I've had enough and reduced to tears - anyone please advise?

I've had a mental health diagnosis for about 5 years now and I'm sick and tired of not feeling like my normal self for so long. I'm on an antipsychotic and thyroid medication and I have chronic insomnia. This means I barely get any sleep, feel groggy and tired all day, am not productive during my days and severely struggle to concentrate to the point where I struggle to even read books and watch tv. I have sought professional help and with a community mental health team where my psychiatrist and care coordinator seem to be useless. I'm sure the antipsychotic medication is the reason for my insomnia and as a result the problems in my life. I realize this isn't a medical forum but I am genuinely helpless. I have virtually failed university because of my problems and that has led to a whole host of more problems including continuing to live in an abusive household. At this point, I would seriously appreciate anybody to talk to.

I'm so sorry you're experiencing such difficult challenges. Please know that you are not alone and that support is out there . You might find useful resources on Student Space (www.studentspace.org.uk), including options to talk to someone. We are here for you. - Nicola

Have you tried counselling? Not for your insomnia but how you’re feeling overall. Your mental health sounds like it’s in shambles so you need to find a way to fix that first: whether it means taking a break from uni and getting into the right head space is up to you.

Hi there, thank you for replying
I agree it is

I am due to start CBT in September and I've just started psychotherapy. I'm not sure if any of these constitute counselling but thank you for the tip to take a break from everything because I think I need to do that. But there's other reasons that make university like a save haven for me as I'm away from home.

When I was at uni it used to be a safe haven for me too. Being at home was really **** because there was always so much drama and it was just very rough … so I know it can feel very rough. It used to make me so anxious. I really hope the CBT helps you and you find ways to feel more safe and less anxious x

You could try a different antipsychotic? IME they tend to make me very tired and I have no problems sleeping. Do have problems concentrating and absorbing information but one problem at a time?

I'm so sorry you're experiencing such difficult challenges. Please know that you are not alone and that support is out there . You might find useful resources on Student Space (www.studentspace.org.uk), including options to talk to someone. We are here for you. - Nicola

I've had a mental health diagnosis for about 5 years now and I'm sick and tired of not feeling like my normal self for so long. I'm on an antipsychotic and thyroid medication and I have chronic insomnia. This means I barely get any sleep, feel groggy and tired all day, am not productive during my days and severely struggle to concentrate to the point where I struggle to even read books and watch tv. I have sought professional help and with a community mental health team where my psychiatrist and care coordinator seem to be useless. I'm sure the antipsychotic medication is the reason for my insomnia and as a result the problems in my life. I realize this isn't a medical forum but I am genuinely helpless. I have virtually failed university because of my problems and that has led to a whole host of more problems including continuing to live in an abusive household. At this point, I would seriously appreciate anybody to talk to.

Here are my insomnia tips...
- go for a stroll in the daytime.
- avoid caffeine and sugary treats after 2pm
- drink camomile tea in the evenings
- play some quiet music or an audio book when you go to bed.

I know how difficult it is to do these when you are really tired during the day. If you can, make a daytime nap part of your daily routine. Good luck with finding your way to the other side of this tough phase in your life.

Hi! I know what you’re going through right now, I was in an abusive household too and spent years on antipsychotics for my anxiety, I never felt like I was getting anywhere with Camhs and it resulted in me making multiple attempts. you’re not alone in feeling this way, struggling with your mental health makes it so difficult to have a positive outlook on things, but I promise you, as cliche as it sounds, this doesn’t last forever. I moved out of my abusive home at 16 and it did me the absolute world of good, I’m a firm believer that whilst you’re still in that triggering situation it makes it 100x harder to recover and that’s okay, you just need some extra support. I think CBT will really benefit you, and if you’ve not already, I think it would be a good idea to speak to your team about what’s going on at home, there’s so much support they can offer you. And don’t feel bad about uni either, at the moment you’re just trying to make it through the day. That’s okay. You have the rest of your life to get an education, your mental health and happiness always comes first

Thank you so much. That was so comforting to read. Would it be ok to PM you further please?

I have tried that option, and I ended up relapsing because the dosage change was too low or something. I feel like I should be on a different antipsychotic tbh but I think I need a better psychiatrist too. And apparently the one im on has the least side effects

Thank you so much.
You have no idea, I have been clinging to uni for dear life but unfortunately cannot do much because I'm so troubled. It feels awful to not be able to do basic things you used to enjoy like reading and concentrating and therefore missing out on so much. I feel like I've genuinely lost my life, but I will look forward to the CBT

Under the NHS you are entitled to a second opinion. If your psychiatrist is useless, I'd ask to talk to a different one. There can be side effects/relapsing when changing medications but it really does sound like your current one isn't working for you so it'd probably be worth switching even if in the short term things were worse as they may be better long term.

As for "least side effects", it varies massively between people. I couldn't deal with olanzapine but my friend has been on it for years without any problems. There isn't really one with "least Side effects".

Yeah I went through periods of feeling like just unable to move and sort of paralysed. It can be quite suffocating. Feeling like everything is a drag. I think I don't really have a magic bullet that will take away your pain or anything but hopefully there is a light at the end of the tunnel that you can get out of this ... that one day you will. That it won't always be like this!

Ty so much