Help Me Im Only 15!!!

[TheWeepingCamel]

I am only 15, and i have been having trouble sleeping for months (especially during the summer) so I decided to take some sleeping pills to help....well I have been taking them every night for the past few months. My boyfriend asked me last week to stop taking them because it scares him. As if I couldn't stop when I wanted to....like a drug addict. I believe its not that big of a deal, but im scared to try. I am so dependent on them b/c things at home arnt so great so i just sleep through it. I don't know what I should do or tell my boyfriend. So far the deal is I will stop taking my pills if he quits smoking....It seems fair, but what if I really can't.......Is this serious?

 

Please help i'm scared and confused

[lynnered]

U need to talk to Ur parents ,

then see a doctor who can help U stop sleeping pills& if U need a prescription a doctor will give that to U.,

im not sure how long U suposed to take sleeping pills but talk to a adult in Ur life if U cant talk to parents .

goodluck

[quankanne]

have you been to a doctor to discuss your sleeping problems? Often, it's stress-related, though sometimes there is a medical basis for lack of sleep. You being 15, your body is ravaged by hormones (wink, wink, the fun kind and the NOT so fun kind, but hormones all the same) and I think that would be enough to through your system off balance. I know when I hit puberty, up until about 10 years ago, I had a problem with migraines, so yeah, hormones can mess things up.

 

speaking with your doctor will also help you get your concerns out into the open, because you'll have someone a bit older and unrelated who can listen, then give counsel. And that's a good thing.

 

just keep this in mind: while things might not be that great right now, there is light at the end of the tunnel. It might not be apparent at times, but I guarantee, it's there. You've just got to have faith that you'll see it. In the meantime, get help, be it from your doctor or even through a crisis counsellor. Getting addicted to sleeping and/or a sleeping aid (like pills) is a sign of depression, which again, can possibly be rooted in a medical base. You don't need the headache of an addition, kiddo – by coming on this forum and sharing your concern with us, you've already made the biggest step toward kicking it.

 

hugs,

quank

[TheWeepingCamel]

i have also been to a shrink last summer nd told i had depression and he wanted me on meds...but my mother refused them and i stopped seing hin b/c it mad me feel more depressed for feeing crazy.....and i donno if that plays into my dependency or not....but its been 3 days since i took them and i haven been able to sleep before 1 am.....is it really that serious?

[lynnered]

maybe U should try another doctor or maybe another prescripton may work,

i wasnt clear if Ur saying pills or doctor made U feel crazy?

yes its serious if U feel addicted to anything ,

depression does not mean Ur crazy , U are young its better to get help now rather then later .

everything is between U & doctor unless U feel like harming yourself or others.

what are U doing before bed?

are U watching TV or laying in the dark thinking?

and how about natural ways of trying to sleep ?

reading , yoga,exercise but do it in the morning,

if its been more then a month yes U need to see a doctor & not getting enough sleep can cause depression and depression can cause U to not be able to sleep.

maybe U should start writing down when U cant sleep ,how U are feeling ETC when (and U need to)U go back to the doctor .

is Ur mother refusing U to go to doctor or medication?

if its doctors then maybe Ur father can take U & if its meds & U really need it talk & shes refusing tell doctor this & see what can be done to help her understand Ur problem,

i hope everything gets better take care of U:love:

[quankanne]

i have also been to a shrink last summer nd told i had depression and he wanted me on meds...but my mother refused them and i stopped seing hin b/c it mad me feel more depressed for feeing crazy.....and i donno if that plays into my dependency or not....but its been 3 days since i took them and i haven been able to sleep before 1 am.....is it really that serious?

 

you not getting to sleep before 1 in the morning can be troubling, but nothing out of the ordinary, IMHO. What do you do during the day? Are you experiencing stress but not giving it an outlet – exercise can help work off tension, and it can help get your sleep cycle back online because you're phyically tired enough tosleep.

 

about depression: a lot of people misunderstand the causes and act like it's Something Not To Be Mentioned, Ever. And that's pure bullshxt. Depression can be your body's response to something not right that messes with your system, like stress or long-term illness, as well as something that's been part of your genetic make-up from the get-go. Either way, it's all about chemical imbalance and how it affects you. The simplest analogy is care of a car. Even if you've never driven one, you understand that it take fuel to make it run; that you've got to pop the hood every so often to make sure that the oil and brake fluid and radiator coolent levels are topped so that it runs properly.

 

it's the exact same thing with your body: if one chemical level is too low or too high, you feel out-of-whack. The good news is, it's fixable.

 

a couple of years ago, I'd run myself ragged driving across the state to help my parents because my mom was in such bad health. When it became apparent that she was dying, I stepped up those visits while still working full-time and it took it's toll on me. Thank God for my doctor, who started out with a regimen of vitamins then switched me over to an anti-depressant, which I still take. The end result is that I feel as good as I did before I did before, and I'm much better able to cope with crisis. Every once in a while things get hairy, emotionally, but the difference is that I know I'm able to cope, because for the longest time it felt like I was underwater. Able to see and hear and feel, but from a distance. I've posted a wonderful article that helps explain how your body chemistry affects your mental and emotional state, which may give you a general idea of why you're responding how you are to the stress.

 

http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=160

 

as much as your mom may hate the idea of you being on anti-depressants, it's no different than taking antibiotics to knock out an infection, it's something your body needs to right things.

 

as for the sleeping question, again, talk to your doctor about this. He may tell you to get something over the counter that's non-addictive, he may prescribe an anti-depressant that will lessen your need or desire to sleep. Or, he may just say that because it's warmer months, your body needs less sleep, therefore you stay up til 1 a.m.

 

another thought: are you eating heavy meals before bedtime, or drinking caffeinate stuff like soda or tea or even coffee? That'll mess up your sense of sleep at night. Going to bed when your blood sugar is low will also keep you awake – it's your body's way of saying "alert, alert, I need fuel so feed me, dammit" – and a simple glass of chocolate milk will fix that.

 

the causes can be varied, so your best bet is to just go see your doctor. If you think your mom will have problems again when the doctor suggests anti-depressants, make a copy of what you've read on the link above, and have your doctor give it to her to read during the visit. It may just open her eyes to a point where she realizes there's something she can do to help.

 

best of luck to you, kiddo

[New_Wife]

I'm sorry to hear of the troubles you are having.

 

Does your mom not want to pay for the medication, or does she just not want you to need it?

 

I agree with the other posters who suggest you talk to your doctor, but if you parents are opposed to paying for it - that does put you in a bit of a spot. There should be a Public Health Department, Planned Parenthood (they're not just for birthcontrol) or another teen clinic that you can take yourself to & get your medications directly from the clinic at a reasonable cost. If not, talk to your school nurse &/or counselor - they've likely got a lot of referral options.

 

You don't want to be taking any sort of sleeping medication for too long. Not just because you don't know the underlying cause, but, for example, if you're taking Tylenol PM, you're putting a load on your organs by taking it every night. Ask your doctor or nurse about herbal melatonin. It helps regulate sleep cycles without all the harsh chemicals. BUT, ask a provider first! If it's a simple dietary deficiency, you don't want to medicate the symptom and miss the problem.