Question from a member: I'm interested to know how fellow fibro sufferers deal with insomnia?

*I have suffered this for a while lately and have ended up being on the computer till 3 or 4 in the morning I'm going to DR'S to as for some amitriptyline some others have commented that this helps them get off, Boy I hope so I'm so tired. Hope this helps you.

*Amytriptaline low dose (10-30mg).

*Not yet diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, having the test in 2 weeks. Meantime my doc. has prescribed Amytriptaline for me. I start taking it tonight, so here's hoping I get a good night's sleep.

*I also use Amytriptaline.

*Walking, that is the only thing that helps me get a good night sleep. On days I feel up to it walking until I can't stand it any more. I sleep like a baby from the fresh air and exercise! Nothing pill wise works I have taken: melation, elavil, sonata, lunesta, ambien, ambien cr, vistaryl, benadryl, halcion, temazapam. I may fall asleep but can never stay asleep. The walking is what helps, but that is only a few days a month I can get out to do that. I am waiting on summer when I can swim all day! I always sleep well in the summer!

*I take 5-HTP for the insomnia, Klonopin for restless legs and periodic limb movement disorder, and Zanaflex for the muscle spasms in my back, so I can sleep for a while without back pain.

*Take the amytriptaline an hour or so before you plan to go to bed and don't do anything which may keep your mind too active - should get you sleepy.


*amtriptaline will take a while to start working, don't expect to sleep well straight away, but keep at it, it does help.

*Amitriptaline didn't work at all went up to highest dose possible and no effect what so ever :(

*Good question and one I've been experimenting with for some time but I have 2/3 versions that normally help.
1. I eat grapes about 1hr to 30mins before going to bed plus I also drink a glass of water or squash. I dunno why it works cos its an odd combo but it does! not all the time but it does work!

2. An old remedy, warm milky malted rink like horlicks or something similar, not chocolate though as that, I find, has the opposite effect.
3. I use a massage oil, usually lavender but one that you like is best, warm it in your hands first and then massage your temples, forehead, back or the neck and pulse points and while you're doing that try to relax your body either by meditation or soothing music. They all have varying degrees of success at different times but I find something along these lines normally work for me. I hope that helps x

*Either a sleeping tablet - but Dr only allows me 5 a month( so keep them for times when I must be awake the next morning) so mainly up and on laptop or if able doing bits around house - amytriptaline does nothing for me. Just pulled my 9th all nighter in a row with hardly any sleep during day at moment, just a no sleep period but no energy either so in bed a lot except when hubby goes to bed then I must get up or lie awake in the dark - although some nights so exhausted I do that till he gets up.

*My insomnia is usually caused by being in pain, sometimes a pain meds help. Also simple things like to check if you are too warm in bed and lower the lights in the lounge (and on your PC if you do that in the evening) for a while before you go to bed.

*If it goes on for a few days I have to increase my dose of Nortriptyline (like Amitriptyline but more gentle).

If that doesn't help then it's time to see Doctor for a small amount of Diazepam to get my body back into correct sleep/wake cycle. I have heard Melatonine mentioned recently for sleep but I'm not sure if you can get that in the UK - I haven't looked, yet!
Hope that helps :o)

*I too suffer from insomnia along with dreadful bouts of fatigue - at the moment I am going through the fatigue stage, and can sleep up to 18 hours a day,which means I can barely manage to do the basics like make something to eat or dress as I just do not have the energy. Bizarrely I function much better on 3-4 hours sleep a night as I seem to have much more energy to do things and can also manage not to sleep during the day. I am odd!

*I use Trazadone to go to sleep. Its actually an antidepressant that makes you sleepy and works great for me. I have a ritual of taking one hour before planning to go to bed to relax, no TV, nothing stimulating. And start a slow meditation beginning with my feet. My feet are relaxing, so relaxed and move my way up. Usually, by the time I get up to my stomach, I am on my way to la-la-land.

*I use trazadone, which is similar to amitriptaline, does any other Fibro sufferers use this?

*I find reading a book helps my eyes get sleepy. Long, hot bath & milky drinks good too.

*lunesta or flexeril does it for me.

*I just pulled an all nighter and then took a half of vicodine, I don't think I'm qualified to answer this. I've never dealt well with the insomnia. I'll stay up for hours on end reading books, or playing puzzle games.

