Ambien addict

Grace and christinequilts, your posts are treasures.

whew, what a lot of input. Thanks everyone, I have tried a few times to put together a response that addresses each answer, but It keeps
getting way too L O N G, so I'll just say thanks to all and that some things I have tried like desensitizing during the day (and it worked great...during the day,but not at night), and some I have not like leaving the light on till I fall asleep...and then let dh turn it off if he wants to that might really help.

I am encouraged to hear that many feel the ambien is safe, and I can assure you I will take it as directed, and I don't take anything regularly other than tylanol for headache and ibuprophen for monthly pain.


I really think that if the doc had let me try ambien in the beginning I might have progressed better. At the time she said anything like that would make apnea's worse, now she says ambien doesn't do that ...I don't know.

I think I am going to try nasal aire II to see if no headgear and clearer vision will help.

Thanks again
and if I missed mentioning anyones suggestion forgive me...

If anyone is interested in knowing about Ambien from an Ambien addicts forum, I can send a list of replies to a person who said Ambien was not addicting.
I have only one days replies and will add more.
If anyone is interested in their perspective, I can send you a compilation of their replies.
Write moi tomjax at yahoo.com

But do keep in mind that this is a very biased group and is only opinions and not based on fact. It would be like debating Republicans and Democrats. Asking the Democrats only about Republican issues would not give one a balanced perspective, ony one side of an issue. There are also many untruths in these comments. I can speak personally about one. One writer says people are curing Crohn's with a special diet. This is an impossibility, Crohn's is a genetic defect in the immune system and cannot have a cure until we can manipulate genes. This is a proven fact. I know as I fight it daily and have consulted the best doctors in the field. I have almost died of this desease several times so it has been a priority of mine.

So, use your own brains people and research both sides of this issue.

There is addiction and there is dependency.
With an addition, if you try to quit you can go through withdrawal with symptoms of diarrhea, dry mouth, nausea, even hallucinations. With dependency you might have a return of the symptom you are taking the drug for. I take thyroxine for low thyroid. I have a dependency on that drug. If I stop taking it my thyroid will not function correctly enough to supply my body with the level it needs. I am dependent on my Pain patches. Without them, my pain will return. But I won't go through any symptoms of withdrawal.

Well said Jannelle,

There is a difference. May I ask what pain patches you use? As I have RA, I am always looking for relief.

Well said Jannelle,

There is a difference. May I ask what pain patches you use? As I have RA, I am always looking for relief.

Well all of the talk about addiction. I decided to go one night without it. I have been taking ambein for over a year. I go off the ambein for a few days and take lunesta. Last night I took a half of an OTC Unisom. I had no problems I did not sleep as well I woke up a couple of times durning the night other than that I feel fine. I felt great the next morning other then waking up a couple of times I went right back to sleep

Good for you, I am telling you, I have no problem quiting cold turkey. I think Jannelle is right, it is not addiciting but we do get dependent on it, sleep that is.

R&R What surprised me was how well just a half of unisom did. Something I have done with ambein is I have never increased the dose. I have never taken over 10mg.I think a lot of people go over that amount.
th

Did it get less and less effective? I had to up to 20. Still only works for 4-5 hours.

Janelle wrote:There is addiction and there is dependency.
With an addition, if you try to quit you can go through withdrawal with symptoms of diarrhea, dry mouth, nausea, even hallucinations. With dependency you might have a return of the symptom you are taking the drug for. I take thyroxine for low thyroid. I have a dependency on that drug. If I stop taking it my thyroid will not function correctly enough to supply my body with the level it needs. I am dependent on my Pain patches. Without them, my pain will return. But I won't go through any symptoms of withdrawal.

You have some of the right terms but the definitions & connections are a little off Janelle. Using a medication legally and for it intended purpose does not mean you will not go through withdrawal if the medication is stopped suddenly- the medication doesn't know if you have a prescription or not. If for some reason you were not able to get your pain patches you would go through withdrawal just the same as someone who is psychologically addicted would including diarrhea, nausea & vomiting, etc. Each medication will have its own set of possible symptoms- with Ambien there is a risk of rebound insomnia. All withdrawal proves is that you are physically dependent on the medication- it does not mean you are addicted to the medication. Withdrawal can be avoided with most medications by slowly reducing the amount you take and some medication can be very dangerous to stop abruptly which is why it is important to talk to your doctor before changing your dose.

