Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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One good night of sleep

bcatz
bcatz
For the last year, my catch phrase has been "If I could get just one good night of sleep", I think I'd feel better. My RA was still in pseudo remission but I could NOT sleep well.

Fast forward to last night. WOW! I took 1/2 of my prescribed muscle relaxer that I've not used which was prescribed 3 months ago.
I FINALLY SLEPT. I woke this morning to find out how well the Enbrel really is working. It's about 60-70% effective now that I had one night without aches/pains of my muscles. It felt SO GOOD to get out of bed without feeling angry. I spend much of my waking hours angry that I hurt.

Now I just have to figure out what is causing the night time aching without the muscle relaxer. Is it that I can't shut down?? Get into deep sleep? Do I have pressure points? How did the small does of muscle relaxer stop the pain?
Does anyone else have muscle aches that are not your RA? Or perhaps a small dose of muscle relaxer tames the beast?

Whatever it is, I'm so grateful to wake feeling refreshed and smiling!

Now, what to do today to commemorate this good feeling for once?
tootsiesmom
tootsiesmom
Good Morning Bcatz, isn't a good nights sleep wonderful?
I was having the same problem with sleep, up every few hours, could not get comfortable.
My doc prescribed the muscle relaxers and they did help. I am pretty sensitive to them 1/2 a pill and out within 30 minutes.
He switched me to Elavil about a year ago. It is a mild anti-depressant but it does wonders for sleep. I take 3 at bed time and they help me rest through the night.
He told me that I was waking all night because every time I moved or rolled the aches and pains were waking me up.
I am so glad that you have found something that is going to work for you.
Hugs,
Kim
Cheerfully
Cheerfully
Yay! I'm so happy to hear you had a good nights sleep. I'm glad you found something that helped. Enjoy your day.
altoclef
altoclef
Sounds like maybe muscle tension is what is keeping you up. Our muscles have a lot to do to compensate for malfunctioning joints, and yours may not turn the hypervigilance off at night. A small dose of the muscle relaxant may be just the ticket, especially if it doesn't leave you feeling hung over.

Congratulations on the Enbrel success!
nerot
nerot
So glad that you can rest. A good night's sleep changes how we see things, doesn't it.
goawayRA
goawayRA
Woo!! So great to hear positive news! I hope you have more wonderful sleeps and more great days in your future :)
beechfeet
beechfeet
I do have an RX for a muscle relaxer, it is a quick acting one,in and out of the system as well, otherwise I feel it for another day or two. I do take it for muscle tightness relief and I also believe its a bit of a brain relaxer however, 1/2 pill is normally all it takes to relax me enough to sleep, also a constant problem for me. I agree, what a difference a good night's sleep makes.
bcatz
bcatz
It was much harder to shut down last night but I did sleep well again. I just cannot believe how good it feels to wake up warm and not aching. As the day went on yesterday, my thigh pain returned. I'm going to keep at this to see if a week of sleeping decently due to the muscle relaxer actually impacts the muscle aches during the day.

Tootsie - I'm going to read up on Elavil. Thank you!
coaltrain
coaltrain
Dreams of sleeping through the night - oh how nice that must be!

The first couple years I would be up like clockwork every 2 hours. Now the past few months it's been every hour on the hour - I think because of my new aching thing going on. As much as I really hate even thinking about taking another pill, I might ask my PCP about this at my next visit. The muscle relaxer thing sounds like it might work for me just for bedtime.
bcatz
bcatz
Coal- yes, I complained about sleeping and having aches all night. RA sites always describe the pain and stiffness when we wake but at night, as we roll and readjust - oh the aching!

My PCP prescribed Cymbalta and that worked really well years ago. When I had to quit all medication, it was on the list of "not good for liver" so I didn't take it again. I was given Celexa and didn't like it. Then I half heartedly tried buspar. I've taken melatonin to fall asleep but the aching keeps me awake. The muscle relaxer really did the trick. Somehow it turned off my aches.
coaltrain
coaltrain
Thanks bcatz - I never taken any "sleep" meds and for some reason or another want to stay away from that. That is why I sat up and paid attention when you talked about a muscle relaxer - sounds like what I may need. It's the aching limbs that wakes me up all night.

I've been a sleeper all my life - have always had a sound solid 8 hours every night. As much as I would hate to add another med, I just may talk to my PCP about this at my next visit.
fibrolizzy
fibrolizzy
Do you guys mind sharing what muscle relaxers you take? I can't take flexeril, because it has me too loopy the next day. Thanks!
bcatz
bcatz
Soma. But, I took 1/2 the prescribed amount day 1 and actually just 1/4 the amount the last two nights.
Cheerfully
Cheerfully
bcatz, I'm glad you're continuing to find success with the muscle relaxer. I hope last night was another restful night for you. I need to be careful with them since they slow my intestines too. I really need my fiber and lots of water if I take them. Just an FYI.
gardencandy
gardencandy
My sleep problems I found out the hard way were also related to GRD and ever since I got switched to the new Tylenol-Codeine have been worse. I take Zantac daily and it has helped my sleep, i would get jerks and all kinds of crazy movement that didn't let me sleep. Just an option if you haven't tried
dingeddragon
dingeddragon
Wow, sleep... That sounds wonderful! I might have to talk to my doc about Enbrel at my next appointment. They put me right onto Tramadol for the pain. Usually the only way to avoid waking up is to take a single 50 mg pill (half my prescribed dosage) just before bed. I hate taking it though bc I'm terrified of developing a dependency.