Sleep Problems and Fibro

[uvamomb]

Has anyone had any success with any sleeping pill or anything else helping you sleep through the night with fibro among other diagnoses? I have tried almost all sleeping pills there are, I believe. They will work for a week and then stop or not work at all. I get 1 1/2 to 3 hours a night on a bad night and maybe 5 on a really, really good night. Then the next day, I am totally exhausted, fall asleep at inappropriate places and while doing things (like eating).
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Kathy

[illusion129]

Dearest Kathy,

I'm so sorry to hear about your troubles. Almost 2 years ago I was going through the same problem you are. My pain levels were high (I had not yet started pain management) and I had tried just about everything to get some sleep. Ambien, Sonata, Restoril, Valium, OTC Melatonin, and just about every other "sleeper" there was on the market. Restoril was the only one that ever seemed to help but its effects were short-lived.

Finally after starting to see a new doctor, -my regular physician who also handles my pain management- she put me on Elavil (amitriptyline). WOW! I noticed a HUGE improvement in the quality and duration of my sleep within the first few nights taking it. And I only started out on 10mg (the smallest dose)! It was great. :D The effects were amazing as it gave me pain relief, allowed my mind to be at ease, and also allowed me to fall asleep faster than ever.

I eventually got up to 50mg a night for sleep and nightly pain relief but excessive weight gain made me quit taking it. I gained a good 40 pounds in about 4 months due to the medicine. Tricyclic anti-depressents, such as Elavil, Pamelor, etc. tend to cause weight gain due to their appetite enhancement and anti-D properties. However, if I had been able to get adequate excercise I'm sure the problem would have been lessened tremendously. Thankfully now that I take pain medication I don't need the Elavil for sleep anymore.

I hope that this information helps you and that you can begin to get great, meaningful sleep, that is if Elavil is right for you. I know how hard it was to try and operate on hardly any sleep at all. Oh yeah, the drug also gave me added energy for the next day (or perhaps it was because I hadn't slept well in so long). You would want to take the pill about an hour before bedtime as it will make you pretty drowsy (it made me very drowsy).

At any rate I think it would be worth talking to your doctor about. Good luck and take care! -RH

[Tootsie]

My daughter tried an even lower dose, 5 mgm of Elavil and used it for a short period of time....a few months. It helped so much that she can now sleep well without it. However, she also uses all the recommendations of sleep hygiene experts so she can continue to function at the level required for her considerable responsibilities. Cheerio.

[Linda25]

Have you had a sleep study? If your insurance will cover it, that may be helpful

I've had trouble with insomnia since I was a child, now I'm taking Zanaflex at bedtime; 8mg. If I wake up I take another 2mg. It is a muscle relaxant and a migraine preventative. I usually am NOT groggy the next day and it is not habit forming. Its very short acting

Also take clonopin in the evening, up to 2mg prn

I have Temazepam 15mg that I take occaisionally

But Zanaflex is the thing that really helps with sleep

Other good meds to try:

Trazadone: an older antidepressant
Seroquel: a new type of antipsychotic, also used for depression and sleep problems

GOOD LUCK

linda25

[2silverwings]

Ambien is the only drug that consistently helps me get a good, restful night's sleep. I'm a different person since I've been on 12.5 mg of Ambien CR!

I've tried in the past: Amitryptiline (Elavil), Nortryptiline, Flexeril, Rozerem, Xanax, herbs.... Most of the above helped me fall asleep but I still either woke up during the night, or I was extremely tired all day the following day.

[Headspin]

I'm going in for a sleep study next week due to nearly dying in the hospital a few months ago. I had septic pneumonia, strep, and a staff infection, and the doctors believe that all of these things are related to my sleep. With Fibro, I am always feeling sick, so that time I didn't think about going in. Luckily my wife picked up on a few signs, and called an ambulance, or I would be dead. It's hard to believe, bad sleep can kill you.

[fiberowendy2000]

Nope nothing works for me. Things that are supposed to knock people out, do not work for me. I will fall asleep right away but then wake up during the night as I usually do. Eventually they stop working anymore. Like others, I have tried pretty much everything on the market and nothing works for any period of time beyond a week or two.
Good luck finding something that works for you. As you may know with people with FM, what works for someone may not work for someone else. So whatever works for you....go for it!

