Night Elf Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 I take 10 mg of Ambien each night to help me sleep. Without it I do not stay asleep all night. I wake up every 30 to 45 minutes and I'm a wreck in the mornings. But I don't want to be dependent on the Ambien either. Last night I tried to take only 5 mg. but it didn't work. I needed to take the other 5 mg. about 1:00am because I couldn't sleep. I'd like to see if I can get off this. Does anyone know how to do that? Is Ambien an addictive drug? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyhwkmama Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Have you tried the controlled release melatonin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 I used melatonin and 5-HTP together to help me get off of Ambien. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmtzc2009 Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 I think you need to weigh the potential risks against the symptoms you are struggling with. My experience is limited to a few people close to me but enough so that I would never take the medication. My father was on Ambien and in the short period he was on it had several car accidents. He didn't even realize the medication was still effecting him during the day- it is known to impair judgement. They were not minor accidents either. One he crashed his truck (totaled it) into a barn on his property and lost his license as a result of the accident. The other people I know who took Ambien would be up in the night doing things. Eating, falling over, walking around and even going outside. They had no recollection in the morning of anything they'd done. Thankfully their SO was watchful of them during this period. My friends/family were told it was addictive but none stayed on it long enough that they had a struggle with that. I would add I am NOT saying everyone who takes Ambien will having the above experiences. Every persons body chemistry reacts differently to medication and as mentioned above each person should decide for themselves if they are comfortable with the mediation/potential risks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Have you asked your doctor about prescription alternatives? I occasionally take part of an ambien now (after having been on 10 mg for years prior to having Monster Number Three, lol). I'll be honest - I had to go cold turkey off it. I didn't sleep worth a hoot, but at that stage in parenthood, I needed to be coherent during the night. ATM, however, I'm not coherent during the day, because of the lack of sleep (while some of it was Monster Three, how is now sleeping quite a bit better, albeit not all night, much of it was just me - I've had sleeping problems for as long as I can remember). As a PP stated, you have to weigh the risks and benefits. For me, if I can bank an extra 4 hours, on top of my normal 4 hours (the most I generally get at night), even just a few days a week, I yell less, I remember more, and I'm a better mom. For me, the risks of taking part of a dose a few nights a week, is much preferable to the mess I am during the day with no sleep. Long term sleep deprivation isn't any safer than some of the risks of taking the ambien. In my case, with such little sleep, my temperament was horrible, I yelled, I cried, I lived on coffee (with intake of very little other forms of liquid during the day), I felt ready to nod off at various points during the day, and I was becoming incredibly forgetful (I racked up quite a bit of fines at the pediatrician's offices due to missed appointments for the children, missed important errand and phone call deadlines, etc). Give your body time to adjust to the new dosing. I might even suggest, if your husband is the helpful sort, going all weekend with NO sleeping medication, and THEN, after a few nights of no medication, trying the partial dose again. Alternating timing there, until you're down to, say, 1/4 a pill. That is, if you want to stay on this medication. FWIW, melatonin did nothing for me. Benedryl made me drowsy during the day - while ambien did not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 The body does adapt to it, so going down to a lower dose may be just as brutal as going off it altogether. I don't know that there's a lot of good advice out there. People struggle with this. I found that cutting out caffeine completely was really helpful for sleeping, but that can be tough if you're addicted to that too. And it may not even work, because that may just be me. (It may not have even worked for me -- maybe something else changed for me at the same time and I just thought it was the caffeine. Hormone changes could have been involved, and they just changed as I was taking the big no-caffeine plunge) At best, I think you're going to have to go a few days without sleep and hope for the best. You could plan a "vacation" where you just lay around and watch TV, and let everyone take care of you and the house and family while going through this. I have discovered that there are people on this board all hours of the day and night. That might be helpful..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 When I took Ambien I went a little insane. I switched to melatonin, which isn't quite as magical but helps, and now I make sure I get 1 hour of cardio, try to get a hour of hot yoga, and consume no sugar or caffeine after 1:00 pm. Most of the time I sleep like crazy. Good luck, it is hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 8, 2014 Author Share Posted June 8, 2014 Well, the only side effect I have on the Ambien is occasional night time eating and even then I remember it all clearly the next day. I have a problem with all medications, in that they don't have much effect at regular doses. For example, hydrocodone knocks my DH out but it doesn't do anything for me. I've never found anything that makes me sleepy which is one thing I really want. I'm following my doctor's orders to turn off all electronics at 9:00 pm, turn the light out before 11:00pm and wake up at 6:30am every day. Being regular has helped. If I turn out the light at 10:30 or 11:00, it takes me a little while to fall asleep but thanks to the Ambien, I sleep all night. I tried a few different sleeping meds and the Ambien was the one that actually worked. I'm just tired of being dependent on it. My insomnia started in the time period before I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 and general anxiety disorder. Apparently, it's common. I was getting maybe 3 hours a sleep a night and it was just terrible. I don't want to go back to that. If a regular dose of Melatonin doesn't work, how much can I safely go up to? I have 3 mg. pills and I've taken 3 with no effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Well, the only side effect I have on the Ambien is occasional night time eating and even then I remember it all clearly the next day. I have a problem with all medications, in that they don't have much effect at regular doses. For example, hydrocodone knocks my DH out but it doesn't do anything for me. I've never found anything that makes me sleepy which is one thing I really want. I'm following my doctor's orders to turn off all electronics at 9:00 pm, turn the light out before 11:00pm and wake up at 6:30am every day. Being regular has helped. If I turn out the light at 10:30 or 11:00, it takes me a little while to fall asleep but thanks to the Ambien, I sleep all night. I tried a few different sleeping meds and the Ambien was the one that actually worked. I'm just tired of being dependent on it. My insomnia started in the time period before I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 and general anxiety disorder. Apparently, it's common. I was getting maybe 3 hours a sleep a night and it was just terrible. I don't want to go back to that. If a regular dose of Melatonin doesn't work, how much can I safely go up to? I have 3 mg. pills and I've taken 3 with no effect. I am like you, in that nothing makes me sleepy, and it always takes a lot more of any kind of medicine or drug to work for me. I have taken 10mg of melatonin and it really doesn't do anything for me. I know they say you shouldn't take so much, but I am pretty sure from all I have read that it really isn't harmful. I do know that high doses are used in some alternative cancer therapy. The only thing I have read is that they say your body may stop making its own if you take too much for too long. I think mine doesn't make any anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Have you ever tried Trazodone? It is an old school antidepressant which is often used for sleep. It is not addictive and does not have a morning after drowsy affect typically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 8, 2014 Author Share Posted June 8, 2014 Have you ever tried Trazodone? It is an old school antidepressant which is often used for sleep. It is not addictive and does not have a morning after drowsy affect typically. Yes, but it did have a morning affect on me. I felt a grogginess I don't get from Ambien. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Yes, but it did have a morning affect on me. I felt a grogginess I don't get from Ambien. 25 or 50 mg? Maybe a lower dosage would work without the side effect. (Disclaimer - I am not a doctor or a pharmacist. ;) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.