Need Advice

[crazyblue]

There are a few things I need advice with so I'll start listing. lol

Shift work or not shift work??? I work 12hr shifts as a nurse and I'm required to do half of them nights/month. Any one else able to maintain this life style? I have not gone back to nights since being diagnosed and I'm supposed to go back (after the end of mat leave dec07) to doing nights. I really don't think I could or SHOULD. Any tips???

SSRI's???? I'm taking Celexa which is working GREAT for me. It's controlling almost all my symptoms so that I could maintain somewhat of a life. Only problem is that I'm trying to go off to try another tx since I'm starting to have some side effects after over a year being on them. My head gets so spacey when I try. I can't function or drive or even think. I'm getting so frustrated with myself and everyone around me.

Doctors??? Does anyone know if the ones in Canada will do teleconferencing??? I really can't afford to go out to Quebec. My Dr over here is a complete joke and I've been the one telling him how to treat me all this time. I'm even the one who told him to order me a tilt table test so that I could finally be diagnosed. I need someone that is willing to help out more and that is informed. I even offered him all the info I'd printed up and he just blew it off.

[Ernie]

Hi,

My niece is a nurse and has no problem managing shift work POTS and NCS. She has 2 children of her own.

There are other SSRIs you could try: Paxil, Lexapro to name a few.

I think doctors have to physically see the patient. I once asked to consult Dr Grubb by phone but they refused because of insurance purpuse.

[Mrs. Burschman]

Christina,

Paxil is a godsend for me, but if you're going to try another SSRI, I wouldn't recommend it. It supposedly has the worst side effects of all of them, and it's also the hardest to quit if you decide not to take it anymore. Obviously, I didn't know that when I started taking it!

Amy

[ehl5]

If you want to switch to another SSRI, I highly recommend a controlled release form. That way you don't get all the medicine hitting you at once. I'm on Paxil CR and like Mrs. Burschman said, it's VERY hard to quit. I've run out before (during finals week no less) and didn't sleep for four days (which considering the timing wasn't the worst thing in the world) and felt so tightly wound and tachycardic. It was miserable. However, I've had very little in the way of side effects from it (as opposed to regular Paxil, which was pretty awful in that department) and I've been on it for about 6 years.

[ajw4790]

For night shift, I actually prefer it. I am a serious night owl. The one thing is you may have to flip around your meds and take the ones that may make you drowsy when you get home in the morning (if there are any). But, it would be hard to bounce back and forth frequently from day and then to night shifts.

For going off Celexa. Celexa was not for me, so without having to go off of it I went to Zoloft. Before Celexa I was on Lexapro and also had the seemless transition. So, maybe that would be best. Or if there is another drug like a beta blocker you could go on and then wean off the Celexa, to help with any POTS type symptoms. I guess just don't try to do too much at once. But, if the Celexa has to go, then it has to go . See if a dr. can help you with something to ease the transition. Or to back off slower, by breaking up the tablets.

Good luck!

[crazyblue]

I actually prefer night shifts also but I found I couldn't sleep well (of course this was while pregnant so it could be different now) switching back and forth all the time. Guess I won't know until I try it

Thanks for the advise. I see my Dr on Wed so we'll see what he says re: meds and specialist. (My Dr is only a family GP)

[flop]

Hi,

night shifts can be a real problem, my current job needs me to work nights too. I quite enjoy the actual shift and am lucky enough to sleep soundly during the day (in fact I probably sleep more when working nights than I do when working days). The real problem for me is trying to flip my body-clock backwards and forwards after the run of night shifts is over.

One suggestion would be to see if your employer could let you do your night shifts in longer blocks so that they come up less often. Not working continuously but having days off during your nights that allow you to rest but also stay nocturnal. I think there was something in the news a while back that showed working permanent nights was much healthier than doing short bursts of nights. Perhaps if you could do 3 months worth of nights all together then have the rest of the three months working just day shifts? However with a baby, unless you have really good childcare I suspect that wouldn't work.

Try talking to your employer and see if you can work something out.

Flop

[pat57]

I was working 7- 1am for 5 years. Got to bed about 2am. Got up with daughter for school at 6:30 am.

In august I saw my MD, major complaint- fatigue, second- moodiness.

Dr, said, "your not getting 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, that can cause Fibromialgia and all sorts of problems, including depression and your depressed "

Anyway, I have a new job 8 am -2pm. I am feeling great, comparatively speaking.