Sleeping problems

[KAG71]

Hope you can help me with this, as I really need some answers.   My husband has severe back problems and as a result has been on a very high dose of oxycontin for 2 1/2 years (640mg a day).  Under advice by the GP and pain clinic he is now currently tapering down from this dose, due to the high addiction of this drug and that they believe it is no longer helping the back pain.    

Anyway, to get to the problem.  Prior to being on the oxycontin my husband always had problems in sleeping, and over the last couple of years of being on this drug the insomnia has gotten much worse.  This was until about a week ago, we mentioned the problem to our GP and he prescribed him 2 25mg of Amitriplyne each night to help him.    Trouble is now the problem is the opposite, this last week he has done nothing but sleep!!   He can sleep for 12-14 hours straight and still be tired.  Is this normal?   I am getting really worried about him and don't know what to do.   I mean last night he only got a few hours sleep, but he fell asleep at 11am today and its now 11pm and he's still sound asleep.    Thing is as well, when he gets into this tired state he becomes both confused, and he halluncinates as well.     The confusion and the halluncinations were even there before he started taking the amitriplyne and occured when he went for several days without sleeping at all.

Could it be the drugs that is causing this, or the withdrawal from the oxycontin?   Is it anything I should worry about?

Many thanks for your help.

Karen

[KAG71]

Thank you, however I actually live in the UK, so this is all being done under the NHS and we have no insurance.

[Gregg D Jacobs, Ph.D.]

You would need to check with your insurance  company on whether a sleep center visit would be covered without a referral. Most sleep centers permit self-referrals but insurance usually won't  cover the visit without a referral from  the primary care doctor.

Dr. Jacobs

[KAG71]

Thank you very much for the advice.  To be honest it is as we thought he needs to have a evaluation at a sleep center.  The trouble is whilst he is on Oxycontin our GP will not refer him as according to him once he is off this drug the problem will go away.  However, due to the high dose he is on this could be some time to taper which doesn't help us in the interim.    Is there any way that we can go to a sleep center ourselves for a referral or does it have to be done via the doctor?

Many thanks for your help in this matter.

Karen

[Gregg D Jacobs, Ph.D.]

Many doctors prescribe 50 mg of Trazodone or Elavil and it does not cause the excessive sleep durations you described. However, it may be due to an interaction with the pain medication. Hallucinating is not related to sleep and is more typical in response to medications or rapid, abrupt withdrawal from addictive medications. Your husband should first consult with his doctor about these problems. You might also want to post your question in the new Addiction and Chronic Pain forum but, with the hypersomnia that you described, you should consider an evaluation at a sleep center for your husband. Sleeping during the day is even more problematic since your husband may soon start to reverse day and night and be up at night.