Posted by Emme on January 3, 2004, at 18:11:02
In reply to Re: Wash out selegiline before 5HTP? » Emme, posted by sb417 on January 3, 2004, at 13:05:06
Hi.
> It sounds as if you have a good doctor.
Yes. She's very conscientious and attentive and sharp. I feel very lucky to have gotten referred to her.
> By the way, on another post you said that your circadian rhythms are topsy-turvy.
That's one way of putting it. :( It's total chaos. I'm exhausted and jittery and anxious and just slept most of today after being wired and wacked out this morning after being up till 4 last night. Mood getting worse because nothing is getting done.
> Perhaps your medication washout is exacerbating that? Would it be possible to do the med washout more slowly so that you experience fewer withdrawal effects?
Well, I was using selegiline at a low dose and somewhat sporadically. So I couldn't really taper more slowly than what I was doing to begin with.
> Before the washout, did selegiline cause your body clock to be turned upside down?
Hmmm...no..I don't think so. Actually, it all started with some really stressful things happening and then getting a flu shot on Christmas eve. It's been chaos since then.
> By the way, early morning bright lights and vigorous exercise early in the day seem to help my body clock, but I have to do the early lights and early exercise consistently. If I try them for just a day or so, they don't usually help with the phase shift.
The exercise thing is a problem right now. I'm not sure what to do. Normally I can't exercise in the morning. I'm little and have no reserves and I seem to need at least a few hours of food and water before I can try to work out. I exercise at night (usually several nights a week) and it actually helps me wind down - a reasonable workout is calming. But I'm so unbelievably exhaustd at the moment, my arms and legs feel really weak. I'm trying to get in a walk every day, but it's not helping me work back into it. This seems to be phase shift plus feeling extra cruddy. Myabe I've caught some sort of bug... I don't know what to think. How old can one be and still get mono..?
> Also, late night television and late night computer use (especially Internet surfing) wreak havoc on my circadian rhythms. Part of that is from the mental stimulation, but the lights from the TV and/or computer also affect the eyes, the pineal gland and melatonin.
Yeah, I can see how web surfing would keep one from winding down. I should make sure I don't go too late. Watching old videos, however, actually lulls me to sleep pretty well. It seems to pull my mind from my worries. That or a good book - no matter how engrossing the book, it helps me fall asleep. I definitely need something to concretely separate the day from the night and stop my brain from obsessing.
> It helps, as night time approaches, to try to gradually "wind down," use dimmer lights, don't drink caffeinated tea or coffee, eat more carbohydrates and less protein in the evening, etc.
Yeah, that's right...now that you mention it, when I'm hungry in the evening, I usually want carbs. Caffeine's a non-issue -can't tolerate much of it anyway. I think I'm going to try the warm milk route tonight.
Thanks for writing.
Emme
poster:Emme
thread:293899
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20031218/msgs/296105.html