Ep 14: Dangerously Awake and Insomnia Cocktails | Nutty & Slutty with Isadora O'Boto and Janine Noel | Stories on Sex Work and Mental Illness

Who do you call at 3 a.m.?

In this episode of Nutty & Slutty, Janine opens up about an insomnia spiral set off by a psychiatric medication change that seemed to help at first, then turned frightening. What begins as relief becomes brain fog, confusion, disorientation, medicated sleep and suicidal thoughts — a stark reminder of how dangerous making changes to a medication like lithium can be.

Janine and Isadora talk candidly about bipolar disorder, insomnia, psychiatric medication side effects, Ativan, sleep cocktails, crisis lines and the lonely fear of feeling like you’ve already used up your “passes” to ask for help. Isadora talks about her life as a night owl and how she makes that lifestyle work best for her —with the help of "cocktails" over the years.

So, how do you stay safe when your mind no longer feels trustworthy and what are the repercussions of being dangerously awake? Janine and Isadora dig in!

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Isadora O’Boto (co-host) is a Juilliard Drama grad. Under the pen name Sephe Haven, she is the author of two award-winning memoirs: My Whorizontal Life and A Someday Courtesan, and playwright/performer of the solo show: “My Whorizontal Life: The Show!” Isadora co-hosted the podcast My Index to Sex with Lynn Ferguson. Find her at: isadoraoboto.com

Janine Noel (co-host) is creator and host of Bipolar She podcast, where guests share mental health stories to normalize illness. With an MFA in creative writing, she is a story consultant, helping others write down and speak up about the hard stuff. Between bumpy bipolar years, Janine has found time to act and produce. Have a Story? Tell it with Janine.

Michael David (producer) is a playwright with 17 full-length plays, more than 300 stage productions, and an unusually broad résumé that includes writing, directing, acting, designing, and producing. He is an original company member of Paul Stein’s THE CAR PLAYS and has written nine 10-minute plays for the project. MichaelDavidPlays.com...