Under,
I'm not sure, but I bet your pdoc should be able to tell you. I researched it on the internet, but all I could find was that it is definitely safe for short term use, however, the long term effects are not known yet. I did read on one website that their are case studies of patients who have taken melatonin on a long term basis, so I bet if you google that you may be able to find some answers. Otherwise, I would say your best bet would be to ask your pdoc. If I had to guess I would say no, your body would not stop producing it naturally, but that's just my guess.
This is a good question for a pharmacist or a doctor. They would know for sure. My guess would also be no! But who can be sure w/o a doctor's knowledge.
What you have to remember about Melatonin is that it is a Hormone, and with all hormones if you use it too much your body will stop producing it's own. Melatonin should only be used 3 or 4 times a week max. It can be addictive and your body can become dependent on it for sleep. The bad thing about all these sleep remedies is that they upset a person't natural Circadium Rhythym, and when this happens your body depends on whatever your taking to go to sleep.
Some other things you can try are Chamomile tea, Magnesium is a natural calming agent, when taking with a hot bath before bed, it can be maximized for relaxation, and of course Valerian Root.
This is all easialy obtained knowledge if you do an internet search, but you should also be sure and ask your pdoc these questions when you see him next time, especially since you've been having so much trouble sleeping.
I've tried most of them, but my insomnia is so severe....alot of these natural solutions don't do much for me. I keep a strict bedtime routine that stays the same each night, but still don't fall asleep until 4 or 5 in the morning and only get 2 - 3 hours a night. But everyone is different, and maybe some of them might work for you.
I guess I'll have to find other things for helping me sleep. I don't really want to take melatonin any longer than. I take 15mg of it a night and it still really doesn't put me to sleep anyways.
I have a question, you list psychosis as a part of your diagnosis in your signature, but "psychosis" isn't a "disorder" in itself. Psychosis is a symptom of a Disorder....so what disorder do you have that psychosis is a symptom of?
Were not sure yet actually. Thats why I only put down psychosis. My pdoc thinks it could be schizoaffective disorder. There is definitly some mood disorder aspect to it but I never get psychotic when I'm manic though so it couldn't be atypical bipolar. To be honest my pdoc isn't totally 100% sure about what to diagnose yet. I haven't been diagnosed with anything yet. Hopefully I won't have to be diagnosed with anything because I don't want to have to be labelled with something. I can remember being labelled with social anxiety disorder and it was terrible. All of my highschool teachers had to know about it. Don't know why but they would have found out anyways.
Well I hear voices see things that are apparently not real. I also feel bugs that aren't apparently real either. They always crawl underneath my skin which is really painful. I hate it when that happens. I know I've discussed more of this stuff with dreams I think in the schizophrenia forum. Fortunatly I haven't experienced any of these things for over 4 weeks which is good. Don't know why that is considering I haven't been on any antipsychotics for the past 4 weeks. But I have had trouble sleeping though. My pdoc says that I'm manic when this happens which is where this mood disorder aspect comes in. Although there were some voices that I did like hearing though that I could even talk back to. I miss talking to them.
There's absolutely no shame in being diagnosed with a mental illness. I have bipolar and PTSD yet I feel no embarrassment whatsoever. If people can't accept me for who I am bipolar and all, that's their problem -- not mine.
__________________
Atypical Bipolar I Disorder with Rapid Cycling
Meds:
Depakote 1500mg
Prozac 40mg
Risperdal 1mg titrating to 6mg/day
Klonopin .5mg (2x/day)
Trazodone 100mg or 200mg PRN
Last edited by dreams in neon; 03-29-2009 at 01:17 PM.
I hear voices when I'm in a normal mood if I accidentally skip a dose of my meds, but I don't know if this means I'm schizoaffective. I'll have to talk to my new pdoc about that when I see him tomorrow. Then again, it really doesn't matter to me as long as my meds work the way they're supposed to.
__________________
Atypical Bipolar I Disorder with Rapid Cycling
Meds:
Depakote 1500mg
Prozac 40mg
Risperdal 1mg titrating to 6mg/day
Klonopin .5mg (2x/day)
Trazodone 100mg or 200mg PRN
Last edited by dreams in neon; 03-29-2009 at 01:16 PM.
