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The lack of sleep is the REAL killer, a question about Ambien.....



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The lack of sleep is the REAL killer, a question about Ambien.....

Old 03-13-2014, 05:48 AM
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Question The lack of sleep is the REAL killer, a question about Ambien.....

Day 24.

Like I said in that other post, the first two weeks were literally "hell on Earth" for me in terms of not being able to get ANY sleep. I think in the first week I slept MAYBE 6 hours total the whole week. It felt like absolute death.

Anyway, I have had this Ambien 10mg prescription from my doctor for a little over a week now and I have not went and gotten the pills yet. Around day 6 I seemed to sleep okay for a few days, but now, a little past 1 week later it seems the insomnia is starting to come back with a vengeance. Yesterday I took a Doxylamine Succinate 25 mg tablet, which is supposedly a "strong" sleep pill, and nothing happened. I laid there until 4 am and here I am at 6:40 AM just browsing the internet to kill time.

My question is about Ambien, after getting home from my doctor visit I immediately Googled it out of curiosity and stumbled onto a bunch of horror stories involving memory loss, driving while asleep, over-dosing on more pills while asleep, and other bizarre stuff. Was also reading that it is yet another addictive drug.

Has anyone here used, or are they using Ambien? Is it safe? And what dosage?

I don't trust prescription drugs, that's why I've been sticking to OTC sleep pills. But now that those are not working (again), I am considering trying something a littler "heavier" like Ambien.

I NEED to get some sleep, it just seems impossible for some reason........
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Old 03-13-2014, 06:05 AM
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Hi. Try to hang in there. I was told that no one ever died from lack of sleep but there were times I wanted to. Fortunately many people helped me through that phase.
"I don't trust prescription drugs."
I laugh because that's the way I've felt for many years previous to my getting sober. Yet not knowing of my insanity I continued for too long to drink alcohol! I acted like it was a health drink!

BE WELL
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Old 03-13-2014, 06:12 AM
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Ambien seems to affect everyone differently. I took it a few times. Helped me fall asleep, but didn't help me stay asleep. I woke up 3 or 4 hours later and felt no effect. My brother, who hadn't had any alcohol in about 10 years, drank the rest of a bottle of wine my sister in law had left out, and had no recollection of doing it. I posted about that, and found out only then that lots of people have lots of horror stories regarding ambien. I would be incredibly cautious, and for myself... Anything like that I wouldn't take more than 1 or 2 most, a month. I don't like taking any prescription medication unless I feel it's absolutely necessary.
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Old 03-13-2014, 11:23 AM
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We are all unique. I became addicted to Ambien, I was on it for close to 20 years. There was a guy in rehab with me who had developed such a serious habit he needed a one on one attendant to help him around, he had a lot of cognitive impairment. For me, it worked a lot like benzos.

I would caution you to work with a doctor who understands addiction. A lot of us use meds for a very short period of time when we first get sober, but we are all different. Ambien has only been around for about as long as I used it, I read recently that docs have cut the recommended dosage. It is a hypnotic, so you basically get knocked out versus falling asleep naturally.

For me, Ambien proved to be highly addictive, and I also used it to manage hangovers so I could sleep them off at any time.
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Old 03-13-2014, 10:30 PM
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What are you doing ? are you active ?

That makes a difference -imo .
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Old 03-13-2014, 10:38 PM
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I only took it for about 6 months. I never had any problems with it and it helped me a lot. I didn't have and "drugged" feeling in the morning.
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Old 03-14-2014, 07:22 AM
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I have used it on occasion in the last 2 years (about 5 nights a month). I take only half a tablet, am asleep within 30 minutes. It doesn't keep me asleep, I usually wake up after about 3 hours but am able to get back to sleep quickly, which I usually can't do. After 6 hours sleep I am not at all drowsy.

in general my sleeping has greatly improved since I stopped drinking (settled down after 6 weeks or so). And yes, physical activity helps enormously.
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Old 03-14-2014, 07:55 AM
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Grubby, I have a long history of insomnia and at my last doctor's appointment I was given a script for 5 mg. The one time I felt desperate enough to take it, I fell asleep easily, but I did not wake up feeling particularly rested. More concerning to me was that I experienced what felt like withdrawal symptoms (including anxiety) the next day. I don't feel comfortable taking any additional doses.

