morning and night...

[theoutlaw77]

My two worst times of the day are morning and night. At night, I am not getting any sleep because I am going to the bathroom every hour. In the morning, I am in the worst pain of the day. Just wondering if anyone else is like this? Also, I hear about something called hydroxine that is taken at night. Can you get it over the counter? Does it leave you groggy in the morning? Anyone else with bad mornings have any tips to get you started? Thanks!!

[Babs RN]

You cannot get hydroxizine over the counter and they can make you quite sleepy. Some of the side effects improve over time. The best person to help you make this decision is your doc.

Hugs,
Barb :grouphug:

[Hangin' Tough]

Outlaw,
Hydroxyzine is not OTC it is RX. I tried it as one of the first lines of treatment and it left me so groggy that I could not function. Some people have excellent results and do not have the problems that I encountered.
I am surviving on 4-5 hours of interrupted sleep per night (on a good night) and my pain is, at its best, a 6-7 on the pain scale (this with 20mg of oxycontin 3X per day, dantrium 25mg 2Xper day and Neurontin 400mg 3X per day). I commute 1 hour each way, to and from work, so I feel that my days are numbered. The pain and frequency along with lack of sleep have made me a completely different person. My wife and children will attest to that. This pain is an unrelenting monster that cannot be ignored. It is eating my soul.

Steve

[traceann]

When I was still in the process of diganosis (the worst time of it all), that's exactly how I was, worse at night and in the mornings, and it would change hour by hour, lol. Ugh, it was awful! But as I have gotten into full swing with treatments, those days (knock on wood) are behind me, ;)

I take the hydroxyzine, and I really feel I am helped by it. It was the last med added into my routine. I started on Ditropan, then once IC was declared the diagnosis, I was given Elmiron. Then after reading about the Vistaril/Atarax (hydroxyzine) here on the site, I called my doc and asked to have it added in. I take 25mg at night, and that's it. After I started that, I started actually sleeping through the night, I am sure it's a combo of all 3, but it seemed to be the final piece that worked. I had morning grogginess for about a week or so, but that has gone away, and I feel fine during the day. Here's a link to the article I read that prompted me to ask my doc about it:

http://www.ic-network.com/askthemd/theo0503.html

Hugs,
Tracey :)

[Imustpee]

It works great for me...Uro started me at 50mgs at night...TOO MUCH!!! I slept for 15 hours and felt drugged for hours after I woke up..I now take 25mgs at night, 2 hours before I go to bed and it works great...it stops that horrible pressure, like you have to pee really bad.....

[theoutlaw77]

Thank you so much for your replies. I am going to ask about the hydroxyzine (in a very small dose) at my next dr appt. I just hope SOMETHING starts working soon!!

[Imustpee]

Look into the aloe vera gel too....it has sure helped me... :)

[Portia17]

Where do you buy this aloe vera GEL?

Thanks

[Imustpee]

Health food or natural food store....

[theoutlaw77]

I have heard a lot about this aloe vera gel, but have not tried it yet. Is it expensive? Is it a pill?

[Imustpee]

Not expensive..I pay $14.99 for 64 oz...I drink about 1 /4 - 1/3 cup a day..

[asmashly]

What is aloe vera gel? How does it work/help?

[mayray518]

I hear ya girl. I had the same problem before elavil helped me. If you have to go to work or get up with kids it is a horrific problem. I didnt sleep for 9 months before I got diagnosed. What meds are you on?

[Amyinagony]

When my IC was way out of control, nights were really bad for me too. I went without sleep countless nights!!!! And, if I happened to fall asleep for more than an hour (out of pure exhaustion) I would wake up in so much pain, no matter what time of day it was!! Knock on wood, it's not like that anymore, not THAT bad. I drink lots and lots of water (even at night) to delute my urine so it's not concentrated in the morning, and that really helps me. I'm flaring a bit now, and will sleep about 2-3hrs without waking.
So, nope, your not alone with that one. Wish you the best and pray for better days and nights!!! :grouphug:

[Stephanie2004]

My nurse practitioner gave me 10 mg hydroxyzine with the directions to take one to three per day, and said that I would figure out how much was right for me. I started with one and gradually built up to three each night. Yeah, it makes me groggy in the morning, but so does not sleeping at night. (At my worst, I went four consecutive days with no sleep whatsoever because of the pain. Never want to do that again!)

[happy lou]

I am like you the morning and night are the worse't and i got to drink water ever hour to keep my urine diluted or the pain is really bad i even get up at night to drink water i thought i was the only one that was like that i take 50ml elavil at night it helps a little but i still got to drink the water to survive the pain. Eva

[melanie626]

Insomnia is such a drag with this disease. I take trazadone to help sleep and if I have had a hard time I will take a temazepam. I take zyrtec, so I don't really need the atarax, but it helps a lot of people. I think you can come up with a good sleep plan with your MD. Doesn't always work, but I actually slept for 5 hours in a row and just about screamed with joy...I normally get up 2-6 times a night....

Good luck I hope you find something that works for you-
Melanie