Ambien - any tips?

[elmo42]

My Dr. gave me Ambien today because after nearly 1 month I am only sleeping 3-4 hrs. a night. I am a little bit scared of taking it. Anyone have opinions, good or bad?? Let me hear them! Thanks!

[Hosehead4ever]

I've done some whacky stuff on Ambien that I only sort of remember or don't remember at all. My best advice is to lay down and shut your eyes the minute you take it, because otherwise you may end up doing strange stuff.

[Pugsy]

I have taken it off and on for well over a year. No problems. Worked just like it was supposed to for me. No morning hangover. Didn't do anything weird during sleep. Takes about an hour for me to start to get sleepy.

Which one is the script for? The plain or the Ambien CR (pricey I think). I took the plain generic Ambien 10 mg. Often cut them in half because that seems to do just as well.

Older people may be more sensitive to it and do some weird stuff. My step father took one once (he was 78) and woke up butt naked in the shower, lost, in the dark and had completely rearranged the bedroom furniture in the dark...
As with any medication there are going to be some that have adverse problems. Just watch yourself to see what happens. Most people do just fine with it.

Some discussion here not too long ago about it.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=62565&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=Ambien

[avi123]

My Dr. gave me Ambien today because after nearly 1 month I am only sleeping 3-4 hrs. a night. I am a little bit scared of taking it. Anyone have opinions, good or bad?? Let me hear them! Thanks!

I have taken 10 mg Zolpidem (generic Ambien) before sleep for more than a decade before starting CPAP. It worked ok with no hang over the next day. But 4 months ago I came down with OSA without knowing it. At that time my night sleep became fragmented. So I increased the dose to 20 mg which did not help. But after my sleep study knowing that I do have OSA I dropped back to 10 mg to just help me fall asleep, for a couple of months. Then I started to split the half pill into another half and after another month I was off Zolpidem. I followed Tony's approach. See it here:



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

[digitaleagle]

Ambien is a very good sleep drug IMO.

As stated by others they make a CR or "Continuous Release" version which is not available as a generic and more expensive. The generic is a very fast acting version which has a very short half life, meaning it doesn't last very long. Even the CR version has the same short half life but it doesn't release all of the drug once you first take it - it basically dissolves at different rates.

I have found no negative side effects on it but the more I have used it the less effective it has been. I have found Lunesta to be a stronger drug but it also leaves a metallic taste in my mouth which Ambien does not.

The drug has been around for a long time so I believe it is very safe. Some people do wacky things while on it - sleep walking, etc. but I believe this is rare. It is part of the benzodiazepine family of drugs (Valium, Xanax, Ativan, etc.) and has a mild amnesia effect on some people. It basically acts as a hypnotic without causing the other effects of the benzos.

What I like about it is that it is very quick acting and has no hangover effect in the morning. It's a great drug for helping you fall asleep.

Everyone reacts different to drugs so I would say try it and see how it works for you.

[DennisG]

I used Lunesta, Ambien and Ambien CR during my initial CPAP learning period. They all were helpful to get me through the rough times. Sounds like you are at a stage where Ambien CR would be your best bet to help getting a full night of sleep.

One important point to remember is that you need to keep working hard on solving your issues using CPAP. Long term use of Ambien started getting to me after about 9 months. I did not find this place until 6 months after I started CPAP. Once I started learning, I was able to solve my big issues pretty quick.

Good luck
Dennis

[RachelM]

After a few nights of not being able to get to sleep with CPAP going, Dr prescribed Ambien CR. The warnings on the label alarmed me. I did take the Ambien for about 4 nights which did enable me to get used sleeping with CPAP. I did experience very vivid dreams. I'm not sure if this was actually the Ambien or the fact that I was catching up on sleep.

Because of potential for being unaware of activities done while on Ambien I threw away the rest of the bottle. The Ambien had enabled me to adjust to CPAP therapy, though.

[elmo42]

I took half a pill last night - had my daughter hide my purse and keys to be safe (ha!) and I slept 7 hours straight with the mask on!!! Yippeeeee! I feel like a new person today! One day at a time, right?!? Thanks for all of your input, you people are great! So glad I found this site otherwise I think I would have given up on my own!

[wesnkat]

Have taken 10 mgs ambien for last year with good success.Just got off it by cutting dosage in half then fourths.Sleep doc prescribed it to take the edge off trying to sleep in a strange place.It worked so well I stayed on it for about the last year,but recently decided that I already take enough prescription meds (9) without this so started cutting back on dose.Been off it a couple weeks now and believe the sleep is better??

[BillH]

Ambien, like just about all drugs comes with it's own set of side effects. If you look it up on a drug site, (such as webmd.com) you probably won't take it. These side effects have to be listed and while there is a possibility of you having one or more of them, the reason the drug is on the market is because the FDA thinks the benefits of the drug far out weigh the risks.
I have been taking the drug, off and on for the last 12 or so years with minimum problems. If you have Ambien, (NOT CR!!!) and if you were prescribed 10mg, (The most common dosage) I would start out by taking one. You might find that the next day you are drowsy, if so, next night cut one in half. (Never cut an Ambien CR as it's a timed release drug and needs to be taken whole). For me, using 1/2 of a 10mg tablet turns out the lights and I get a good nights sleep. My wife was also prescribed Ambien, it did absolutely nothing for her.
Your Results May Vary.
Good Luck

[marl64]

I have taken it off and on, short term only. It did exactly what it was supposed to do. I fell asleep easily and got a full night's sleep. Do be careful to take it right before getting in bed. One night after taking my pill I got distracted by patching up an injured cat. I have no memory of anything after that. Apparently I was quite entertaining. My daughter said I used the cat as a pillow and complained that he wasn't a good dancer. It is a funny incident but I won't use Ambien unless someone else is with me...just in case I try to dance with the cat again.

[tomwarren]

I thought that Ambien is a sleeping pill. From what I heard on the news, we can make people do weird things and has no memory of the suite. There was a news report about a boy who has promoted and had an accident without having any memory of him. Most dentists are Valium patients. Ask your dentist any questions about Ambien. You have the right to know before taking it.

[Suetois]

I've tried both Ambien and Lunesta. Neither one worked at all for me. I'm still awake an hour or two after taking it, and I wake up during the night the same as always. I've never done anything unusual while taking them, though.

[haritagepoint]

I did some crazy things on Ambien, that I sort of remember or not remember at all. My best advice is to establish and close your eyes when you take it, otherwise you may do strange things.