[BrokenBladder]

Well I have to agree with FibroWendy, as I have taken it all and I still can't sleep!! I'm still taking 100mg of Elavil at night and I'm still wide awake, lol. I think the important thing to remember is that everyone is so different when it comes to what works and what dosen't. I have the same problem you described as to falling asleep and the most embarassing times!! It has become a household "joke" if I will make it through dinner or through a movie without nodding off!! Good luck in finding the one thing that works for you and keep us posted.

[ptlover]

nothing works for me either, tried them all I think. The problem is that most of them put you to sleep (I have no pb with that) but don't keep you asleep. Patience is my only medication LOL. Thinking about asking for a sleep test

[orthomolecular]

Muscle pain can be about low serotonin levels. Sleep latency or waking up after a only a couple of hours can also be about low serotonin levels.

Niacin is one way to help with raising serotonin levels. Niacin can help you fall asleep. You can try either form, the flushing kind or niacinamide. But it is also important to take some vitamin b6 too.

Niacin can be converted into tryptophan in the body. Tryptophan is converted into serotonin if there is enough vitamin b6. I think niacin is better than taking 5-htp or tryptophan.

Niacin can be taken in high doses, meaning that there isn't any toxicity to niacin. (The flush from niacin is not a sign of toxicity. That flush is simply your basophil and mast cells filling up with histamine.) Vitamin b6 can be toxic in high doses. The main symptom is tingling in the hands and feet which can be helped by taking magnesium.

[uvamomb]

Thank you for all your responses and help. I saw a sleep disorder doctor today. He was great, but told me he wasn't going to do a sleep study on me because I don't sleep!!!!
The niacin sounds like a good idea. I tried Elavil, but gave up on it quickly when I still woke up an hour and a half later (don't remember the dosage), and all I need is one more med that puts weight on me AAAAGGG!
Thank you all, you're such wonderful friends.
Love,
Kathy

[snapdragon]

Hi I have been dealing with fibro for over 20 yrs so I have tried a lot of drugs for sleep,and found that the only one that did me any amount of good for any length of time without bad side effests is MOGADON ,I have been on it for about 10 yrs now and it still works ,it is addive but I need to sleep so I take it . I started out with 50mg at bed time and that is what I still take ,at times of high stress I may only get 4 hr sleep but most nights I get 7-8 hr. it works for me ,Snap and I have found that when I do daily yoga or streching exercies my mussel pain isa lot less .:D

[Linda25]

In the old days Chloral Hydrate used to be Rx'd for sleep and was very potent - I don't know if docs will Rx it these days

it would be lethal to combine it with Alcohol or (other CNS depressants without careful supervision)

Linda25

[cherie4000]

Prozac and Lunesta the combination has helped me get a good 5 hours of sleep, coming from no sleep this is great medication!!!! Advil Pm works good on the muscles also.

[BrokenBladder]

The doctor just put me on lunesta and it seems to help. Granted i still only get about 4-5 hours of sleep, but it beats the heck out of where I was.

[ODAT]

I've had fibro for 16 years and insomnia ever since then. I have problems falling asleep. I thought I had taken all the sleep medicines on the market but have never heard of Mogadon. I goggled it and am going to ask my doctor about it. I have been taking 100-200 mg of Trazadone for years to get to sleep. It works great. The only problem is that it makes you gain weight. I have to take Trazadone (an anticonvulsant) to keep from gaining weight. That's fine for me because I also take it for migraines and bipolar disorder. I have tried to get off Trazadone many times and switch to something else so that I can lose weight but have always had to go back to it. Does Mogadon cause weight gain. And do you build up a tolerence to it after a time. I have gone through all other sleep meds in a matter of weeks.

Pam

[champgoof]

what about immovan??? in all the post they never mention... I take 50 mg elavil a night and on those never ending flare Ic ant sleep I am about to kill someone days I take an immovan and off to lala land I go:D

[BrokenBladder]

Champgoof I take a 100mg of Elavil per night and have for the last 2 years. It never did anything for me. Not sure why but it dosen't.

