CPAP and Ambien

[rmeyer23]

Is it normal, as part of your therapy, for a doctor to prescribe Ambien ( or its generic) and part of your CPAP?

Ron M

[robysue]

Not exactly normal, but not uncommon either.

Lots and lots of folks complain about the difficulty of getting to sleep when they are first learning how to sleep with a CPAP. After all, sleeping with a six foot hose attached to your nose is not exactly natural. And lots of sleep docs and their PAs and nurse practitioners will often recommend a short course of Ambien during the adjustment period to patients who are willing to take sleep meds to get over the hump.

[Mary Z]

I agree with robysue. Ambien can help you get over the initial adjustment period. You may not need it if you have no problems sleeping with the machine. I think you had a smart doc. He was proactive and gave you something to help you sleep if needed, and you don't have to take it if you don't need help sleeping.
Good luck.

[retrodave15]

My Sleep Doc just prescribed me Sonata, another of the Z-drugs to help me sleep during the adjustment period. For me she picked Sonata as it helps you get to sleep but does not disrupt the sleep architecture like some other drugs can. This is helped and I am finally hitting REM sleep; in my first sleep study I slept only 2.5 hours with no REM sleep and at my titration I slept 4 hours with no REM sleep. Now that I am using the Sonata and CPAP on the AUTO IQ setting as the presser gets adjusted I sleep a little better each night and I even think I am hitting REM sleep now.

For me it is helping me improve my sleep hygiene and I hope that I will only be on the Sonata for a short period of time

Dave

[rmeyer23]

I agree with robysue. Ambien can help you get over the initial adjustment period. You may not need it if you have no problems sleeping with the machine. I think you had a smart doc. He was proactive and gave you something to help you sleep if needed, and you don't have to take it if you don't need help sleeping.
Good luck.

Well, I have been using Zolpidem (generic Ambien) 10mg. According to WebMD, it is supposed to induce drowsiness. When I don't take Zolpidem, I do not have a problem falling asleep but I wake up multiple times during the course of the night and I have night sweats. When I take Zolpidem, I either sleep through the night or I only wake up once and am able to go right back to sleep. Night sweats when using Zolpidem are minimized. When I cut the dosage to 5mg I still wake up around 4am and cannot go back to sleep. Also it is very difficult for me to get off of Zolpidem; serious insomnia.

Is it time to stop messing around and go back to the sleep doctor?

Ron M

[Mary Z]

Ron M, "Is it time to stop messing around and go back to the sleep doctor?"

I'm not sure what you're meaning is here. Do you not want to take the ambien?

[rmeyer23]

Ron M, "Is it time to stop messing around and go back to the sleep doctor?"

I'm not sure what you're meaning is here. Do you not want to take the ambien?

Yes, I would NOT like to take the Ambien. I have a thing about being dependent on taking a daily medication. Also, after I was taking it for the month of Sept, coming off of it was brutal.

Ron M

[avi123]

Taking sleep medication while CPAPing.

It really depends on the cause of your sleep disorder. Taking a 10 mg of Zolpidem ( generic Ambien) helped me a lot with my fragmented sleep for years, long before starting CPAP for OSA. When I started CPAPing, 11 months ago, because of plain OSA, I took half a tablet (5 mg) as soon as I mounted the mask at around 11:30 p.m. which let me sleep for 3 hours. Then after going to the BR I took another half a tablet which gave me 3 more hours of sleep. For the hangover the next morning I took two tablets of Tylenol and for the ingested air I took Pepto Bismol.

I have learned about the value of Ambien when I was prescribed it at the hospital after a joint replacement (hip) operation. It’s a true miracle sleep drug as long as you don’t continue on it for long time because of addiction.



About 4 months ago I decided to withdraw from it. So I was prescribed Xanax to help me with the withdrawal which I did in two weeks, by following TonyCog approach. See below.

About Ambien

viewtopic/t28525/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=63 ... og#p593574

See also:

Sleep without Ambien!! By Toni Cog:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=60835&p=570869

p.s.

However, recently I have started a new regim. I go to sleep at 11 p.m. without the CPAP. When I wake at 3 to 4 a.m to go to the BR, I take 0.5 mg of generic Xanax and I start my CPAP (no more APAP. I think that Xanax is less habit forming than Ambien but I might be wrong. Then I sleep with no more wakening till 7 a.m.


Ambien Vs. Xanax For Sleeping


Efficacy

Benzodiazepines and nonbenzodiazepines have similar effects on sleep. They reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. They do not, in general, help maintain sleep. Ambien has one known advantage over Xanax. According to a 2006 report in "Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry," Ambien enhances the deeper stages of sleep whereas Xanax does not. Such nighttime enhancement is typically associated with greater daytime alertness

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/13298 ... z1fDQwn1zN



Check also these threads on this board:

viewtopic/t71533/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=70 ... em#p648590

viewtopic/t71533/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=66 ... em#p644604

viewtopic/t71533/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=68 ... em#p636062

some of the links don't respond right away. if you give up you would not miss much.