JUST WANT TO SLEEP!!!

[spitfire989]

Hi there guys,---I'm still in the "Limbo-land" as so many are here,--but, heare's my question.----For so long now I've been having a TERRIBLE time sleeping at night despite taking Vicodin and Neurontin.---I would take it approx 1-2 hrs before bedtime and then only sleep aprrox 2-3 or 4 hrs, then wake up "Bright eyed and bushy tailed"!---- So, then I'd "drop" the Vicodin and Neurontin and take 4 EX-Tylenol-----No Go.----So, I guess my question is,---Is this a "side" of MS------Why-----And what can I do to get a "decent" night sleep so that I can function at work and NOT want to "crash" around noon everyday??!!------Hope you guys can help me out!--------PS-----WHAT THE HECK IS UP WITH ALL THE PAID PROGRAMMING ALL NIGHT LONG?   hehe----This **** keeps up---I'll be ordering every darn thing on the TV!  hehe

[sllowe]

I don't know.  All's I know is I went from 3 months of not even feeling like I slept after doing so all night to not sleeping at all once the flare simmered.

I went on some fantastic sleep meds, temazapam, but after 5 months I ended up allergic to one of my meds and had to stop taking it, durrnit! I would wake up feeling so wonderful.

Oh, how I miss them.... :(

It would e a good idea to the Dr about the sleep issue, it's really for the best, and your sanity!

I feel your pain,
-Shell

[doni54]

Hi spitfire,

As you know I'm undx too.  I have a lot of trouble sleeping myself, and it can really wear you down.

I was exhausted yesterday, after two days of cooking, and thought I would take a nap after lunch.  It was a no go.........................how can you be so utterly and completly exhausted and still not be able to sleep?

I'm not on any meds, but I did try melatonin for a bit.  It worked great for a few weeks, then it started causing me to have restless limb, and I mean horrible restless limb, actually effected my arms the worse.  So, there went my one escape to sleep.

Now, like you, I watch TV, til the wee hours and sometimes if I'm lucky get 3 or 4 hrs sleep.

I agree with Shell, it would be good to let your dr know and see if he can come up with a way to help you get some sleep.  Sanity is a good thing when we deal with all the things we have to deal with...hahaha

Take Care!!
doni

[Wobbly]

gee...I have bad nights as well...I take clonazapam in the evening...supposed to help me sleep..but I have nights (like last night) where I'm awake all night.. trying to sleep but can't.  

then I'm exhausted the next day of course.. hope you get some sleep and help with this.  I and you should let the Dr know..

take care
wobbly
undx

[spitfire989]

Yeah, the sleep depravation is quite taxing to say the least!--Especially in my profession of working with Hospice patients, and NEEDING to keep a clear mind as to what your doing at work/with them!---I have an appt Monday with my Neuro, and beleive me---I intend to tell him I can't sleep and that we need to try soemthing or "tweek" whatever meds I'm on now that are not letting me sleep.---So, wish me luck!----Next week ought to be an "Interesting" week as it is----Monday:--an appt with the neuro----Wednesday:--the LP,---and maybe on the "recovery" day of Thursday after the Lp I can sleep.  But, I'm gonna doubt it.---So, I'll keep you guys posted.---But wish me luck!

[spitfire989]

LIke I told Doni--yeah I intend to tell ol' Mr.Doctor about the sleep issue.---Man this is crazy!--It's bad enough to have to deal with or without a DX, but to have to stare at the stars every night too, is a little much.--Hopefully, I can get him to "help out" someway. Or I'm gonna beat em up! hehe.---Ok, well wish me luck next week with the appts.---And if any of you guys have any---Good Luck!---talk soon

[Lulu54]

Spitfire,
Put the credit cards away, you really don't need the Poppeil Pocket Fisherman or Ronco Knives!! :-)  The paid programming is the worst, isn't it?  And especially when you find your self watching the entire 30 minute pitch.  You know its bad when you actually write down the toll free ordering number.

I hope you can relax a bit this week after your LP and maybe settle into a better routine.  I take Lunesta most nights - falling to sleep has not been a problem for me, but staying asleep was. I would wake up after 3-4 hours and be wide awake.  The Lunesta has really stopped that.  

I hope you get some relief soon.

Sleep deprivation is no fun!
Lulu

[essdipity]

Sleep problems are really common with MS. I've tried to do quite a bit of informal Internet research on this, but haven't found any support for the idea that insomnia can be a primary MS effect. Virtually all the sites I've found say that patients can be kept awake by pain, spasms, restless limbs or need to visit the bathroom, but none have said that people can be just plain awake, night after night, even without these symptoms.

Having a sleep study done is a good way of finding whether there are mechanical problems such as breathing difficulties or sleep apnea, but sometimes all the study shows is little sleep, at least little decent quality sleep. I had the study and then saw a sleep specialist, who really could offer not much explanation for my sleep problems. I asked her point-blank whether MS could cause a lesion or lesions in the brain's sleep center. Got no answer to that. Maybe sleep is just too complicated for that explanation.

All was not lost by going through this, though. First, I had my insomnia and lack of deep sleep documented. Second, the doctor did offer to prescribe a low dose of a tricyclic antidepressant, which has sleepiness as a side effect. That, along with Lyrica, has helped me quite a bit. And I managed to get off Ambien and Lunesta, to which I had developed a tolerence.

I still rarely sleep what I'd call well. I've tried being very careful about caffeine, exercise before bedtime, being in noisy situations that jangle my nerves, and so on, and none of these has done much good. I felt sure last night's sleep would be poor. I had been at a family Thanksgiving celebration with raucous kids, and had drunk a moderate amount of wine. Not usually a good idea. But lo and behold, I fell asleep as soon as I turned off the light, and slept like a baby for 7 hours straight. Woke up today feeling refreshed and ready for the day, almost unheard of in recent years. But at least I know I'm still capable of that, and it's a good feeling.

We talk about sleep quite a lot here, and I often suggest that people try an over-the-counter sleep med. They don't do diddly for me, but they do help most people. I suspect there's no one answer to this--maybe no 5 answers, for that matter, so we always can benefit by learning about our collective thinking and experiences.

ess