Fibro patients often suffer from non-restorative sleep and/or insomnia12. Successfully treating the sleep issues can lead to a decrease in symptoms generally.
Herbal supplements, such as Valerian, and over-the-counter medications, such as the sedative anti-histamines, are often prescribed first for sleep issues.
Some of the neurotransmitter medications can help with sleep and the TCAs are often prescribed for this reason13.
Medications used primarily as muscle relaxants can also often help with sleep (see Other Medications). Clonazepam in particular is often prescribed partly to help with sleep37.
With the stronger medications designed specifically to help with sleep issues, doctors often have to take into account whether long-term use could end up causing more sleep issues. However, short-term use of these medications can sometimes be helpful in reducing the fatigue of Fibro, and may help cut short flares of the condition. Medications found in studies to be helpful in the treatment of sleep issues in Fibro patients include zopiclone and zolpidem38 39.
Sodium oxybate is the only medication that is known to really generate the restorative deep Stage 4 sleep that people with Fibro lack. It is an old medication that is not widely used, but it is being studied as a treatment for Fibro and seems to be effective in treating Fibro generally3 13 27 35 40.
Next: Injections and Infusions
References