Advice urgently needed please. DH can't sleep

[OrmirianResurgam]

He has a frozen shoulder - started when he fell on a field trip with school. At first the pain kept him awake but now he simply cannot sleep. He drowses during the day but not at all at night. He looks like he's at death's door and is a total zombie. GP has given him tramadol, codeine, and anti-inflams, he's seen a physio and had a steroid injection which did nothing. They are considering an op now. The last visit to the gp got him signed off for 2 weeks and a prescription for something to make him sleep - they don't work. He has tried the muscle relaxant tablets I use with paracetamol to get rid of my migraines - did nothing other than give him a dry mouth. They make me sleep and a single tramadol knocks me out for 24 hours!

I am really worried now - he's really low, he was weeping with tiredness last night and looks dreadful. Any suggestions to help him sleep please. Really worried.

What strength are the sleeping tablets? He may be able to take a bigger dose. Check it out with the doctor. I have had the same sleeping tablet in different strengths before.

Thanks shew.

I am not sure. He was told he could take up to 3 of them in one go. He did that last night. I will look when I get home tonight.

His tablets are amitryptiline I think.

Chiropractor? Might be able to relieve the pain.

I have suggested a chiro buda. He's not averse to the idea although the idea of anyone touching that area makes him whimper!! But the main issue is the sleep now.

This doesn't sound right at all.

Has it been Xrayed?

I know he has see GP and physio, but are they sure it isn't dislocated?

How bad was the fall? Did he tear anything?

Yes, he had it x-rayed littlefrogs so not dislocated as far as they could tell. He fell down a long bank holding one of his pupils - he had tried to save the child from falling and they both ended up sliding down with H underneath. Child was fine - H thought he was just bruised and scratched at the time. Pain just developed over the following weeks.

It sounds a lot worse than other frozen shoulders I have come across.

I think referral to a specialist sooner rather than later would be in order.

He may have torn ligaments- they won't heal without surgery.

Thanks 3littlefrogs. He is due to see the physio next week - I will suggest he speaks to her about this.

I've had zoploclone sleeping tablets. Perhaps a different type may work better if you can't increase the dose.

Ask the doctor if you can have more than the recommended dose on the instructions. They may have thought 3 would be enough, but may give permission to take more.

When will he have his op?

Has he tried melatonin? It increases the natural sleep hormone. Sleeping tablets have never worked for me but that stuff does the job.

Valium ? Although you need a lot to knock you out.

What does Amytryptiline is he on? I take 50mg and can usually sleep quite well. I've had Zopiclone alongside the Amitryptiline when I've been really unable to sleep.

I can't take Tramadol because it gives it me migraines, but when I did I said to the GP it made me feel 'hyper' at night. She said it can go the opposite way and make people unable to sleep.

DS2 is awaiting shoulder surgery. He dislocated it, broke it in 3 places and tore a lot of ligaments back in Feb. He was in absolute agony at the beginning, he couldn't get comfy in bed. He found it easier to sleep with a pillow, a v shape pillow on top of that, then another pillow on top of that and a microbead pillow under his shoulder.

I hope he manages to get some sleep soon.

How did he get on last night?

Tramadol really interferes with my sleep. Cocodamol instead.

Glass or two of wine plus amytriptiline and I sleep through pain.

My dh was prescribed Amyiltripiline and it didn't agree with him at all. He could sleep at all, felt sick and was a zombie really.

He also lost the ability to cope with anything. He had to stop taking it due to the above.

There is a sister drug that has the same ingredients but less side effects. (It's more expensive for the gp) so that might be worth a try.

I am afraid there will be a long haul. He really needs an operation. I had my shoulder damaged in an accident, and it took two years before it was operated on and a further 2 years before I was fully recovered as they also had to treat inflamed muscles causing nerve damage type symptoms.

I was put on ami. And it made me a zombie, couldn't work well. Stopped it and tried gabapentin, that was like getting a lobotomy.

Binned the drugs and pushed for treatment.

Happy to report I am almost 100 percent.

Push for surgery.

I had your DHs problem OP. It's impossible to get comfy and the pains unbearable. I had to drink a lot of spirits to get any sleep so try a large double or 4!

Seriously -- don't mix alcohol and pain killers.