Zanaflex - sleepin well...well almost

October 7, 2001

I take Zanaflex (4 mg) along with epam (10 mg) and sometimes with OxyIR

(5-10 mg). With all of these I can go to sleep if I can just let go of the

pain enough to relax. Mostly I fall asleep still sitting up cuz I can't let

go and relax and the pills say, " Okay, we'll just knock ya out here! "

I always feel better at night it seems, if I've been in bed for most of the

day...not like feel good enough to do anything in particular, more like I'm

afraid to go to sleep cuz when I wake up my joints will not be used to moving

again...then it takes all day of being in bed snap, crackling and popping

before I feel good enough to deal. So then I take all those meds (cuz I NEED

to sleep) but I'm afraid of the pain I wake to so I'll fight the meds to stay

awake. It's not a conscience fight, just can't relax or lay down all the way.

I've described trying to sleep as: When it's time to go to sleep, the world

is quiet and the TV is off and all I can hear is the BLAIRING sound of my

pain. I'd swear I can HEAR it. Different pains have different tones but

when all else is quiet they're all LOUD! SO......I bought one of those

" sound makers " and I keep it on " Summers Night " so I can hear the crickets

all night long...that way it's relaxing, takes the place of the screaming

silence of my pain and the crickets are calming...it works pretty well

actually.

They say with the Duragesic patch you're not supposed to use heating pads or

any direct source of heat because the medicine is heat released. Your body

temp releases it and a fever, heating pad, or any other source of heat could

release more than what it should. So...I " wear " 2 heating pads...one tied

around my left knee and the other lays across my stomache or where ever I

need it from moment to moment.

And when I'm hurting too bad to take it anymore, sometimes I put the heating

pad right on the patch!! (Just for a minute.) Gotta do what we gotta do,

right?

BE WELL - LUV LUVS!!!! Lotsa love, Janet : ) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Recommended Posts