Q:

I am having bad insomnia. I took Ambien for it for a while and I slept great, but I've been out for a few weeks and my sleeping seems to be even worse than before. Sometimes I can't sleep until 3 or 4 am after going to bed at 10.30, and when I do sleep, I have nightmares all through the night and wake up five or six times. When I wake in the morning I am exhausted and sore but I can't go back to sleep.

I never had nightmares like this before, and I am not stressed out, so I don't know why I am having them. What can I do to fix this problem? I feel like I've tried everything and it's only getting worse.

 

A:

Insomnia with nightmares can be a transient problem related to stress or circumstances, illness or reactions to medications or substances (caffeine, alcohol) consumed during the day. Assuming you have ruled out all these things and this has been an ongoing problem, then it is time to look at whether there is an underlying mood disorder such as depression or anxiety disorder causing this on a persistent basis. A sleep study can be helpful as well in some situations.

There are safe medications that are non-addictive that can be used on a longer term basis for this, including low dose doxepin, amitryptiline and trazodone. The Student Health Center can prescribe these, but it may be helpful to make an appointment with the Counseling Center to review your symptoms to see if there are some issues you are not currently aware of.

~The Doc