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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by janejj on February 26, 2002, at 13:58:44
Everynight I go to bed and lay awake for about 3 hours with racing thoughts. They just don't seem to end and some of them are a nano second long. Its really annoying me !! Anyone have any ideas or techniques that can get rid of this annoying affliction ?
FYI I am taking 30mg Prozac, 50mg Trazodone, 1mg Lorazepam.
Thanks janejj
Posted by andyboy on February 26, 2002, at 14:08:49
In reply to Racing Thoughts, posted by janejj on February 26, 2002, at 13:58:44
I know exactly what youre talking about. If Im not tired right before I go to bed, forget it, Im up till 3am at least. And theyre stupid thoughts too. Or dwelling and analyzing one topic. I am on 2mg Klono/day-and it has been effective. My best technique for sleep? A small fan that I keep next to my bed. I use it all year round and just concentrate on the humming noise and the breeze and it is really soothing. Well, thats just me. I say head over to Target or WalMart and grab one. Let me know!
Posted by swank chick on February 26, 2002, at 14:47:07
In reply to Re: Racing Thoughts, posted by andyboy on February 26, 2002, at 14:08:49
i thought that was normal? you mean to say that people actually go to sleep before 3am!?!? wow...im impressed. i dont think i have done that since i was about 5 years old.
sleep deprived (apparently)
mari
Posted by Mark H. on February 26, 2002, at 17:50:52
In reply to Racing Thoughts, posted by janejj on February 26, 2002, at 13:58:44
Hi,
Hypnosis and relaxation tapes can really help with racing thoughts. If you can't find tapes you like, try making your own, using imagery that is relaxing and enjoyable to you.
Don't read or watch TV before going to bed. I used to lie awake half the night obsessing on socks if I had even glanced through the Land's End catalog before bedtime.
How about the timing of your meds? I take Effexor, but I DON'T take the SR (sustained-release) version and I take it ONLY once a day (right after breakfast) so that it has worn off some by the time I go to bed at night. Otherwise, it can keep me awake with achy legs and sweating, or with over-stimulated thoughts.
I have to admit that I, too, sleep with a fan almost year-round, even though I live in an area that never gets really warm or really cold. We found a good floor-standing fan at Costco that has a remote control, which I keep under my pillow. That way, either my wife or I can turn it on or off as needed during the night without having to get up.
Be sure to let us know what works for you!
Best wishes,
Mark H.
Posted by Ritch on February 27, 2002, at 0:31:41
In reply to Racing Thoughts, posted by janejj on February 26, 2002, at 13:58:44
> Everynight I go to bed and lay awake for about 3 hours with racing thoughts. They just don't seem to end and some of them are a nano second long. Its really annoying me !! Anyone have any ideas or techniques that can get rid of this annoying affliction ?
>
> FYI I am taking 30mg Prozac, 50mg Trazodone, 1mg Lorazepam.
>
> Thanks janejjI found that mood stabilizers such as Tegretol, Lithium, Trileptal, Depakote, Topamax, Neurontin,etc. taken at bedtime can help, whether you are bipolar or are just experiencing GAD-like thought "loops". Sometimes Prozac can keep unipolars up at nite. Prozac, esp., would make it difficult to *put down* all of the stuff of the day that had occurred to me. Also, for as yet unexplained reasons-if I listen to too much music during the day-it gets "in there", too, and I can't shut it off easily.
Mitch
Posted by Frankie on February 28, 2002, at 0:11:42
In reply to Racing Thoughts, posted by janejj on February 26, 2002, at 13:58:44
> Everynight I go to bed and lay awake for about 3 hours with racing thoughts. They just don't seem to end and some of them are a nano second long. Its really annoying me !! Anyone have any ideas or techniques that can get rid of this annoying affliction ?
>
> FYI I am taking 30mg Prozac, 50mg Trazodone, 1mg Lorazepam.
>
> Thanks janejj
I feel you with the racing thoughts Jane. I have found, like the others have said, that anything that acts on the GABA system, such as Tegrotol, Xanax, Klonopin, Neurontin, etc..., or alcohol (if you want to go that route!) will be about the only thing to shut down the mind from racing. Only because it is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS. I would find some mind racing to be normal, but as much as you suggest is probably a GAD. If it is the same things over and over again and again, it could be an OCD type reaction. Just the obsessive part anyway. You need to tell your doctor about this. Explain the exact pattern that you experience each night.Frankie.
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