Insomnia in Fibromyalgia

[eleanor68]

Hi, I'm suffering from acute insomnia I have about 14hrs sleep a week. I was desperate for sleep as it had affected my eating patterns, mood and turned night into day and vice versa. My doctor prescribed Zopiclone which I have found really does not agree with me, I have had an awful reaction eg palpitations, feelings of panic and fear and have been very tearful. I have been looking into Melatonin and was wondering if any of you had tried it, I have read that its not recommended for people with an auto-immune disease so maybe its not good for people with Fibromyalgia. Any comments would be most welcome.

[Dizzytwo Moderator]

Hi there eleanor68 welcome to our group Fibromyalgia is not classed as an autoimmune disorder because it does not cause inflammation.

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Momo

[soppysokes]

Hi Eleanor I feel for you, that level of insomnia is bordering on dangerous! Does the zopiclone actually induce sleep or are you still left awake?

What strength of zopiclone have you got? If it's 7 you could try halving it which may help? The 'z' sleeping aids are pretty good at their job.there is zolpidem which is slightly different compound that may work better for you.praps speak with the gp.

If you nervous with prescription tablets have you thought maybe a magnesium spray before bed it sometimes can help with relaxation.

Hope you find an answer

[eleanor68 in reply to soppysokes]

Hi soppysokes! I initially was given the 3 but they had no effect, so doctor upped to the 7.5 they worked and I even felt good in the morning with no after effects and actually felt normal for a change. However as one shouldn't be come dependant the doc recommended four nights with pills and three without - the problems began to arise on my fourth cycle of treatment it was pretty terrifying so I checked out the side effects and I had most of them. I have tried almost all of the non prescription preparations plus meditation and nothing worked of if it did I would wake after a couple hours and that would be that. I do use magnesium baths and take the supplement and it certainly helps with my pain. I will be seeing my doctor soon and shall ask about Zolpidem, but am reluctant to go down the sleeping pill route again... back to the drawing board I guess. Thank you so much for your comments though every little helps.

[Bobby3]

We had six weeks hardly any sleep Doctor gave me different sleeping pills not no advantage just made us fill bad. Last thing we tried was travel sickness pill (promethazine hydrochloride 25mg) they work great but only use them when get no sleep for couple of days as we do not want to get body used to them.

[eleanor68 in reply to Bobby3]

Hi Bobby, I have investigated the travel pill route and that too can have the same effect so am reluctant to try, but maybe once in a while should I get desperate. I am aware that they too are potentially habit forming. But thanks for the reply.

[Horsesgalore]

Have you tried amitriptyline or it's sister drug nortriptyline? I started on amitriptyline which was great for pain relief and also for helping me sleep, but I found it made me so drowsy the next day that I couldn't work, so I swapped onto nortriptyline and I get the same benefits without the drugged feeling the next day - might be worth asking your GP about it?

[eleanor68 in reply to Horsesgalore]

Yes I have tried them both Amitriptyline made me feel awful and I put on loads of weight and Nortriptyline had weird side effects at night, tingling all over, itchiness, night sweats, and my hands and feet became really hot. But thanks for the reply.

[tas69]

I was using melatonin and asked my doctor if I could get it on prescription, I didn’t meet the primary guidelines so he has sent me to a sleep clinic, with which I have my consultation on Friday. Melatonin works great for me, I got about 4-6 hours a night so I’ve got my fingers crossed for the sleep clinic as they are the only people who will be able to prescribe it for me. It’s expensive to prescribe and this is why I would be able to get melatonin prescription if I’m diagnose by a sleep doctor xxx

[eleanor68 in reply to tas69]

What brand of Melatonin were you taking?

[tas69 in reply to eleanor68]

Eurovital 3mg melatonin but I used to take 2 half an hour before I wanted to sleep. They are strawberry flavour and melt on the tongue do not chew. They take a few nights to start working properly so for the first 3 nights just take 1 and on the 4th night take 2 xxx

[eleanor68 in reply to tas69]

Thank you so much I will give it a try. xx

[tas69 in reply to eleanor68]

Good luck xxx

[tas69 in reply to tas69]

My appointment at the sleep clinic went well, he said I had Parasomnia and has referred me to a specialist neurologist who has every resource at her fingertips to help me 🤞xxx

[Maya23]

I have had melatonin prescription by my Rheumatologist. It worked initially, then quite soon stopped working. I would get 4 good hours sleep then wake again. So now I take Nortriptyline instead, but that’s stopped working (I’m laying awake right now in the middle of the night!). It might be worth a try though so worth asking for.

[eleanor68]

Thanks for the info re Melatonin, I have tried Nortriptyline but I have had a reaction to it so can no longer take it. Looks like we are both in the same boat....Nightmare!! You have my sympathy it seems to be a no win situation.

[Hidden]

I tried Amitriptyline but had the most horrendous nightmares, but everyone is different I guess!