pain meds
 

Has anyone had a doctor change meds and the meds cause u not to be able to sleep? I am struggling with pain and now cant sleep. just curious

my meds screw with my sleep but I started with insomnia before meds as pain made it difficult to get comfortable enough to sleep. I know that my oxycodone is a causative for my lack of sleep as it makes me hyper. the last drug added to my list is Lyrica. and that makes me konk. out but unfortunately it knocks me out around 3-4 am every day, and I will not take any pill that may cause issues with me being aware.as I have 4 kids I wish to keep safe, and I wish to be alert for their lives. so I settle for 4- 8 during the week and 12 on the weekend if my pain levels don't exceed 10.. for me that means all areas of pain flaring at once. that puts me at like 100 or something like that. very difficult to focus on dulling pain when its every where...

The gabapentin tends to keep me awake so I try take the last dose at least four hours before bedtime. Most doctors don't care what time you take your meds so if one bothers you ask if you can change it.

Insomnia is a major component of RSD. Meds can effect your sleep as well. And depression. And diet as well.

A high percentage of us suffer from insomnia, whether it is caused directly by the pain, side effects of meds, mental anguish, etc.

I use trazadone (desyrel) and it helps quite a bit. Most doctors feel that it is quite safe. Maybe a review of your meds with your primary doctor would be a good idea.

Good luck.................

Insomnia
 

Insomnia is just a way of life with RSD. Be careful of drug interactions, but just plain OTC BENADRYL works many times.

Rx's: Trazodone & Restoril are both GREAT!

Ask your doctor about drug interactions first

Good Luck

I had the typical insomnia that comes with the CRPS territory that was made worse by serious CRPS spreads caused by a Boston Scientific Spinal Cord Stimulator in addition to all the meds I was on. Then more meds were needed to address the whole mess, which never happened.

Now I sleep like a baby, I am out of the wheelchair, off the walker and decreasing my use of the cane.

Meds can help in management but do nothing to address the problem, a change in brain plasticity. As a result of tDCS I am med free and sleeping better than I did pre CRPS. You might want to consider a trial of tDCS. There are no side effects and it is low risk in addition to being cost effective. If you are a responder you may see results that rival Ketamine infusions, with no side effects and no dependency on insurance companies for approval.

James,
What are your pain levels like now?

75% of my original CRPS pain is under control. I am still working on the surgical sites where the CRPS spread after implantation of the spinal cord stimulator. It is common for people with CRPS to experience spreads after a SCS. I don't know why the spreads to my limbs are gone and not the spread to the surgical site. I am working on that. It is absolutely remarkable that the tDCS got the limb spreads. Typically when one has a spread due to a spinal cord stimulator it is permanent and doctors just suggest another spinal cord stimulator to chase the spread. (Go figure)

In addition to the pain the dystonia is totally gone, the atrophy in my legs and wrist is totally gone and many of the more miserable symptoms are either gone or significantly improved. I had depression, which is now gone. Anti depressants never helped. The depression began to lift very soon after tDCS. It is so strange. I almost feel normal in terms of of the limbic and autonomic symptoms I had, which I think can be just as bad as the pain. I still have balance issues but I am still seeing gradual improvements there too.

I am perplexed about the fact that my visual problems have resolved but not my balance.

Anyone having good results with tDCS as it relates to balance?

Hope this helps.