Ambien anyone?

[bellebud]

I had a sleep study done (thought I had apnea). Turns out I don't have substantial apnea, but get only 60% quality sleep. The doctor prescribed Ambien. I'm afraid to try it. 5mg tablets is what I'm starting with. I took about a quarter of one last night, and of course didn't feel anything because it was basically nothing, lol. I'm such a chicken.

 

[rastahomie]

Do you live alone, or do you have someone who can keep an eye out for your? I ask because some people have done really bizarre things while sleepwalking on Ambien, like going for a drive!

I had one, once, years ago. My advice: make sure you're laying down when you take it, because you will sleep where you fall.

 

[jaminmd]

I tried it twice and it did nothing for me. I've discovered my restless sleep is all stress induced, resulting from my job. I hand in my resignation next week.

 

[ashley0139]

I've taken it a few times. It works beautifully for me. I took in on a long haul flight and passed out for 7 of the 8 hours, and then dozed for the last hour. Best and shortest international flight ever.

 

[aprilgail]

My mom has been on Ambien nightly for 10 years now- it works great for her.

 

[SirDuff]

I tried it twice and it did nothing for me. I've discovered my restless sleep is all stress induced, resulting from my job. I hand in my resignation next week.

I'm with you - doesn't work for me at all. Started with the minimum dose because I was worried and worked up to the max dose but still nothing. I don't think that my insomnia is particularly bad, just that I metabolize the drug weirdly.

 

[TavieP]

Was prescribed it many years ago, took it once and it made me hallucinate and that scared me so I never took it again.

Very much a YMMV kind of thing - I'd definitely make sure someone was home to "keep an eye on you" until you're used to how you'll react on it. (Hopefully it'll just zonk you out!)

 

[kimblebee]

I take a sleeping pill similar to Ambien and the sleep is wonderful. It takes about an hour for it to kick in so I take my pill and then watch tv until I'm yawning my head off. Then, I fall asleep and don't budge til morning.

 

[Domo]

Despite my inherent warnings not to take it regularly for more than a week and not to jack up the dose, the drug is safe enough to take for a while. You may wake up with a tinny taste in your mouth and may only sleep for 6 hours, but those hours of sleep are often uninterrupted and blissful I'm a big fan!

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I love it. I find the 5mg dose doesn't do it for me. It works but it takes me so long to fall asleep that it tends to leave me groggy in the am. I do much better with 10mg.

 

[ahutton]

A 5mg dose seems pretty mild, maybe try 1/2 of one? I've taken it for sleep issues over the years, and my doctor prescribed 10mg, and said I could split it in half as needed.
Or you could try just taking a Benadryl and see if that works for you - I believe that is the same drug as the OTC sleep aid.

 

[Domo]

A non-medicated sleep aid would be a leafy salad or some dark chocolate. The former is soporific (remember Peter Rabbit eatil too much of the stuff and dozing off in farmer McGreggor's garden? Based in truth!) and the latter is a mild antidepressant (which can relax you, obviously).

 

[amberpi]

I was involved with a guy who took Ambien and I have, VERY occasional night terrors, I have a hysterical story involving finding out where he kept his ridiculously large handgun and no one getting shot. I now make sure I know if someone I intend to spend with the night with has a handgun and were its kept. #eyeroll #livinginthesouth #datingisterrible #dontleavetheneighborhood

 

[RAD]

I was on it for 12 years and finally decided to get off of it. I was up to the 12.5MG CR version and just wasn't working anymore. Dr. said like many drugs your gets used to it and eventually needs to keep increasing the dosage, which I didn't want to do. Plus ever year it was a pain getting the insurance program to continue to pay for it since they said it should be for short term usage only. Just using Melatonin now, not the best nights sleep but glad to be off the Ambien

 

[bellebud]

OP here - thank you all. I think I'm going to try Benadryl - I've never tried it, and I'm really sensitive to drugs, so it will probably work.

