Ill And Depressed Working Night Shifts

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Specializes in acute care then Home health.

hi everyone! has this happened to any of you guys....

i'm a new grad working on a busy med surg floor. i was orienting during the days for a month and doing great, but as soon as i switched to nights i started getting some strange symptoms that i've never experienced before.

i first noticed i was getting really depressed and down. i just thought it was just the lack or daylight hours of something. then, i started getting chronic migraine headaches and major colon issues (nice way of putting it). and on my days off i've been in bed and very exhausted even though i sleep 6-8 hours during the day. my doc prescribed me wellbutrin, but i just cant bring myself to start taking anti-depressants, especially because i'm normally fine.

so luckily, i was recently offered a day shft job at another hospital starting next month and i'm pretty sure i'm going to take it. i just feel so guilty about not fullfilling my commitment with my current employer. i know it's expensive to train new grads for 3 months and i'm toward the end of my orientation.

has this ever happened to anyone else. i feel like i'm the only one in my graduating class struggling like this.

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Nights are very hard on a lot of folks.

Good luck in the new spot. You have to think of yourself first. Goodness knows your employer won't.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

send your wellbutrin this way! i went from nights to days and it's still meh sometimes.

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Nights can be really rough. If I didn't absolutely love the people I work with on nights, I would definitely be wanting a Day/Evening position. Evenso, many times I wish I lived a more normal life.

I also think that being a new grad more than likely is highly contributing to your feelings of being sad and depressed. Ever since I finished orientation and was on my own, I was extremely sad and depressed. I cried every night before I went to work and every morning I got off of work. My anxiety level was through the roof, I was a nervous wreck at work, though I apparently hid it very well.

Like you, it was a hard pill to swallow, literally, but I started taking medication and it has made a world of a difference. Know you are not alone. If you really think it is the night shift, maybe your other job option would be best for you right now. Being a new nurse is stressful and I definitely think only another nurse can truly understand.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.
Nights can be really rough. If I didn't absolutely love the people I work with on nights, I would definitely be wanting a Day/Evening position. Evenso, many times I wish I lived a more normal life.

I also think that being a new grad more than likely is highly contributing to your feelings of being sad and depressed. Ever since I finished orientation and was on my own, I was extremely sad and depressed. I cried every night before I went to work and every morning I got off of work. My anxiety level was through the roof, I was a nervous wreck at work, though I apparently hid it very well.

Like you, it was a hard pill to swallow, literally, but I started taking medication and it has made a world of a difference. Know you are not alone. If you really think it is the night shift, maybe your other job option would be best for you right now. Being a new nurse is stressful and I definitely think only another nurse can truly understand.

what med worked for you?

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Specializes in ER.

I had to go from nights to weekend days because I became clinically depressed due to a lack of quality uninterrupted sleep. I would rather have changed shifts than take anti-depressants.

If I had developed depression on days while getting sleep I wouldn't have minded going on them but I knew w/o a doubt it was the lack of sleep that caused it.

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what med worked for you?

Lexapro

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Specializes in acute care then Home health.

thank you for all your responses!.. so its been a week since my last night shift (took some pto) and i'm already starting to feel better. i can't believe how bad my body got screwed up!!! i still am having migraines but a bit less. i think i'm going to quit this week and take xmas off to fully recover. i didn't take the wellbutrin, but i did go to the health store and bought an herbal suppliment called 5-htp (a precursor to seratonin) and some acidophilis. i feel better. screw the pharmacuetical companies. desperation has forced me to temporarily turn into a hippie.:smokin: lol.

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