Sleep Architecture

[ookla]

A lot of RLS meds *can* cause central sleep apnea. And/or they *can* cause sleepiness after taking them. And/or they *can* screw up sleep architecture. This has been my new fixation. Studies have shown that opiates/opiods decrease deep slow wave restorative sleep, the kind of sleep you need to feel refreshed the next day. Morphine was shown to reduce slow wave sleep by 75%!!! I don't know if all opiates/opiods affect slow wave sleep the same amount across the board (assuming equivalent dosage) or if it's a sliding scale (oxy affecting more than morphine affecting more than codeine, etc.), but to have slow wave restorative sleep messed with at all is dirty business. That's not fair. We're finally getting a "good" night's sleep from RLS, but it turns out, we're actually not getting quality sleep at all. I've actually tossed and turned and had a miserable night with RLS, finally getting two hours of sleep in at the end before the alarm clock goes off, and felt "better" when I woke up than I have falling asleep peacefully RLS-symptom free and woken up after 7 or 8 hours... feeling exhausted and barely able to get myself going. It seems like there's no hope for us. One way or the other, we're going to wake up and spend the day tired. If it's not struggling with RLS at night that will make us tired, then it's our meds that will make us tired. Can we please get a break somewhere? At one point, I came to the conclusion that quality was more important than quantity, so I tried giving up my RLS meds figuring a few hours of good sleep would be better than more hours of inadequate sleep. Well, that wasn't very realistic. You can only agonize and thrash around for so long when there's a "solution" right in the drawer next to you. I can last one, maybe two hours before I can't take it anymore and reach for the pills. And then I have to take different pills to stay awake during the day (as a side note, I wonder if pharm puts side effects into their pills on purpose, so they can sell you another pill for that - one day, we'll go to the pharmacy and they'll just cut to the chase: "here's your medication, and would you like the anti-nausea medication that goes with it? mmk, and how about the anti-cramps medication that goes with that? if you get all three together, we'll give you free rust proofing!"). It's frustrating for those of us stuck with narcotics to seemingly have no hope of ever feeling refreshed and well-rested ever again. I hope I'm wrong. I hope I'm the only one going through this and everyone else here has a great med that works really well and they feel great when they wake up in the morning and all day long. If not, I hope you find something like that soon. /rant

[Rubylane25]

You are absolutely right. When I found out that Mirapex causes OCD and addictive gambling I went to every pharmacist in our city and asked if they knew the side affects of the medication .....NONE DID. I ended up in a class action lawsuit and won but that didn't give me back all I had lost especially the fall out on my family. Now Mirapex has to list that it can cause addictive behaviour as a warning. I still have to stay on the dam drug but my son takes care of all my finances and you still have to suffer with the desire and frustration. I take two Mirapex, fentanyl and two sleeping pills and an anti anxiety Drug and I sleep maybe three or four hours a night. I feel like I am constantly having to push myself to get moving.

I totally agree that the pharmaceutical companies know what the hell they are doing!!

Talk about side affects. My mother had Breast cancer and it was recommended she have only a lumpectomy and huge does of radiation. A few years later she was diagnosed and passed Aways from a Cancer caused by all the radiation. It is called secondary angio Saecoma snd is only a result of a left on Breast full of radiation. Funny thing is nobody told us that when she was originally diagnosed. If she had had a full mastectomy and chemo she would still be alive. I sound like a conspiracy theorist but who knows what is behind all this drug stuff.

[beady3 in reply to Rubylane25]

Like you I took that tab I used to buy skirts ,I used to think I hadn't got a prob but I knew I had even my friend would say not another skirt ,I think it's the Dopamine sort of med that have that impulsive feeling,well I am now on Tramodol and that feeling has gone

[Hidden]

That is very interesting - looks like I have more reading to do!

I wonder would binaural beats be useful to induce deeper brain waves, (Delta for example) and therefore allow more restorative sleep?

I've started using a 3Hz binaural beat when I meditate and although I am getting better meditation as I am on new opioid drugs I do believe the binaural beats is helping me get deeper too.

[funnyfennel in reply to Hidden]

Will look up the binaural beats as I do like to have the radio on low in bed. I also find a little meditation refreshing, the relaxation helps with sleep deprivation.

[Hidden]

I wish i had found that med that doesnt make me sleepy the next day. Its not just opiates that cause day time drowsiness. Also whether its opiates or other meds many do not suffer with day time sleepiness with what they take.

[funnyfennel]

When I first took ropinerole I woke up in the morning in bliss realising I had slept the night away for the first time in years. I began to feel calmer and happier through getting proper rest and not always fuelled by adrenaline. As slowly I had to increase the dose, (to 4 mgs) I sacrificed most of my social life, and became addicted to the dopey fairly unrewarding sleep I craved. Luckily my survival instinct kicked in and in the last few years I have changed and reduced the amount of drugs I take. Just enough to almost always control the RLS, yet still I often get little sleep. I find its a juggle with activity, stimulation and rest and any one of these will upset the fragile balance and the night will be a"special" torture rather than an manageable one. I think the Mirapex makes my thought processes rather strange and yes sometimes I am impulsive in my behaviour.(but nothing serious) I would like in the future to have a change but am scared to rock the boat. I take x2Mirapex, 1oxycodone(Targinact) and some diazepam occasionally

I agree that by the morning the body may be relaxed enough to get and hour or two of useful sleep. Luckily I no longer work, so can often take advantage of that.

Good to share with you all.

[Hidden]

Sleep deprivation just adds insult to injury! Our blighted lives are made worse with a higher mortality rate. With so much being made about the effects of sleep, (even one night of poor sleep can have a lingering effect), you would imagine that RLS would have more research done on it.

webmd.com/sleep-disorders/e...

[Rubylane25]

I am going to try listening to some type of meditive music or maybe water sounds. It seems if I put you tube on my iPad to listen to something it makes me fall asleep a bit better. Honestly if they don't take RLS seriously they should take seriously the high suicide rates amongst those with RLS.