I just saw your post which said that your pdoc thinks you may have schizoaffective disorder. I'm not a pdoc, but I'm confused by that since people with schizoaffective hear voices when they're manic or depressed as well as when they're in a normal mood state. I wonder if you don't have bipolar 1 with psychotic features or atypical bipolar since people with these disorders tend to hear voices when they're depressed (and/or manic).
__________________
Atypical Bipolar I Disorder with Rapid Cycling
Meds:
Depakote 1500mg
Prozac 40mg
Risperdal 1mg titrating to 6mg/day
Klonopin .5mg (2x/day)
Trazodone 100mg or 200mg PRN
Well its a weird thing to make a diagnosis. You see I only get psychotic when I'm either in a normal mood or am depressed. So I suppose a diagnosis of schizoaffective might be pushing it and that it could just be bipolar 1 with psychotic features. Who knows anyways its so early to tell. I haven't even been psychotic for 4 weekks now. Maybe this will all go away. Although for some reason I feel as if its actually being manic and the lack of sleep which is preventing me from being psychotic.(I understand that its not usually the way it is with people when this happens though) I feel as if when this lack of sleep and this manic phase goes away I'll become psychotic again which I really hope doesn't happen.
If your med has helped with your psychosis for a month, chances are likely that it will continue to help you even when you are in a normal mood. I don't know if you experience psychotic depression, but I do. I've just started taking a high dose of Risperdal, so it will be interesting to see if it prevents me from experiencing psychosis when I'm depressed.
By the way, it doesn't take a long time for a pdoc to make a diagnosis. If you experience psychosis when you're in a normal mood state and when you're depressed, it means you have schizoaffective.
BPI with psychotic features describe people who *only* experience psychosis when they are manic and/or depressed.
__________________
Atypical Bipolar I Disorder with Rapid Cycling
Meds:
Depakote 1500mg
Prozac 40mg
Risperdal 1mg titrating to 6mg/day
Klonopin .5mg (2x/day)
Trazodone 100mg or 200mg PRN
You won't experience psychosis due to lack of sleep unless you've been awake for days. If you've been able to sleep a few hours each night, that will prevent psychosis from occurring.
As for whether or not your psychosis will go away permanently, that depends on what is causing it.
Hopefully the med you're on will help eliminate them completely.
__________________
Atypical Bipolar I Disorder with Rapid Cycling
Meds:
Depakote 1500mg
Prozac 40mg
Risperdal 1mg titrating to 6mg/day
Klonopin .5mg (2x/day)
Trazodone 100mg or 200mg PRN
I really don't understand why you're not seeing your pdoc more often until you at least get a diagnosis, waiting a month in between visits when your still trying to be evaluated seems a bit much.
Well you see I also see a nurse once a week who reports back to the psychiatrist. Tells him whether or not I am in a serious condition and need to see him earlier or whether I am ok to see him in a months time. I personally wish I could see him more than once a month but oh well. My manic state isn't something to threat about really. All it is is the lack of sleep that I've been getting. Thats all it is really. To the nurse as long as I get at least a few hours or even one hour of sleep a night and don't get psychotic again then it will stay as a month in between appointments. Which unfortunatly is all the sleep I have been getting. I do wish that the pdoc could do something more about it. Melatonin that he told me to take isn't really doing so well. Plus I don't really want to take it if you eventually start to not produce your own melatonin if you take to muck of it. By the way is 15mg. of melatonin too much?
that is just wrong....and if they're telling you that at least 1 hr. of sleep a night is all you need...that's crap. Seriously have you thought of gettting a different pdoc? or demanding to see your current pdoc now? Your his patient you pay him, you have that right.
I don't know what dose of melatonin is too much all i know is the article I read says you shouldn't take it more than 3 or 4 times a week.
You really need to see your pdoc and try to get the sleep thing under control, sleep depreivation itself can cause Mania or depression or a whole list of other problems.
Couldn't agree more when I see the nurse on Friday I'll ask if I could see the pdoc sooner because my next appointment is April 20th I think and I really don't want to have to wait that long.
