College grad here, trying my hand at rewriting an interesting article about sleep struggles during the pandemic. So, like, I never used to have problems with sleeping until COVID-19 hit. A few months into lockdown last year, I just couldn’t seem to fall or stay asleep. My mind was racing with worries, and the longer I stayed in bed, the more anxious I got about not getting any shut-eye. It was a vicious cycle that left me totally drained. Eventually, I started feeling depressed, so I knew it was time to seek help.
The journey to find a sleep aid that actually worked without causing a bunch of nasty side effects turned into a real ordeal. The first med I tried was some antihistamine called hydroxyzine, but it made me super groggy the next morning, so I ditched it. I was too tired to go back to the doc, so I resorted to a mix of over-the-counter melatonin, my husband’s gabapentin, and some sketchy pills I picked up on a trip. As the stress of the pandemic and other life issues piled up, my sleep issues got even worse. It felt like a never-ending struggle, you know?
Fast forward to me finally finding a PA who listened to my problems and prescribed an antidepressant, bupropion. It helped a bit, but my anxiety at night was still out of control. We added an anti-anxiety med, buspirone, to the mix, and that’s when things got weird. I started having hallucinations in the middle of the night, which freaked me out big time. Turns out, it was a side effect of the buspirone, so I had to stop taking it. But the search for a good sleep aid continued.
I stumbled upon a new class of insomnia meds called DORA drugs in my research for a story. They sounded promising, so I tried one called Belsomra. It worked pretty well when it did work, but it was crazy expensive, even with insurance. After jumping through hoops with my insurance company, they finally agreed to cover it, but I still had to fork over a hefty amount each month. It’s a tough pill to swallow (literally and figuratively), but for now, it’s the best option out there for me.
All in all, the whole process made me realize how lucky I am to have access to good healthcare and the resources to explore different treatment options. But I can’t help but think about all the people out there who are struggling with sleep issues and don’t have the same privileges. It shouldn’t be this hard to get a good night’s sleep, but until the system changes, many will continue to face the same challenges I did. Hopefully, one day, everyone will have access to affordable and effective treatments for sleep problems. Until then, I’ll keep chugging along with my pricey pills and hoping for a better solution in the future.
