Sciatica is keeping me awake at night
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi Everyone, I am new to the forum. This is my second bout of sciatica which is more painful than the last one. The issue that I am having is the amount of sleep I am getting. I can fall asleep pretty easy at night, but every night so far I have been woken up with leg pain. Trying different positions in the bed usually don't help. What I end up doing is getting up and walking around the house as that seems to eventually help with the pain. I would be lucky if I am able to sleep after that!
This is my second week of this pain. My primary care dr gave me a prescription for Naproxen and a muscle relaxer. So far I am seeing little improvement.
My questions are:
what do you do if you have the pain in your legs at night? What works for you?
Has anyone ever used capsaicin cream (or a patch) on their legs to relieve the pain?
Has anyone tried the be-active leg brace to relieve pain?
What do you think my next step is when I see my doctor? PT? Chiropractor? Injections? Other pain meds?
Thanks!
Matty
0 likes, 9 replies
CHICO_MARX mattyboston
Posted
Here are my experiences from having sciatica...a lot...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/sciatic-nerve-pain-from-the-perspective-of-many-decades-629096
If the link doesn't work, click my name and click "Discussions" on the far right side.
The best RX solution is Voltaren Gel...excellent topical anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. However, NOTHING will help unless you solve the problem of the pinched nerve. My post contains the four underlying reasons I have encountered...there may be others. I'd start with a chiropractor...inexpensive and non-invasive. Then work your way up the "ladder of care" until you get to the cause of your pain.
amanda59745 mattyboston
Posted
Hi Matty, i have had bilateral sciatica since May this year, i can honestly say i have never experienced pain like it. I am currently taking naproxen twice daily and have had other drugs which, have not helped me. I have a tens machine, been to a chiro, am still having physio and have shiatsu massages but, my pain has not eased until 2 days ago. I have started on amitriptyline 10 mg 5 days ago and i am finally able to sleep all night and not wake due to the pain. I have found driving slightly easier also today. Dont get me wrong i still feel pain in low back and down both legs all the time but, it is more bearable with a combination of naproxen and amitriptyline. We are all different and many people like gabapentin but i was on 900 mg with the same pain but, felt like a zombie. I had an MRI this week and await my results. Hope you find relief it is trial and error. x
mattyboston amanda59745
Posted
Hi Amanda,
I am glad you are finally getting some relief! That is great news.
How many hours were you sleeping before the relief came? Any tips on how to get more sleep? I am struggling with that now.
My Dr just called in a prescription for gabapentin so I will see how that goes (just take it 1 hr before bed).
I am getting an MRI on Wednesday.
Matty
amanda59745 mattyboston
Posted
Hi Matty i spoke too soon, had only 5 and half hours sleep last night. the pain in my hamstrings, buttocks, behind my knees and calfs has been bad today. feel deflated . I was only getting about 4 hours before amitriptyline x
mattyboston amanda59745
Posted
Hi Amanda,
I am sorry to hear that! Maybe tonight you will get more sleep.
The thing I have to do when I get the pain (which happens around 1am-2am) is that I need to get up and walk around to loosen things up, but this takes a while. If I stay in bed, the pain won't go away no matter what position I try.
What do you typically do when you get pain at night?
What do you average for sleep since this started in May?
Hope you get some rest tonight!
Matty
amanda59745 mattyboston
Posted
Hi Matty, i slept a little better last night. When the pain wakes e in the night i too have to get up as the pain will not go away, i usually go downstairs and put ice on my back for 20 mins , this numbs it for a while. x
CHICO_MARX mattyboston
Posted
Here are my experiences with sciatica and what I did to fix them...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/sciatic-nerve-pain-from-the-perspective-of-many-decades-629096
I once had sciatica-like pain down BOTH legs...unusual for sciatica. Doc diagnosed it as spinal stenosis at L2/L3. Only thing that would fix it was a Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion (LLIF). Immediate and total relief, one night hospital stay, no brace, no rehab. Miracle op!!!
mattyboston CHICO_MARX
Posted
Thanks for the info, CHICO!
Sounds like you researched this thoroughly....
Did you ever have trouble sleeping? If so, what did you do to resolve it?
CHICO_MARX mattyboston
Posted
As in the post in the link, I've had sciatica on and off for decades. Sometimes caused by falling on my skates but I have a chronic SI joint locking problem so my chiropractor keeps on top of it. Only once did I need surgery because of the bone spur pressing on the sciatic nerve root in my spine. Gotta see a neurosurgeon to diagnose that.
For sleeping, I also have Restless Leg Syndrome for, again, decades. Tried all sorts of meds. Finally settled on 1-1.5 mg Xanax (alprazolam). Just a tiny bit to relax the nerves and get me to sleep. I tried a lot of muscle relaxers that didn't work. There's also Voltaren Gel (RX in the US, generic diclofenac elsewhere) which is a GREAT anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. I use it all the time, especially when my metal knee acts up...