DrugBuyers.Com: mallies

I take hydro/apap for a spinal condition, which is especially painful (or at least I notice the pain more) when trying to sleep because I simply can't find a comfortable sleeping position..... My insomnia is not so much psychological as it is physical - my body can not get comfortable in one spot long enough to fall asleep! And of course, as pretty much all of you have stated, hydrocodone can make it hard to fall asleep until it starts wearingf off. It is a catch-22 because we don't want to lie in bed in pain, but it's just the way it is I guess.

It is really frustrating, as I will be playing back the days' events in my head, thinking about the next morning, etc..... And just thinking, and doing the normal 'trying to fall asleep type thinking... It seems that EVERY time I feel as though I am getting close to finally falling asleep, my lower back starts screaming in pain, and I have to wiggle around, stretch, rub my back, roll over - whateber it takes to get myself more comfortable again. And I am nit at ALL the tpype person who can fall asleep anywhere, anytime.... It is a very planned and conscious process (unfortunately ) - I have to struggle with it every night.... I do also have some psych issues which make sleep difficult (anxiety, slightly obsessive/compulsive [I will sometimes get out of bed 3 times to make sure I locked my back door or gave my dog fresh water before bed]) -

So anyway, point being, I HAVE to take something for pain before sleep or just cannot sleep... I have found Carisoprodol (SOMA) to work *excellent* for my particular situation - I always have a script bottle of it around somewhere because I like to take it in combo with my hydro sometimes when my back muscles are especially bothering me... I don't take it on a schedule or regular basis at all, so I usually have a bit 'extra'

When I find myself in this position - (not being able to sleep due to back pain) - what I will sometimes do, is get up, and take a very small amount of hydrocodone, like break one of my tabs in half, and take it with a Soma and a glass of milk.... This helps the pain, and the Soma is a great sleeping med (although it is in essence, a muscle relaxxer) - I find this solution to work excellent. Soma really helps me sleep, and comfortable too. I have heard others say that Soma makes them sleep way way too long, or gives a 'hangover' but I have not experiened this. Of course a short-acting benzodiazepine med like Xanax or Ativan or Halcion would work even better to put you to sleep (even after taking a late-night dose of hydrocodone) - but if you do not already take them (I do , for anxiety/panic disorder, and guess what else - insomnia! ) If you don't already have a script for them for another issue, don't use them just for sleep - benzo's are VERY dependence-forming and harder tha opioids to quit taking.

I don't really like to use the benzo's for insomnia because I feel that I need to conserve them for the daytime anxiety and social phobia I feel. Anyway, just saying that although I do agree Hydro will keep you awake, I have never had any more trouble sleeping after taking it late-night, as long as I take it in combo with a sleep-aid. Heck, even TylenolPM (Tylenol compounded with Benadryl) would work probably a little bit at least. I can't stand to go to bed in pain, so I had to find some ways around this important (in my opinion) issue - [how to stay relatively pain free overnight without added insonia]

As far as the Mallies/Watson issue - I have never noticed much if any difference..... All hydro keeps me awake a couple extra hours. (Unless taken with about 2mg's Xanax and then it's hit the lights!!

) If you can get Soma or TylenolPM, or something less habit-forming than benzo's to help you sleep (even with a late night dose of hydro) then that would better as I mentioned above. (DON'T start benzo's unless you absolutely positivel need them badly. Very tricky med to stop taking. The hardest to stop taking of any med I have ever taken, especially Xanax)

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//zeuzjuz

Edited by zeuzjuz (12/18/03 08:31 PM)