 treatment and understand treating the patient and not just the lab test numbers.
A high TSH indicates hypothyroidism – but what WAS a high normal is now treated. Many doctors are not aware that the normal range for TSH has changed – and that replacement therapy for hypothyroidism should probably end up with the TSH level in the bottom 25% of the new normal range.
Posted by Willow on May 29, 2001, at 14:48:35
In reply to Re: can't wake up » raeleen, posted by paulk on May 29, 2001, at 13:46:21
I've had success with B12 shots. And effexor. I'm waiting the results of a sleep test. Obviously though the above haven't been 100% successful. Are you tired during the day at all?
Posted by Noa on May 29, 2001, at 17:34:22
In reply to can't wake up, posted by raeleen on May 28, 2001, at 13:59:55
Have you ruled out a sleep disorder?
For more info on sleep disorders, see http://www.sleepquest.com
I have sleep apnea. For a number of years, it got harder and harder for me to wake up, and I was tired all the time. I would be groggy and sleep through alarm clocks, and have a headache and be unable to drag myself out of bed. I would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night in a panic, and sometimes with horrible, choking acid reflux. I thought it was all part of my depression, but then I started having dreams about being under water and unable to get to the surface to breathe. So, I suspected apnea, and had it checked out and it was confirmed.
Subsequently, I also had worsening hypothyroidism (for some reason it isn't that uncommon in people with apnea), which also cause fatigue, making it hard to wake up, so I agree with Paul about getting that checked out too.
Now that both the apnea and the hypothyroidism are treated, I wake up easily in the morning--even before the alarm rings.
Posted by raeleen on May 30, 2001, at 0:41:00
In reply to Re: can't wake up, posted by Noa on May 29, 2001, at 17:34:22
In reply - I will have my thyroid checked out. For some reason I think that could be it. I don't know about the depression or sleep apnea, but they seem like other close possibilities. I hadn't considered any of these things. In answer to the question, "am I tired during the day?", not really. I don't have overwhelming feelings of fatigue during the day. It is just the getting up in the morning that I have trouble with. Thank you all very much for your suggestions. I will let you know what pans out.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.