Addiction is characterized by the psychological dependency on a medication/drug including compulsion to continue to use despite harm to yourself or others, cravings for the med/drug, and loss of control over use the med/drug. I have seen some of the posting on other forums about people taking 100mg of Ambien a night who are getting through internet pharmacies without doctors supervision. They don't care how much it cost them or what it is doing to their health- they will continue to take it no matter what, who cares if they can't work, don't have a house, and their family disowns them as long as they can get Ambien. If some who is addicted to a med stops taking it they typically will do anything to get back on it at the slightest sign of withdrawal. Someone who is only physically dependent on a medication is more concerned about the return of the problem the medication was treating then the withdrawal symptoms and can understand it is a normal process for the most part.

I was just checking out Unisom, I was under the mistaken impression that all the otc sleep aids had Diphenhydramine HC (benedryl) in them and I have used that for so many years for allergic reactions that it doesn't even make me yawn (except that one time which caused me to realize I need glasses to read. I mixed up tablespoon with teaspoon... but thats another story)

Its good to know that it uses something else (Doxylamine Succinate) and might be an option for me when I want to take a break from Ambien...


Tomjax, I really do take your warnings seriously, and I googled today and found message boards containing all the horror stories I could need to read , but this was prescribed by my sleep doc, and at least she is prescribing in her field, not like a GP just tossing pills at me. I am going to trust her and take just what she said, and take breaks from it when I can, and hope I can break through the habit of fear of xpap I have fallen into.

I need the machine and I need to sleep, at least a little. I have kids who need me to be coherent and peaceful.

R & R Did it get less and less effective? I had to up to 20. Still only works for 4-5 hours.

I never taken over 10mg(never) After 1 week it loses it effectiveness I then switch to Lunesta for 3 days and then back to 10 mg of ambein I have been takeing ambein off and on for around 4 years


Its good to know that it uses something else (Doxylamine Succinate) and might be an option for me when I want to take a break from Ambien...

No joke only use half of a tablet I like it better Diphenhydramine, which to me really has never worked for me.

here is a good link also below on melatoinin

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2005/melatonin.html

Melatonin works better in smaller doses

In earlier research, scientists led by Professor Richard Wurtman, principal investigator for the current study, showed that only a small dose of melatonin (about 0.3 milligrams) is necessary for a restful effect. Taken in that quantity, it not only helps people fall asleep, but also makes it easier for them to return to sleep after waking up during the night--a problem for many older adults.

The researchers also found, however, that commercially available melatonin pills contain 10 times the effective amount. And at that dose, "after a few days it stops working," said Wurtman, director of MIT's Clinical Research Center and the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Professor. When the melatonin receptors in the brain are exposed to too much of the hormone, they become unresponsive.

th wrote:R & R Did it get less and less effective? I had to up to 20. Still only works for 4-5 hours.

I never taken over 10mg(never) After 1 week it loses it effectiveness I then switch to Lunesta for 3 days and then back to 10 mg of ambein I have been takeing ambein off and on for around 4 years

It is interesting how differently these drugs affect different people. In three years, I've gone from 2.5 mg of Ambien to 5 mg.

And I think my sleep problems are pretty bad (DSPS, alpha intrusion, RLS/PLMD, primary insomnia, pain and now CPAP interface torment).

Appreciate the bit of info on Unisom -- have been looking for some other sleep drugs to try to diversify poisons.

Melatonin is used a lot for delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPS). For DSPS, it is taken 12 hours before one wants to get up the next morning. Seems to make me depressed if I take it more than a few nights in a row.

5-HTP is another OTC possibility, but I think the effect is mild (could be useful in combination with something else).

Trazadone is the #1 favorite sleep enhancing drug on my fibromyalgia listserve: Many people get really good results with it. But it probably isn't going to do the trick for Rock and Roll.