I know.... Another post. I feel awful about all my posts. I just don't know what else to do, where to go etc

I don't have a problem falling asleep at bedtime. It's staying asleep I can't do. After 2-3 hours (4 if I'm really lucky) I'm awakened by the excruciating pain. This means I'm up between 12-1. At this point it's very hard to go back to sleep. If I do, I wake up 20-40 minutes later from the pain. I can usually only fall bsck asleep once. I want a sleeping pill, what have u tried with success? ( just a reminder I'm now on 50mg if nortiptyline so this meds obviously doesn't do anything for sleep. Anybody have side effects?

Also, keep in mind I will try to go off the nortriptiline bc I feel like it's not doing enough. I chickened out about starting GABA on my own but will start it Tuesday after dr guidance.

I do not take sleeping pills.

There are some posts on NeuroTalk that discuss low dose Ambien for chronic pain.

Do a search covering all of NT and you'll find them.

I used ambien for a few nights when symptoms ramped up. It caused me to have double vision, which was such a trip.

I too wake up several times a night canagirl from pain. Before I slept like a stone and did not even budge for 8-9 hours.

The fatigue gets me to, as I wake up just as exhausted as going to bed.

There are many like you that have the SFN.

You are not alone.

Hi baba,

I know I feel like I'm being a child right now. I know many here have sfn and are in incredible amounts of pain. It's just nobody has said they have it everywhere like me ( tongue, lips, entire face, ears, scalp, neck, arms, back, chest u get the drift....it's getting bad. Everything that rubs me hurts. How much linger can I walk, cook, hold my baby? Lie down? Eat?

First you are not being a child, you are in pain....we are worried about you.
I have CRPS spreading everywhere. And side effects from the medication, plus the chronic pain from injury sites hourly...
I feel for you due to having a young one...the icing on the cake was the waking up with insane pain....I used to be a deep deep sleeper....
Okay...have you tried Zquil....I haven't but it's suppose to not be habit forming.
For me LDN helps me rest; I'm not so when I wake up....I still have pain but am able to fall back asleep...
Also, when I was on muscle relaxers, those helped me sleep...I was very groggy in the am and slow going...
Do you have someone to help you with am baby? Sorry, I'm not offering, but just worry about your roll in the am....and worried about you lake of rest.

No, you are definitely not being a child. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone. I have had the allodynia you describe and it hurts to be touched.

The pain is very scary and isolating. The morton lotion help some and epsom baths help me.

English Dave advocates distraction. I have found wearing cotton and silk, if you can find it decreases the pain with wearing clothes.

Thinking of you and your family.

Named Zolpidem. My pain meds were only covering me until about 8pm so my primary gave this RX to fall asleep. I took it around 11pm and within 20 min I was asleep. Sometimes almost not making it to bed. My pain level was way up by 11pm so sleep was welcome relief. I would still wake up early but I had had 5+ hrs sleep. I feel this is paramount to improving any condition. My primary is a cautious man and even now he still refills the RX. I was on Gaba and Hydrocodone 10-325 but have since stopped both and am currently on Tylenol w/codein. I stopped the Gaba as it did little for me in the way of relieving the burning,zapping, and tenderness. I stopped the hydro as it became illegal for my primary to dispense, the constipation was another reason and over time my large muscle and lumbar pain had diminished. If my Gaba symptoms get to be a higher priority I would try it again. I was at 900mg/d when I quit it and had to admit it was helping a little. Relief differs from person to person. I feel that the sleeping pills now are something that I could quit also but I am currently trying to gain discipline in other aspects of my life. Good Luck, Ken in Texas.

Hi, sorry you are in this state

I also have trouble staying asleep, for different reasons. My doctor put me on "Opipramol" here in Germany. I think it is available in the U.S. It's actually an anti-anxiety/depression med. that is not addicting, and when taking only at night, I can sleep through the night. I only take 50mg, once at night. So I'm not on it for the "label" use, just to help me sleep through the night, and it's not addicting.

more on:Opipramol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opipramol