Ambien CLR

Anybody take ambien CLR for sleeping? I have had insomnia for a while. Dr. prescribed it in July, just got another prescription. It seems now that Im taking it, I seem really foggy, my husband is saying Im forgetting things. Im very compliant with my cpap. Anybody have any ideas or suggestions?

My sleep doc prescribed AmbienCR for a period while getting used to CPAP. I was concerned about getting dependent on it. Doc didn't seem too concerned. The biggest shock was the sticker price ($50 copay) since it is not a generic, with no generic substitute.

I used it during the first two weeks and saved the remainder of the bottle for nights when immediate sleep is needed.

I used Ambien CR for about 3 months for similar reasons. I found that I got to sleep fast, but after a while it made my personality become very aggressive. This was something I didn't like. I also believe it made my apnea worse. Everyone is different and the side effect will vary. I would proceed very carefully and try to not use it any longer than needed.
I thought for awhile that I had to have Ambien to get to sleep with CPAP, but I finally made up my mind to no longer use Ambien and make the CPAP therapy work. I really struggled for awhile. Today I fall asleep in a short time and sleep with the mask for 7-8 hours. I used to wake up and take off the mask and go back to sleep without it and this only short changed the therapy effectiveness. I don't take off the mask for any reason until I am finished sleeping for the night.
I am sure you will find what works for you. Keep at it! The long term benefits are great.

Most people have no problem with Ambien, but some have some very big problems.
Go over to yahoo groups and look at ambien addicts for some real horror stories.

Pay attention to the package insert. It says for short term use only.

This has been discussed at length here before.
The sad part is that the docs ignore the problame and continue prescribing it for long periods.

I think Ambien cr is supposed to be approved for long term use.

I know everyone is different. and some people have indeed had a dreadful time with ambien, but for me its been ok for over a year. I went off it in mid July when my daughter got home from hospital and I had to be able to awaken quickly in case her vent alarms went off, I had no trouble sleeping without Ambien. I just can't use cpap without Ambien. So I guess I don't get addicted to it, at least not yet.

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): CPAP

People can react to drugs differently-thus producing some of the "horror" stories. Look at people who take it successfully too. If you are worried about being one of the horror stories-don't take it-the stress isn't worth it. You know yourself and how prone you are to having dependence issues with drugs and alcohol. If you are having problems using it-there are nonpharmacologic techniques to try. There are lots of ideas online about ways to deal with insomnia. They can sometimes eliminate or at least reduce the need for sleep meds. Look at any other medications (anxiety meds, pain meds etc) you are taking that could be interacting with the Ambien. Alcohol and Ambien interact even if the alcohol is with supper and the Ambien at bedtime.

I use Ambien CR when I want to be sure I get 7-8 hours of good solid sleep.
I don't use any other sedating medications. I plan ahead and when I'm going to be using Ambien-I do not have any alcohol that day. If something is wrong that I might need pain medication for-it is either pain med or Ambien-not both.

Ambien is not considered to be addicting-but can cause rebound insomnia if stopped suddenly. The makers of Ambien never applied to the FDA for long term use-until the recent addition of Lunesta & other sleeping meds to the marketplace-With the new competition they will be going for approval for long term use of Ambien CR & may already have done so (and BTW long term use in the testing is probably around 6 weeks). Ambien has been on the market the longest & taken by the large numbers of people for a lot longer than 6 weeks-its side effects are pretty well known.