Desperately seeking advice - sleeplessness

[2TxAgs]

I'm looking for some direction from those of you out there who have experienced or have treated sleeplessness.

My brother-in-law has gotten no more than 3-4 hrs sleep per night for over a month. He has been seeing a psychiatrist and has been prescribed no less than 5 different drugs to solve this problem. Most recently 'seroquel', but also lorazipam, ambien, and risperdal. None have been effective. He has been told he is depressed, which is of course exaserbated by the fact that he is grumpy/clumsy/out of sorts each day due to lack of sleep. He is desperate and wants to just check himself into a hospital and tell them to do something! His hair is falling out. It is not a good situation.

He says he does not meet the definition of a person with a 'sleep disorder' since snoring or apnea are not a problem. It is just termed 'insomnia'.

Please give me some guidance to help him out. What would happen if in fact he just went to a hospital - do they admit him w/o a doctor sending him there? Does he go to ER? Should he be looking for another type of Dr. rather than his psychiatrist for assistance? He is missing a lot of work and his family cannot afford for him to lose his job over this....

Help....

 

[EsmeraldaX]

A couple of things popped into my mind.

Does he drink a lot of caffeine? Does he get proper nutrition? Vitimin deficianies can cause hair loss, esp. lack of vitamin B. This can also cause a person to feel sluggish but had a hard time sleeping.

I was losing hair a few years ago and it turned out it was due to a lack of vitamin B in my diet. At the time, I also had difficulty sleeping.

In any case, he should really see a regular doctor, not just a psychiatrist. It could be something totally unrelated to stress.

 

[Abracadabra]

I agree with EsmereldaX -- he needs to see a physician, get a complete physical exam, including thorough blood tests, such as blood sugar levels, thyroid, etc. A physician may be able to do a referral to a sleep clinic. The clinic can check for other causes of insomnia beside sleep apena or snoring. They can monitor brain activity, heart rate, breathing, and importantly, muscle activity in various areas of the body, such as arms and legs. They can check blood pressure throughout the night.

All this info can be sent back to the physican for analysis. There may be causes other than psychological for the insomnia. Sometimes a sleeping pill is not the best answer. In this case, there is probably something else wrong.

He may also want to discuss the type of bed he has, sleeping arrangements, temperature, light or lack thereof, noise levels, allergies, etc. There are lots of factors that can inhibit a good night's sleep.

 

[Rajah]

I agree as well. He needs to see a regular doctor. He may need to try antidepressants as well. I've also had good luck with melatonin.

 

[JoeThaNo1Stunna]

Melatonin is my heroin!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

No he cannot just go to a hospital to get help for this. (I wish we ALL could do that!)
This is an on going problem which will require alot of ruling things out.

I concur with the other posters that suggest getting a complete physical and changing his diet to include vitamins. Exercise is also a good thing to include.

 

[Christine]

I, occasionally, have horrible sleep problems. Mine are always due to my thyroid (or lack thereof). Sometimes my thyroid medication gets out of whack in either direction--too much or too little. In either instance, it seriously disrupts my sleep pattern. When this happens, I swear I get no more than 3 hours of sleep each night. I also went the route of sleep aids and, when it is your thyroid, they do NOT work!!!

Please have him get a check-up. Especially with the hair falling out. That is a big sign for thyroid disorder. It does happen in men, but it is not common so maybe they never thought to check it.

 

[missypie]

Have him buy a copy of the "Memoirs of Catherine the Great." That's what I used to fall asleep when I had pregnancy related insomnia.

 

[Parkhopper]

I didn't have problems falling asleep, I just couldn't STAY asleep all night. Turns out that I was suffering from mild anxiety and depression. The Doctor prescribed Zoloft for me and I cannot tell you what a world of difference it has made! I think it is important for the Doctor to get to the "root" of what is causing the sleeplessness.

Suzi

 

[Pin Wizard]

Don't forget the exercise. Even a walk after dinner can help. Queen of the non-sleepers here. Haven't had a decent night's sleep in 12 years. If I'm lucky, this is part of it... <a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/3/3_8_12v.gif' alt='Sleepy' border=0></a> LOL! I'm up until 2 a.m. and up at 5:15.

I'd check with a doctor also. Been there, done that as they say.

 

[mudnuri]

Of the people I know with insomnia a regular doc is who helped them get to the route of their problem.

Generally a mild antidepressent was RX'd....my grandmother said since starting her Zoloft, her insomnia problems are gone.

My mom- started paxil for other issues, and it cured her sleepness nights as well.

I'm one of the few that thrives on 5-6 hours of sleep. Generally I average about 30 hours a week...some nights I get 4, some nights 7 etc...I am a drone if I get more than 7...

usually it will catch up with me after 3-4 weeks, I'll crash on a sunday afternoon and wake up monday LOL

Brandy

 

[doxdogy]

I can definitely relate. I would most definitely advise him to see his primary care doctor too. Find out exactly why he is not sleeping. My doctor prescribed me a mild muscle relaxer to help me sleep.

 

[2TxAgs]

Thank you all for the responses.

Thyroid has apparently been ruled out, but vitamins and anti-depressants may be in order.

I appreciate you taking the time to offer suggestions.

TxAg