Ambien Amnesia (paranoid, hyper, Benadryl, refill)

[saralee]

Originally Posted by Roselvr

Have you thought to try Lunesta?

The Lunesta is horrible. The taste it left in my mouth for days!

Take Ambien, 20mg, have experienced confusion or completely forgotten things that have occurred after taking.

Sleep study next week, hoping for answers as opposed to band-aid. Too long on sleep aids as it is but my insomnia is horrible.

Don't know any doctor who would prescribe Xanax long-term.

Sara

[think.reciprocity]

1. Sleeping with a loud fan in your bedroom


2. Melatonin: You can start with 1mg & work your way up. I think the max per nite is 3 or 5mg. Be careful when buying it because some sell it in "mcg" which will NEVER be enough to help (it is MICROgrams... rather than MILIgrams). Actually, here is a guide that apparently comes from researchers at Mayo Clinic that gives you the Melatonin lowdown for various ages & conditions (MELATONIN DOSAGE)

It is natural & non-addictive with zero side effects. Most sleep clinic will recommend both of these things to help.


Oh, also here are some "Sleep Hygiene Tips":

Sleep Hygiene Tips

• Establish a regular time for going to bed and getting up in the morning. Stick to this schedule even on weekends and during vacations.
• Use the bed for sleep and sexual relations only, not for reading, watching television, or working. Excessive time in bed disrupts sleep.
• Avoid naps, especially in the evening.
• Exercise before dinner. A low point in energy occurs a few hours after exercise; sleep will then come more easily. Exercising close to bedtime, however, may increase alertness.
• Take a hot bath about 1.5 - 2 hours before bedtime. This alters the body's core temperature rhythm and helps people fall asleep more easily and more continuously. (Taking a bath shortly before bed increases alertness.)
• Do something relaxing in the 30 minutes before bedtime. Reading, meditation, and a leisurely walk are all appropriate activities.
• Keep the bedroom relatively cool and well ventilated.
• Do not look at the clock. Obsessing over time will just make it more difficult to sleep.
• Eat light meals, and schedule dinner 4 - 5 hours before bedtime. A light snack before bedtime can help sleep, but a large meal may have the opposite effect.
• Spend a half hour in the sun each day. The best time is early in the day. (Take precautions against overexposure to sunlight by wearing protective clothing and sunscreen.)
• Avoid fluids just before bedtime so that sleep is not disturbed by the need to urinate.
• Avoid caffeine in the hours before sleep.
• If one is still awake after 15 - 20 minutes, go into another room, read or do a quiet activity using dim lighting until feeling very sleepy. (Don't watch television or use bright lights.)
• If distracted by a sleeping bed partner, moving to the couch or a spare bed for a couple of nights might be helpful.
• If a specific worry is keeping one awake, thinking of the problem in terms of images rather than in words may allow a person to fall asleep more quickly and to wake up with less anxiety.

Also, I have tried Lunesta & Sonata - they either didn't work at all or quickly became ineffective. Plus, I did also have the common side effects like the funny taste in my mouth & I felt lagging from them often.

[Roselvr]

Originally Posted by saralee

The Lunesta is horrible. The taste it left in my mouth for days!

I get that but not all of the time. To me, it's a small price to pay to get sleep; especially since nothing else works.

[I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA]

Originally Posted by think.reciprocity

1. Sleeping with a loud fan in your bedroom


2. Melatonin: You can start with 1mg & work your way up. I think the max per nite is 3 or 5mg. Be careful when buying it because some sell it in "mcg" which will NEVER be enough to help (it is MICROgrams... rather than MILIgrams). Actually, here is a guide that apparently comes from researchers at Mayo Clinic that gives you the Melatonin lowdown for various ages & conditions (MELATONIN DOSAGE)

It is natural & non-addictive with zero side effects. Most sleep clinic will recommend both of these things to help.


Oh, also here are some "Sleep Hygiene Tips":

Sleep Hygiene Tips

• Establish a regular time for going to bed and getting up in the morning. Stick to this schedule even on weekends and during vacations.
• Use the bed for sleep and sexual relations only, not for reading, watching television, or working. Excessive time in bed disrupts sleep.
• Avoid naps, especially in the evening.
• Exercise before dinner. A low point in energy occurs a few hours after exercise; sleep will then come more easily. Exercising close to bedtime, however, may increase alertness.
• Take a hot bath about 1.5 - 2 hours before bedtime. This alters the body's core temperature rhythm and helps people fall asleep more easily and more continuously. (Taking a bath shortly before bed increases alertness.)
• Do something relaxing in the 30 minutes before bedtime. Reading, meditation, and a leisurely walk are all appropriate activities.
• Keep the bedroom relatively cool and well ventilated.
• Do not look at the clock. Obsessing over time will just make it more difficult to sleep.
• Eat light meals, and schedule dinner 4 - 5 hours before bedtime. A light snack before bedtime can help sleep, but a large meal may have the opposite effect.
• Spend a half hour in the sun each day. The best time is early in the day. (Take precautions against overexposure to sunlight by wearing protective clothing and sunscreen.)
• Avoid fluids just before bedtime so that sleep is not disturbed by the need to urinate.
• Avoid caffeine in the hours before sleep.
• If one is still awake after 15 - 20 minutes, go into another room, read or do a quiet activity using dim lighting until feeling very sleepy. (Don't watch television or use bright lights.)
• If distracted by a sleeping bed partner, moving to the couch or a spare bed for a couple of nights might be helpful.
• If a specific worry is keeping one awake, thinking of the problem in terms of images rather than in words may allow a person to fall asleep more quickly and to wake up with less anxiety.

