Health Organization for Pudendal Education

Anyone have any problems with not being able to sleep at all for an extended period of time? I got a really bad flare up about a week ago that made me extremely anxious and depressed. I've only been getting between 1 and 4 hours of sleep each night since then even though my flare up has gone down. Last couple nights I took a unisom + 2 10mg melatonins with no luck. Every time I doze off I immediately get shocked awake by a fit of anxiety/panic - increased heartbeat and body temperature and having to catch my breath. It's like my brain doesn't want to turn off.

Going to go to Immediate Care and try to get an Ambien prescription or something and see if that helps. Back on Effexor now too so hopefully that gets the anxiety under control.

Yes, I had severe problems with sleeping due to PN symptoms. Ambien helped a bit but later I switched to clonazepam which also helped with some of the symptoms.

Violet

Only got 1 hour the past two nights, starting to get frightened. I live in the only state where non specialists can't prescribe sleep medicine. If I don't get any sleep tonight I'm going to the ER tomorrow morning.

Cade can you try to get in with a pain management specialist who is willing to prescribe some meds to help you get through this? I remember when I was hardly getting any sleep at night and how scary it was. It starts to mess with your mind.

Violet

My pain symptoms have honestly been really tame ever since going back on Effexor yet the insomnia remains. It started when my anxiety and depression over the symptoms got really bad but the symptoms are under control, wish my sleep would go back and do the same. Gonna see if my psychiatrist can prescribe me something stronger than otc stuff before resorting to the ER.

Hi Cade,

I've had sleep issues off and on. Most recently, the issue was my bladder waking me multiple times at night. As Violet said, a pain doctor would be the way to go. I found the tramadol actually gave me a bit of insomnia (now I take it in the morning), so be sure to ask about the side-effects of the drug you're on. I find nortriptyline helps me get and stay asleep and it is also, I think, helping with the nerve pain, so you could ask about that (and the closely-related amitriptyline). But it may be that the pain doctor recommends something even stronger at this point.

April

Well, that's good news that your symptoms are calming down, Cade. You will get the sleep problems back under control I'm sure. It just takes a little bit of time after you've been through the trauma of PN pain to start to feel like a normal human being again.

Violet

Got an ambien prescription, kind of scared to take it though from all the crazy stories I've read about people sleep walking on it and losing their memory.

Hi Cade, So sorry about insomnia issues. I too had those issues at one time. I used ambien without any side effects. It also made my pain from PN better since my muscles of pelvis truly relaxed for awhile. Just FYI: I tried effexor for pain and depression once during my PN ordeal and it made me so much worse!! It stimulated my nervous system causing increased anxiety, increased blood pressure and heart rate and increased insomnia. So could that be your problem? It sounds like you may be having "central sensitivity". Research this common occurrence in chronic pain. You need a pain management Dr who understands this and how anxiety is caused by continuous pain. I now take librium 4 times per day with great results. Make sure you cut out all things that stimulate you such as caffeine and nicotine way before trying to sleep. As someone already mentioned, that may include pain med. Opiods cause insomnia in many people. I can not take a pain pill any closer than 4 hrs before bed time. Instead I take muscle relaxers, lyrica and the librium. I no longer have to take ambien with that combination.
God Bless you!
Gina H.