Cannot Sleep and Skin Crawling

Help!!
I am just about at 8 weeks after TOH surgery May 21/03 for extreme fibroids. Have had severe reactions to premarin, and estrogen cremes. Have a history of severe reactions to any drugs, medications. I can't sleep at any time, as soon as I close my eyes, everything speeds up. I am taking a light sleeping pill, and do manage about 5 hrs of quiet, and sleep. Wake up sweating, then extremely cold. Skin is crawling all the time, and I am very tired. Slight headaches, and dizzy spells, and blood pressure all over the place. I am taking a water pill for the blood pressure, (for the previous year, and now)
Does anyone have any suggestions. I think I would like to go the natural pathic way, but am not sure. I work full time, and am having difficulty keeping an even keel, during the day. I just want to sit somewhere quiet, but my body won't slow down.
When/how long/ will this go on? I am getting to that point of you have just stepped on my last nerve!

I had tah on 6-16. Kept my ovaries so I don't have the hormone issues but did want to let you know you are not alone! I can't sleep either! I too am very sensitive to meds and think my new antidepressant is partly to blame, although I was having trouble before I started it. My skin crawls all the time too and I'm sooo antsy I have to get up and stretch even though I'm not supposed to exercise yet, it's the only way I can even lay down is if I'm stretched to the max. I've been staying up later and later hoping by the time I finally go to bed I'll be able to sleep but that is backfiring because the later I go to bed the later it is before I finally do get to sleep. I get maybe 4 hours a night before ds's wake me in morning. I have not slept at all during days for fear that would make it even worse. Until yesterday i couldn't take it anymore and did crash for 2 hours. Of course it was 4 before I got to sleep this a.m.

When i go to bed I just feel like I will truely go insane! Like you said everything speeds up a bit. my dr gave me ambien but it has not helped at all!

Well, I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone and 2 in the morning when you fill like your being eaten by bugs that you can't see. I'll pray for us both to get some rest.

It does sound like your estrogen might be low. If you want to go natural you could try Black Cohosh, it is an herb, Remifemin is the brand name in the drug strores, Wal-Mart, Target. You can take vitamin E 400-800 i.u. ( don't go over 800). It takes up to 4 weeks on the herb, but a lot of people take it and like it. I took it prior to surgery , because I was having hot flashes. I am now on the patch which is great. It is the Vivelle Dot patch with the bio-identical estrogen that our ovaries made and I have no sypmptoms now. Please talk to your dr about the natural approach and the patch. Premarin is not bio-identical and that could be why it does not agree with you. Good luck.

s

I was in pre-menopause prior to my hyst and was on supplemental estrogen. I had to go off it for a few months before my surgery and I was suffering. I definately remember the insomnia and feeling like I had bugs on me all the time. I hated it.

I'm not on the .075 mg V-dot patch and loving it. I don't have any symptoms at all. This patch goes as low as .025 mg and it's meant just for the control of menopausal symptoms. You might ask your DR about it.

I am really drug sensitive also. I am the person they are talking about on TV when there is an add for a RX and they list all the side effects. Knowing this, I have always chosen the homeopathic trail. I had a TAH/BSO on June 17 and started using a product that my Health Food Store carries called Estrotone. It's Black Cochosh, Schizandra, Ginger, Chasetree & Rosemary. Seems to be working for me because the first day home from the hospital I started having major hot flashes and none since I started this. Because I am drug sensitive, I am also herb sensitive and things work on me quickly. Don't knowif this will help you. I fought my Doctor on the issue because they wanted to put the patch on me in the hospital. I wanted to see how I felt first. I admitted that I might scream for mercy and change my mind but, none the less, I was willing to take the chance. I might still change my mind and go for the bio-idental estrogen if I need to but Iheard that once you get started on estrogen, it's difficult to get off. I don't know how true that is???ANYONE KNOW??? Good luck

I'm in my fifth week after my LAVH. I have been off of all pain medication for about a week, and I cannot sleep. I'm on my fifth day of having very little sleep. I will start to feel sleepy, but when I lie down, I am wide awake, and I feel like I am crawling out of my skin. What is going on? Nobody told me about this part! Help!

((((BornAgain1001))))

I cannot pretend to know exactly how you are feeling, but I can speculate, certainly. I do recall needing a period of adjustment after having left all the pain meds behind, learning how to get to sleep at night, dealing with waking during the night. I didn't take long, but I prevailed with the sleeplessness. Something else, too -- I was taking oral estrogen, which, for some women, work just fine, but it was not delivering the right amount of estrogen. Are you on HRT? Did you have your ovaries removed? I have read quite a bit here about sleeplessness suffered chronically by other women; for for me, it pretty much resolved itself with the "right" amount of estrogen delivery. And this "skin crawling," you mentioned... is that sort of like anxiety or does your skin actually feel like little things crawling? As I understand it, and is has been my experience, that also can be a sign of too little estrogen.

Susan

I had a complete hysterectomy - ovaries and all. I started HRT with the estrogen patch. My doctor recently switched me to Estratest in attempt to combat the sleeplessness. I literally do not get sleepy; it's very frustrating. When my skin is crawling, I cannot be still. It does sort of feel like bugs crawling under your skin. I went to an herbal store a few days ago and bought some recommended amino acids and calcium to help with the sleeplessness, but that does not seem to have made a difference. I have about a week left before I have to return to work, and I would really like to get this area of my life back to normal. What are the normal levels of estrogen for HRT that are given to women? What about the progesterone? What purpose does it serve? Melissa

You might need an adjustment with your hormones. The dosages are determined by symptoms mostly. I would give my dr a call and mention how miserable you feel. Also the Hormone Jungle forum is a good place to go and get info on hormones, the ladies over there are very knowledgeable. I hope you feel better real soon.

s

I have had good results taking KavaKava, a natural supplement. When I have those sleepless nights or skin crawling I take two KavaKava capsules and within a few minutes I can fall asleep. Because it is natural I don't worry about it hurting me in any way. And I am in no way groggy from them. I just sleep and relax during the night which makes for a better morning. Good luck!! Keep us posted-----