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Wean yourself off of them. I know I have a tough time getting to sleep under normal conditions, but the best way I've found to ensure good sleep is to exhaust myself, put the TV on as I go to sleep (with a timer so it will shut off), and make sure I'm sleeping in a comfortable bed. If you can't get to sleep easily, start exercising. If you still can't get to sleep easily, exercise more. If you run your energy down to zero, trust me, you will sleep.
Incorrect. Everyone's insomnia is different. People have given me tons of well meaning advice for curing my insomnia, and it doesn't help, unfortunately. It is caused by neurological conditions and bipolar disorder and all that helps is sleeping meds and/or mood stabilizers. If a person needs a sleeping med, he/she should take it. Of course, a person should try the usual remedies first, but sometimes they don't work. I rotate between Lunesta, Seroquel, and Hydroxyzine HCl, among other things.
My insomnia seems to be caused by an overactive brain. Kind of like an anxiety that kicks in when I have nothing to keep me occupied. I can be dead tired physically but sleep fitfully, if at all, because my mind won't calm down. SHUT UP BRAIN!
Yes, I'm afraid of taking them. I don't want to find a quick and easy solution to any sleeping issues I may have. I think sleep issues are a sign that there may be some sort of imbalance within the body and/or mind or a deficiency, so I rather change up my environment and diet until I can begin to sleep better.
Whenever I do have trouble sleeping, I either take the Natural Vitality Natural Calm Raspberry/Lemon magnesium+calcium supplement or I take a magnesium pill. My preference is the Natural Vitality because it kind of tastes like a tea and the warmth is even more comforting.
I also make sure that I eat more lentils/beans and nuts (almonds) for magnesium because I believe natural sources are best.
I'd read that magnesium helps some people sleep better, but I also take it because it helps me with menstrual cramps ha. That's originally why I started taking magnesium supplements 3-4 days before my period, to ease cramps.
And chamomile tea helps me instantly. I think it's more of the aroma than anything else. It's so soothing and the warmth just knocks me out.
I also make sure to turn off all electronics/lights and lay down in bed about 2 hours earlier than I normally would.
Anyways, I'm not saying these are 100% sure fire ways to deal with sleep issues but they help ME whenever I have trouble sleeping. I'm not discrediting other sleep aids, they just aren't for me. I don't even like Nyquil because of the feeling I'm always left with when I wake up.
Problem solved, and as long as I don't have to up my dosage, I can remain on Ambien indefinitely. I use the generic now, and it's working just fine. Dependent? You betcha, I sure am. But symptom-free, side-effect-free, it is - at least for me - no different than being dependent on air, food, water, and sleep.
I'm not afraid of taking them (well apart from the one that made me hallucinate), I need them to sleep but they either don't work, have horrid side effects or work to begin with and then stop working.
I neevr wanted to use anything but OTC, however when I started waking up throughout the night due to menopausal symptoms I gave in. I do not take them every night and not even close to that, as I am afraid to get dependent on them to sleep. I cut my Lunesta's in half and just take half only when I absolutely must sleep (early day at work, etc) but if I'm off the next day I don't take anything or I do OTC (Unisom or Children's Benadryl). I also went on hormone replacement which helps a lot, but there is still a week or so a month where I need some help.
So much information!!! I wanted to share my recent concern too. I used to take sleeping pills like ambien for long time. I do not feel any side effects. However, accidentally I came across an article at Moderator cut: need at least 10 other posts and read about many problems with sleeping pills...may of which are subtle so you may not know about them before too late... Not sure what to do now and side effects look terrible so I am scared to continue...but not sure if I can sleep without them after so many years. What do you think?
thanks a lot for fantastic forum!!
You have to do what is right for you. I took Ambien for 10 years. The first few years I experienced the temporary amnesia, where I didn't remember anything from the night before. The worst that happened was I sent a few weird IM's to friends, or said something wierd to a roommate. I would sometimes start to drift & hallucinate something moving, and freak out.
I was convinced I needed it to sleep. Over the summer this year, my 10th year, I took it every single night. A lot happened, and I was depressed. It was to the point where it didn't knock me out anymore, but it was enough to relax me enough to get sleep most nights (if I had a lot on my mind, or wasn't feeling well, I might not sleep great because I probably built a tolerance). In September, I found out my doctor declined to renew-instead of calling another doctor, I decided it was time to stop. I thought I lost the ability to sleep on my own. It really wasn't so bad and sure I struggle here or there but overall, I'm sleeping rather well. I guess I didn't need it as much as I thought. Oh, and I still ended up waking up one night screeming after halucinating horns coming out of my wall...so I guess it wasn't the Ambien that caused it.
Anyway, I think the majority of articles out there are in regards to what you do while you're on the sleeping pill, rather than what it does to your body. I don't think it hurt my liver or anything...and I never drove a car into a house...nore do I know anyone who did that. I've never found information on how it could be harmful to me physically. The most harmful aspect, for me, was feeling like I could not sleep without it. Thank god I only took 1 pill at a time and didn't experience physical withdrawal. If you want to stop, and aren't sure if you can, the best thing for me was to finish out the last few pills and quit when there were no pills left. I tried before when I had a few left (you know, 'just in case I needed them') and it never worked.
Good luck with whatever you choose. I personally don't think I'll ever take it again, but that's because I felt hooked.
So much information!!! I wanted to share my recent concern too. I used to take sleeping pills like ambien for long time. I do not feel any side effects. However, accidentally I came across an article at Moderator cut: need at least 10 other posts and read about many problems with sleeping pills...may of which are subtle so you may not know about them before too late... Not sure what to do now and side effects look terrible so I am scared to continue...but not sure if I can sleep without them after so many years. What do you think?
thanks a lot for fantastic forum!!
Ambien is like any drug if you don't need it then shouldn't take it. But lack of sleeping is associated with many problems including heart problems. Take medications is always by need versus problems if not taken.
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I agree.
