Insomnia and Brain Spasms

Symptoms
#21

All of what you guys are describing reminds me so much of GABA complex disorder symptoms. The insomnia, the anxiety, the spasm.

Just for educational purpuses, and I’m not suggesting to use any of these, have any of you tried:
Ashwagandha, Kava kava, Passion Flowers, Bacopa, Valerian, Silexan ?

They are all anxiolytic plants that acts on the GABA (A) receptors.

Any of you have tried GABA supplements or Taurine (which is a secondary GABA regulator after Allopregnanolone) ?

If you have tried any of those, what was the results ?

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#22

Hi,
I’ve tried all of the herbs mentioned inclusive of gabba supplementation, they all provided me with benefits however under the full blown PFS I became sensitive to them all. They now have the opposite effect so I avoid. I took gabba for a few years around 2005 I felt great looked younger and had lean muscle mass. It was one of the best supplements I’ve taken. In recent times I also ate turkey prior to bed when sleep was particularly bad this worked well but I also developed resistance . My sleep without intervention/strategies ranges between nil to 1 to 2 hours. With Hypno tapes I fall asleep pretty quickly but awaken minutes later. My routine is pretty rigid in terms of times I go to bed 22.00 at the latest and get up at 7am. 2 nights ago I fell asleep 11ish woke at 12ish then fell asleep again through to about 4am. Last night I fell asleep about 11 and didn’t wake until 4am. Was on the verge of falling asleep again but my son came in and jumped on me :slight_smile:. While this may be another false dawn/short lived im a little more optimistic as not adding anything to induce sleep. I think the fasting and estrogen avoidance may be beneficial in reducing the hormonal imbalances and spikes. After all when you get endocrine function testing they advise you to fast for 12 hrs!!! I also feel a little better in my mood and brain function today. This is despite leaving my job and my wife and son about to depart. All which you expect to have a determinatal effect on sleep. Prior to PFS I took everything in my stride so was never a worrier or an insomniac. I’ll keep you guys posted.

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#23

Good luck. That sounds really positive. I’m sure you’ll feel better in every way if you can keep improving your sleep.

1 Like
#24

@Ozeph The brain spasms are known as hypnagogic or hypnic jerks. You’re right about it being connected to GABA (A) receptors. XP has written about them on the forum including a treatment.

#25

@axolotl hope you’re well. In one of your posts you mentioned getting the brain spasms or hypnic jerks which didn’t improve for several months. XP has written about these, sadly he’s not around to ask. Just wondering if you tried to treat these with any GABA A agonists or sort out any alternative treatments? Thanks

#26

Can you link to the treatments?

#27

Here you go @Mcbbould Ozeph has written about these above Ashwagandha, Kava kava, Passion Flowers, Bacopa, Valerian, Silexan and XP has mentioned a few in his post How to treat hypnic jerks (involuntary sleep twitches)?.

#28

Slightly disappointed as the improvements have not continued. However I still had more sleep than normal “prob 3 hrs ish” more disappointingly my crash pattern is emerging, urine has become darker and the skin dryness has increased “even lower sebum” I think this is a sign of a drop in DHT and an increase in estrogen dominance. We all know that our bodies reacts negativily after a short lived improvement. I also get a blocked right nostril in the run up, Dora’s anyone else get this or knowo what this is linked too? (neuropathy). Regardless I’m not fully dispondant as this crash journey feels less aggressive/not as reactive/slower hormonal build, so I’m going to stick with the current regime to see if it settles down. Cheers R

#29

@LazarusRy so sorry to hear this. Do things come back to normal after your crash? What tends to happen when you crash? Painful headachess?

Can anyone explain this?
Last night I took a drop of melatonin perhaps 0.5mg compared to 3mg pre crash dose. It caused my head to burn. Is this response normal after a crash?
The same response happened to Niacin except it lasted a whole day. I think Niacin can reduce over methylation I’m not sure if melatonin plays any role in this process?
I haven’t slept in around 2 weeks and need to try something but am worried it will make matters worse and cause head burning.