*I have the same problem I can be on the computer till 3-4am some nights if I'm not that tired, but I have started to come off the laptop about midnight and then turn the telly off too and just read a book for a while till my whole body feels relaxed inside, then I can finally just drop off to sleep when I'm that relaxed, I don't take any tablets to help me to sleep at night.

*I never sleep before 2am and that's if I'm lucky. I watch the TV and cross stitch until about 1am and then read a book and relax for an hour before trying to go to sleep. I used to take some sleeping tablets but didn't like the feeling of being really dopey the next day (well even more dopey than I usually feel!) Don't take anything now.

*I can usually get to sleep after a while (unless its a bad night!) I find it's just a mixture of can't get to sleep, can't stay asleep, wake up in pain, DREAM all night every night and not feeling like I've slept, help?

*Snoreeze nose strips for snoring husband helps me sleep too!!!

*I have the problem of dreaming and not feeling like I have slept, the dreams are always of something stressful?

*I use amitriptyline, low dose 10mg, gets me off to sleep, still wake up if kids call me but go straight back off again, not like I used to be, lie there awake all night, told to take it 12 hours before I want to wake, so take it at 6.30, by 10 ready to sleep and wide awake in morning, great!

* meditation, not medication.

*I use Zimovane between 3.75mg / 7mg. I try to only take 1 (3.75) if I can as I go wondering around the house sometimes in the night on two.

*My dreams just seem to use my energy instead of sleep restoring me! I'm fed up of dreaming, they don't even make sense most of the time! I tell my boyfriend and then realise how weird I sound!

*I try not to loose any sleep over it!!

*Rescue remedy night time spray works well for me x

* Hi, I did use amitriptyline got up to 75 mg in the end still did not sleep, suffered more with the side effects, they did work in the beginning just not any more.

*I play farmville and countrylife :-)

*not sleeping. Dreams,restless legs, etc, we are a sorry lot!! When will it all end? I haven't had a good nights sleep in years! I'm still on Amitriptyline,75-100 mg,and its getting as bad as in the beginning!. I'm quite confused now as to what to do next?? hugs to everyone!

*I use Trazadone, Baclofen, Lyrica and Sinemet CR for the restless right before I go to bed, but it's all a gamble, some nights there's just nothing that's going knock me out short of a frying pan!

*Every night I cannot sleep. I have tried Ambien, Ambien CR, Lunesta, Soma, Amrix, Amitriptyline, Trazodone, Doxepin, Rozerem, Valerian root, and some other kind of natual sleep aid that I cannot remember the name of. They all seem to stop working after a few days.

*I've been having troubles sleeping the last few days, it's been making my long days at work even longer. I'm so emotional from being so tired. I used to be on nortriptyline but it made me too tired during the day.
Now I'm on 300mg a day of Gabapentin. It was working but now it's not. I don't know if it's just from being so stressed due to me moving this weekend and currently looking for a new job.

*Best thing ever Cherry Active! I used to sleep 2 hours a night after taking this natural cherry juice no additives no preservatives I slept 7-8 hours a night and it counts as your one a day fruit intake. Mail me for more details. X

*DRUGS.

*I also use antihistamines, the drowsy ones, they send you right to sleep, but I only use if desperate as they often leave me with a medication 'hangover.'

*would like something but amitriptyline gave me horrid nightmares and sent me to a very dark place. any other ideas?

*I go to bed when im the right sort of tired, too many times I have tried to stay up late to combat it, cat nap,going to bed at set times etc. Now if I'm tired at 7 I go to bed, often I will sleep for 5/6 hours. You need to learn to read your body signals eventually you can tell when the right tiredness for sleeping happens.
I have amytriptaline too but it does little for me. I has help my neuropathy a bit though. That said I only manage a proper nights sleep maybe once a week. But that's better than none!

*Sleep mmm sounds good. I can't remember ever waking up feeling like I have slept well. I seem to spend all night dreaming really vividly and detailed. I'm exhausted. Followed by Restless legs, and aches. However it doesn't seem to stop me from sleeping a good 12 hours, but it feels like minutes. Then I flip to not being able to sleep until 4 am for days, and then flip back. I'm all over the place!

*Don't drink caffeine and eat (even a piece of chocolate as it has caffeine in it) a few hours before bed. Don't do anything strenuous or watch an exciting TV show or film before bed.

