It is a good thing you have a doctors appt today and you can ask about maybe something else for sleeping. I dont know if I could be self employed as I would take off to many days because of pain. It does have its advantages as at least you cant get fired for calling off.

Do you take a nap during the day, I find alot that I can not sleep at night but do not have a problem taking a nap during the day. Which sometimes makes it worse because then I cant sleep at night it is all a vicious cycle.

I can take more trazodone than I do, but then I stay in one position too long and feel groggy when I do get up. It's kind of a losing battle. I'm so discouraged with the amount of pain I'm having.

I'm hoping to be switched to a different, longer acting pain med today.

When I'm done working, I find myself lying on a heating pad on the couch a lot. My smallest dog, Ricky, insists on lying on top of me so I feel warmth on both sides.

You and I could be twins! At the moment, I am sitting on my couch, heating pad on my back, blanket covering my front, and my lab on the side (If she was sitting on my lap, I'd be mooshed!). I also am self-employed. I do freelance writing for a site on the web. I know what you mean-it is very difficult to get serious about working at home when you feel horrible. I've got lupus (or some other autoimmune illness), fibro., DDD, lymphedema, LCH, and a TBI. It has been raining for the last week, and is supposed to keep up (I live on Long Island, NY), and I think this is why my pain level is so high. But when I feel like this, there is no one but myself to tell me to work. The writing I do does not pay a whole lot (well, I'd make a lot more if I actually did it more that I do now). Since I am alone (husband left in 1990, and my son lives in Spain and my daughter just moved to D.C., I need to work to pay bills.) I like the fact that if I don't feel well, I can lay down, but if the neuro. didn't forbid it, I would be looking for work (lost my job in 2008, had TBI in 2009).

I hope you feel better soon. God Bless. Kathy

Trazadone, never made me sleepy, when my GP gave Amytriptiline for my depression, that took care of my insommnia, so talk your Doc about this.

Elavil is a good old school approach. A little inside info...elavil is a tricyclic compound as is flexeril (billed as a muscle relaxant) which also produces drowsiness as a side (or maybe not) effect.

I can't take Flexeril because it makes my heart pound and causes anxiety type symptoms. I probably wouldn't want to try anything in the same 'family'.

I actually slept better last night. I took my new pain med and trazodone right at bedtime.

Desyrel is not a pain medication, it is a antidepressant (SSRI type) which happens to be excellent for sleep problems. It is not dependency producing either...good luck