EKO asked:

Hello all,

I have a few health concerns that are really getting to me lately. I hope you can help.

Basically, in mid December, due to many a reason, I developed severe, chronic insomnia. I was literally awake for over 3 weeks solid. Eventually and with great hesitation, I gave in to meds because of how bad my health got. I was hospitalized. Scary stuff. Anywho, even with sleeping pills, my sleep still wasn’t as restorative as it should be. Soooo, the doctors prescribed the infamous antidepressant, Effexor ( thinking that the insomnia is the outcome of some inner turmoil such as depression or anxiety). Hard to say really…Not sleeping for that long can mimic the worst of psychiatric disorders…Long story short,, I took effexor since January, and boy did it **** me up. So I was switched to another infamous one, Cymbalta. And again the side effects were intolerable. All the while takin sleeping pills and anti psychotics (for their apparent off label help with insomnia).

Throughout the course of the meds or for all i know, the ridiculously long period of sleepless nights, I developed a horrible pressure, tightness around my head, tinnitus in my right ear, and flashes and floaters in my eyes.

Approximately 2 months ago, I had enough, and against doctors orders, I started lowering the dosage of Effexor ( which i was put back on because the cymbalta effects were abit worse)…I was able to somehow get my sleep back too (after getting off that horrible stuff).

Which brings us to now… I am med free..Sleeping fine…Appetite back…Sexual desire back…Thinking is clear, coherant and cohesive…HOWEVER, its been 2 months of me sleeping again and not taking medication, and am still having that relentless, crushing, vice like feeling around my head 24/7…The ringing in my right ear is still louder than ever…And the flashes/ floaters in front of my eyes have not subsided…On top, I’m experiencing some weird “i don’t feel real” feelings too.Been to every which doctor and am not getting an answer I’m satisfied with. Could this be withdrawal from the meds? or some permanent damage from the long nights of sleeplessness? or something else altogether?..Had medical tests (blood work and MRI) 4 months ago. Everything ok…Not getting proper answers from the medical community at all! I don’t know whts goin on….My quality of life is greatly diminished, and I am growing increasingly desperate…Any help or insight is greatly appreciated….Any alternative therapies (other than acupuncture that might help?)Sorry for the length of the post….

btw…im a 24 yr old male if that matters…

calmncool2 asked:

I have a plethera of Diagnoses – Big one BP1 and also PTSD. I told my MD that sometimes like while at work I get an overwhelming sense of fatigue, my vision blurs and I feel like I can’t snap out of it – I just stare until I can “bring myself to” I’m not sure how long these last – not too long because no coworker has ever noticiced it. Does this happen to anyone else. What does your MD think it is. Mine said maybe from the PTSD – but I don’t really understand that.
This happened before I started any meds and improved a little after I started them. How would I know if is sleep apnea. I am a little overweight but not much.
I don’t snore at all.

EKO asked:

Hello all,

I have a few health concerns that are really getting to me lately. I hope you can help.

Basically, in mid December, due to many a reason, I developed severe, chronic insomnia. I was literally awake for over 3 weeks solid. Eventually and with great hesitation, I gave in to meds because of how bad my health got. I was hospitalized. Scary stuff. Anywho, even with sleeping pills, my sleep still wasn’t as restorative as it should be. Soooo, the doctors prescribed the infamous antidepressant, Effexor ( thinking that the insomnia is the outcome of some inner turmoil such as depression or anxiety). Hard to say really…Not sleeping for that long can mimic the worst of psychiatric disorders…Long story short,, I took effexor since January, and boy did it **** me up. So I was switched to another infamous one, Cymbalta. And again the side effects were intolerable. All the while takin sleeping pills and anti psychotics (for their apparent off label help with insomnia).

Throughout the course of the meds or for all i know, the ridiculously long period of sleepless nights, I developed a horrible pressure, tightness around my head, tinnitus in my right ear, and flashes and floaters in my eyes.

Approximately 2 months ago, I had enough, and against doctors orders, I started lowering the dosage of Effexor ( which i was put back on because the cymbalta effects were abit worse)…I was able to somehow get my sleep back too (after getting off that horrible stuff).

Which brings us to now… I am med free..Sleeping fine…Appetite back…Sexual desire back…Thinking is clear, coherant and cohesive…HOWEVER, its been 2 months of me sleeping again and not taking medication, and am still having that relentless, crushing, vice like feeling around my head 24/7…The ringing in my right ear is still louder than ever…And the flashes/ floaters in front of my eyes have not subsided…On top, I’m experiencing some weird “i don’t feel real” feelings too.Been to every which doctor and am not getting an answer I’m satisfied with. Could this be withdrawal from the meds, or some permanent damage from the long nights of sleeplessness or something else altogether..Had medical tests (blood work and MRI) 4 months ago. Everything ok…I don’t know whts goin on….My quality of life is greatly diminished, and I am growing increasingly desperate…Any help or insight is greatly appreciated….Sorry for the length of the post….

Elly ♥ asked:

so just recently, as i’ve got into my mid teens (im 16) i’ve been extremely anxious about everything. for example, i **** being around other people apart from my mum, and dad. i get so nervous, shy, and i freeze and feel sick when i have to socialize with other people, i just wanna get away and be on my own. i feel like this with my siblings too, i **** it.
also i get so anxious about things like my health, i sometimes see alot of floaters in my eyes and even though i’ve had my eyes checked twice and they’re healthy, im convinced im gonna go blind one day:( im paranoid about things i can see in my eyes which arent there. and if i have the slightest toothache i think my tooths gonna fall out. i even went through a stage of being afraid of death. i get self-conscious too. am i mad? or do i just have extreme anxiety, i heard you can get diagnosed with anxiety.
i am quite depressed as my nervousness around people makes it so i dont have any friends at all i want some. none of my siblings are like this at all (i have 8), why am i different?

can someone give me some tips on how to overcome this?

hotwings asked:

If you visualize more and practice visualization, does it cause you to hallucinate more? Because if you visualize while you read, aren’t you
actually seeing things right before your eyes right? If you see things right in front of you, then that is hallucination right? I have always been an auditory learner for some reason, but somebody nearby mentioned that I should become more of a visual learner. So I don’t know what it is like to have visual images in my head. I don’t have dreams very often, so I have been doing minds eye exercises to help my imagination. How do normal people with strong imaginations control their images?

Lately, I have been so curious on the concept of visualization. It is a concept that has always dumbfounded me. Recently I started practicing mental math, and suddenly colors popped up in my head. So now I try to imagine lines in colors, but if I try to practice more. Will the images become even stronger, causing me to hallucinate more?

The whole point of imagination is to develop my memory. So that is why I practice visualization.

lindsey,fool. asked:

Whenver I’m alone, I think I see shadows, faces, and other figures. But when there is someone else nearby, I’m fine. Also, I have floaters in my eyes. Do you think floaters might be the problem?