How do you sleep through the RSD pain? Just wondering, as I have been having trouble sleeping because my arms and shoulders hurt so bad... I am trying melatonin, but as of last night it does not seem to be doing much. Any ideas? Just wondering what anyone else does. TIA!

I have had RSD for for 10 years. Up until the last 4 years it was manageable
with medication. However, that was when it spread throughout my entire
body and my sleep problems began.

I have had problems sleeping for the last 4 years. The longest period of
'no sleep' for me was 18 days. Normally I would go 5 or 6 days with no sleep, then just totally pass out for a day then repeat the cycle over and over
again. It got so bad that I would drop off to sleep standing up, and then
fall. My husband began having to watch me all the time to make sure I would
not hurt myself. That is when I decided I had to make my doctors understand
that I had to have something to make me sleep and that I would do or take anything necessary in order to sleep. Everything I read told me that without sleep, nothing works right in your body.

Luckily, my doctor new of a psychiatrist who was doing research on finding
meds, that were prescribed for one thing, but would work for something
else. We tried several things that didn't work. Then he put me on REMERON.
I started on a low dose, which didn't work, but kept increasing it until it did
the charm. I had forgotten what it was like to get in the bed at night and
not wake up until morning. I still have those nights that I wake up from a
deep sleep screaming of pain, but I can live with that.

I know there are meds that work for some and won't work for others. But I
hope that if you haven't tried this, that you will talk to your doctor about it,
to see if it might work for you.

Melissa

I have found no medicine that really works to fall asleep and stay asleep. The biggest thing for me is to get my mind off of it for like a half hour before bed... like watching some tv or reading. I chat to my boyfriend before we go to bed and relax as much as possible... (not saying that is always easy) but it can sometimes work. I will take something like Excerdin PM just to put me sleep if I can't sleep but no matter what I do wake up multiple times a night due to pain. But most of all of my pain mgt resources or now out of medicinal hands. I go without as much medicine as possible except for really bad days or nights...

Key thing is if you can get your pain down or better get your mind off of your pain you will be able to fall asleep same thing goes for the day... keeping as busy or as mentally busy as possible the better for me. Keeping my mind off the pain... Hope it helps!


-Heather

is no SLEEP!!

I know my doctors are TIRED of hearing me say that

I hope someday we get some rest!

the insommniac

Allen

Hi,

I take zopiclone and find it really good; my main problem is getting to sleep, once I'm asleep I'll usually sleep reasonably OK. Zopiclone goes by several names, US Ambien, UK Immovane, there are others, just look up RX brands. But I need very little of it to bring on the sleepies.

I've also discovered I'm very sensitive to sound and if I have a bad night, wearing soft ear plugs makes a big difference in keeping me asleep. It gives me a sense of being cocooned and for some reason that just does the trick,

all the best!

as soon as his head hits the pillow...i get sooo jealous...........he is out within seconds, and i really do mean that........however, he does not stay asleep...the pain wakes him many many times a night, he gets up, takes a pain pill, or goes to the bathroom, gets a drink of water, and then falls right back to sleep........i guess the activity of doing something helps him take his mind off of the pain for a few minutes, then, wham he is out again...............

he has tried many sleep aids, but they only work for a day or two, then ...nothing......

however, when HE gets up, it wakes me up, and i have a terrible time falling asleep.....i lie there for hours before i am able to fall asleep....and this is every night................see why i get so jealous of him??? lafff

neither one of us gets too much sleep.......seems like a vicious circle...........

oh to sleep the whole night long would be heavenly.................ahhhhhhhhh

for sleeping: i take ambien cr and get at least 2-4 hrs of sleep then wake(due to pain) take more vicoden es and sleep for maybe another hour. if not then i have some xanex and skelaxin...and sit up rocking and crying for awhile till it all kicks in and sleep(sort of in a fog) for maybe another hour if i am lucky...