Suggest Treatment For Difficulty In Sleeping While Having Depression

Brief Answer:
Information.

Detailed Answer:

Hello,

Difficulty getting quality sleep can be from the depression - usually with wakening after too few hours sleep, or difficulty falling asleep because of worrying thoughts.

Poor sleep can also be from other causes such as sleep apnea (snoring can be a sign of this), thyroid problems, and other causes. I don't have enough history from you to go on here, so I am listing a variety of possibilities.

I see that you are or have taken Paxil, and will assume that you took it for long enough to know that it was not working adequately for you. There are other antidepressants - different families of antidepressants that you can try, or if you are currently on Paxil and find it helps somewhat but not enough, there are medications that can be added to augment its effects.

Cognitive therapy with a licensed psychologist can sometimes help as well as medications, as can regular exercise.

But it is important to make sure there aren't physiological causes for your sleep problems and other symptoms, so I recommend that you talk with your doctor about this. A thyroid blood panel and CBC (to check for anemia too) would be a place to start, and an apnea test can be done at home and then the device that tests your breathing during sleep can be mailed in for interpretation - if apnea is a possibility for you.

Hope this helps your query.

Regards,
Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician

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