I have the same problem; my brain will not shut down so I have to knock myself out. LOL

I have taken Xanax (1 at night) for over 10 yrs. It usually does the trick for me, relaxes me just enough to stop thinking I guess. But if I'm the least bit stressed about something even that won't work.

Lately I've been adding a Benedryl to the mix and that seems to be working.

It is so interesting to me, the way you put it, is exactly the way I felt. My brain wouldn't turn off, could not turn off. My sleep specialist, a psychiatrist, prescribed Xyrem, (sodium oxybate) six years ago, and it has made all the difference.

Now I get good sleep, stages 3 & 4, every night. This restorative sleep has enabled me to get back into life. Now I am back in school, and going to movies again, reading books, and using much less pain meds, so I have more energy.

Good luck to you, I didn't find Ambien or any other drug, able to turn off my brain the way Xyrem does. Xyrem is fda approved for narcolepsy, but not for fibromyalgia, so I use it off label.

If your sleep doctor doesn't get that, you might need to find a new one.

One of the hallmarks of FM is the sleep disturbances we all face, where the alpha waves in our brain don't shut down at night. I'm kind of appalled that a sleep specialist wouldn't know that and take you seriously.

In my sleep study I was monitored for 8 hours... during which I only reached stage 3 sleep for 45 minutes, and never reached stage 4....the restorative sleep. I spent the entire time in Stage 1 & 2. Yay alpha waves!

This is why the anti-depressants and seratonin enhancing drugs are prescribed for FM. The increased seratonin levels help our brains shut down and stay asleep. So far they've worked really well for me, at doses far lower (like 1/5) what they prescribe for depression; although I have to switch every few years as I build up a tolerance to each one. But I've got to tell you, that first night you sleep the night through is like a miracle come true!

Right now mine aren't working again. I think my pharmacy switched to a cheaper and ineffective generic. Before I could sleep on 20mg. Now I have to take 40 of the same drug... but different manufacturer. This time it happened over night, so I don't think it's tolerance... the old bottle worked, the new one doesn't. I wish they quality controlled this stuff better. This is the fourth or fifth time it's happened to me, and the pharmacy won't even listen. :-(

Hi boy I have the same problem. I have been taking 200 to 300 mg of tramadol and use this med to try to get my mind to shut down so that I can seep.
However I usually wake up in 3 to 4 hours because of pain waking me up. I then spend the rest of the night in my chair trying to get comfortable so that I can at least doze.
I feel for you and the rest of us because we sure do need to get some sleep!!!

My gosh, Milily, I could have written word for word your first sentence!

I take trazadone, too, with my Cymbalta and a med for migraines. I've found if I take them around 7 pm, get in bed around 11 and read for a bit I will go to sleep.

I think it's simply a hit and miss to find what will work. As a pianist, music makes me wake up - even the nature sounds!

I can relate! My current "cocktail" is Ambien 10mg (the extended release is way too expensive w/o insurance), Robaxin, Ultram, and Zoloft. I'm starting Benadryl tonight too for all the itching. For me it works alright so far. I have relaxation music I listen to and keep my room cool and dark. I also hhave an oscillatiing fan (which I turn off sometimes because the breeze irritates me). Sleep is VITAL with fibro. I hope you can find something that helps.

I can't get past @sleepless. You have a Dr. That prescribes medical marijuna, but can't get one to prescribe a sleep aid? That's nuts! If I had to depend on that, I'd weigh 400 lbs.! lol well, least you have something working for you.

For me, benadryl makes me feel so crappy in the morning. Just can't shake it.

Everybody seems to have their own night time med cocktail. I do too. But the speeding mind thing I have two extra simple things:
1. to get to sleep: read a dull book by a dim light- it takes my mind off my own thoughts and lets the meds and fatigue take over
2. if I wake up mid-night in speedy mode, for me it works better to eat something (especially cookies :-) ), and then read the dull book at bit more. Putting a little food in makes body/nervous system shift gears, can over ride or slowly turn down racing mind.

Additionally I plan ahead for nightly (non-speedy, just achy) wake-ups. So I keep a sports water bottle (no more spills on me) half a tab of my anxiety med (which is also anti-spasmodic) and 2 aspirin and 1200 mg of calcium w/ D3. So if after a couple hours I find myself waking frequently, can't get comf, take the meds without turning on light or even sitting up. Because am already still medicated from before, I often fall back to sleep and when new stuff kicks in I stay asleep.

Brief comment about restorative sleep, i.e. stage 4, obviously it's tied to how much we can lower our metabolism. There is a meditation technique called Transcendental Meditation that research has documented truly lowers metabolism further than stage 4 sleep. I learned this technique decades ago, and so when all else fails I sit up and meditate as an alternative to sleep. (also do daily meditation)

Hope this adds additional stuff to your mix of suggestions.

and sweet dreams

Medicinal marijuana works better than even the stronger prescription meds. Mother Nature beats Western medicine in that department for sure!

Different for everyone I guess.. I know for me, the "mellow" that some people get is not there for me. But I do believe that those that do get relief from it should be able to, and in every state, without fear or guilt.

I take anti-dep meds (Tryptizol) about one hour before I go to bed...but I spend that hour winding down. I have a bad habit - but hey it works so?? I lay on the sofa and watch TV as I wind down. I usually fall asleep then can take myself to bed and fall asleep again (I do my bedtime routine, teeth-brushing etc at the same time I take my meds..)
However, if I get woken up while I am on the sofa, like my partner laughs out loud at something on the TV, I can jump 3 feet in the air (startled) and then forget falling asleep again....that's it. It may take me 3 hours or so before I fall asleep again.
Silly me, I only have TV in lounge, I should have one in bedroom eh? But wanted to avoid that, thinking that a bedroom should be an oasis, a sanctuary of quietness etc. It's a paradox eh? As I have read that years of poor sleep can be one of the reasons for the onset of fibro! Not sure this is true though......