 

[bcla]

OP here - thank you all. I think I'm going to try Benadryl - I've never tried it, and I'm really sensitive to drugs, so it will probably work.

Any kind of diphenhydramine should work about as well, although the gel forms are supposed to work a bit faster. It doesn't have to be brand name, or sold as a sleep aid or allergy/cold remedy. Doxylamine is possibly more effective, especially with waking in the middle of the night.

My cousin is married to a doctor with an allergy specialty. I asked if there was really any difference between the pink allergy meds and the blue sleep meds with the same active ingredients, and he said just the price. The OTC sleep aids are typically more effective, but they stay in your system while you sleep. I can take 50 mg of diphenhydramine and fall asleep, and when I wake up in 8 hours I'm feeling a little groggy for a half hour. The prescription meds will be eliminated quickly while you sleep, without that grogginess in the morning.

 

[amberpi]

OP here - thank you all. I think I'm going to try Benadryl - I've never tried it, and I'm really sensitive to drugs, so it will probably work.

If you're sensitive, as I am, Benadryl will knock you for sure! Wishing you restfl times!

 

[Mirielle]

No more Ambien for me. I did bizarre things while taking it and had no memory of it afterward. We just found the evidence next day. Thing I did that scared me most was finding evidence of having lit candles on the stove top and walking through the house with them...drops of red wax left a trail. Candles were later found stuffed inside a lantern in my bedroom. Asleep, carrying lit candles! Could have caught myself or the house on fire.

 

[bcla]

If you're sensitive, as I am, Benadryl will knock you for sure! Wishing you restfl times!

Ever tried doxylamine? It's also a first generation antihistamine, although the standard OTC dose will supposedly cause drowsiness for almost 8 hours. It's the ingredient in Unisom SleepTabs, but when I use it I typically get the Costco house brand.

It's also a pretty effective antihistamine, although I find none sold for allergies or cold symptoms. My wife had tried it a few times and it knocks her out cold for maybe 12 hours. However, she's also convinced that diphenhydramine sold as a sleep aid is more effective for that than if it's sold as an allergy medication.

The maker of Unisom says that the version with diphenhydramine shouldn't be used in place of an allergy medication, but it's actually pretty effective for that if you know what dosage you need and how long between doses. I literally buy 600 25 mg tablets at Costco for about $3.50. Any doctor will say it's fine to use this as a sleep aid in place of a product labeled as a sleep aid. However, you need to know what the proper dosage is, although it's not that hard to figure out.

 

[amberpi]

Ever tried doxylamine? It's also a first generation antihistamine, although the standard OTC dose will supposedly cause drowsiness for almost 8 hours. It's the ingredient in Unisom SleepTabs, but when I use it I typically get the Costco house brand.

It's also a pretty effective antihistamine, although I find none sold for allergies or cold symptoms. My wife had tried it a few times and it knocks her out cold for maybe 12 hours. However, she's also convinced that diphenhydramine sold as a sleep aid is more effective for that than if it's sold as an allergy medication.

The maker of Unisom says that the version with diphenhydramine shouldn't be used in place of an allergy medication, but it's actually pretty effective for that if you know what dosage you need and how long between doses. I literally buy 600 25 mg tablets at Costco for about $3.50. Any doctor will say it's fine to use this as a sleep aid in place of a product labeled as a sleep aid. However, you need to know what the proper dosage is, although it's not that hard to figure out.

I only use Benedryl when I absolutely have to. I have terrible medicine hangovers - not really hangovers, but medicine makes me weird. I use a nasal allergy medicine now instead of all the other prescription forms. They make me medicine drunk in an unpleasant way so I have to be pretty bad off to use any. Thanks for the recommendation though. I'll try it for those nights I absolutely need it. I think the dosage thing is key. I'm only like 100lbs right now and I think being underweight makes the drugs effect me harder than if I had maybe 20lbs on me. I can start low and go from there