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>>getting 10 hours of sleep is as bad as gettin 6 hours of sleep. Over the next week try and get in that rhythm, 8 hours is the best and i find my pain is less when i get that kind of sleep, watch out with taking narcotics close to bedtime as i find i have a lot of dreams which isn't good sleep, great sleep comes with no dreams. good luck

I am not a doctor, i am an experienced individual

Enigmuh

My pain comes from 3-7 areas. 7 sounds like many but if it is 7 that doesnt mean my whole or most of my body. Anyways, because of my hemophilia, my right elbow and right knee swell up often causing constant pressure along with both sharp and dull throbing. When my joints are not swollen, I have nerve pain in the which I take gabapentin, but that is a hit or miss on if it works or not. That nerve pain is very very very sharp shocks every 30 seconds - 5 minutes. I would rate the shocks at a 5-6 on the scale :(. I would say I am in some pain 80% of my time and days and in major pain the other 20%. Thanks to my meds thos the 80% is managed well where the pain is at a 2-4 on the scale :)

Thanks, Kenny

 I think I might start another thread asking other to describe there pain. Let me know if you guys think if thats a good idea and I will start it. We all like to share anyways. 

>>kenny, tell me something please, when you said

"That nerve pain is very very very sharp shocks every 30 seconds - 5 minutes"

when you say shock, is it a surge of pain that just literally appears, very very hardcore? or is it a shock like electrical, i don't understand.

See, my pain is of unknown origin, and cannot be imaged (MRI etc) but we all know it is there, it came about after a very very extensive surgery on my jaw , and fixed deviated septum, bout an 8 hour surgery, it went perfect, got it done by the best in the field, first surgery ever in his many thousands that went perfect, finished in 6 1/2 hr when it avgs 8-10hrs depending on complications,  i had zero complications. However besides the chronic migraines ive always had, the surgery was hopefully goin to help that but wasn't why i got the surgery, and out of nowhere i got this pain in my head, constant, in the back and sides, sometimes all over, but different from a headach, feels like a broken bone, but in my head

Point being is that i get these incredible surges of pain that can knock me flat on my ass, last 5 sec to a couple minutes max, but when i get a migraine they come on more frequently and longer, they can't get stronger they are already at max no matter when, so when you say shock, would you mind describing that, it may shed some light on part of these "surges" i get. please be detailed thank your

I am not a doctor, i am an experienced individual

Enigmuh

>>i definately get the sharp, stabbing pain as if a knife is jammed in my head, and its i get it in two spots, but one mainly. One is at or near the greater occipital nerve in the occipital lobe (right at/near the base of your hairline, top of spine bottom of skull in the back, i've had that nerve blocked/inhibited before too, but didn't help) the other is on the right side, i think the temporal lobe area, of my head.

Have you ever thought about getting nerve blocks? it inhibits the firing of the nerve, the pain signals and all, but doesn't shut the nerve down forever, each block for me was like i think 6 months, it was done 3 years ago, can't remember that well, they just injects steroid/maybe a numbing lido/novacain, man i can't remember shizit from that, dont think it costs that much at all with insurance or without

if you wouldn't mind, maybe monitor the pain when it happens, i'll bring it up to my doc on wed if its similar enough> thank you.

I am not a doctor, i am an experienced individual

Enigmuh

Myself,I have always been a very light sleeper before 1990 when I was badly hurt. Needless to say I take 2 50mg of Elavil to help me sleep and maybe 5 mg of Diazepam if I my eyes are wired open. I rarely get a very deep sleep and I am up at least 5 times during the night. There have been some things I do that I have read online to help in sleep  and at times it works. I have been offered a sedative from my doctor but I absolutley will not take another med and I have read if I take the diazepam too often I might very well become dependent on them. I already am dependent on opiates and I will not become dependant on another. .

Thank you for the name of that medication Lois. Maybe I will give it a try

Ambien was originally thought to have little or no addictive potential, and I believe it was initially released as a non-scheduled drug.  Post- marketing showed that some people did develop addiction and it was changed to CIV along with all subsequent drugs in that class (sonota, lunesta, and I think there is one other).  Rozarem is an entirely different class.  It is not a narcotic or a benzodiazapine, and  has no GABA or Mu receptor activity.  It supposedly works on the melatonin receptors in the sleep induction centers of the brain. 

I recently got a little chart that shows relative abuse potential of sleep aids, even benedryl is on it.  I will see if I can find it.  It was put out by the maker of Rozarem so needless to say Rozarem ranks very favorably.  

