Hi Mark,

Thanks for your reply. The numbness in my hands in the mornings only occurs about one or two mornings a week. I do sleep on my side and have done that all of my life. I can't imagine sleeping on my back, unless I am completely exhausted and forced to sleep that way.

The numbness is actually becoming less frequent than it was a few months ago so I suspect it has something to do with whatever's going on in my brain. One morning, last March, I woke up and could not even feel or lift my left arm. It felt like a heavy weight attached to my body. I had to use my right arm to lift it in the morning. After I woke up and moved it around, I got my feeling back again. That was very scary, but it hasn't happened since.

What seems very odd to me is that the numbness usually happens when I wake up with a headache. It's almost like my brain shuts down certain functions when it is sleeping and it takes awhile for it to wake up. It definitely seems to be sleep-related.

I just wish I knew how to make the strange headaches go away permanently. It's been almost a year now and that scares me. I've scheduled some biofeedback sessions for early January to see if that helps. I also plan to see a chiropractor to see if my spinal alignment could be causing the headaches and/or numbness.

I'm afraid to try the Amitriptyline because it might cause side effects or interact with my other medication (Lexapro). I read that it might cause problems if taken with one of the SSRI's. I do take Tylenol in the event the headaches don't go away.

Thanks again for your feedback.

Don