Lost my ability to sleep and other serious issues

Hello @hello123yes, Welcome to Connect. I know it's miserable when you can't sleep and it pretty much makes everything worse. The Sleep Foundation has some tips that might help while you wait for your appointment with the neurologist -- What To Do When You Can’t Sleep: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/treatment/what-do-when-you-cant-sleep. Many people find chamomile tea calming and helpful for treating insomnia.

You mentioned having internal vibrations for the past month. You might find the following discussion helpful:
-- Internal vibrations: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/internal-viberations/

Can you provide an update after your appointment with the neurologist?

I ended up seeing the neurologist today and they didn't want to help me whatsoever with the internal tremors and head tremors I'm getting. He did a few tests on me and figured I was ok. But I explained to him that I'm in chronic pain and asked for any help to get me through the days, but he laughed at me and said to go see a psychiatrist. I really can't believe the situation I'm in. It sucks so much when you run into doctors that don't want to help.

Thank you for sharing those links.

I'll start by saying that I'm really at a loss for words as to what my situation has developed into over the last 3 months. I'm making this post as hopefully I can find some direction from others.

I'm 31 years old, live in Canada and prior to my situation I was perfectly healthy. It all started on Nov 25 as I was stupid enough to smoke marijuana that night and 2 weeks prior I had started taking a supplement called "Lions Mane mushroom" that's marketed as improving mood and nerve health. That night I started to experience major insomnia to the point that over the last 3 months I haven't been able to sleep 1) without sleeping medication and 2) for more than 2 hours at a time. The first month in this journey I only was getting heart palpitations, loss of appetite, stool changes, losing my inability to sleep. Then the second month and onward to today I started getting internal body tremors, neck/head shaking, slight hand tremors, massive migraines, quivers in muscles, myoclonus jerking in hands and legs and feet, short term memory loss, inability to sit still, hallucinations, weak legs, loss of libido, loss of emotion, tight muscles, my balance being off, and numb/hands feet. The neck/head/internal tremors has made it very hard to even sit still, it's really chronic pain. I truly believe that the Lions Mane mushroom and marijuana had some adverse reaction to me that started all this. There's studies done on the mushroom that show it can affect the CNS in mice and as well I read some people having adverse reactions to taking it. There's no real human studies done on it and I was stupid to not really research it beforehand. I think because that day I took the mushroom in the morning and then the marijuana at night, the two seem to have caused these symptoms I'm getting because prior I didn't smoked marijuana often and I had just added the mushroom to the few health supplements I was taking in the morning. I don't know the science behind it all, but I can say for certain the inability to sleep started that night on Nov 25. It really feels like I did a science experiment on myself by accident. People can say it wasn't the mushroom or the weed, or that I'm crazy, but I know for certain that those were the only things I started taking in the two weeks prior to Nov 25. I'm certain some of my issues have to do with sleep deprivation, but it doesn't seem that I should be getting this many issues (especially the neck shaking and internal tremors).

I saw a neurologist today who looked at me and essentially I was laughed at when I told him all the issues I'm experiencing. I was told it was impossible to be experiencing all this then was told to see a psychiatrist. I have been seeing a psychiatrist after my issues started because I was referred to one when I went to the hospital about them and have been on Mirtazapine for a couple months which does put me to sleep, but yet my body wakes me up like clockwork after 2-3 hours. It's really frightening what's going on with me. I believe this issue is more physical than anything, but doctors keep saying "see a psychiatrist". I did a sleep study that proved I wasn't sleeping. I'm waiting to see a sleep neurologist on April 8, but the in the meantime it's so hard living with the constant sleep deprivation, internal/head tremors (my head feels like it's shaking), slight hand tremors, and inability to sit still. It feels like I really did some brain damage to myself from that mushroom consumption every morning and then smoking weed that night even though I wasn't taking heavy drugs or anything, it sucks feeling like I damaged myself permanently.

At the moment I'm looking for therapy to help me stay positive during this situation. I went from being healthy, working, and seeing friends to now mostly being stuck in bed due to sleep deprivation and the other issues I'm experiencing. My life has completely turned upside down. I'm losing relationships, people are thinking I'm going crazy when in fact I don’t really know what's going on with me except that I'm in physical agony every day.

