Hi guys - hope your all OK !

Just wondered if anyone had any suggestions on what could help me sleep. It's 2:30am here and I haven't slept at all so far. I've only been getting about 2-3 hours sleep for the last few weeks so it's really stressing me out now and making me miss out on a lot of my home tutoring studies ... something which I really need to do as i'm in my final year of school preparing for my big exams in May!

My Dr did give me some natural sleeping tablets about 6 weeks ago but they don't seem to be helping.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Alison x

Hi Ali,

I don't know what to say, have you asked your doctor about maybe taking benedryl??

Thanks Sandy. Never thought about trying that but will definitiely get my mum to mention it to my Doctor! Thanks !

Hi Ali, I used to take ambien cr. 25 mg. but it stopped working and I would lay awake all night till 5-6 and sleep 3-4 hrs. This would happen every night. My Dr. does trial studies for pharmaceutical companies and was doing a 200 person study for seroquel xr. They found it helped for fibromyalgia. They also found it to be sleep aid. I was add to the study-300mg. I immediately started sleeping 10 hours straight, without waking up. I felt I didn't need 300 mg, so he cut it in half gradually and I've been on 150 mg. for several months and sleep 10 hrs. I take it at 7:30 pm and fall asleep about 9:30. I'm so grateful, as my pain level is down a little because of the restorative sleep, which Doc says is so important. I know others that take seroquel for RSD and sleep.
Hope this helps. My Doc is a neurologist, psychiatrist, pharmacologist, practiced 25 years in New York-internist, mainly psychiatrist and held a talk radio show. He also built two clinics that HBOT in them. So he is into anti-aging now. He was in Viet Nam and led the medical team for extreme burn soldiers. He is board certified in the above fields. I found him in the yellow pages. When my neuro diagnosed me full body, suggested I see a psych for help in dealing. I didn't like his two suggestions so went to the phone book.
I have been seeing him monthly for 6 years and I'm so grateful for his knowledge of meds and RSD, because I'm on meds that allow me to drive and am mobile. I can't drive for 4 hours after morning meds. Meeting my son in laws's mom for lunch today.
The seroquel xr comes in 50 mg 100mg. and 150mg 200 mg and 300 mg.
Take care, I know how horrible it is to lay awake all night. If you have any question about this drug, I'll ask my Doc. Please tell your Mum Hi, thinking of you, your friend, loretta

Ali, my Dr. is very conservative on meds, but says it is totally unacceptable to lay awake all night. We need restorative sleep. Now that I'm sleeping, I've reduced Vicodin from 6 to 4. We just moved, but before we moved, I was down to 2 vicodin. except for flares. I know drugs have their side affects, although I haven't noticed any with Seroquel. but lack of sleep is even worse in my opinion. We can't function without sleep. Especially,
with you in school, learning-your brain needs sleep to function. Sleep makes my day so much better. I wrote more down below. your friend, loretta

Ali, I was recently put on Lyrica and that has helped my sleep alot. It also seems to help me sleep well without thrashing around all night. I also take Flexerel, percocet and Cymbalta at night. Right now this cocktail is working even though I have had the stress of starting back into college. I hope you find something that will help you soon. Lisa

Ali, I was awake every 2hours for the last 2 years until i was put on elavil at bedtime(along with oxy,lyrica). I still wake but not as much and i feel rested!! hope it helps. momof4

Hi Alison,
I had to chuckle when I read your posting about not sleeping because I've been fighting trying to sleep the last several months to a year. I was getting by on only 2-3 hours a night and my pain increased too. Over the years, I have tried everything to help me sleep and nothing worked...some of them even made me stay awake more at night. It was awful and I was about to scream. So, I got rid of them all and I only take 2 Melatonin at 3 mg each and my newest thing that actually has been the only thing to work is Tylenol PM. I get the generic one and it works great. It says to take 2 capsules (get capsules instead of tablets so you can break them if needed). I have never needed to take 2 capsules and only take one capsule about two hours before bedtime and I have been sleeping now for three weeks straight!!! A miracle for me. I tried all (Ambien, Lunesta, Seroquel, etc...) and nothing worked. THe other night I took my Generic Tylenol PM and my sinuses were stuffy so I took about 2/4 Generic Benadryl (as someone already mentioned to you). I slept 12 hours straight (with only getting up at 6 am to take dog out) and I went right back to sleep. It was the greatest feeling ever to sleep. You can even start taking a half tablet to see if that works for you since you have to get up early for your tutor. I sometimes feel a bit groggy but not bad and in a few hours it is gone and I feel so much better when I sleep. My pain is alot lower. The Tylenol in the caplet helps with the pain too and allows me to stay asleep. I also wear Fentanyl pain patch all the time and take Wellbutrin at bedtime too. It is so important for people without any illnesses to sleep and it is even more important for us RSDers to get rest so we can fight the dragon during the day. Take care and I hope it works for you. Oh, another thing I was doing for awhile was putting on a calming cd and letting it run out but it has to be a quiet one or when it turns off that might wake you. Best of luck,
kathy d

Hi Ali,

I love you new picture. Do you have black hair now, my daughter did the same thing went from blonde to black.

Sorry to here you are having sleep problems. That is on area of RSD that I have never been able to get under control for any length of time. Sometimes I sleep great and sometimes I don't. I use a med. called klonopin which is really for anxiety. Every sleep aid over the counter or RXed make me feel like a zombie in the morning. I really don't want to keep taking the kononpin because it is benzodiazapan and really can become dangerous and also I'am trying to detox. my body to a certain extent. The other thing that does work probably the best is if I excercise each day, not a work out put just move even if I just walk a block, that seems to help honestly more than anything. Maybe it's the endourphiines? But I get very lazy when it comes to excercise.
Melatonin is a natural sleep aid. I have never tried it but some love it and some don't. You can find it in a health food store.

Wish you the best.

Gabbycakes

Hi Ali
I take Trazadone hon.. When I first had RSD they put me on amitriptyline to help sleep and that worked pretty well too but it made me gain too much weight, so they switched me to trazadone, trazadone works good and it also helps alot with neuropathic pain too, and no weight gain. I sleep better on it than anything else I have tried and it is also considered to be a good first line of medication for CRPS patients. I would ask your doctor about it next time you see him.. these meds realy help the neuropatic pain as well I am surprised you are not on them already but I supose every place has diffrent protocals.

hugs hon, you know where to find me if you need anything

~ Sandra