[illusion129]

Honestly, before I started the Elavil I mentioned in my earlier post here I hadn't had a good nights sleep in almost 3 years. I can attribute depression and pain to my restless nights; after starting Elavil I longer "wanted" to stay awake and think of everything going on nor did I feel as though my pain levels were as high.

After the weight gain I told my doctor I just had to quit taking Elavil. My weight slipped up to 200 pounds and was/is causing my Blood Pressure to run high now so the weight must come off. I'm on a strict diet (my own) and it's been helping me to lose about 5 pounds a month, which is OK with me. My BP usually runs high when my pain levels are up, too.

If you think all has failed as far as "sleepers" go, you can always ask your doctor for a referral to pain management. Once I went off the Elavil I didn't have problems sleeping for a while but then after so long I noticed I wasn't sleeping as much and that "sleep" was becoming a problem again.

That's when I started pain management; I was put on 20mg of morphine every 12 hours. That lowered my pain level about a notch but now I'm up to 100mg every 12 hours and it has not only helped lower my pain levels to a 3-5 (daily) but it's also enabled me to get some great sleep, if I take a 0.5mg Xanax right before bed. Xanax never did make me drowsy until pain management; now I can get anywhere from 8-12 hours of sleep, with only 3-4 bathroom breaks through the night.

I sure hope some of you find something that will help you get sleep. I know how horrible it feels to try and operate through the day with little or no sleep. I also know what kind of toll it takes emotionally. Our bodies are just one big mystery! Keep after your doctor to try different drugs or combinations of drugs; sometimes not just 1 pill will do it while mixing it with something else will.

Hope everyone had a somewhat nice night!

[champgoof]

Champgoof I take a 100mg of Elavil per night and have for the last 2 years. It never did anything for me. Not sure why but it dosen't.

weird how some meds help other so much and others it doesnt... elavil helps me sleep on "regular" days and immovan lets me get at least some rest during those flare :) Is immovan avaiable in USA? maybe some day they will haev ONE pill that makes everything better for everyone

[ODAT]

The only thing that will get me to sleep is Trazadone. 100 to 200 mg every night. I am also Bipolar (Manic Depressive). FMS and Bipolar started at the same time at age 35. When I am manic nothing gets me to sleep. I was wondering if anyone else has been diagnosed with bipolar illness or mood swings. My 21-year old daughter also has FMS and Bipolar since age 15. I read an article where some families have both FMS and Bipolar linked together. I currently take Lyrica (an anticonvulsant) for pain, Topamax (an anticonvulsant) for pain and bipolar, Zoloft (an antidepressant) for generalized anxiety disorder, and Trazadone (an antidepressant) for sleep.

:confused: Pam

[lostnempti1]

i was diagnosed with fibromyalsia,bipolar,major depression and other mental health disorders... about 10 years ago...it took them a long time to figure out that was what the problem was...right now i take 100mg of elavil,1mg xanax,500mg naproxen,10mg flexeril and percoset 5/325...i am still only able to get about a few hours of sleep a night...

you would think that the combination of these would knock me out for days but it doesn't...i have just come to the conclusion that after trying so many different medications then these that there is just no hope...:(

i wish you all the luck in finding what will work for you...hopefully a combination will prove to be suffficient for your pain and lack of sleep...good luck and God Bless...:)

[BrokenBladder]

Hi lostnempti!! I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. I take 100mg of Elavil, 2mg Valium, Soma TID, Vicoden ES 5Xdaily, Oxycontin TID, and have tried Lunesta. The bottom line is I can't sleep either.
Everyone reacts so differently to medication. My doctor actually told me that I should be a zombie, but I'm not. I sleep maybe 3-4 hours per night and that's on a good night.
I hope you're are able to find something that works for you. Good luck and keep us posted.

