nearing the end

Now I'm at a point where I can hardly get to sleep even with the benzo, my short term and long term memory are shot, and im extremely depressed. Finals and final projects are looming (Dec 14-22nd) and i'm barely capable of dressing myself. I have no idea what to do. I need help so badly.

[Pat Shields]

1. Are your sinuses swelled shut? Airborne allergens this time of year, or rhinitis from a virus floating in the air this time or year, can account for the sleeplessness and malaise, and you might not even be aware of it.

2. Information overload from finals time, that in itself can cause the feelings you describe. I don't mean this to be discouraging, but I failed all my finals but one in my final senior semester. Why am I saying this? Because
I lived
I had pneumonia and an open surgical wound at the time, adding to the stress
I felt better once it was all over
I have the degree and never have to do that again
You will make it, too, it won't last forever
Failure isn't fatal

You can't dress yourself? Go to sleep in your clothes. Been there, done that. Have a bottle of juice and a bottle of water and some crackers beside your sleeping place. When you awake, drink something, nibble something, then get up and put one foot in front of the other and walk away.

[efexorsam]

I think the stress is exacerbating your symptoms. I am sure you will do better in your exams than you expect.

Be careful taking benzos, as they can cause all the problems you wrote about in your post.

Take care man.

[kathleen2]

Don't worry about the benzos now. Honestly, just don't. This board is full of people who've taken them and gotten off, and so will you.

Sleep deprivation impairs cognitive function (but temporarily, until you sleep). I just heard on the radio a study that found that sleep-dep driving is as impaired as drunk driving.

So: how to sleep? I really want you to go to that student health clinic, walk in, and tell them you need to sleep. Ask for a sleep med. Benzos are designed to sedate, not to induce sleep.

When you sleep, things will seem less grave, and you can make a game plan for the next few weeks. Maybe you'll take an incomplete and finish the work over the summer. Maybe you'll get a less than perfect grade, but I swear, it will all be okay.

I also hope that you're letting your folks know what's going on. They love you; let them help?

[Mixter]

I agree with efexorsam, and also with kathleen2. Use a antihistamine instead for sleep, like Donormyl is best pure H1 blocker (you can order it if you google on it same name on web site adress .com)

[CaseyT]

Stay away from the Benzos........I hate to disagree with others, but I serve as a moderator on TRAP, and have personally been to Benzo hell. This is no place you want to go. Stick to the antihistamine. Much safer than the other.
Wishing you peace and sleep.

[long_way_home]

I take Zyrtec (an antihistamine) and it really knocks me out. You might want to try it for sleep.

[Songbird]

Originally Posted by kathleen2

Benzos are designed to sedate, not to induce sleep.

Some benzos are sleep meds, others are just designed to calm. For example, temazepam is a benzo that is used as a sleep med.

I agree with Kathleen - I think it's okay to use a sleep med to get you through this stressful time, as long as you are careful and don't use more than you need, and you wean off it again as soon as you're able.

[efexorsam]

I didn't mean to alarm you about the benzo when I wrote 'be careful'. How long have you been taking it and at what dose? Long term use causes depression amongst other things, but like an ssri cannot be stopped except very slowly. I hope you feel better soon, and as I said I'm sure the stress of college etc is probably making you feel worse. As my tutor told me when I was studying a few years ago 'they're only exams, nothing to worry about really'.

[ray34iyf]

Give the magnesium orotate a try. It's 10000x better than other magnesiums. Also, have you tried higher dose vitamin C? Those two things are very easy and could help a lot.