should i be on 5mg ( ambien) while on cpap

Dr prescribed ambien 5mg for insomnia even while on autopap. IS this too strong? what happens if cpap goes off for some reason, will I be able to wake up ?SOmetimes there is no electricity.

I am on ambien for 2 days now. I take it at 10pm , fall asleep by 11, but i wake at 2am, continue to lie in bed, then fall asleep again within an hour. Wake up at 6:30 feeling very groggy , arms and legs a bit weak. I just got off xanax which i took .5 mg for 2 weeks ,and .25mg for 1 week. last xanax was taken last Saturday. I hardly slept on SUnday and Monday, so I asked dr, who put me on ambien to get my sleep cycle back on track. Any comments?thanx.

Dr prescribed ambien 5mg for insomnia even while on autopap. IS this too strong? what happens if cpap goes off for some reason, will I be able to wake up ?SOmetimes there is no electricity.

Ambien is only really effective if you can be sure of 7-8 hours uninterrupted sleep, otherwise is can be dangerous - more than making you groggy it can cause sleep walking/driving/cooking etc.

I'd discuss the situation with your PCP urgently, this may not be the best drug for you. But your body is unlikely to ignore a power outage and fail to wake you then. What kind of mask do you use and if it's a full face is it well vented/have a safety flap?

Have you tried (more natural) Melatonin? And don't worry about electricity because your body will wake you if there's no air coming in, though I'd be more concerned about that if I was on e.g. Ambien. If you have insomnia there are other ways to deal with it, or at least more ways to give good tries to than going to meds... after all cpap is a long term business, but meds change your system over time and should be a last resort.

I use air pillow, AirFit™ P10 Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear- just 2 prongs to fit into nostrils; I have tried melatonin and other herbs, but these do not put me to sleep. I am very anxious , and one doc thought I may have an anxiety disorder , causing insomnia. Pls help.

Julie, what are the other natural ways to sleep. I have tried so many herbs, tinctures, passionflower, kava kava , globules, calms forte etc and I fall asleep for 2-3 hrs and wake at 2am . most times I cant fall asleep unless i take a pill. thanks

So, no suffocation risk, your mouth will just open with your P10 (I know, I've had power outages on mine).

You may need a sleep aid prescribed but please be careful, they are all serious drugs with serious side effects. Find a good PCP and talk to them about all your symptoms if you can.

djn1,

You might want to google light therapy and insomnia and see if anything fits your situation. This site is helpful even though it is a commercial link:

http://www.brightenyourlife.info/ch6.html

If you want to try it, any device you purchase from Amazon has a 30 day money back guarantee.

49er

djn1, I can hear that you're still very anxious about this, and that's normal. You've been given some great advice already by people more knowledgeable than myself, but I will say again, don't worry if the power goes out. Your body will revert back to what it did before you started CPAP - it'll wake you up

When I was prescribed Ambien, my doctor wrote the scrip for 10mg pills and told me to start with half a tablet. As with any medication it affects each person differently, but if 5mg is keeping you groggy during the day you'll want to discuss that with your doctor.

Have you tried chamomile tea or a quiet meditation before bed?

djn1 wrote:but i wake at 2am, continue to lie in bed, then fall asleep again within an hour. Wake up at 6:30 feeling very groggy , arms and legs a bit weak

Wonder if those morning symptoms are related to lack of sleep and poor sleep quality more than residual effects of the small dose of Ambien?

Ambien mainly is a "get to sleep" drug and not a "stay asleep all night" drug. They do make a Controlled Release version for "staying asleep".

You could maybe try cutting the 5 mg in half and taking it a bit earlier to see if it helps with the morning grogginess.

Try Passion flower tea. I have been sleeping longer since I started drinking this tea. I'll keep my fingers crossed it continues.
I buy the Passion flower in bulk and steep it in boiling water. I drink it before I go to bed. For me, it is a true help. I've been calm, sleeping better and generally feeling happier.