Ambien CR vs. the Beach Boys

englandsf wrote:I was twitchy about using any drugs for fear of changing my sleep patterns

It's fine if you are certain you get along without drugs during a sleep test but most people don't realize how alien an environment it is, what with all the wires coming off you and the 'pressure' to sleep, not to mention the noisy lab situation. I ALWAYS take along some sleep meds in case I'm having a rough night at the sleep lab. On this forum most people seem to recommend Ambien (or it's generic, Zolpidem), if not that, then Trazadone... both reputedly have little impact on ones sleep compared to opioids (percodan, etc) or benzos (Xanax, Valium etc). My sleep doctor told me that he can see beyond the effects of drugs from ones sleep test. You can take that for what it's worth I think it's a good idea to try them at home before you 'test' them at the sleep lab... everybody has different reactions to various sleep meds.

I think we have to be careful with Ambien and Lunestra. The internet is full of stories of users waking to find they have eaten everything in the refrigerator, had wild sex acts they never considered doing with the wrong people, or even peeing naked in an intersection. Famous people have done embarrassing radio interviews, and there are wrong-way drivers and possibly car-chase scenarios tied directly to it. I think Patrick Kennedy drove into a barrier wall at the capitol, and there are other reports of celebrity misbehavior on Ambien. But we don't hear about all that happens to those who are not famous.

The problem stems from how it works and our anatomy. We evolved from an irrational reptile brain. We still have the reptile brain, but around that has grown a rational "cerebral" (literally) brain that has allow us to come out of the caves, create agriculture and economy, and interact socially in acceptable ways, resulting in great societies with customs and mores that are generally safe. The problem is that the reptile brain is connected directly to the nervous system, but the cerebral brain is not; it is connected through the reptile brain which we control in a "fly-by-wire" manner. So the reptile brain is curbed by, controlled by our cerebral brain, which constantly attempts to keep it in line.

But Ambien puts the cerebral brain to sleep. Actually it normally puts everything to sleep. But occasionally the reptile brain can wake on its own, and the cerebral brain, under Ambien, does not wake simultaneously, and is literally asleep at the wheel, while the reptile brain parties out of control. It can remove your source of employment, ruin careers, reputations, and actually get you killed.

I do my best to avoid prescription drugs and most OTC drugs.
I enjoy the Beach Boys but for sleep time music I would prefer Montovani, Arther Feidler or Kenny Gee.

bwexler wrote: sleep time music I would prefer Montovani, Arther Feidler or Kenny Gee.

Additional benefit, when you wake up, you have already had syrup for your waffles.

Remake published two weeks ago - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqLTe8h0-jo

It's a bit silly, but still a good tribute.

I have loved Brian Wilson since the sixties. Pet Sounds is the greatest. Still have the vinyl.

Totally agree CG. Thanks for the link.

Agree with SNO's position about taking sleep meds during a sleep study. I am going to try not taking anything and I think I have a great chance of falling asleep initially even with the wires. It is getting back to sleep for the titration that might be difficult in which hopefully, a combination of eating something and taking ambien cr will do the trick.

Tyrone Shoes, totally understand your concerns about ambien. At the same time, also not sleeping can cause the same adverse affects that you mention occur with this drug. As always, it is an issue of risk/benefit analysis and taking a med being fully informed about all the relevant issues.

BWexler, love Arthur Fiedler and will see if I can find some MP3 recordings to download and try out before the sleep study to see how helpful they are sleep wise. Thanks for mentioning that.

Buttermilk Buoy, I love waffles with syrup. I know this may gross some people out but a few months ago, I was in 7th heaven when I ate chocolate chip waffles. Unfortunately, with possible metabolic issues, this needs to be a very rare occurrence.