Sleep Apnea & Depression
i’ve been reading a bit about sleep apnea, and it could very well explain my depressive symptoms that have been unresponsive to medication for so long: the lack of energy, sleeping more than i need to, anxiety, and the depression itself. these are all symptoms of sleep apnea. if, in fact, my depression-like symptoms are caused by sleep apnea, then i’m on way more medication than i need to be.
it would explain why my current dose of Wellbutrin (300mg) plus the Ritalin (10mg) is making me so incredibly agitated. last time i saw the pdoc, he recommended that we stick to the current dosages to see if i just need to adjust to them. well, i’m not. i got my next appointment moved up to next Monday.
i don’t feel like myself. i’m high-strung, restless, irritable, easily bored. i have a hard time concentrating, reading nonfiction books. novels are fine because i’m completely sucked into the characters’ worlds–they’re the only things in which i can immerse myself.
i’m having a difficult time finishing tasks. i just get so bored that i stop–or don’t bother starting at all. when i’m restless, i can’t think of anything to do, and whatever anyone suggests just sounds boring or uninteresting, or i just can’t make a decision. it’s become more than anhedonia. it’s like i have a second skin, a peel-off facial mask over my entire body that i have to fight through to do anything. it’s so irritating and uncomfortable, and worse–i can’t peel it off!
yesterday, i told Brian that what i’m feeling is enough to make someone want to kill themselves. i’m not suicidal, but even if i were, i wouldn’t even be able to plan how i’d do it because i can’t make decisions! gah!
all i can do is ride it out ’til Monday.
Health/Fitness
Cf.: sleeplessinamerica.org — it’s a DBSA website.
January 26, 2006 9:37 pm
Your symptoms sound just like what I had. I was going to bed at 10 and waking up at 6 and was soooo tired by 9. I couldn’t concentrate. I didn’t want to do anything. At work, I would take a notebook and prop it under my chin to try and doze. I thought I was getting 8 hours sleep, but I wasn’t. According to my sleep studies, I would stop breathing a lot. I would wake up like 300 times a night and my snoring…well..it is a wonder YOU couldn’t hear it. Now with the C-PAP, I go to bed at 10 and wake up at 4 something wide awake and ready to go. I sleep a shorter amount of time…but I am actually sleeping. Plus with the machine…no more snoring. I think if you have to have a machine….you will notice the difference in a week. It isn’t that bad.
Good luck and thanks for the welcome back!
January 27, 2006 7:09 am
Joel, i’ll check out the site, thanks.
Chrissy, yes! i “sleep” for 7 hours straight, wake up between 8:30 and 9am, but after lunch, i’m DYING. i do my best to fight it, but sometimes i can’t–i feel so physically exhausted that i have to lie down and sleep. i end up napping for about 2 hours, and when i wake up, i still feel sleepy. grr. for a while i thought i was turning into one of my cats.
January 27, 2006 10:09 am