posted
I can't sleep anymore. I feel like I am about to collapse. Fear and racing thoughts with sleep deprivation can make you mad. I don't take large enough doses of anything to knock me out because I am so worried about everything and feel like I will miss something if I drug myself. Awaiting IV treatment but I don't think I can last.
Posts: 61 | From Connecticut | Registered: Jan 2015
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- running on empty here so I hope you can feel unexpressed empathy as I just bolt through some things. ? as a list, no need to reply
You say that you "don't take large enough doses of anything to knock me out" (end quote)
Even low doses of many sleep or mood drugs can cause all sorts of turmoil in a person with lyme and its complexity. And - sometimes the Rx will have OPPOSITE REACTIONS, even at a tiny dose. Just good to know this.
This happened to me with several kinds of mood / sleep Rx many years ago. Even a tiny dose of some nearly killed me due to the high anxiety it created. Worst was Xanax & then later Ambien but any sort of drug that aims to alter neurological function can have opposite effects for many of us.
And, if you take any stimulants, they can be a million times more "zooming" for some us, too, so extra caution required.
1. RIFE - Do you have your own rife machine? you posted before about some rife treatments. If you have your own, run frequency 10 K for a couple minutes a couple times a day. This is to help reduce inflammation and that can help with some relaxation.
If you are using rife for lyme treatments (as in your previous posts about that) it may be too much.
2. ADRENAL SUPPORT, MAGNESIUM, & FISH OIL. All key.
3. Rest when you can, go to a nice place in your mind with colorful layers of nature but keep the action low in your scene. Soft music might help.
DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING. Slow, deep, steady. Every hour for five minutes really helps.
As you go to that nice place in nature, I know that you may feel more intensely some sadness or anxiety. That is natural and understandable. Still, acknowledge that and set it aside. Do not try to push it away as much as SET IT ASIDE, on a cloud to float away, on a raft in the river, etc. If it drifts back, guide it on its way again, out of the scene.
A person can be faced with such upset AND also be able to take a break for a little while. There is room to also allow yourself to rest.
4. Various toxicities can cause the symptoms you describe. A basic liver support would be MILK THISTLE. Beyond that:
You might start with CORDYCEPS. Avoid Rhodiola or Ginseng as they can be too stimulating. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Getting enough of the food groups in your diet and in a good balance?: complex carbohydrates; protein; and fat. We need all of these with each meal and with our snacks.
Best to avoid any food powders (they can cause so much trouble with being too refined and too stimulating). Rather, go for the real thing, real whole foods that are delicious and full of key nutrients. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
Thank you Keebler but this is overstimulation that I don't think is connected to food. I feel like I am on speed.
Posts: 61 | From Connecticut | Registered: Jan 2015
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- What is your adrenal support?
What kind of magnesium and how often?
Any food additives, especially aspartame, MSG? Be sure to avoid seaweeds / kelp.
What is your liver support?
Again, just points to consider. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
Racing thoughts, anxiety and nervousness for me has everything to do with bad gut flora. And diet has been huge to reduce these symptoms. Any carbs or fiber make these symptoms worse for me.
Posts: 387 | From The Netherlands | Registered: Nov 2013
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posted
While you're waiting for IV therapy, maybe you could do some herbals (Buhner). I found a good symptom list that seems to be pretty right-on to me at personalconsult.com by Schaller & Mountjoy and it lists insomnia As a symptom of Bartonella. Maybe it would help you to take some Resveratrol and Sida Acuta while you wait.
Posts: 653 | From Northern Virginia | Registered: Oct 2014
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posted
And I think fear comes from Borrelia. At least it did with me and Cats Claw cured me of fear.
Posts: 653 | From Northern Virginia | Registered: Oct 2014
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posted
Gut flora is indeed a part of anxiety .. but depression is another matter. Untreated depression will cause anxiety.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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WPinVA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33581
posted
Are you exhausted and out of it during the day but ramped up at night? If so, it could be your adrenals which is a very common problem with Lyme.
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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My sister in law was severely stressed and fearful about her business and it resulted in racing thoughts and not sleeping at all. It was terrifying and she was getting worse and worse as time went on.
I paid for her to have a neurotransmitter test done and her levels were low in gaba and serotonin.
Interestingly it was medicines that raised those specific neurotransmitters that helped her. Medicines that affected the norepinephrine levels were bad for her.
Lithium helps to calm down the racing thoughts and is non addictive. A low dose (300-600mg) could be helpful.
For sleep Tylenol PM can help. Additionally (although I have not tried it) Phosphatydil Serine reduces cortisol levels that, when they are high, contribute to racing thoughts. Of course, prescription meds can be helpful, if tolerated, to get you over the crises.
Getting good nights sleep consistently will really help reduce cortisol over time.
Don't be afraid, I was psychotic (major ocd and paranoid) when I progressively became ill with Lyme, Babesia and Bartonella and it was very traumatic because it came out of the blue. I never get those symptoms anymore and it has been a LONG time since I did.
I also recommend magnesium (helps to slow neuro speed and brings calm) as well as zeolite to bind ammonia that the lyme give off. Ammonia interferes with gaba which is the relaxation neurotransmitter and so when ammonia levels are high, relaxation levels can be low.
You SO will get better. "This too shall pass"
Posts: 123 | From Washington State | Registered: Dec 2013
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posted
This post that I copied may be helpful to you as well:
Member #18138 Posted 05-23-2015 06:03 AM "there is a testing lab called Genomind. They test your genes for which antidepressant works best for your genes. AND insurance covers it, go figure. Your doctor does have to have an account with them though"
Pretty cool, huh?
