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I've seen her for a year. She's part of a practice, not her own. No one understands why she had such issues taking me off Ambien and also changing the one medication another provider told her was causing me harm. I have severe TMD. My TMD doctor realized my psych med Effexor is one of the worse meds you can take with TMD and wanted me to get off of it immediately. When I told her that, she said she wouldn't change it until the stressors in my life calmed down and if I wasn't happy with her decision, I could change psych doctors. I was horrified by her response. I felt like it was malpractice. I had been begging for months to get me off both of those meds for months and she kept saying she wanted me to wait until certain things in my life passed. So now, I'm stuck with no doctor. I'm going to see if a family practice can write me something until I get into somewhere....
This just isn't right. Obviously she has the right to stop treatment for you not being "medication compliant", but she also shouldn't cut strings and leave you hanging, with no Dr. especially when the medications SHE has written for have dangerous side effects and stopping them.
If there is a practice manager, I'd ask to speak with them and say you understand why the Dr. terminated you, but she's left you high and dry without medication and that you're concerned something bad will happen going cold turkey.
I've been on Ambien for 3 years. It's now at the point I can't fall asleep without it. It's actually to the point I take MORE sleeping pills (i.e. Unisom) on top of Ambien because it's not enough to put me to sleep. Even with all of that, I still wake up in the middle of the night.
I am so extremely tired throughout the day, but I can't even fall asleep without taking the dang drug. I've expressed concern to my psych doctor about it, but she wants me to get over some major life stressors within the next month or so before switching up my meds. Um...I want it changed now.
I feel like a sleep study would be wasting my money. I had one a few years ago when fatigue was an issue, not insomnia, and nothing came back unusual. Also, I've tried Lyrica and it was like candy; it did nothing for me.
Can I get any advice?
Here's some advice.... keep taking it. I have been taking ambien for over 20 years. I started when I was doing a lot of international travel and needed something to help me sleep when the time zones messed with my sleep. Still works. I won't ever stop. Why should I?
I went to a sleep specialist, supposedly the best one where I was living at the time, and he said stop taking ambien for 3 weeks and you will be fine. Had the worst three weeks ever, went back on ambien and said, screw that.
I do take pain meds for the multiple surgeries I've had over the years, and they keep me awake instead of knocking me out. So, ambien it is. I've had over 40 surgeries and just had a cervical fusion last month, and another fusion scheduled for June. Also, I do have ADD and that affects the way my body reacts to drugs. When you have ADD the give you speed to relax you, so when I am prescribed pain meds they keep me awake, sometimes all night. Ambien has been my faithful companion for all those years.
Last edited by seethelight; 05-14-2016 at 07:28 AM..
This just isn't right. Obviously she has the right to stop treatment for you not being "medication compliant", but she also shouldn't cut strings and leave you hanging, with no Dr. especially when the medications SHE has written for have dangerous side effects and stopping them.
If there is a practice manager, I'd ask to speak with them and say you understand why the Dr. terminated you, but she's left you high and dry without medication and that you're concerned something bad will happen going cold turkey.
I went to the ER today because I was having serious withdrawals. It just ticks me off that I will now have a huge doctor bill just bc she couldn't write me a different Rx. Even the ER doc thought what she did was uncalled for. He gave me what needed to last me a couple months until I find a new doctor.
I've seen her for a year. She's part of a practice, not her own. No one understands why she had such issues taking me off Ambien and also changing the one medication another provider told her was causing me harm. I have severe TMD. My TMD doctor realized my psych med Effexor is one of the worse meds you can take with TMD and wanted me to get off of it immediately. When I told her that, she said she wouldn't change it until the stressors in my life calmed down and if I wasn't happy with her decision, I could change psych doctors. I was horrified by her response. I felt like it was malpractice. I had been begging for months to get me off both of those meds for months and she kept saying she wanted me to wait until certain things in my life passed. So now, I'm stuck with no doctor. I'm going to see if a family practice can write me something until I get into somewhere....
Due to surgery I had years ago, and a large loss of absorbtion of food, meds and fluids, the surgeon warned me not to take certain types of medication. He also warned me that meds might not be absorbed, or they would be wrongly simply because I lost so much of the bodies absorbtion areas. This was from an auto immune disease which went out of control. I generally told doctors and they generally listened. When I had problems with depression and mood swings show up, something which had been there but weren't a problem, I started on meds and started research on the meds. One was primarily abosorbed in the area where there isn't much to do the job. It wasn't working but caused bad side effects. I shared all of this with the pdoc, and he said it wasn't important, I could take more.... except the side effects were already bad. I said no, I wouldn't take it and was backing it out.
I don't know what his problem was, but when I said I would research ANY drug he suggested first, since its my health at issue, (and why shouldn't I be concerned????) he had a hissfit and acted like a bad teenager and said I just can't treat you if you won't trust me. Is he deaf or something?
I read all I can about any med for any reason suggested or given since this. My med doctor didn't have any problem with it. Having taken myself completely off psych meds, and gotten away from the triggers, I'm doing a lot better.
Don't let this one pdoc discourage you, but tell them at the start about your medical condition, and that you'll research any drugs perscribed, and if he/she has a problem with that cross them off your list. If they really are 'doctors' (not pill pushers) they will care just as much for your whole health.
I have used a tea made by Traditional Medicinials called nighty night. Its good tasting and lulls you to sleep. They also have a formula with Valerian root, which is very relaxing. You should check if passion flower tea or valerian root disagrees with anything you are now taking.
I find their quality is very good and the taste quite plesant. You need to teach your body to sleep minus ambien. I never took it regularly but when I realized I'd feel very light headed and dizzy after taking ambien I quit taking it.
She's been saying the same thing for months now......
I may have major stress going on, but I can't be completely exhausted all day. What sucks is that psych doctors take forever to get an appointment in my area since there aren't many, so I'm limited on switching doctors. I just feel that this is a permanent feeling I mean, if I'm taking unisom with Ambien, I don't know how I can wean myself off....
I was prescribed Ambien once. I had a bad reaction where not only did I not go to sleep, but my husband found me outside in our yard hallucinating about how all the the flowers were walking around. Thank goodness I didn't decide to go for a drive in my car.
I was prescribed Ambien once. I had a bad reaction where not only did I not go to sleep, but my husband found me outside in our yard hallucinating about how all the the flowers were walking around. Thank goodness I didn't decide to go for a drive in my car.
Move to a blue state and use a strain of marijuana that has half CBD and half THC. The strain called "Critical Mass" is a good one. Edibles work too if you don't want to smoke anything. I used to take Ambien and it had more side effects than taking some marajuana at bedtime. You will not wake up high in the morning. I went from maybe 4-5 hours of light sleep on no medication to 8-9 hours of sleep at night, every night and no change to my waking cognitive abilities.
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I mean, if I'm taking unisom with Ambien, I don't know how I can wean myself off....
