Impish Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I've taken all the meds I'm supposed to. I've taken melatonin. And its 202 am, and I'm WIIIIIIDDDDEEE awake. And hurt. And if I don't sleep, I hurt more. And the more I hurt, the less I sleep. ARRRGGGGHHHH :banghead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Oh, I hate that too! My husband is very philosophical about insomnia and he always tells me not to fight it. Just relax and at least rest, or get up and potter around- but getting upset about it doesn't help at all. But then, he can live on 4 hours sleep for a long while and doesnt have to homeschool the kids all day! I hope you get some deep sleep soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jail warden Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 How much melatonin do you take? Maybe you need to play around with the dosage. Good luck, I know it's terrible not to be able to sleep. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Go outside for a long walk. We get low on oxygen this time of year. More calcium and magnesium. B vitamins. Pray. Check your thyroid and adrenals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 (edited) :grouphug: I can so relate hon. I am in the same cycle right now. I am reaching blubbering idiot stage. I am seeing the dr. today and I am going to beg for something to just knock me out. I will let you know if I find anything. Edited January 15, 2010 by KidsHappen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share Posted January 15, 2010 I've had hypothyroid for 15 yrs or so now. I finally managed some sleep after I posted...a whopping 4 hours. *groan* Thank God that today is Lidocaine Infusion Day. Means that I usually get some solid sleep, AND pain relief. Yippeee! Course, I'm not gonna pass up the offer of a nap if I get one though! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I can't sleep well to save my life. You have my simpathy truly. I was up till almost 5. I will pray for your rest and you can pray for mine lol. Are you cutting off all caffeine? That is what everyone aske me. Good luck I know how it feels to just be exhausted and I hope you feel better. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share Posted January 15, 2010 I used to be able to drink a popt of coffee and go to bed, no prob. For me, its a pain/mind won't shut up issue. I don't drink coffee after noon, and have seriously cut back what I drink in the am....but you'll get my coffee away from me by prying it outta my cold dead hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Well then you should research thyroid treatment some more. There are more options, and you shouldn't be having these problems. Try looking for Mary Shomon's book or stuff by Teitelbaum as a start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Impish - I know so well how if you don't get restorative sleep it can lead to pain. I hope you get some today. Last year I took 2 months off of formal homeschooling (we still had lots of books, puzzles, games, great science videos etc.) just to work on my health. As you know, it did not lead to a cure for me. But it did lead to me finding out about my severe vitamin D deficiency and that has improved my quality of life. I am still researching my health - my latest research and experimenting is with 5 HTP which not so coincidentally is one of the chemicals our body makes to help us have restorative sleep. I've had some difficulties with it but some tentative relief as well. I say tentative because I have good and bad days and its hard sometimes to tell what is influencing or causing them. I'm also working on my thyroid issues. The thing about chronic illness is that it is like an onion. All systems get impacted and the changes in one system can set up a domino effect in our body and thus start changes in another body system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share Posted January 15, 2010 Well then you should research thyroid treatment some more. There are more options, and you shouldn't be having these problems. Try looking for Mary Shomon's book or stuff by Teitelbaum as a start. My issues aren't to do with my thyroid, but with RSD. Its the pain that keeps me awake. I swear that the meds they give me sometimes bounce off one another and cause the Brain Won't Shut Up Syndrome. Its like...skimming the surface of sleep. If I were asleep, the thoughts would be dreams, if that makes any sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Have you tried aromatherapy? Lavender doesn't work for me, but majorum essential oil does. It is supposed to calm anxiety, so it works (not necessarily quickly) for "Brain won't shut up Syndrome." I put a drop on each side of the pillow so I'll still be able to smell it when I turn over. