Sleep aids and sleep apnea

[brendansmon]

I was just diagnosed in September and have been using my machine a little over a month now (I'll add the info on my machine once I get home and find out the exact equipment I have). I'm still having quite a bit of trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. The sleep doctor called in a prescription for ambien for me today. I am curious if any other cpap users use a sleep aid and what experiences anyone may have had with ambien.

[RomeinDNVR]

Welcome.

I just Ambien as well on nights that I have a lot of anxioty and it works pretty well. I have 10mg pills that I cut in half, keeps me from having a drug hangover the next morning. However I still am pulling my mask off at night without realizing it... once I do realize it I put it back on and fall back asleep.

Good luck!

Rome

[Mary Z]

I take 1.5 mg of lunesta without any ill effects and get a good nights sleep.

[Pugsy]

I have used Ambien. Does its job and no problems with it when I take it.
As with any drug best to read up on possible problems but I have taken it off and on since Aug 09 and no problems.
Reason off and on is that I have also been trying other meds.
My problem is pain that wakes me often. Ambien helps me sleep through it. I don't take it when I take something else
because I don't like to mix things and I need to be able to tell which med is working best.

Ambien is commonly give for people to take when they have a sleep study. It doesn't impact the stages of sleep that some other meds might. A few people have problems with it. So read up on it but for probably the majority of people there won't be any problems.

[Meowser]

Welcome!

I was on it prior to treatment.... worked well, but I didn't like the drug hangover I had each morning.

[Jay Aitchsee]

From another thread:
Jay

....
A better choice, in my opinion, if one needs to take a sleeping pill, is Ambien. Although, it too, can have unpleasant side effects, especially if used with alcohol, or in large doses. Ambien is fast acting, sedating -but does not interfere with sleep architecture, has a short half life which means less of a chance of a drug hangover but more of a chance it won't maintain sleep through the night. Ambien is thought to carry a risk of dependency but not addiction. A technique professed by some is to take a low dose (5-10mg) of ambien at bedtime followed by a smaller dose (2.5-5mg) if ealy waking is a problem. The second dose adjusted so as to not leave a hangover.
Jay

[ThirdOutOfFive]

I take doxepin, an anti-depressant; I'v taken it for years. I take it for insomnia related to fibromyalgia. I do not sleep without the pills -- I just nap. I see no reason not to try sleep aids, if prescribed.

[ameriken]

I don't like the after-effects in the morning from drugs, so I go with melatonin. It usually works in about 20 minutes and I don't feel hungover or drugged in the morning.

[NCHawk]

My doctor has me on gabapentin, which is supposed to not only help me get to sleep but also keep me from waking up every two or three hours.

[streetrodder]

I use Ambien on accusations but my sleep doctor does not want me to get addicted to it. I use the over the counter stuff called midnight most nights and it works well for me. it does not make me feel hung over and if you wake up you can take another without any problems. it's melatonin like ameriken was saying.

[sickwithapnea17]

ambien seems to work, has anyone tried restoril?

[M.D.Hosehead]

ambien seems to work, has anyone tried restoril?

Restoril (temazepam) is an older, generic benzodiazepine. For most people, it feels about the same as Ambien, and it has a longer duration. But it does interfere more with sleep architecture and has a somewhat higher risk of tolerance and dependence. It's prescribed less often nowadays.

Still. many people have used temazepam without problems in the past.

[Roger2]

I have used Ambien.

I just picked up a renewal for Zolpidem (Ambien) and read the information sheet that came with the pill bottle. That kind of concerns me and I am wondering if anyone here has experienced any of these side affects?

Here are a few items that were listed;

‘. . . . you should know that some people who took zolpidem got out of bed and drove their cars, prepared and ate food, had sex, made phone calls, were sleep-walking, or were involved in other activities while not fully awake. After they woke up, these people were usually unable to remember what they had done.’

Parts of this list would not be too concerning but I would think sleep walking and driving my car would be somewhat problematic.

Roger

[sickwithapnea17]

I read on that med thread here that restoril might increase stage 3/4 sleep? anyone know anything about this? I am getting 0% S3/4 and am still having congnitive problems
ambien seems to help me and sominex seems to be terrible, succinate stuff that leaves me groggy