[ODAT]

I have been taking 300 mg of Lyrica twice a day for pain and I ran out for a day. I had to go back to taking hydrocodone for the pain. It did not control the pain as well and made me a zombie again. I had forgotten what I used to be like when I was on pain killers. Lyrica has been a Godsend for me. I had lost my personality on narcotics. Whey my neurologist told me he was taking me off pain killers and putting me on Lyrica (an anticonvulsant) I wept in his office. I thought my pain would go through the roof. I was already taking Lamictal (another anticonvulsant) along with the pain killers. I was so surprised when my pain actually was so much better and I was able to function again. My sleep was also better. On pain killers I never got any decent sleep. I would toss and turn. I think because they never adequately controlled the pain. I now take Lyrica (300mg twice a day), Topamax (100mg, anticonvulsant), Zoloft (100mg, antidepressant), Trazadone (200mg, antidepressant for sleep). My pain is pretty well controlled and I sleep unless I'm manic.

[uvamomb]

Thanks again for all the good info, guys. I will disucss with my doc when I see her next. I, like many of you, am on soooo many meds you would think I would sleep like a baby. Sometimes I wonder if the meds aren't the problem, but then how would we deal with the pain?

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and wish you all much, much less pain and better health and happiness in the New Year.
Love always,
Kathy

[fantasyworld_31501]

i take ambien for 7 years and now they make a ambien cr this is a combination of two drugs. one is to help u go to sleep fast and the other is to keep you sleeping thru the nite..its time release. that may help it is something i thought about asking my dr. for..once i wake up its hard to get back to sleep..ambien is or can be addicting but i think the cr is not. but alot of doctors will only order this as a last result..so good luck sounds like u need something. diane in ga. ;)

[ODAT]

:(The Lyrica is no longer controlling my pain so now I am having to take hydrocodone in addition to the lyrica, topamax, trazadone, and zoloft. Getting to sleep is difficult because of the pain. I try to wear myself out at night before I lay down to go to sleep so that my body will ignore the pain. It usually doesn't work. I hate the fact that I have to take narcotics again. They make me feel like a zombie. I try to only take them at bedtime and when I really, really hurt. That is becoming a lot of the time. I'm also taking chantix, the stop smoking drug. It makes me depressed because it blocks the pleasure center in my brain. I wish I could quit cold turkey. I smoke 4 packs of cigarettes a day. I quit using chantix before and started again once I stopped taking it. Now the doctor wants me to stay on chantix long term. Joy, joy! :(

[Clarpa]

I have luck with Trazedone or Elavil. I had a sleep study done. I ended up with a CPAP machine and sleep fewer hours, with better sleep quality. Many with fibro have sleep disorders, ask your dr. to set you up with a sleep study at the hospital sleep lab.

[ODAT]

:oI had a sleep study done years ago. It came back normal. I don't know how that could be. I didn't get to sleep until 3 AM. They would let me take my usual meds. They gave me something that didn't work. I don't have sleep Apnea. My hubby has Apnea and a CPAP machine. He has tried every kind of mask and given up because he is so claustraphobic. He has tried the full-face mask, the nasal pillows, the mouth-only mask. He even had surgery for a deviated septum som that he could use the nasal pillows. Luckily his Sleep Apnea is not very bad.:cool:

:)I have recently found a way to get 8 hours of sleep each night. The solution is less that optimal. I take Trazadone, Lyrica, Topamax, Zoloft, and Hydrocodone at bedtime and am now sleeping is our guest bedroom. The room is free of allergens (we have lots of cats and dogs), quiet (my hubby snores) and the mattress is super soft (a cheap mattress on a daybed with a memory foam topper). I sleep on my side with a body pillow. The bed I was sleeping on in our master bedroom has an expensive extra-firm posturepedic mattress that we bought because my hubby has a bad back (two back surgeries). I have told him for years that the mattress hurts me. I have also found that my best time to sleep is from about 3 AM to 11 AM. I am definitely a night owl. All these years of trying to go to bed with my hubby at 11 PM and tossing and turning are over. So now I am getting much needed sleep; but, I am sleeping in a different room than my husband. Cuts down on cuddle time and intimacy. We are going to have to start scheduling sex (write it on our white board so we won't forget, HA HA)

Hope this sleep hygene help someone else. Pam:)

[Fayelle]

Body pillows and the correct mattress is essential for good sleep for me.....plus the right pillow, I use memory foam as it conforms and keeps body heat close to me.....It feels like a comfortable little nest all bundled around me....However I still need a low dose sleep aid to dampen my dream cycles....When sleeping in my memory foam with my body pillow I seldom experience morning stiffness anymore......