If you cannot sleep, get up and get a change of scenery. Try some warm milk or a bath with essential oils such as lavender. Put lavender oil on your pillow. Dim the lights and try some relaxations exercises such breathing in for a count of 7 and out for 11. Apparently, deep breathing for 5 breaths stimulates the body's natural relaxation response.

*Never touched any caffeine any time. Nice relaxing bath before bed. No going on computer, or doing crosswords after 9 O'clock. Reading a book. Meditation. A snack, a drink and painkillers by the bed in case I woke up. If all else failed, just got up and learned Greek.

*I had side effects to amitriptaline. Changed to dolsepin but still have trouble sleeping. I suffer with real bad pains in my legs, any solutions anyone?

*A turkey and salad sandwich. turkey contains a hormone that makes you sleepy and lettuce contains laundnum. also meditation and a calm, quiet bed time routine.
good luck x

*amytriptolin 100mg per night and very rarely 7.5mg zopiclone, but that's only used if I'm desperate for sleep other than that if I cant sleep I get up until sleep starts to appear and a nice warm drink helps to sometimes.

*Several years ago, I was given amytriptylin (Elavil) and it had absolutely NO positive affect, even at the highest dosage. My new doctor has prescribed Clonapin (2 tabs in the evening and 1 in the a.m.) for my restless legs. That, along with Lyrica and Cymbalta seem to work most of the time. Personally, although I do not know you, I am very sorry that you have had to join this group. Whatever the outcome, keep in touch and let us know how you're progressing and what's working for you.

*Amitriptyline didn't work for me, just gave me horrendous acid reflux which kept me awake anyway! Itake Clonazepam for the restless legs but am usually on laptop until 2/3am or I will lie in bed and listen to an e-book.

*I recommend an amazing book by Ann Faraday called 'The Dream Game,' in it she analyses the picture language of the dreaming mind, demonstrating how dreams put us in touch with deeply buried feelings, by sending messages from the unconscious. She also points the way to personal interpretation encouraging us to examine our dreams and thus grow through self discovery.
I have been working with my dreams for some years now and am constantly inspired by what I throw up from that place.


*Sleep is often difficult to find for me, terrible night sweats too..am just about managing without medication, tried lots of alternative therapies, pain management course too. Practising meditation every day and gentle Gi Gong, at 'bedtime' its lavender spray, strong valerian tea, breathing exercises and classical Indian music.

*I used to sometimes take Zimovane but mainly before I was on Paroxetine. Now I take half a 5mg Valium but only sometimes. If I've taken medication for headache eg paracetamol that also helps.

* A couple of black Russians, melatonin and sex lol, yes even when you are exhausted and aching, best therapy yet.

*Went on disability. Take muscle relaxants and anti-anxiety. Have only 3 out of 7 days of good sound sleep. Never nap even if I want too. Sleep Dr. told me that.

*Amitriptyline gave me terrors, Zopiclone didn't work last time so I take nothing which I'd rather. I've just come through a sleep all the time phase and am back to major disruption with no pattern at all.
I relax with calming music and read before settling down and follow all the recommended sleep hygiene rules but it's just how it is. I don't worry or get frustrated with it because it only makes me feel worse.
I usually avoid using the computer or do anything that stimulates my brain, just lie and relax but recently I'm so uncomfortable and in pain tossing and turning so I'm trying to find ways to manage that?

*I'm really at my wits end with the insomnia at the moment, Amitriptyline didn't work, zopiclone have stopped working, Tonight I took 5mg of vallium and got four hours sleep, last night I got zero sleep and tired isn't the word.

I'm praying the insomnia passes in to the 'sleep for England' phase soon!
Long given up on Syndol and such likes.

*No one has mentioned beds. the best thing for fibro sufferers is to get the best bed they can afford. Ontario disability gives either futons or orthopaedic beds which are very painful so I use 3 mattress pads which prevents bowel cramps in the night and helps with sleeping longer.

*I had a memory foam mattress that was a god send!

*I always have a really good massage from my husband when I get into bed. It helps numb any neck or back pain enough to relax me.

*I 'sleep' but don't at the same time. I wake up every hour or so and dream a lot. I try mediation and hot decaf tea. A boring book- stuff like that. Ear plugs to keep the snoring from my bf quiet helps too! Lol