You might want to consult a pharmacist or physician about how this medication works and whether there are alternatives that might be a better choice. According to Wikipedia, Ambien binds to the GABAa receptors, which are also affected by alcohol and benzos. In my mind, that makes this a tricky medication for anyone who has a history of alcohol or substance abuse.
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Old 03-14-2014, 11:15 AM
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Go to a doctor and ask them the questions you want answered.
Chat rooms are not the place to get medical advice my friend.
It takes a doctor how long to practice in the field? 10 or more years of study and work expirience.
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Old 03-14-2014, 11:26 AM
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I would skip the ambien and try working your ass off some place. I volunteered at a horse farm for two weeks and lived there and let me tell you, you will sleep if you wear yourself out.
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Old 03-14-2014, 02:57 PM
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I took Ambien several years ago. It made me sleepwalk and at night I would sometimes go into the kitchen and take everything out of the fridge and put it on the counter then go back to bed. Your mileage may vary.

One thing that did work for me was taking a Melatonin supplement. 1 mg was ok, but I needed 5mg. Melatonin is a precursor to Seratonin, which your body converts it to. Seratonin is a chemical that relaxes the brain, and it can make you tired.

You can get it at pretty much any store.

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Old 03-14-2014, 05:37 PM
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Ambien and I did NOT do well together. Admittedly I was also taking it AND drinking heavily so who knows if that was the issue. For me though, like many others, I would take it, fall asleep easily-actually SO easily that it was BAD. I would take it and when it kicked in I would literally drop whatever was in my hand, very bad. I would wake up a few hours later almost always though and it made me jittery. My husband finally begged me to stop taking it. I switched to Lunesta which takes longer to kick in (an hour after taking it) but I don't have the jitteryness or falling asleep akin to passing out on the spot and I generally sleep all the way through the night.. I may have some weird body chemistry but it'll be a cold day in hades before I ever take Ambien again.
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Old 03-15-2014, 06:37 AM
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As far as sleeping goes it worked well. I also woke up 2 or 3 hours later but would take another 5 mg and go back to sleep. My doctor prescribed 15 mg I split up throughout the night and it made me fall asleep fast.

But I liked the small high too much and couldn't wait for nighttime anymore plus I was still drinking and ccouldn't leave the ambien alone after a drink. I overdosed and did scary things a number of times.

10mg of melatonin is all I need to sleep now. I tried less and it didn't work well. The medication Trazadone also worked as well as Ambien, without the addictive quality. My insomnia was quite severe, too.
Best of luck! And remember alcohol disturbs sleep and won't give you the rest you need.
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Old 03-15-2014, 06:49 AM
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Just had my first and only bottle filled of Ambien. Prior to this, I was prescribed temazepam for the last 16 months. My experience started out innocent enough by taking it as needed. As time progressed, I found it became a daily habit during the week, which would only be offset on Friday and Saturday, because I'd be drinking heavy those nights. This led to a dependence to it and ultimately made my withdrawals that much harder.

Now specifically to Ambien, I was prescribed 10mg pills, and it certainly would knock me out, but I would wake up a few hours later and need to take another to get a full night of sleep. This led to me taking 2-3 a night. Last week after my last relapse I decided it was time to get off it as well. And honestly I feel Ambien may have been contributing to my depression, but it's hard to say, as I was using it coming off 16 months of use of my other script.

