Day 23: still being patient

Well, I tried using Level 1 in both morning and evening and I think it amped up the insomnia again. The second session took place about 5 hours prior to bedtime, which is not supposed to affect sleep. 

In searching around the web this morning, I finally found a site where a few folks had posted about their experiences with FWS. I am linking to it here because I think the more information, the better (scroll down to comment section). I took heart that one person posted: 

"It took me several weeks of use to notice a difference ( that it was working). I almost gave up hope but then I started feeling better and kept getting better."

Maybe reading about this person's experience will help me stick with this, because this morning I was ready to give up. It's been 23 days for me overall, with the last 10 days at Level 1. 

I skimmed through the scientific research papers on the Fisher Wallace website this morning (since I couldn't sleep!) but didn't find much insight. The studies are about cranial electric stimulation using various devices, not only the FWS. I will go back to using the FWS only in the morning and stick it out a little longer. 

Days 17-20: Nothing to report

From Days 17-20 I used the FWS in the morning only, at Level 1. Therefore, it has been a total of 9 days at this level.

I have nothing to report. No changes in any symptoms of insomnia, anxiety or depression. I am definitely tired of the insomnia (bad pun!).

Today I will start using Level 1, twice per day. I wonder what will happen.

Day 16: be patient with the Fisher Wallace Stimulator

Using the FWS for only 15 minutes yesterday morning, at Level 1, was not helpful. I stayed up very late and slept poorly, with one wicked weird dream about being in southern California (the opposite coast) and trying to find a new place to live, involving a tented area adjacent to a trailer in a bad part of town. Weird. I won't go into more detail, but there was plenty.

This morning I went back to take another look at the Clinical Recommendations document I mentioned in a previous post. These were the passages that stood out to me:

"Most patients find that at the end of 20 minutes on level 1, they are more relaxed, calmer, and a bit drowsy. However, many may not feel these effects for 2 or more weeks after the start of treatment." 

I added the bolding for emphasis. I am impatient, as you may be, in my hope for the change that seems promised by the FWS. But I am going to keep these bolded words in mind and realize I have to stick with this for a little longer. At this point, after 4 days at Level 1 in the morning only, I do not think there is any noticeable relaxation or calm after using the FWS. But, if those feelings can take 2 or more weeks, I may have a long way to go.

The clinical recommendations also state:

"If there is no response after 1-2 weeks, depending on how urgent the symptom relief is, one would then go to level 1 twice a day....."

So, it sounds like I need to try the Level 1 in morning only for two weeks, and then go to Level 1 twice per day. I have 10 days to go. Wish me staying power. I hope we don't all get too bored by this blog in the meantime.

FWS and electromagnetic fields

I was reading last night about electromagnetic fields and, among other medical conditions, insomnia. While it appears that the medical jury is still out on the topic of electromagnetic fields and health impacts, even the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, Inc., which seems like a pretty mainstream organization, has information on it. Their website states the following:

"Because epidemiologic studies have raised concerns regarding the connection between certain serious human health effects and exposure to electric and magnetic fields, the program adopts the hypothesis that exposure to electric or magnetic fields under some conditions may lead to unacceptable risk to human health. The focus of the program is not only to test (as far as possible within the statutory time limits) that hypothesis for those serious health effects already identified, but to identify, as far as possible, the special conditions that lead to elevated risk, and to recommend measures to manage risk."

This sounds like a smart application of the Precautionary Principle. Their website has information on how to test for and minimize exposure to EMF, as do many others. 

After I read this, I was wondering whether the FWS increases EMF exposure (that might seem obvious, but I don't have a scientific bone in my body) and what that might mean for people using the FWS who are sensitive to EMF (or others).

I would love to hear from anyone who has tested their home for EMF, installed products meant to shield people from EMF, removed certain products from their home, or has any other concrete experience with EMF and health symptoms.

Day 15: it's been two weeks--reducing again

Day 15: I remember another CRAZY dream from last night, involving a certain pro basketball player whom I only know of from gossip magazines, a U.S. Senator, and the last person I spoke to on the phone last night, a work contact. WEIRD!

My sleep was not the worst it has ever been, but not particularly great. I am going to only use the FWS on Level 1 for 10 minutes this morning.

Day 14: strange dreams

I woke up on Day 14 after having two crazy dreams during the night, with wakefulness between the two. The dreams were complex and in that way they were similar to  past dreams from years ago when I used to sleep well. But the plots of those old dreams always had a similar pattern, based in completely fantasy settings and characters. Last night's dreams were completely different in that aspect.  One took place in the house I grew up in, and one in a work setting. I can't remember the last time I had complex dreams that I could recall clearly upon wakening.

