rsd and restlessness/insomnia
 

hi, everybody, have a quick question for those who can relate- dr. Hooshmand in his puzzle on Physio writes: "One of the earliest signs of RSD is a restless night with the patient constantly being fidgety and changing position all night as well as having to get up and walk to get some relief."
this seems to be the problem of sympathetic system being hyperactive, i was wondering what helps for this and how it progresses w/ the time, in the sense of what to expect. Selexa that i was prescribed does not do much, is there anything specific that calms down the sympathetic and turns on parasympathetic? (Other than alcohol which is buckets of fun, but makes things worse, lol) Thank you very much, with this forum you don't feel quite as helpless.

Getting restful sleep is one of THE most important things in handling chronic pain.

A very high percentage of people with CRPS will struggle with getting a good night of sleep.:(

Besides the typical things they recommend for getting a good nights rest, (Google them) a lot of us ending up using a medication.

Trazodone has helped me greatly as without a good night of sleep, handling the next days pain becomes just that much harder.

As they say in the financial industry...."Your results may vary"!! :D

One thing with CRPS is a certainty. A medication that works for one may or may NOT work for another! Experiment until you find something.

Well I have huge sleep issues. Between the pain and anxiety plus a history of sleep problems I have tried so much. Unfortunatly for myself since I Have been up since 930 last night after just a long nap it has not helped much but I will suggest a few things I have tried.
First finding the right meds takes trial and error
Trazadone I agree with
Some others you may want to ask some are for sleep,some for anxiety,some for nerve pain but all are supposed to help with sleep
Elavil
Serequel
Ativan or Klonopin
A sleep med like Ambien
Some self help ideas like guided imagery,listening to relaxation tapes,a good mattress/pillow or foam topper,sheets and blankets that are not as irritating to the body. I use a fan to help with noise and also a tv but some don't like that. I have tried both. Melatonin but make sure it is ok with the meds you are on.
Hang in there

thank you very much, I really appreciate it.

In my own experience, the more active I am during the day the more difficulty I have quieting my mind to get it to sleep. The quieter and less active I am during the day, the better chance have of resting into sleep at night.

Now, I'm disability retired so I realize I have more opportunity to have quiet limited activity days, but I'm just explaining the solution I've found in my own life. And I know when I do have an active day I can expect to be pulling an all-nighter. When I was still working full-time seldom slept more than 2 solid hrs. Most often it was fitfully, tossing and turning, arranging and rearranging pillows and blankets and sheets to keep my feet and ankles and legs from bumping anything and everything. I now sleep in a recliner that forces me to stay on my back and I cushion my feet, ankles and legs with SQIISH pillows. Google them at Bed, bath and Beyond. And about an hour before I want to sleep I have a very small amt of carbs, slice of toast or 1/2 cup cheerios in milk and then I get a small boost that bottoms out my blood sugar and i'm all cozy and tucked when that happens and they all work together to get me some fair to good sleep.

This is what works for me, but everyone has their own "cozy". I hope and pray that you soon find yours. In the beginning, I had to learn not to panic when I couldn't sleep. Finding mind quieting things to have available so my body could get rest even if my mind couldn't was the first part of my lesson. Music, calm movies, letter writing, prayer are some of the things in my RSD tool box.

Praying for a quiet night at your house,
pat e

thank you very much, it is a very useful advice, all the best to you.