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share Posted January 15, 2010 Have you tried aromatherapy? Lavender doesn't work for me, but majorum essential oil does. It is supposed to calm anxiety, so it works (not necessarily quickly) for "Brain won't shut up Syndrome." I put a drop on each side of the pillow so I'll still be able to smell it when I turn over. Rosie Interesting! I'm allergic to lavender, so this is something that might actually help! Thanks, Rosie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 What are you 'officially' suffering from? I mean what are your doctors guessing is the problem? I'm fighting the whole pain and sleep issue too. I have also found relief with 5HTP. A liquid mixture of magnesium, vit D and Calcium that I take at night also helps some. Also getting regular exercise and being sure to wind down for at least 2 hours before bedtime--and not watch, read, or discuss anything that might in any way either upset me or turn my brain on. If I can't get to sleep on my own occasionally I will take a half of a 5mg valium. I've done this maybe 3 times in the past 6 months. I'm not sure if my doctor is going to like my solution, but it beats being addicted to Ambien and depressed. A cautionary tale for anyone considering Ambien-- One thing that did not work well for me was Ambien. I became addicted during the month of August and spent several weeks in Sept getting off of it. It also made me depressed. It gave me a feeling of being disconnected from everything around me. I knew I had to get off it when I realized I didn't care about anything anymore (I mean even my family). Another problem with Ambien and meds like it is that you can't see if it will be a bad night before you take it. You need to allow a full eight hours for sleeping. Even after eight hours I wasn't fully awake. So, if you try to sleep on your own and realize after an hour or so that you're not going to and then take the Ambien you are going to get up an hour (or more) later in the morning. If it's two in the morning then you may not be fully functional until 11am! That just didn't work well for me. Someone has to be up with the kids and my husband leaves for work. And you are useless even if someone wakes you up. If one of your kids gets sick--you will not be able to deal with it. I had entire conversations and was walking around the house turning things off and on and then had no memory of it at all in the morning! There may be some people it works well for, but none of the doctors I was seeing ever even hinted at these problems. When I talked to my pharmacist, however, she told me that she hears these kinds of things constantly from Ambien users. I still have some on hand and if the pain is getting really bad from a build up of poor sleep then I will take it for one night only, and I make sure to go to bed early. I've only done it once since getting off it in Sept because I never want to feel like I did while taking it again. Shannon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 My issues aren't to do with my thyroid, but with RSD. Its the pain that keeps me awake. I swear that the meds they give me sometimes bounce off one another and cause the Brain Won't Shut Up Syndrome. Its like...skimming the surface of sleep. If I were asleep, the thoughts would be dreams, if that makes any sense. I know exactly what you mean. This happens to me from time to time and I am not taking any meds. But, maybe the meds your taking are contributing. Are they absolutely neccessary? I don't know much about RSD, but I know many doctors over prescribe. If you are considering using 5HTP you may need to talk to your doctor about it first. I know that it is not recommended to combine it with some medications. Shannon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 What are you 'officially' suffering from? I mean what are your doctors guessing is the problem? What I have is different from what Impish has. I was diagnosed 20 years ago with fibromyalgia. I've tried the allopathic (Western medicine) drugs and they gave me heart problems. Since then I've had some relief with naturopathic medicine. So far the things identified and treated successfully have been a thyroid problem (hypo) and a severe vitamin D deficiency. I have adrenal issues which are sort of addressed (ie. I'm taking stuff for it but I don't think it totally fixes the problem). Right now I'm reading a book put out by a chiropractor/nutritionist called "Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic fatigue Syndrome". I like that he goes through each system of the body and talks about how they work and how to treat problems with each one. I'm taking the 5-HTP on the book's advice. There are other systems of my body that are out of whack but they're going to have to wait their turn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 (edited) I also have health problems where bad sleep leads to pain. It's a terrible cycle. I rotate what I use for sleep because I'm paranoid about taking too much of one thing for too long. I will take nothing (those are the crappy nights) this: http://www.rockymountainherbals.com/herbal-remedies-sound_asleep.html (doesn't help me fall asleep, improves the quality of sleep) Benadryl: helps me fall asleep, awesome quality sleep, I only use this when I'm having a flare, or if I need to get up earlier than when I would naturally wake up. If I wake up before I'm "done" sleeping my bones and my stomach hurt. Acupuncture has also helped as well as massage. Many nights I get in bed with all the lights turned out, I use my iphone to read, check mail etc. and I fall asleep holding it. That's my latest trick to fall asleep. Next I would like to figure out how to nap in the day. How does that work exactly?:tongue_smilie: eta: good sheets, cozy bed environment, if you can't use lavender under your pillow maybe another herb, there are many that help sleep. Edited January 16, 2010 by helena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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