I know the hopelessness that comes with not being able to sleep. That said, RXs will help, but may just be a bandaid as tolerance will develop and you may yourself taking more. Basically
I'm saying, if you choose the RX route, proceed with caution.
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Old 03-15-2014, 07:11 AM
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Geeze sounds like there are very few of us that didn't wind up having to take a second one in the middle of the night to get a full nights sleep! That said when I finally told a therapist about the combination of Ambien and a bottle of wine a night she told me I could have killed myself with that combo. I am very very lucky I didn't wind up in a hospital. If you're going to take it don't drink. You don't have to fess up to anyone but yourself if you have a relapse but if you do-no Ambien. My two cents....
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Old 03-15-2014, 07:32 AM
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I have good news to report!

I had my Ambien prescription filled yesterday morning at the grocery store and was given 30 pills. Instructions simply say "TAKE 1 TABLET AT BEDTIME". While I was there I did a little random shopping, picked up some food before wandering into the sleep-aid section out of curiosity.

Saw some "doxylamine succinate" tablets on sale, 96 tablets for like $6. Grabbed a bottle of those and went and checked out.

Got home and just took it easy and browsed the web until around when 6 o' clock hit, then I turned on my TV and started watching the latest episode of WWE Smackdown. Watched about an hour and then got bored, was a pretty un-eventful episode.

Turned off the TV and went to the kitchen to decide what I was going to try this time around. Remembering all the bad stuff I had been reading about Ambien I thought to myself "what if I try an EXTRA dose of the OTC pills?". I looked at the instructions for the Doxy, also said "take 1 pill at bedtime". I went and swallowed 2 pills being that I am a larger guy, went to my room and got into bed and awaited to see what would happen.

I got into bed around 6:50 PM, noticed my over-active/annoying brain putting up the usual resistance. About an hour rolled by with nothing happening. I opened my eyes and it's like 7:45 on the clock. Close my eyes again. A few minutes later I suddenly get hit with some heavy drowsiness and I lose consciousness/fall asleep.... I'm guessing the Doxy finally hit the bloodstream. I wake up and open my eyes, my room is pitch black. Turn my head over to see the clock.....

It's 3:47 AM!!

FINALLY one solid night of sleep!

I guess-timate that I passed out around 8:15-ish PM, so that's a little over 7 hours of solid sleep! I had between 2-3 "mini dreams" last night, which tells me I got at least some REM (restorative) periods.

I will be trying this again for the next few days and seeing if I can repeat the results. This has me excited because whereas Ambien and other similar Rx come with all sorts of down-sides and can be addictive, I have not really read anything "bad" about OTC stuff like Doxy.

It's 8:30 AM and I feel fresh, looking forward to a productive day where I am not in a half-asleep zombie state like I have been for the last give or take 3 weeks.

Hopefully I can catch up on a bunch of stuff today......
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Old 03-15-2014, 07:56 AM
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Really glad to hear it. Our neural pathways get all screwed up when we are drinking and using. Our brains and body wait patiently for the external substances that we have been so faithfully delivering to calm them down. I think that lapse between when we stop using chemicals and when our brains tentatively realize they might need to restore to factory setting can be difficult to endure. It is part of the reason a lot of us throw in the towel and relapse. And it might not be a straight line equation at first, but it gradually gets better.

I spent years on drugs, did sleep clinics, etc, sleep was something I was always chasing. I cannot tell you how weird it is to go to bed at 11 and wake up at 6, I still feel like a kid with a new toy. NEVER, since I was in my late 20's, have I slept like this.

Ambien has a very short half life of approx 4 hours, hence the 2am awakenings. Because it is a hypnotic it will put you to sleep but not keep you asleep. If you can, letting your brain slowly reestablish its natural rhythm is preferable.

Keeping good sleep hygiene is really important. Get outside to natural sunlight as soon as possible after waking, it helps to reestablish your circadian rhythms. The first time I flew after I got clean and sober it was lovely to not walk through the airport with a thousand pills rattling in my bag.