Thank you for reading my post.

Does anyone have advice on what I can direction I should go? Should I look for another specific type of doctor other than a neurologist?

That sounds really frustrating. Even if the doctor believed he was unable to help you and that a psychiatrist would be a good next step, it sounds like he conveyed that in a very insensitive way. I developed insomnia several years ago when I had a very stressful life event. With the help of a sleep specialist (psychologist that does cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and my GP, I have improved. I also take some sleep meds as needed, prescribed by my GP. I will say that I too had vibrating sensations internally while going through the worst of that life event, several years ago. The psychiatrist said it was due to my anxiety at that time. As I worked through the situation, and with anti-depressant/anxiety meds, it eventually went away. So, perhaps a psychiatrist is a good next step for you. If you have friends or other medical practitioners you respect, I would try to get a recommendation from them. I dislike just choosing a doctor, knowing nothing about them. However, sometimes it's the only option. I know it's a pain to look for practitioners but it's important to find one who takes you seriously and will work with you to improve. Best of luck - don't give up.

I am very sorry to read your post, understanding how you feel well.
I had a healthy life until 2017, when all of a sudden I had troubles with sleeping. After treatment with psychiatrists, I finally got the right diagnosis: epilepsy. It is known that epilepsy affects one's sleep. With my treatment for epilepsy, my sleep has been improving. But as I have already shared in another post within this group, something that has helped me much in difficult times was Yoga Nidra, also known as yoga sleep. Scientific studies on this yoga practice have shown that 30 minutes of yoga nidra can correspond up to 3 hours of deep sleep. This is what has given me much strength at those difficult times. I practice yoga nidra from the Insight Timer App, but you can also find some practices from Swami Satyananda (father of the modern yoga nidra) on YouTube, such as this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPTRzOxmbZ8
Don't give up. All the best to you!
Santosha

Thank you kindly for your post.
Thank you for the video on yoga.

Thank you for your post. When you had the internal vibrations, were they completely constant every day when you were at rest?

My family doctor and the neurologist I saw both said I'm only having anxiety, but I'm experiencing the crazy physical things you saw in my post. What they're doing is negligent. I'm in pain and they don't care, it's crazy.

I have a psychiatrist that I'm seeing on March 2. I have to explain to him how bad my situation has gotten.

Your post has given me some hope and motivation. Thank you kindly 🙂

I hope you can keep looking for a better doctor(s). My experience with medical marijuana is that when I quit taking it, eventually my body eliminated it and I no longer have residual symptoms. I cannot take it because of the THC. Thinking of you . . . .

Mine was definitely due to anxiety about a difficult life situation, although it felt like a physical problem, as you describe. It was a buzzing feeling in my body. It was several years ago but as I recall, it was not constant. I think it fluctuated with my anxiety level. I also had some chest pain which was also attributed to anxiety. I was prescribed an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety med and Ambien for sleep, and worked with a therapist on my coping with the life situation. I hope the psychiatrist is helpful but if not, keep looking for the right practitioner for you. With rarer or unusual conditions, it can often take many tries to find the right one who will investigate it properly and find effective treatments. If you have friends or other docs you trust, check with them for referrals.
In the meantime, look for activities that bring you even temporary relief/relaxation and build them into your days/nights -- warm bath, reading favorite books, favorite movies/TV, listening to and/or playing music, exercise (walking swimming...), writing/journalling, yoga/meditation, being outdoors, being around other people, listening to uplifint podcasts... Courage! And keep us posted.

I'm in Canada and wish we had something like the Mayo Clinic here. The healthcare system is free, but it's incredibly slow so if anyones in need of help fast then it's too bad. Also, doctors here don't seem to care about things they can't see in my case.

Thank you for the advice. The thing is with my issue and because of internal head tremors it feels like my eyes are shaking somtimes so it's become extremely hard to stay focused on reading and staying still. I was completely ok 3 months ago. I still really don't know what happened, but believe the mushroom/marijuana did something to me. I think I'll never find out exactly what happened, but that's ok.

I do enjoy being outdoors. I'll take a walk later 🙂