There are something like 75 sleep disorders, fibro is considered by some to be a sleep related disorder, problems in the alpha sleep cycle seem to be one fairly stable factor......

Underlying disorders, such as a thyroid problems can cause a sleep disorder as it messes with the melatonin and seratonin output causing insomnia, or even hypersomnia.....Plus night time shift work will also confuse the system.....

My sleep study showed mild apnea, and restless leg syndrome (or limb syndrome in my case)....However I also had a hard time getting to sleep because it was prior to being treated for hypothyroidism which caused my feet to be ice cold, my temp to be low, and insomnia.....I finally did sleep about 3 hours and because I only slept that long my opinion is they missed something.....I could not use the cpap it was far too uncomfortable......My dream states are something I think someone needed to document, granted the sleep aid helps, but without the sleep aid its like I ran a marathon all night long with my dreams......

I sleep better as I have worked on comfort, and on dampening my dreams, plus treating my thyroid condition......But there are underlying concerns which if they could be dealt with would probably help even more......

For now I try to make my body be used to waking when I need to be awake, and sleeping about the same time every night and the same amount......

Flexeril, ambien, and a pain med if needed....

Complicated issue :D

Fay

[ODAT]

:rolleyes: I also have dream problems. If I get too hot at night I have nightmares. So I keep the house about 70 degrees at night. Not a problem in the winter. In the summer here in Texas our electric bill can run pretty high because the air conditioner is running all the time. I have thought about buying a memory foam mattress but have hesitated because I have friends who have them and they get hot at night. The memory foam surrounds their body and makes them hot. I don't want that to happen to me and my nightmares to come back.

:rolleyes: I wonder what experiences people with fibro have had with memory foam mattresses? Pam

[Tootsie]

I used a feather bed for about a year and found it very comfy. However, it was such a nuisance to make the bed, loosen the bottom sheet to fluff up the feather bed every day, I finally gave it away.

You could always try using a memory foam mattress, and put it away during the warm weather months if it bothered you. Anything that helps you get a good night's sleep is worth the time and money. Exercise is what seems to help me the most with any sleep problem. Cheerio.

[Nanna B]

We were going to buy a tempurpedic mattress. I am glad we didn't, instead we bought a memory foam mattress pad. I really don't like it. I wake in the middle of the night, HOT. It retains all your body heat.

It is very akward to move around on. I don't feel any better by sleeping on this thing.

I hope you can find something helpful and comfortable, too.

Good Luck

[ODAT]

:rolleyes: Well I have found a way to get 8-9 hours of uninterupted sleep each day. I have moved out of the master bedroom and into our guest bedroom. It has a daybed with an extremely cheap ($79.00 was the cheapest I could find) soft mattress that I topped with a 1" thick king-sized foam topper that I folded in half (2" depth of foam). I topper is made of dense foam and I bought it at Walmart for $39.00. Our's no longer carries it. I covered the foam with a quilted mattress pad to absorb any sweat and covered it with a sheet made of t-shirt material. I don't us a top sheet. Only a comforter. The room is newly remodeled and free of alergens. I have lots of cats and dogs and they are not allowed in the room with the exception of my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Basil. He goes everwhere with me.

So with a super soft bed, a body pillow, no dust mites, no cats on my pillow, no husband snoring, no little dog under the covers growling when I roll over, bed time at 3 AM instead 10 PM, getting up at noon instead of 6AM, Lyrica, Topamax, Zoloft, Trazadone, Hydrocodone, and no sex life: an imperfect solution.......first refreshing sleep I've had in 10 years, who needs a husband anyway. Just kidding. He's promised that he's going to make our master bedroom a little more hospitable to me when I want to join him for awhile. Hee, Hee :rolleyes: Pam

[Tootsie]

Congratulations! We all have managed to solve most of our problems in our own way and not all solutions are appropriate for everyone. Cheerio.