Days 12-13: starting back at a lower level

On the morning of Day 12 I felt like I was back to my normal self.  I used the FWS at Level 1, morning only.  Same on Day 13.

Day 10: reducing even more

Poking around on the FW website, I found another official-sounding document, entitled Clinical Recommendations for the Fisher Wallace Stimulator.

This document states: 

“Generally, in a patient with insomnia, anxiety, depression, or in fact any major psychiatric disorder, we would start him/her on level one (1), once or twice a day. The machine is automatically set to run for 20 minutes. Most moderate to mild conditions in outpatient practice would start with 20 minutes a day for the first week or two. 

If the patient has a more severe condition and is willing to comply with twice a day treatment for 20 minutes each time, then it may be appropriate to start them with sessions two times a day at the initiation of treatment.”

I decided to take a break from my FWS so my brain would calm down and perhaps return to a baseline state.

Day 9: needing to reduce usage

When I woke up on Day 9, I realized my insomnia had been getting progressively worse all week and—what really got me thinking about this—my pulse felt like it was ramping up. It occurred to me to consider whether these symptoms might have a connection to the FWS, the only thing that was different in the past week. It was a Saturday morning, and I sent an e-mail to FW customer service. A nice person wrote back just a few hours later:

“Level 2 is what we recommend starting out, because it is the level to which most people respond. However, in some cases, while level 2 is calming, it can also be too energizing. For the next two weeks, try using it at level 2 in the morning and level 1 a few hours before bedtime and see how you feel.”

Guess what -- the Fisher-Wallace Stimulator can be stimulating! I do feel a little dumb about not realizing that. I have to share that I am freakily sensitive to any type of stimulation, pharmaceutical or otherwise. I have side effects or reactions that are considered uncommon with even small amounts of treatment. It just never occurred to me it might happen with this device.

So, on Day 9, I tried the FW suggestion—Level 2 in the morning and Level 1 later, at least 3 hours before bedtime. 

But I still felt too “energized.”

Days 6-8: it can make insomnia worse

On Days 6-8, my insomnia took a turn for the worse. I resorted to Lunesta. Lunesta makes me sleep for several hours. I use the word “make” intentionally—the pill doesn’t feel like it “allows” me to sleep or even “helps” me sleep. My Lunesta sleep is not restful. Rather, Lunesta feels like a pause button for my brain. When the pause button is released, I wake up with my face scrunched in tension, right where I began.

Days 2-5: no quick results

On Days 2-5, I didn’t notice anything different. But I did note that my insomnia was not getting any better. The FW website says:

“Many people report positive changes during or shortly after the first 5-10 treatment sessions [note from me, this is 3-5 days].  Results in treating insomnia are typically experienced faster than results in treating depression and anxiety.” 

Day 1 with the Fisher Wallace Stimulator

I received the FWS in the mail. It didn’t come with any directions. I probably should have contacted my shrink (yes I should have), but I went to the company website, where I found the official-sounding Instruction Manual for the Treatment of Insomnia, Anxiety & Depression.

It states: 

“We recommend that all patients start using the device on Level 2, twice a day, for twenty minutes. Patients should use the device twice a day on Level 2 for 30-45 days before determining if the device is effective in treating their symptoms.”

So, I started my daily FWS practice with this regime on Day 1. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: I do not recommend that you do what I did, and just follow the written instructions. Instead, I recommend you contact your physician before starting use of the FWS and discuss what level to use, when and how often. As you will see from later blog posts, this regime was not safe for me.

Using the FWS is simple. I definitely felt the electrical stimulation and saw constant light flashes.

How it started

My shrink once suggested I write a memoir. I am not sure why; my life has been pretty uneventful. I guess I should have asked him. Anyway, I feared it would be what Neil Genzlinger in The New York Times described as “writing uninterestingly about the unexceptional.”

Since then, my shrink recommended I start a blog to share my experiences with something called the Fisher Wallace Stimulator, and to give others a place to share theirs. 

After almost 15 years of unsuccessfully experimenting with many psychiatric medications, herbs, vitamins, and alternative therapies for symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia, my psychiatrist recommended I try the Fisher Wallace Stimulator (“FWS”), which has been reported to help with symptoms of all three conditions. When he first mentioned it, I of course went on the internet, where scores of people post about their experiences with all types of treatments for mental illness, but I found next to no information on the FWS—other than the manufacturer’s own website.   

So, this is my Fisher-Wallace story. Please add your own experiences.