Also, I have tried Lunesta & Sonata - they either didn't work at all or quickly became ineffective. Plus, I did also have the common side effects like the funny taste in my mouth & I felt lagging from them often.

I have tried all of this and unfortunately none it made a difference for me. I have had trouble sleeping since I was a little kid.

[mckinneydeb]

There was a period a few months ago where I experienced sleeping problems. If I could get to sleep I couldn't stay asleep. We already slept with a fan, went to bed at the same time each night, avoided alcohol with dinner and all the other recommended tricks. My doc started with Ambien 5mg. I did experience the amnesia side effects. Honestly, it was the strangest thing I have ever gone through. I remembered taking the pill, walking to the TV to turn it off on my way to bed and then nothing until the next morning. Sometimes I would awake to find myself on the sofa never having made it to the bedroom. Or I would get up the next day to find the kitchen in a mess, that I had sent emails to people in my address book and other odd things. The most dangerous thing was that I apparently consuming alcohol sometime during the night as well. My husband is a sound sleeper and never heard a thing. After 2 wks, I decided it was too dangerous to continue the Ambien. We switched to Lunesta, which did leave a terrible taste in my mouth along with a headache. But I would wake up during the night and have trouble falling back to sleep. Then we tried Rozerim, no side effcts but not much sleep either. Couldn't fall asleep and couldn't stay that way once I did drift off.

Finally decided I must need a psych doc so I went to a psychiatrist who ordered trazodone. We started at 50mg, went up to 100mg, 150mg and then 200mg. I have been able to back off to 100mg. The sleep seems more natural and I have no side effects. And at times, I do go to sleep without any medication.

[cassy1]

Wow if I experienced some of these problems I would never take a sleeping aid, I would just suffer (or drink warm milk). These stories are horrible.

[saralee]

Originally Posted by cassy1

Wow if I experienced some of these problems I would never take a sleeping aid, I would just suffer (or drink warm milk). These stories are horrible.

You have no idea how debilitating it is to go days without sleep. So many times I've felt like the walking dead. It really is horrible and a lot of suffering indeed. You truly reach a point of desperation and try all kinds of things. I hope you never experience a sleep disorder.

Sara

[taylor400]

My mother-in-law was taking Ambien (sorry, don't know the dose). She found she was eating in her sleep. She lived alone, so it couldn't have been anyone else. In one night she ate a 1/2 gallon of ice cream and a full bag of doritos that were unopened when she went to bed. She also called our house one night, later than she usually calls (we're in different time zones) and started telling me VERY personal information that quite frankly, I did not need to know! The next day she didn't even remember calling our house (I never told her what she talked about, and if she remembers, she's never brought it up either).

[think.reciprocity]

Originally Posted by taylor400

My mother-in-law was taking Ambien (sorry, don't know the dose). She found she was eating in her sleep. She lived alone, so it couldn't have been anyone else. In one night she ate a 1/2 gallon of ice cream and a full bag of doritos that were unopened when she went to bed. She also called our house one night, later than she usually calls (we're in different time zones) and started telling me VERY personal information that quite frankly, I did not need to know! The next day she didn't even remember calling our house (I never told her what she talked about, and if she remembers, she's never brought it up either).

I can relate to this one too - personally, & from talking with my sister.

I have told my daughter-in-law, who is only now 19, far too much info (as she lived with me up until recently) - FAR TOO MUCH - after taking Ambien. She wasn't as courteous - she told me. I'm mortified. I imagine I may have done similar in making phone calls - that's a big one I do.

My sister became very ill & finally realized through some deep investigation that she was sleepwalking (as I believe I do to some extent while on this med) & then eating TONS of food - even things that aren't to be eaten. Then she would sometimes take her meds again - even again. She had been on several different medications & couldn't figure out where the meds were disappearing to. After going off Ambien she was no longer sick & lost quite a bit of weight (because she wasn't eating in the middle of the night).

Scary stuff we go through when we get to that point of desperation. I think the desperation is often egged on by multiple health issues & multiple stressors going on at one time. I've had sleep problems to one extent or another at various times in my life. It was only until I began having all these other health & life issues that I couldn't manage any longer. I had to "have a break". You get to the point where "SOMETHING'S gotta give". Sleep was the one thing I could improve right away if only I'd take the meds.

In the end, it wasn't a wise move - for me. I think a lot of us could end up taking sleep aides for life - because we then get used to this medicated way of doing it. It's not "easy" on Ambien. But, having to get healthy sleep without it really requires a great deal of all around effort & is almost like a full-time job to some extent. It can be done - but taking a good hard look inside & being honest about the issues is tough...

I am almost a week off of any sleep aides... I am also pleased to say so! I hope I can say "Not ever again" - regardless of the desperation level...

[taylor400]

I've never had any extreme sleep problems, but I have had bouts of insomnia - mostly due to being worried/stressed about a situation. I also had difficulty sleeping when I was pregnant. What works for me is sleepytime tea by celestial seasonings. There's a new one out that's called sleepytime extra, it's supposed to help go to sleep faster for those with problems falling asleep. I know this is a simple suggestion, but that's just it, a suggestion. I'm not a medical professional, nor do I play one on tv and I'm not trying to suggest that you shouldn't try medical intervention if needed. This is just something that has worked for me.