I've had trouble sleeping most of my life, mostly from medical causes...HIV, depression, anxiety..blah,blah....Everyone's response to pain is different. Ever since I started taking narcotics on a daily basis and am not in constant pain i sleep quite well with just a sleeping pill, dalmane 30mg. Before I could never get more than 4 hours of sleep and that was usually in 30-40 min increments during the night, and the sweats, that is horrible too. Ever since i started treating the pain my sleep has improved somewhat, at least now I feel a little rested when i get up, and am not having to take as many naps as before...But, that's just me..BTW...HAPPY EASTER..Ray

Remember: Just do it.. EVERY PILL  EVERY DAY

I know exactly how you feel, some nights I will go right to sleep, other nights I can't fall asleep, but once I do I stay asleep. Most night tho are just laying there "pretending" to sleep, I know that's not good sleep hygiene, but......some nights I'll sleep all night, but usually it's 35-40 min naps all night long and I wake up really tired and feeling lousy....I would say 5 outta 7 nights of the week i can't sleep...Using rozerem right now, but not with much luck. I ususally don't have trouble falling asleep, it's staying there....I'm askin for Dalmane when I talk to the shrink today...I gotta get some zzzzzzz's.....Ray

Remember: Just do it.. EVERY PILL EVERY DAY

I am exactly the same way...most of the time with sleeping pills...esp if you've taken them for a while, so i like to mix it up ...dalmane one month, restoril another, trazodone another....so on so forth.....I mostly am troubled during the night by the sweats...The room has to be lke a freezer or i will sweat myself to death one night...lol, one doc told me to wear goggles and flippers to bed....i told him would if he would write a prescription for some halcion....needless to say, i got at least a few nights of sleep...Remember: Just do it.. EVERY PILL  EVERY DAY

I did have the sleep apnea test and I don't have a problem with that, my breathing was fine. I've always had trouble sleeping, now with HIV the meds and their side effects...it's even worse....The seroquel def. helps at lower doses 25-50mg, I actually got like 7 straight hours of sleep last night..And woke up feeling like a million dollars....All i'm currently taking for sleep now is Seroquel 25-50mg at bed and Rozerem 8mg at bed.....It's working for now

Ray

Remember: Just do it.. EVERY PILL  EVERY DAY

 my name ia Sandi... i sleep on such a strange scheduel and weird things happen all the time. i as we have major coronic pain problems... 4 buldging discs (in my neck), pinched nerves, spinal stanosis, and when ia was growing up i had shermans syndrom (very rare) i know all about pain and trying to leave, act, sleep and play normal. lol...

valerian root wrks very very well if ou wannt to do it nautrally. i see you are allready on meds and it sounds like they are helping more then before. the only thing that helps me to sleep well (which is difficult and hard to make happen) is to take my meds, go to sleep at the samw time every night, eat at least 3 hours before you go to bed, meditation and prayer are by far the best things for me. i first forcus on my breathin head to toe, listent to my breathing, pray, and then as i relax i say my prayers. if ny mind is running and i am hurting (which is always) i slowing get comfy and think of the word NOTHING if anything comes into your head think it again think black nothing. you will go to sleep.

as for the strange way of waking up... i have had that happen to me as well; many times in fact. i have found it is anxiety. i think of it as referred anxiety... dunno just a thought.  

take it easy and think " NOTHING" really do it it is not a negative nothing it is a clearing of thoughts and energy, nothing for that time...

 S

I am not a doctor or giving medical advice.

I have the same problem with my sleep meds....I get sleepy about an hour after taking them and usually have no trouble falling asleep, but at least twice a week....soon after i fall asleep, I am abruptly awakened...It's like that dream that you're falling and u wake up when u hit the ground....except without the dream...It is a jolting awakening, like i've been shocked or something...very unplesant, and two times when this happened i ended up at the hospital with a panic attack...They called it sleep terrors...sometimes it precipitates a panic attack, sometimes not...Funny thing is, is that i've NEVER had a panic attack while I was awake...Always in the middle of the night outta nowhere....It's very frustrating....I've actually jerked so hard upon awakening like that that i pulled a muscle in my shoulder one night....No medicine (and i've had them all) has prevented this so far....Probably the thing that works the best is Dalmane, but my shrink doensn't like to prescribe that because i also take xanax and he doesn't like to prescribe 2 benzos concurrently.....Right now i'm just using rozerem 8mg at bed and seroquel 50mg at bed.....Has anyone else had this problem, I know someone out there somewhere has...I would just like some insight..

Ray

Remember: Just do it.. EVERY PILL  EVERY DAY