An idea is... You could call Genomind give them your location and ask for a few doctors in your area that order tests from them.
Posts: 123 | From Washington State | Registered: Dec 2013
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quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo: Gut flora is indeed a part of anxiety .. but depression is another matter. Untreated depression will cause anxiety.
I disagree. Gut flora is very important for depression. Its is one of the more important symptoms of gut dysbiosis according to the writer of the GAPS diet.
And i have experienced this myself. I had severe depression attacks, with very strong suicidal thoughts. What made a huge difference was water fasting. It virtually eliminated the depression over night. As im underweight already i couldnt sustain water fasting for too long, so i got familiar with the GAPS diet. And i got the same results! But like i said before, any carb or fiber will make symptoms come back. So i have to stick on stage 2 of the introduction diet for now (excluding vegetables, except raw sauerkraut). Restoring gut flora can take a long long time.
So yes, you can take all kinds of crap medicine that mask the symptoms, and make you addicted. But id personally rather treat the source of the problem.
Posts: 387 | From The Netherlands | Registered: Nov 2013
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posted
You never know anything for sure when it comes to chronic illness. You only have clues and suspicion. If you have typical symptoms and targeted treatment helps, then you can assume you have found the probable cause, but still there is no 100% confirmation.
I have a lot of clues now that these psychiatric symptoms originate from my gut. But yes, there may be other causes as well, the body is just too complex.
But i would definitely start looking at the gut first, since a lot of lyme folks already have trouble in that area. And its not just from antibiotics! A lot of neurotransmitters are produces in the gut, so in that way it can cause inbalances and psychiatric symptoms. For example the noradrenaline/adrenaline ratio.
My neurotransmitters were very very low, and way out of balance. My doc tried to supplement with precursors like 5-HTP (for serotonin and melatonin) and tyrosine (for dopamin and (nor)adrenaline). But that was just a big waste of time and money. My doc just couldnt figure it out. Perhaps the use of a SSRI could have made a minor change in the levels of serotonin, but that would just have been patchwork. And I would never recommend patchwork solutions for long term. Perhaps only if its needed to avoid actual suicide attempts or something like that.
Posts: 387 | From The Netherlands | Registered: Nov 2013
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
The Surprising Link Between Gut Bacteria And Anxiety
- By Carolyn Gregoire - The Huffington Post - Jan. 4, 2015
Of course, any yogurt purchased should be organic, whole and plain, no sugar added. There are other ways to get good probiotics in a wide variety of other foods & and quality supplements.
Prozac In The Yogurt Aisle: Can 'Good' Bacteria Chill Us Out?
- By Allison Aubrey - NPR - July 14, 2015
Excerpt:
. . . Now, researchers are turning their attention to our emotional health. It turns out that there's a lot of communication between our guts and our brains. Scientists studying this refer to this as the gut-brain axis.
"The gut-brain-axis is the collective communication pathway between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain," explains John Cryan, a professor of anatomy and neuroscience at University College Cork in Ireland. . . .
Many good articles can be found via a web search of: "gut-brain axis" -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
The brain racing was the worst for me,just about drove me insane.
Its better these days but I still have it and I also agree gut flora has a lot to do with it.
I always suggest 5htp by NOW and l-theanine to bring the racing down a notch,Ive used them for years.
I also do take ativan and had to because I was going insane with the racing brain.
I only took .5 ativan for years and it is a life saver for me.
DO NOT eat any artificial sugars,they will make you race and give you big time nightmares,use only stevia to sweeten.
God Bless you,you are talking with someone who has and somewhat still is tortured by the racing brain,nightmares ,restless legs,insomnia thing.
Posts: 227 | From fairhaven ma | Registered: May 2015
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posted
Thank you all. I am starting an SSRI temporarily because no one can live this way and I will try the magnesium. I take VSL#3 every day so I don't think the flora is the problem. I believe it is the disease which hasn't been treated now for two years. I know thee next couple of weeks on IV will be hell but I have no choice like the rest of us. Glad to know I'm not alone.
Posts: 61 | From Connecticut | Registered: Jan 2015
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quote:Originally posted by Mariel25: I take VSL#3 every day so I don't think the flora is the problem.
Just taking probiotics is in no way a guarantee you have healthy gut flora. Once there is dysbiosis, balance can be very hard to restore. If you are also taking abx, things get even worse.
VSL3 contains maltose and is therefore feeding bad gut flora just as well as well as good gut flora. Maltose is prohibited on the GAPS diet (to restore gut flora).
Posts: 387 | From The Netherlands | Registered: Nov 2013
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posted
That's true about the gut flora and the VSL. My body did not like VSL #3. I do better on Custom Probiotics CP-1.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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tricia386
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 29623
posted
This was true for me many years ago.
I had to use xanax for a month I would take .50 fall sleep wake up 3 hours later take .50. I didnt have any problem stopping or withdrawal. I know thats not the case for everyone and
I am not a doctor. But it was the only thing taht work for me while I was knocking back infections.
I than switched to trazodone for 8 months 50 mg.
Came off of that.
Now I use Kava Kava L-theanie Mag to sleep.
hope this helps. Its the worst feeling
-------------------- Lyme activated in April 2010 by gardasil vaccine. DX: Lyme,Babs,Myco,Bart 11/10 Treatment Started: 3/28/11 Posts: 1752 | From Albany, NY | Registered: Dec 2010
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posted
Thank you all- I thought VSL#3 was the best- especially with what it costs but I'll switch to something else. I am starting my clomipramine soon. What a never ending trip to hell this is for everyone.
Posts: 61 | From Connecticut | Registered: Jan 2015
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