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Difficulty at work...Meds for sleep?

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Posted 1/3/2009 3:12 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a good New years!

I have finally hit a point where I am looking for meds to help me sleep.  When I was first dx'd, I tried some meds for pain/fatigue, but they made everything worse.  It seemed that no meds actually worked better than some meds.

But, I'm having trouble at work now. I've been forgetting important things and my boss was less than understanding last week.  I can no longer afford to just plug away and try to ignore my symptoms....my job is crucial to our survival.

So...besides Klonopin and Cymbalta, what do you take for sleep?  I figure if I sleep better, I may have a slightly easier time remembering things...or at least remember to write down the things I don't want to forget!

Does anyone here take ambien?  Also, I will not take anything with a side effect of weight gain..do you know of anything w/o this side effect?

Thanks everyone!

Kerri

Posted 1/3/2009 7:54 PM (GMT 0)
I take 100mg of amitriptyline and 1 1/2 mg of xanax at bedtime and it works well for me but I do wake up too early some mornings.

 

Good luck finding something Kerri.

 

luv and hugs

Marlee

Posted 1/3/2009 8:39 PM (GMT 0)
Golly, Kerri, I don't take anything for sleep.  I just keep myself on a sleep schedule and that works for me....that and hot tea in the morning!  LOL

 

I wish you the best of luck in finding something that works for you.

 

Sherrine

Posted 1/3/2009 8:44 PM (GMT 0)
Benedryl....

Posted 1/3/2009 9:04 PM (GMT 0)

Hey Kerri,

I take 25mg of Trazadone at night and that is what I have found works best for me to balance sleep and a full work day.

Good luck....remember the winter storm, no power, christmas dilemna....that is all fogging your mind right now..

Posted 1/3/2009 9:26 PM (GMT 0)
Kerri, I am not on ambien now but I intend to be soon. I have used it successfully several times in the past. I find that it works the best for me when I am having a rough time getting the rest I need. I have tried many rx aids as well as OTC and alternative aids. Several things make ambien my choice- sticking with a sleep routine, no caffiene or alcohol past 5pm, a balanced light supper and ambien no later than 8pm. I have no hang over feeling in the morning and feel for the most part rested. I have never been a good sleeper and ambien is usually my answer when I need better sleep through modern chemistry :)
Posted 1/3/2009 10:04 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Kerri,

I take ambien and have good luck with it. It does not cause weight gain. I use to take it everyother night, but have been taking it nightly as of late.

I can sleep at any time, 24/7 actually, but ambien gives me a better quality of sleep.

I hope that this helps some. I would recommend it. There is also luenesta, but I understand that it puts a bad taste in your mouth.

Best wishes for a painfree day.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 1/4/2009 2:33 AM (GMT 0)
Have you had a sleep study? If not and you have insurance coverage (it's expensive), ask your doc if you can have one. This way you may find out what your problem is and you'll be better able to treat it. Sleep apnea, restless legs, and alpha/delta disorder all have different treatments.

Whatever you decide to try, I suggest you first try it when you don't have to work the next morning. Meds affect people in different ways and may make you drowsy or "hungover" the next day.

Some OTC sleep aids are melatonin, 5-HTP, valerian and benedryl. Talk to your doc or pharmacist before trying any because they could interfere with other meds and medical conditions.
Posted 1/4/2009 3:36 AM (GMT 0)
I take 5 mg of amitriptylene and it knocks me out cold for 8 - 10 hours! (I can't believe Marlee can take 100mg! Whoa! You go girl!)
Posted 1/4/2009 4:15 AM (GMT 0)
I can feel the love coming on this one, but I was wondering where my memory went, since I used to have Fibro at a level that excercise and different therapy handled, and well, yes, Ibuprofen, or Tylenol and Aspirin for the excercise induced pain. And I took allot of Kava Kava for the anxiety. It took months for the Kava Kava to bring the anxiety under control, but it eventualy got there. And my memory worked preaty good until the second crash and burn and I got onto the drugs. Do a search on any of these and you wll see memory impairment as a major side effect.

Benzodiazepenes - All
Neurontin
Lyrica
Tramadol - probably because its also a SSRI
Baclofen
Flexeril
Soma
Amitriptylene
SSRI's
Ambien
Valerian - if taken long enough in high enough doses.

Preaty much the whole laundry list has memory impairment. The bright side is its reversible once the drugs are discontinued. So hopefully someday they can target this thing better and we can get some of it back.

The two things I have found for countering the memory loss on the Benzo's is Acetyl L-Carnitine, and Nicotene. This is not a endorsement to smoke.
Posted 1/4/2009 4:20 AM (GMT 0)
Grailhunter - thanks for the list. I occasionally take tramadol and forgot about the memory impairment side effect. It certainly explains the last few days!
Posted 1/4/2009 5:04 AM (GMT 0)
I take tramadol daily, and I'm trying Neurontin right now, titrating up on it, for nerve pain. My memory is pretty well shot. Sometimes I do okay, other times, I lose my train of thought in literally seconds.

I have been out of work since October 1st, and am REALLY worried as to my ability to go back and do my job.

Catch-22: take enough meds to be pain free, and you can't add 2+2. Stay off the meds, and the pain is just so distracting and unbearable, you can't function at a full time job.

