Few things are more frustrating than the inability to get a good night's rest, especially when the sleeplessness occurs night after night, week after week. Given how poorly fibro patients sleep, it's not a surprise that many require help from medications. Sedating antidepressants are often the first approach, since they are nonaddictive and increase deep sleep. This group includes trazodone (Desyrel), amitriptyline (Elavil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), and mirtazapine (Remeron).

Though benzodiazepines such as clonazepam (Klonopin) or alprazolam (Xanax) are sometimes used, they don't provide good quality sleep, since they increase only the light stages of sleep. Newer sleep agents such as zolpidem (Ambien), zaleplon (Sonata), and eszopiclone (Lunesta) are a better choice, since they provide a better balance of deep and light sleep. Over-the-counter medications such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl or Sominex) are generally less effective in people with fibromyalgia. They can put you to sleep, but the sleep is often of poor quality. The drugs also tend to lose their effect with repeated use.