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The first week or so was tough, was hard for me to go to sleep. I'm happy to say, things improved and I'm able to fall asleep and sleep through the night, unless I have to hit the urination station, but find I'm able to go back to sleep. Just continued with the melatonin.
That's good news, so it can be done!!! I'm taking a little more Gaba and sleeping better now. Alternate with Lemon Balm and of course my melatonin.
I had a desperation call from a friend in Portland and she's getting ready to commit herself to a detox facility due to a longterm sleep benzo drug she's been taking. She's losing her mind. I gave her some directions as I helped a love one go thru detox some yrs ago, from drugs.
Zolpidem (Ambien) is one of the most abused drugs. It is only approved for acute insomnia, not long-term. You are only supposed to take it no more than 14 days per month. If you take it more often, you are at a high risk of becoming addicted. This addiction is not like getting addicted to narcotics or alcohol. You just can't sleep without taking. In terms of raw number of prescriptions filled, it is my number one abused drug.
You take ambien because you can't sleep, and if you stop taking it..... you can't sleep. So how do you know if you are right back where you started, or, it's a side effect of the drug?
I'm a chronic insomniac. I took Ambien long term. When I stopped, I couldn't sleep, just like before the drug. I didn't feel addicted, I felt how I did when I needed the Ambien in the first place.
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You take ambien because you can't sleep, and if you stop taking it..... you can't sleep. So how do you know if you are right back where you started, or, it's a side effect of the drug?
I'm a chronic insomniac. I took Ambien long term. When I stopped, I couldn't sleep, just like before the drug. I didn't feel addicted, I felt how I did when I needed the Ambien in the first place.
You become habituated to it. You loose the ability to fall asleep naturally. Most people will deny the addiction because it doesn't have a strong impact on your life. It is very hard to overcome. If you take it no more than the recommended number of days, this probably won't happen.
You take ambien because you can't sleep, and if you stop taking it..... you can't sleep. So how do you know if you are right back where you started, or, it's a side effect of the drug?
I'm a chronic insomniac. I took Ambien long term. When I stopped, I couldn't sleep, just like before the drug. I didn't feel addicted, I felt how I did when I needed the Ambien in the first place.
I don't think you mentioned insomniac since I've been on C-D. If you stopped taking Ambien, how is the sleep. I do take alternatives for my sleep remedy which went down hill after menopause and wonder how it would go for me if I had to get off melatonin and my other couple things. I'm not going to test things.
You become habituated to it. You loose the ability to fall asleep naturally. Most people will deny the addiction because it doesn't have a strong impact on your life. It is very hard to overcome. If you take it no more than the recommended number of days, this probably won't happen.
But the result of addiction is............ same position you were in before. So how is that an addiction? You take a med to stop a problem, and when you stop the med, you have the same problem...
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I don't think you mentioned insomniac since I've been on C-D. If you stopped taking Ambien, how is the sleep. I do take alternatives for my sleep remedy which went down hill after menopause and wonder how it would go for me if I had to get off melatonin and my other couple things. I'm not going to test things.
I have. I changed to Lunesta, which was bliss. I sleep walked on Ambien, the fridge was not safe. Apparently I am a sleep eater.
BUT insurance will not allow Lunesta and tramadol. I chose tramadol because it allows me to go to the gym daily, which helps my RA and pre-diabetes.
So I stopped Lunesta, and use amptitryptlene (yeah, spelling). Which is what I discussed with my doc today. It seems since I stopped the Lunesta that my fatigue is through the roof (could be coincidental). I seem to sleep well, but tired all the time. So I started taking the Lunesta I had left over, and my energy rebounded.
So where does that leave me? I'm trying to apply the placebo effect, and just figure my energy is now back no matter what I take to sleep. When you have autoimmune diseases it can seem that A+B=C, but sometimes it is coincidental.
So he offered me the prescription for Lunesta, which I can pay for myself (it's expensive, about $160 for 20 pills), but I will probably be flagged in the "system". I am choosing to wait and see if I can work through it.
If I can't, I'll pay for the Lunesta.
My sleep problems started in my 30s. I tried Valerian, Hops, Passion Flower, Kava... you name it. I'd be up until 3 in the morning and be up by 5 for work.... I never nap. Heck I'm not even capable of napping, no matter how tired I am.
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I'd rather take Amitriptyline for insomnia than take Ambien or Lunesta.
I figure I'd sleepwalk with taking Ambien. Too dangerous since I live alone.
I've taken Amitriptyline for probably a couple decades for chronic insomnia.
Remember Congressman Patrick Kennedy got into his car, drove to the Capital Building in Washington DC at night, and rammed a barricade in an accident at the gates - all without knowing it - as he was on Ambien and sleepwalking.
You take ambien because you can't sleep, and if you stop taking it..... you can't sleep. So how do you know if you are right back where you started, or, it's a side effect of the drug?
I'm a chronic insomniac. I took Ambien long term. When I stopped, I couldn't sleep, just like before the drug. I didn't feel addicted, I felt how I did when I needed the Ambien in the first place.
I get an Ambien prescription before I do extended business travel to Asia/Pacific. A 30 day supply lasts me a year. My doctor doesn’t like to prescribe more than that, which shows that not all physicians are casual with what they give out.
About 10 years ago I took a round-the-world business trip over 2 weeks with 7 stops. Ambien was great for ensuring I got at least some sleep, and artificially reset my clock every time I changed time zones. But after around a week I noticed that I needed it to sleep.
When I got home the first 2 nights without Ambien were rough, and then I got back into a normal sleeping pattern, jet lag aside.
Nowadays I try and limit it to taking on the plane to sleep, and my first night or two max at my destination. I may also use the occasional pill if I’m finding it very hard to sleep and I have a critical meeting the next day. But I agree with others, it is NOT supposed to be a chronic sleep aid.
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