Anyone take Ambien??

[QuickSilver]

I LOVE Ambien. Love it, love it, love it. Unfortunately, I am addicted to it, meaning that if I don't take it, I will not fall asleep for 24 hours+. I have done a few crazy things on it. Tip: don't surf shopping sites after you take it. And I've found that it gives me unusually vivid dreams.

I remember distinctly that one night I was convinced that I had the answer to life, the universe, everything, and I carefully wrote it down before I went to sleep. I woke up the next morning and discovered that I'd basically drawn a long, vertical line down the legnth of the page. Apparently the answer to life, the universe and everything is "up-and-down-ness".

The CR is not different from regular Ambien -- it just has a timed release capsule because Ambien usually works for about 5 hours, when people generally want 8. So you may have the same side effects, though perhaps more mild because you essentially take a smaller dose 2 times over the course of the night.

I realize this probably doesn't sound very appealing to you, but as someone who has had horrible problems falling and staying asleep, I will say that it literally changed my life. I was unable to keep to a 24 hour sleep/wake cycle before I started taking it. That made things like job holding a lot harder. Also, if you've ever had any anxiety issues, there is this wonderful 5 minute period where all your cares melt away, and you feel completely at peace. That was the period in which I wrote the answer to life, the universe and everything.

[QuickSilver]

Oh yeah, and for the night eating: I would cut up a piece of fruit, or microwave an apple right before I took my pill.

[chachi]

Now I dont take a sleep medication but I do take a med for depression that puts you into a deep sleep and the only problem I have with it is I am really out of it when Im asleep, sometimes I sleep walk or talk in my sleep, and now Ive been taking it for years and I will sleep wake up go back to slee[ wake up etc.

[jmdt]

Ok I'm NOT taking it !!! I am just kind of sleeping off and on all night. Not really getting a restful sleep.
I have cholinesterase deficiency..it is an allergy to the muscle relaxer they give you before general anesthesia. I don't have the enzyme to break down the muscle relaxer. So it takes longer for my body to remove it. Only I didn't know I had this issue until...When I lost my twins I had to have anesthesia so the doctor could remove them and I was only supposed to be put out for like 45minutes and I was out for 5hours. They tried to wake me after the procedure and I was paralyzed still. I was awake and could only see but not move. I was intubated and the idiot machine was breathing for me and I was awake the whole time. It was really scary because I kind of panicked in my head and I couldnt breathe for myself the stupid machine was going to slow for me. Now I have anxiety because of that frightful time. I take anxiety medication but I am afraid to take anything that will make me feel like I wont wake up.

Forget the stupid Ambien. I will just deal with it, it's not that bad.

[Princess10]

I am so, so sorry about everything in that entire experience.

There are a few Rx meds out there for anxiety that relax most enough to be able to sleep on their own, while they're not actually putting you out. Right now I take Klonopin. It can help with anxiety if I have it during the day-it just relaxes me, not like I've had some wine either. But if I take it at night it makes it so I'm not laying there thinking-which is my biggest problem-and I can fall asleep. I only usually get 4-5 hours of sleep (by my choice) and I never wake up feeling tired from the med.

You can PM me if you'd like. While I'm no professional, I do have a ton of experience with meds of that type as I've been taking them since I was a teen. Just a thought & sending hugs until you find a solution, I know there's one out there for you.

[Kaos]

Originally Posted by Princess10

I am so, so sorry about everything in that entire experience.

There are a few Rx meds out there for anxiety that relax most enough to be able to sleep on their own, while they're not actually putting you out. Right now I take Klonopin. It can help with anxiety if I have it during the day-it just relaxes me, not like I've had some wine either. But if I take it at night it makes it so I'm not laying there thinking-which is my biggest problem-and I can fall asleep. I only usually get 4-5 hours of sleep (by my choice) and I never wake up feeling tired from the med.

You can PM me if you'd like. While I'm no professional, I do have a ton of experience with meds of that type as I've been taking them since I was a teen. Just a thought & sending hugs until you find a solution, I know there's one out there for you.

This is a pretty good med to sleep as well I took for about 5 monthes and also got 8 hours of sleep. Be careful of this one as well. Its pretty addictive (physically, not mentally) and can be a nightmare to get off. I ended up in the hospital really sick and. I only took it once a day for sleep.

[Kaos]

Maybe you could ask your doctor about amitriptyline. Its technically an antidepressant, but at low doses it works great for sleep. I had realtivly no side effects, except I would wake up super hungry. It was the first thing my doc put me on because it was safe and I was only 15 at the time.

[Jinger]

Everyone's different, but for me:
I'm a "lifelong" insomniac...really, since I was 8-10.
I tried Lunesta and tasted "pennies" so strongly, was nauseated, and couldn't eat anything.
I tried Benadryl, per my old doctor, and that worked well. I've also tried about half a doze other meds.
About two years ago I was prescribed Ambien and have tried both regular & Controlled Release). The CR works better, but after a few days I get irritable. So I take the regular...every night. I move my dose around...say, 1/4 pill, 1/2 pill, whole pill, 1/2 pill, 1/4 pill, etc. so that I don't become dose dependant. I get enough sleep on even 1/4 pill that I am not totally sleep deprived.
I do refer to my "Pre Ambien" and "Post Ambien" conversations; I don't necessarily remember things Post, until someone reminds me. I wake up when I hear noises, get up to go to the bathroom, etc. I sleep 6-7 hours on a full dose, but do wake up during the night (more on lower doses). On nights when I really try to take none, I don't sleep much at all.
I have been told and read that you cannot drink ANY alcohol at all when you take Ambien--that's when the weird actions take place. I also don't drink any caffeine.
Good luck! Overall, I would not be afraid...it has been a lifesaver for me!

[Wylie's Mom]

I have severe insomnia and take Ambien (10mg, the regular kind...not the CR) every night. They tried pretty much every med out there for my insomnia, and Ambien is the main one that works w/out crappy side effects.

I see that it didn't work for you - but I wanted to mention there are sooooo many other meds you can try that work great too. Don't give up...sleep is so important to your well-being.

[hnybun128]

I've had insomnia problems my whole life which can vary from having problems falling asleep to having problems staying asleep. I've taken both Ambien and Lunesta and didn't like either. I don't think either really worked that well for me. I do remember calling Lunesta "Lunasty" because I had a horrible taste in my mouth the next day that would last all day.

What does seem to work for me is over the counter melatonin. Also, when I can exercise regularly, even just walking 20 minutes 4 or 5 times a week, I find that I sleep like a baby.