Celexa update

[edenfalling]

I started my increased dose of Celexa on Sunday. For whatever reason, it is not technically possible to get a 30mg pill of Celexa (or generic), so our choices were either take one-and-a-half 20mg pills, or take three 10mg pills. Splitting pills is a pain, so my doctor and I went the second route. The pills are so tiny, I always feel like I'm going to lose them in the gaps between my fingers no matter how tightly I press them together. *hands*

Anyway, I have been absurdly exhausted this week, but as always I am unsure how much of that is the medication and how much is my generally terrible sleep patterns. However, I have noticed that I've been sleeping... not badly, exactly, but more lightly/less deeply? Also having more weird dreams, or at least more weird dreams that I remember because I'm just awake/aware enough to notice them as they happen. And I am pretty sure that part is a medication side-effect.

Anyway, I am trying a new policy of going the fuck to bed by 11pm every night. I have not had great luck imposing bedtimes on myself in the past, but I think part of the problem is that my previous bedtime attempts have been more in the nature of "if you are still up at this hour, something has gone Terribly Wrong and you must initiate Emergency Sleep Protocols immediately" and by the time I've reached that point, I am so tired I can't make good decisions anymore so I just stay up even later. I figure 11pm is early enough to avoid that pitfall, and also making my cutoff happen before midnight avoids another mental pitfall of "oh well it's tomorrow already; I might as well stay up another hour." So fingers crossed, I guess.

...

Tangentially, today I failed to give blood for the second month in a row, because I am a little bit under the Red Cross's minimum acceptable hemoglobin levels -- not to the point where I'm medically anemic, but still. I wonder if that might be a medication side-effect as well, and/or if it's contributing to my tiredness. I have been having some minor gastrointestinal issues that could mean I'm not getting as many nutrients from food as usual, in which case supplements might be worth looking into...

Comments

[mme_hardy]

Here is a thing that has helped me with sleep hygiene. It may or may not be relevant to you, and you may already be doing it. Anyway, computer off by 9PM. After that, only Kindle or books.

[heliopausa]

Sleep is enormously important, and I really wish you well with the eleven o'clock lightsout. (I'm not great at sleep myself.)

[autumnia]

Imposing bedtimes is really difficult -- good luck with that! I've been going to be more around 11:30/midnight even though I know better and should go back to my old routine of 11pm. :-)

[edenfalling]

Hmm. It probably would be helpful, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't be able to actually impose that on myself. I have never been great at delayed gratification type things. :(

[edenfalling]

Thanks! I didn't quite manage it yesterday, but I did start getting ready for bed at 11pm and was under the covers with the lights off by 11:30, so I will take that as a reasonable first attempt. *wry*

[wistfulmemory]

Have you thought about using a small medicine cup to hold the pills in? (I'm thinking something like the little cup that comes on top of a Nyquil bottle.)

I don't like it when my sleep cycle rotates to the lighter sleep/vivid dreams part of the sleep rotation. I just don't feel as rested.

Good luck with the bedtime goal. You can do it!

Hopefully you'll be able to give blood next month.

[edenfalling]

I have residual screwy sleep patterns from my eight and a half years at the smoke shop, wherein my template was "bed at 2am, up at 11am" because I mostly worked noon to 9pm. This was a perfectly reasonable adaptation to that job, but doesn't translate well to a 9-to-5 lifestyle. But it's hard overcoming those years of habit, which of course came on top of several years of college "what's a morning?" patterns. *sigh*

[edenfalling]

Hmm. I could probably save the mouthwash cap once I use up my current bottle... *makes note*

I don't mind vivid dreams in and of themselves -- actually they're kind of fun, since I had extremely vivid/weird dreams from childhood through my mid-twenties and missed them when they faded away over the past decade -- but it's been taking me longer to fall asleep and I definitely don't feel as rested, which is not great when combined with the general exhaustion. I'm hoping the squashed-flat tiredness is an adjustment effect and will fade without taking the interesting dreams with it. *wry*

[mme_hardy]

I'm very bad at stopping things. :(