DD30 doesn't sleep.

[tristesse]

Okay, so I told you last week that I  moved my BPD daughter and GS into my home about a month ago, she was being physically abused, and I needed to get her away from the abuser. She has state pay medical and it will not be effective until June, so we are in a  bit of a bind. I am very concerned because she doesn't sleep. She is up prowling the house all night, every night. I wake up several times to the sounds of her roaming around. I talked to her about it, and she says she is very tired, but unable to sleep. I believe it is because  she is out of the Adderall, I was willing to pay for it, but the Dr. here will not prescribe it , she believes it was mis-prescribed. Her words, " you don't use one medication to counter act the affects of another " meaning the affects of the Paxil. This poor girl has been on multiple meds, varying combinations, etc. The reality is, the only anti depressant that has worked without terrible side effects is the Paxil, she has been on it for several years, far longer than they would like her to be, however when she goes off and they give her others to try, most recently was about 6 months ago, there are always horrible side effects, so they put her back on the Paxil. The Adderall was given to her to help her relax and focus, she also has ADD by the way, it was working beautifully, and she was sleeping. Not sure where to go, or what to do.  She will not be able to get into therapy or see a Psycologist/ psychiatrist until she gets the insurance. any advice here would be appreciated.

Our objective is to better understand the struggles our child faces and to learn the skills to improve our relationship and provide a supportive environment and also improve on our own emotional responses, attitudes and effectiveness as a family leaders

[LittleThings]

That is so tough. Not sleeping is very damaging even to a healthy person.

I know that my DD has trouble sleeping as well, and she has used OTC antihistamines (rec'd by her previous psych) as sleep aids in positions where she is out of her other med. I think her current prescription med is similar in that it's prescribed mainly for allergies, but is used off label for sleep.

Not sure what state you are in, but here the insurance will cover any visits that fall into the gap b/w when you apply and when it takes effect. I remember being on the phone a lot with the ins co. during that time.

[co.jo]

Just wondering if when she goes off the Paxil the side effects that seem to be from the other drugs are actually Paxil withdrawal? My daughter took a year to withdraw from Paxil, with horrific side effects at every decrease. She vowed never to take another drug after that.

This is probably a stupid question but has she tried melatonin at night? It is available without a prescription, and can help reset the body clock.

It is so hard to figure out meds, it is such a trial and error process. Good luck.

[mama72]

I agree with co.jo about the Paxil withdrawal, may be a consideration.

My DD has always had a horrible time sleeping. I think it goes along with the BPD, as well as bipolar. I have read that pumpkin powder works well for sleep, you will have to look online for the dose. We have not tried it yet. Also melatonin, it helped getting my DD to sleep, but it did not keep her asleep and it gave her nightmares. Aromatherapy is another option, a bath with lavender oil or just smelling the lavender oil can cause drowsiness. Sleepytime tea or a camomile tea before bed may help too. Progressive Muscle Relaxation is another topic you may want to look online about. I do this myself and it does help me get back to sleep if I wake at night.

Sleep is so important and it is so hard to stay mentally and physically healthy if there is sleep deprivation.

Good luck!

[tristesse]

co.jo, autkpi and little things,

thank you all for your suggestions. She has major Paxil withdrawal, and perhaps the side effects of the other drugs are caused from that as you suggested.     truthfully, I have never thought of it,. I do know they put her back on the paxil because she just can not function any other way. I know the long term affects can be brutal.

We have tried the melatonin and it was pretty unsuccessful, she has not tried the lavender or aroma therapy, but has done the sleepy time tea.  I guess we will just keep trying. Today is particularly hard for her because I ma at work and the GS5 is being a stinker. She has run out of patience, so a call was placed to ex, and he is coming to get the boy for the day.

[BioAdoptMom3]

Does she also have bipolar in addition to BPD?  Most anti-depressants will increase mania and make bipolar worse, but Paxil is one which is often prescribed for bipolar depression.  Very often bipolar patients are also misdiagnosed as having ADD or ADHD.  If she has never been diagnosed bipolar I would get another opinion. 3 mental health professionals told us our 14 y/o was not bipolar, but had BPD traits.  She was just diagnosed at an RTC with BP and is now home, stable on Lithium and doing so much better.  She still may have co-morbid BPD, but for now we are thankful the BP meds are working! 

[mimis]

Hi there, just a thought, my DD has always had trouble sleeping, especially staying asleep. She takes melatonin too which she says helps.  Her psy also recommended she start taking her Cymbalta (anti depression meds) during day vs at night. Since doing this switch, she is sleeping much better. Hang in there.

[co.jo]

Interesting fact about my daughter- she says she has no sense of time when she is asleep. She does not take any meds, but says when she wakes up she does not know if she has been asleep 10 minutes or 10 hours.

I have never heard of this in anyone else.

[tristesse]

Hi Co-Jo

my BPDD also no sense of time when she sleeps, and she is so tired from lack of sleep that she nods off frequently for very short periods of time. like 10 minutes or so. I am wondering if she fights to stay awake because her fears are so crippling. She is terrified of the dark and always has been, so there are lights on all night long in the hall way and the bathroom etc. and she sleeps with her door open. I don't know why they lose their sense of time though, that's really odd.

[BioAdoptMom3]

Has she tried Melatonin?  Sometimes as little as 1-3 mg. will work, sometimes they need a bit more. What about Benadryl or Dramamine?  Tylenol PM or something like that?  Has anyone thought about the possibility of bipolar in addition to her BPD and ADD?  Our DD has both bipolar and BPD traits and that is a very typical manic reaction in bipolar. IF she does have it in addition to BPD and ADD, Paxil could be making the mania worse as antidepressants tend to do that with bipolar (not saying she has it, just saying its a typical and very common symptom of mania). If she hasn't tried any of the above please encourage her to do so and see what happens.