#30

I get chronic insomnia, anxiety, suicidal ideation irritability, low mood, sense of worthlessness, dryer skin, low appetite, red eyes, testicular pain, neuropathy, painful gums, dry throat, numbness and shrinkage, cold/hot sweats, fluctuations in body temperature, rapid heart beat. Lasts a few days then starts to settle where I continue to have the symptoms to a lesser degree - cheers

#31

@LazarusRy it must be very difficult to function under those symptoms. Did you ever get head burning after your first crash? What’s your current testosterone levels like? Are your thyroid levels ok? Sorry for all the questions.

#32

It’s ok mate, I don’t that’s why I’ve had to pack in work and losing my wife and son! It’s all got too much! Can’t recall a head burn but had spells where I though I was going to pass out, maybe more to do with the ticker, light headed! My bloods invariably come back normal. Endocrinologists at the end of the month so see what if anything that throws up

#33

Hi guys.
As an update to the current regime.
The improvements around cognitive function were maintained yesterday. I.e no suicidal ideation and a reduced sense of permanent torture. Some humour and positivity emerged, with low level of anxiety too. Saw the CBT therapist for the first time and in her view was all of this is text book hormonal imbalance. Nothing to eat from 5pm, bed at 10pm, I had about 3 hrs again. Woke covered in sweat, numbness in toes and feet, testicular pain, gum pain and blocked right nostril. While lying in bed the sides disapated barring the gums… Despite yesterday’s disappointment of the crash symptoms starting to emerge, I haven’t seen a further decline/ progressive path. I’ll continue with things as they are and provide the daily update.
Cold sweats during the day also seen to have reduced.
Cheers.

#34

Congrats with your improvements. Have you tried a low dose treatment of glutathione, helps with cognitive function and emotional numbness.

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#35

Brain spasms have now gone but left with awful head pressure and an inability to relax at night and sleep. Been awake now for around 14 days and not slept 1 minute during that time. During the start of the crash I did feel able to sleep but the spasms would jolt as I fell asleep.

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#36

Hi mate, 14 nights without sleep that must be really tough. I haven’t tried glutathione. I’m reluctant, as terrified what it might bring, everything has brought some initial improvements followed by worsening of symptoms. The current regime is a mixed back in terms of cognition and physical stuff.ie plateaud as having a few downers again but not as bad as previously. However still getting some sleep ranging between 3 and 5 hrs. Cheers

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#37

@2981probably best to be patient, when we are making progress we can get over confident and cause a crash.

Yesterday evening I took 1.75mg of zopiclone and crashed. Genitals have shrank, some brain burn and pain in my left hip. Prescribed dose was 7.5mg.

Does anyone else get these types of crashes? How long do they last, thanks.

#38

Another night of no sleep. I’m now looking into acupuncture to improve blood flow to the brain and for treatment of insomnia. Acupuncture has been documented on the forum but I think towards the use of manipulating male hormones.

For the past 3 days I’ve been doing somantics as I noticed my muscles had become tight possibly due to the release of stress hormones. Somantics has been mentioned in a thread by moonman on dealing with hip issues. This website below provides an up to dated version with dvds to download. The author of the original book on amazon passed away in 1990 and the pictures in his book are apparently difficult to follow. The routine lasts about an hour and involves gentle stretching to retrain body movement between brain and muscle. My head feels more clear and less stressed after this routine.

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#39

Hi mate,
Similar for me crashes tend to last a few days of intensity then I slowly return to my baseline over the course of the next few days (which is low). This tends to be my cycle. Though I have hardly had any chest pains “anxiety” since the intermittent fasting. Previously they were crushing me and almost constant. I’d recommend giving it a try

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#40

If the body comes under extreme stress after a crash the article suggests stress is behind the burning headaches that some of us get but how do we treat it? Has anyone had any success?

I’ve already posted this article elsewhere but the protocol includes a clean diet, good fats and supplements to release Substance P such as Magnesium, Quercetin, Acetyl L-Carnitine and Cayenne.

Has anyone improved through anti-histamines?

Zoplicone 1.75mg caused me to crash last night. Qutapel caused massive head pressure and failed. I’ve now been given Remeron to try. Unsure what to do as it may cause a crash but desperately need sleep. Dr had no response for how long I could continue without sleep.

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