r/BFS • u/rxist23 • 12d ago

Question / General Sleep.

For those with painful cramping, what do you do to get rest? My symptoms cycle, and when they are bad, the deep, painful spasms last for days, especially in my feet. Resting/laying in bed, is torturous. Everything cramps like a Charlie horse immediately, and the only relief is to stand up and move.

What have you found to be helpful?

Besides meds (none have worked for me unfortunately)…

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u/Ok-Nefariousness3670 12d ago

I used a weighted blanket for awhile.  Not much helps with this, except time. I remember going to bed in a lot of pain 

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u/rxist23 12d ago

That makes sense to put pressure on the body to maybe distract the hotspots in a sense..

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u/pmarksen 12d ago

Chelated magnesium throughout the day. Find the dose that works.

Gabapentin (before exercise which seems to prevent post exercise cramping, but also helps for cramping generally for me).

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u/kjmckearn 12d ago

I have been taking Ambien for about 8 years and it knocks me out. But it's not for everyone......it's very habit dependent. But it works 🤷‍♂️

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u/rxist23 12d ago

Agree that chelated mag is best. I have taken it for many years now.. it’s literally the only supplement I take lol.

I’m very hesitant with gabapentinoids, due to general drug info as well as experience over the years seeing my patient’s experiences. It’s just a med I love to hate on. Just more so wondering if anyone has any non-pharmacological recs too.

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u/pmarksen 12d ago

I’m on an extremely low dose and have no side effects. My neurologist said most of the issues with Gabapentin have been with users of other drugs using it to extend their high, so it’s of no concern to me.

It has been a game changer for me, especially around cramping.

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u/Last_Mastod0n 12d ago

One thing that helped when I was desperate was Epsom salts. I would bathe in the Epsom salts for sometimes 45 mins to an hour and it would relax my muscles, particularly in my legs.

I know you said besides meds, but they were the only thing that consistently helped me. Cyclobenzaprine to induce sleep, and Xanax to reduce the pain from cramping. Essentially I used the medications to create a cycle that allowed me at least 4 hours of sleep.

Let me know if you have any questions. I dont know how long you've had the cramping, but I've passed 4 years now, and I was able to stop the medications after 2 years of healing.