Congrats!
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Old 03-15-2014, 08:18 AM
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Originally Posted by grubby View Post

Anyway, I have had this Ambien 10mg prescription from my doctor for a little over a week now and I have not went and gotten the pills yet.
my doctor tried to give me some a few years back
the possible side effects kept me away
it's been in the news a lot lately

MB

New report reveals dangerous side effects of Ambien
New report reveals dangerous side effects of Ambien - YouTube
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Old 03-15-2014, 09:57 AM
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Originally Posted by jaynie04 View Post
Really glad to hear it. Our neural pathways get all screwed up when we are drinking and using. Our brains and body wait patiently for the external substances that we have been so faithfully delivering to calm them down. I think that lapse between when we stop using chemicals and when our brains tentatively realize they might need to restore to factory setting can be difficult to endure. It is part of the reason a lot of us throw in the towel and relapse. And it might not be a straight line equation at first, but it gradually gets better.
I think this is the perfect analogy, all we want is for everything to go back to the way it was pre-alcohol. "Back to factory default settings" summarizes it perfectly. Wat pisses me off the most is how no one told us about any of this, everyone gives you the impression alcohol is "safe" without ever telling you "the rest of the story" where you can't sleep, your brain gets messed up, you get the shakes, etc.

To be honest? I am quite frankly SHOCKED that humanity has put this ailment on the back-burner. What I mean is, space travel has gotten off the ground, we have smartphones, we have cars, and so on..... but there still hasn't been any "cure" for these vicious addiction diseases? In theory, when you take into account the massive technological leaps forward of the last 200 years, there SHOULD be some sort of pill that you can take that somehow "resets" your system back to normal.

I call BS, how is it we can have this "modern" society and yet there is no pill you can take to, say..... un-do a hangover within minutes? In theory, we SHOULD have some sort of fast-acting alka seltzer like tablet that magically "dispels" your hangover within minutes. It's all very strange if you ask me, same thing with the common cold..... thousands and thousands of years and no cure? Something fishy about that.... it all sounds like the invisible un-seen hand of greed hard at work in the background somewhere.

Hell, even cancer can largely be treated nowadays assuming it gets caught early enough..... and cancer is an actual deadly disease, whereas alcohol only has the "potential" to be life-threatening.

A little off-topic, but I just felt like ranting....
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Old 03-15-2014, 06:26 PM
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Originally Posted by grubby View Post
I think this is the perfect analogy, all we want is for everything to go back to the way it was pre-alcohol. "Back to factory default settings" summarizes it perfectly. Wat pisses me off the most is how no one told us about any of this, everyone gives you the impression alcohol is "safe" without ever telling you "the rest of the story" where you can't sleep, your brain gets messed up, you get the shakes, etc.

To be honest? I am quite frankly SHOCKED that humanity has put this ailment on the back-burner. What I mean is, space travel has gotten off the ground, we have smartphones, we have cars, and so on..... but there still hasn't been any "cure" for these vicious addiction diseases? In theory, when you take into account the massive technological leaps forward of the last 200 years, there SHOULD be some sort of pill that you can take that somehow "resets" your system back to normal.

I call BS, how is it we can have this "modern" society and yet there is no pill you can take to, say..... un-do a hangover within minutes? In theory, we SHOULD have some sort of fast-acting alka seltzer like tablet that magically "dispels" your hangover within minutes. It's all very strange if you ask me, same thing with the common cold..... thousands and thousands of years and no cure? Something fishy about that.... it all sounds like the invisible un-seen hand of greed hard at work in the background somewhere.

Hell, even cancer can largely be treated nowadays assuming it gets caught early enough..... and cancer is an actual deadly disease, whereas alcohol only has the "potential" to be life-threatening.

A little off-topic, but I just felt like ranting....

The common cold cant be stopped because it is one of a lot of different bugs that can be the cause .

As for the other ,a receptor regrowth pill ?, well why not ?
SSRI drugs are somewhat a road to that pill -Imo .
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