Reddit mentions of Alaska Northern Lights Northstar - 10,000 LUX Bright Light Therapy Lamp

Sounds like y'all might really benefit from styling your apartment in the "jungalow" theme (SFW, I promise, haha). Lots of plants, very homey, warm, friendly and colorful.

Also, since this sounds like an issue that affects your overall quality of life every day, it might be worth it to invest in a therapy light. No idea if this is the best one, but this is an example. It might be able to help y'all cope with the dreary days and low lighting.

In short, I was in a very similar situation. I have been suffering from similar issues for than 15 years. About two years ago, after hundreds of hours of research, consultations with sleep experts, and self-experiments, I managed to find a way out. I have been waking up naturally at 7am and falling asleep within <15 mins since.

Taming my sleep schedule required multiple measures. But, combining all of these together, completely changed my life.

1. LIGHT THERAPY FIRST THING IN THE MORNING - this one has a huge impact, not only on my sleep schedule but also on my alertness during the day. I have tried five different recommended lamps and found North Star 10,000 by Alaska Northen Lights to be the most effective, even though it's a bit pricey and bulky. This model is the closest one to what was used in clinical studies that demonstrated the efficacy of light therapy. Every morning, after waking up I get myself out of bed and go sit/lie next to the lamp for 30 mins. As I mentioned, I start to feel a lot more alert within 20 mins. I do this everyday.
   
2. LIGHT DEPRIVATION TWO HOURS BEFORE BED TIME - stop using any screen 1.5 hours before your designated bed time. Can't emphasize it enough. I discovered that, like many others with this disorder, I am hyper sensitive to light. I found out that computer screens, TVs, and mobile phone screens can be devastating to my already poorly performing self-regulating mechanism. Blue light blockers are nice, but unfortunately, are no substitute to putting the screen away. Also, dim the lights around the house and avoid bright fluorescent lamps.
   
3. MELATONIN TO DIAL BACK MY CYCLE - I learned that 0.3mg (300 microgram) melatonin 4-6 hours before my bedtime really helps my circadian rhythm to shift back a couple of hours when combined with light therapy in the following morning. I came across this fact when reading through hundreds of clinical studies. I was also surprised that such a small dose is doing anything, but apparently, it does wonders.
   
4. AVOID CAFFEINE - similar to my hyper sensitivity to light, a cup of tea in the morning can throw me off my sleep time.
   
5. WAKE UP AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY- I know it sounds impossible, but after getting my routine in place (more on how I got there below), to maintain it, I wake up at the same time every day - weekdays and weekends. Any continued deviation, even for two days, throws me off an hour or two of my cycle.
   
6. FALLING ASLEEP WITH RACING THOUGHTS - another thing that helped me tremendously to get into the adjusted sleep schedule was to listen to audiobooks when I having racing thoughts, or generally, when not falling asleep within 10 mins. Anxiety and racing thoughts when lying in bed were a common occurrence. A gentle distraction - such as in the form of an audiobook - made wonders for me. Instead of turning from side to side for hours, I just felt asleep within minutes after starting to listen. Bedtime meditation also works but audiobooks are easier to start with (HEADSPACE actually have some great content, and also has built a dedicate sleep section in their app).
   
7. SLEEP HOW MUCH I NEED, NOT MORE - I experimented with how much time of sleep I actually need. I noticed, that 7:30 hours is exactly what I need to fall asleep easy, have a non-fragmented sleep, and function well. Trying to sleep more was counter productive and deteriorated my sleep quality and made it harder to fall asleep at the same time. Today, I'd rather err on sleep to little, and not too long. It helps me maintain my routine.
   
8. OTHER - Aerobic exercise is a great habit, which also improves the quality of my sleep. Another thing that I found out is that camping outdoors (when/where it is sunny) really helps with many of the items above, and is a great way to start the shift.
   
   When I was looking for a cure, I found encouragement in reading forums like this, which illustrated to me that I am not alone, and people do figure out how to overcome this eventually. I don't think that there is a silver bullet for fixing it, nor that its a one-size-fits-all solution. For me, educating myself on this (here's a really great resource to start with), experimenting to find what works and what not, and committing to resolve it, eventually paid off.
   
   Have faith, and more so, luck, in finding a way to a healthy and sustainable resolution.

I have tried a few of the best light boxes. My favorite is one I got on Amazon, though it's rather expensive. But totally worth it for me. Bright Light Therapy Box - Alaska Northern Lights - North Star 10,000 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003OWJCIM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ggaaCb96NG3VJ

Sorry I'm on mobile so I hope the link works. If not, the name of the product is right there. Unlike other cheaper lights, you can sit two feet away from it and get benefits. With other ones you have to get close, like 6-12 inches away.

Do not do what this guy said, do not have her taking stimulants as that will only make it worse.

Buy her a light box like this and have her sit in front of it for 30 mins every morning: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OWJCIM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Then, you want to give her supplements that help with deep sleep. Some examples: Glycine, taurine, lavender, magnesium, time-released melatonin.

Herbs like valerian only last like four hours, so don't try those.

Mine looks like this one http://www.amazon.com/SAD-Light-Therapy-Box-Northern/dp/B003OWJCIM

This one costs $300. The Mayo Clinic has a good page on Lightbox Therapy too. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/in-depth/seasonal-affective-disorder-treatment/art-20048298

Mine, and the one in the link are both 100,000 lux. Ideally I'd do an hour a day. If you get one with a lower level lux, the recommended daily time will change.

What about this summer was different, physically speaking? Were you getting more sun, more exercise, different diet?

Based on what you've written, it sounds like your pdoc is simply not treating your symptoms at all. It sounds like you've experienced hypomania (or at least an elevated mood) this summer and are swinging down into depression, and are still agitated by symptoms of your OCD. Can this person offer you no therapy at all, just because you have drug sensitivities? That's not how being a doctor works. Which makes me feel very sad for you that you have no options. Your doctor, if they cannot help you, has an ethical obligation to connect you to someone who can help you, not leave you untreated. What you write shows that you're exhibiting symptoms of at least two illnesses without relief and I'm like, "sooo, what is this professional even doing?" Hot damn.

Can you call your doctor and ask what they think about getting a full-spectrum lightbox? If that sunlight made you feel better, maybe that's a place to start to weather the winter months? They help A LOT of people. Naturally you'll want the supervision of a professional because you don't want to swing up into a dangerously high mood with something like this. I'm just trying to think of non-drug therapies there to bring up with your doc that might help, since your doc seems useless.

Also, see if finding a psychiatric nurse practitioner is an option in your insurance. I've always loved mine and they can do pretty much everything a psychiatrist can do, with much less ego.

I hope this brainstorming can help, if even a little.