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Bunny

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Joined
Aug 19, 2014
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1
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
10/1998
Country
CA
State
BC
Hello,

I am new to this forum. I have had fibromyalgia for over 15 years and have dealt with it by trying various sleeping medications, low dose antidepressants to help my chronic insomnia. I am 47 now and have finally hit a point where nothing seems to be working to help me to sleep. I am taking 3.75 mg/ night of zopiclone and have been on this for the past 5 months but it only gets me 3-4 hours of sleep a night. Not enough for me to be able to function with the fibromyalgia pain. I am attempting to taper off of this now, but it is he'll since I get even less sleep and much more Anxiety with each cut to my dosage. I have never tried any pain meds before, so wondered what works for others that I could possibly try while I am tapering off this sleeping pill? I am also curious as to what others do to help their sleep that works for them? I have tried all kinds of natural things, but none of that really works for me. Does gabapentin work for both pain and sleep?

Many thanks!

Bunny
 
When I was on Gabapentin, it worked very well for the sharp sudden nerve pains.
It also gave me a great sleep. I would still get up during the night to use the washroom, but I would fall asleep again easily.
I also felt it caused "brain fog" during the day.
 
I am always tired so sleeping is not a problem for me. I've started a multi vitamin and added some healthier food to my diet. This is helping my CFS.
 
Lyrics made me sleepy, but came with a lot side effects, so no thanks. Now I am taking a B complex, it helps a lot, but it depends a lot in my stress levels. If I am too stressed or worried odds are I will not be able to go to bed no matter what.

I sometimes have a hard time falling asleep, there are times I'm still awake at 3. But most of the time I'm sleeping by midnight.
 
One of the things that many people struggle with is balancing the effects of the drugs with the side effects that you would be trying to avoid. There are lots of things that you could take, for example, but you might find that the side effects of them would be worse than the pain that they are masking. It would be worth booking a meeting with your doctor to discuss your options, though, because if the painkillers that you're taking are hardly even taking the edge off for you then there isn't very much point in your continuing to take them at all. They may also be able to recommend things like massage and alternative therapy that don't work for everyone, but you might just find that they work for you.
 
You can try homeopathic medicines. They say lavender is a natural sleep aid. I am having some problems too, mostly hip and back pain won't let me sleep. A hot shower before bed usually helps me, but I tend to scald myself trying to get rid of the pain. I sweat it out in there and when I come out, I'm too dehydrated and tired to do anything but go to bed.
 
I agree with Mowmow. Try some homeopathic medication . You will be surprised at the power of some of them. Even a glass of milk is better than taking some benzos to get to sleep. Definitely visit a homeopathic doctor and do what he suggests. Then go to pharmaceuticals if all else fails.
 
I've been very fortunate with my sleep. However I think I am drifting towards a biphasic sleep cycle, which isn't really ideal. My night time sleep has shrunk to 6 hours on average, and I am having a 2 hour midday nap almost daily. On the occasions where I exceed 6 hours I feel terrible, as if I had had no sleep at all. After my afternoon nap I feel as fresh as possible.
 
As strange as it may sound, the best thing I did to get better sleep, is by eating a lot of cooked animal fat and protein. I would literal stuff my face with it. I love bacon and I eat all the fat. I don't shy away from 6 egg omelets either. The more fat and protein the better.

Now how does this help me. The brain is made up primarily of fat. In order for the brain to function properly you need a to feed it the raw materials it need to function properly......which is animal fat.

Now that I've been eating a surplus of protein and fat, I sleep better. Sometimes I would fall asleep on my uncomfortable couch and I have a hard time waking up. It's not because I don't have the energy, it's because I'm in a total shut down sleep.
 
Are you serious Josh? Eating animal protein makes a difference? I never heard that until now, but great that it's working for you.
 
Are you serious Josh? Eating animal protein makes a difference? I never heard that until now, but great that it's working for you.

Seriously, it works out great for me. I'm getting those sleeps that when someone is trying to wake you up to go upstairs to your own room, I just can't. It feels like I'm stuck to the couch. I open my eyes but I turn away and fall right back to sleep.

I feel happy to be able to stuff my face with the food I crave, and sleep very well because of doing so. Try it.
 
As strange as it may sound, the best thing I did to get better sleep, is by eating a lot of cooked animal fat and protein. I would literal stuff my face with it. I love bacon and I eat all the fat. I don't shy away from 6 egg omelets either. The more fat and protein the better.

Has your doctor not warned you about what damage high cholesterol readings can and always do? This is not about meat per se because I eat meat all the time and always have. But I'm really thinking that suggesting people risk heart disease and stroke and other dire health concerns in order to maybe make CF pain a little better is mighty poor advice.

Six-egg omelets? Lots of bacon with all it's fat? (I love bacon, by the way)... this is NOT good medical advice and should not be taken or given as such. :evil:
 
I don't have it myself, but after my boyfriend started taking multivitamins and going to physical therapy, it really increased the hours of sleep he was able to achieve. Also herbs like chamomile and Valerian helped as well.
 
I don't have it myself, but after my boyfriend started taking multivitamins and going to physical therapy, it really increased the hours of sleep he was able to achieve. Also herbs like chamomile and Valerian helped as well.

Now there's some good advice! I've known that chamomile is effective for a lot of people (tea form often) and while I know Valerian is helpful to many, I've never had much luck with it, sadly. I'm glad it's working for your boyfriend!
 
I take a 10 mg. Flexeril (Cyclobenzaprine) for sleeping. It is a muscle relaxer as I get spasms.
If I have a back spasm during the day, I will only take 1/2 a pill and lie down with a heating pad.
You won't build up a tolerance for this drug. You need a perscription from your Doctor.
 
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