What's a fibromite to do?
Posted 1/4/2009 4:51 PM (GMT 0)
Schutz, I have been on and off of amitriptyline since my 20s for anxiety and have been on 100 mg for 10 or 11 yrs now, I've lost track. I've also been on xanax for 10 or 11 yrs. Have they attributed to memory loss, I don't know but I wouldn't say my memory or fog is any worse than anyone else with fibro.

 

Grailhunter, you have to weigh the benefits against the side affects and for me the benefits win. I would love to go in right now and flush every med I'm on but I would be in bad shape if I did. I found out in the spring how cutting down on the amitriptyline just a little did to the fibro and I don't care to go through that again.

 

luv and hugs

Marlee

Posted 1/4/2009 7:02 PM (GMT 0)
Isn't it amazing that all those drugs gives you memory loss,but it can't make you forget the pain? shakehead
Posted 1/7/2009 3:01 PM (GMT 0)

Thank you all for your helpful responses. I really appreciate the feedback.

Sometimes I seem to linger on the cusp of a flare for a long time, without knowing if it will fade or if I am headed for a violent, lengthy one. I have been like that for a little while now, more pain, difficulty concentrating, blurred vision / memory, not sleeping as well - but I've been worse, so I am not in the grips of a flare just yet.

It was a good point made, that I have been experiencing other stressors lately that may be contributing some. I will give that some thought. Plus, I have been rather unhappy under my current boss which does not help matters. I've been trying to decide if I should leave this company for bigger and brighter things....but risk having memory issues in an unfamiliar environment or if I should stay and do what I can to be happy where it is a little safer (I've been here for almost 7 years). Lots to think about.

Anyway, I will talk to my doctor about some sleep meds and ask about some that you all have said helped. I think it's time that I went on something.

Thanks again!

Kerri

Posted 1/7/2009 3:36 PM (GMT 0)

Kerri,

Speaking professionally,

With the current economy it would be ill-advised to make a career change at this time. I would encourage anyone who has been at their job for as long as you have to stay put unless the situation gets to be untolerable.

Speaking as FIBRO MAN,

A familiar routine and setting are a definite advantage to anyone with FM. Making the change now may not bode well for your success at retaining a new position. They do not know your true capabilities.

I never want to encourage anyone to stay in an unhappy situation, but one needs to make a "business" decision when it comes to their income and the financial stability of their family.

 Good luck Kerri! I wish you well!! :)


Posted 1/7/2009 4:07 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks, Jokat.

Yes, you are probably right. My situation is not intolerable and I am not absolutely miserable. My attitude is a great advantage, as I keep trying to see the glass half full.

My department is headed in a direction that makes many of us very uncomfortable. I had a confidential talk with one of our VP's that I am close to and she has been vocal about her disagreement w/ where we are headed, but basically said that we have gone too far to turn around now. She said the best I can do is document everything so that when it does fall apart, I can save myself. I am hoping that the reputation I have built and the friends I have made help me when the inevitable happens.

That said, the company itself is strong. If I can hold on now and continue to find ways to work w/ my fibro related challenges, I should be ok. I just sometimes dream of working under a great mentor again and would love for an exciting opportunity to present itself.

Thanks for the professional advise, Jokat.

Take care,

Kerri
Posted 1/9/2009 6:22 AM (GMT 0)
I have tried the xanax, ambien, amitriptylene, and cyclobenzeprine. My concern was that all of these meds knocked me out too hard and made it difficult to care for my son on my days off, and difficult to wake up on my work days. For about two weeks, my rheumy has had me on Rozerem, which is supposed to stimulate your natural production of melatonin or something like that. It's not addictive and it's not a sedative. So far, I can't really tell if it's working, but it may be too soon to tell. I thought it was worth a try, though. It might be an option for you, if you don't want to hit the harder drugs.
Posted 1/9/2009 6:28 AM (GMT 0)
P.S. I was just looking up more info on rozerem and the webpage i found said it is a sedative. My doc said it wasn't. However, it does not knock me out or make me feel dopey like the other sleep aids have. So maybe he meant that it wasn't a harsh sedative. Not sure, but now I want to ask him more about it.
Posted 1/9/2009 7:51 PM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't recommend you any sleep meds I have been on honestly - they didn't even help me much and I have found that sleeping meds (from my own experiences and from what others I've seen have experienced also) can give you very bad nightmares... even if you are not prone to nightmares beforehand.

Some people aren't babies I guess and can take nightmares lol, but me, having many irrational fears do not mix with nightmares very well... especially since the nightmares were always about my irrational fears...

Good luck though, try other peoples' suggestions if they appeal to you.. like I always say anyway, everyone is different.

Talk to your doctor and see which sleep med he feels would be best for you, ones that do not have weightgain as a side effect.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

_____________________________________________________________

21 years old

Fibromyalgia, Bipolar Disorder, OCD, Irrational fears

Posted 1/10/2009 4:48 AM (GMT 0)
dirtyflowergirl,
My doc gave me a 12 pack sample of Rozerem. He said also said it wasn't a sedative and wouldn't have a hangover effect the next day. I tried it for 6 nights in a row. It made me feel so sleepy the next day. By late afternoon I was falling asleep in the middle of conversations.

I couldn't tell if it helps me sleep. I had a sleep study and apparently I am not really asleep even when I think I am.
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