Ambien

[Beta Man]

My wife prescribes it all the time to patients....... she said it was just like anything else though...... if it has negative side-affects, there is probably an alternative medicine out there you can take.....

And as far as sleep aids goes.... Ambien is addictive, but you (at your age) don't want to go down the road of Benzo's...... as they're highly addictive, and the side-affects of the withdrawls include insomnia and night-terrors

My wife tries to keep people off of the Benzos as much as possible..... I'm sure you know this, but Healthy-diet and exercise is the best way to combat insomnia (but it doesn't work for every case obviously)

When I talk to her again, I'll ask her what other meds she prescribes for insomnia..... but I suggest you just talk to your doctor.

[mikejet]

My brother took Ambien. His doctor had him try it.

So he takes it at 6:30 so that he can make sure he has enough sleep. Eats a good meal and then hits the bed.

Wakes up fine in the morning feeling good. Then he gets a call from his girlfriend. She asks him if he's ok because he called her with a weird call the night before and two weird texts.

He checks his phone and sure enough it's there.

There is a possibility of anterograde amnesia with it. He apparently suffered it.

Kinda freaky.

[Beta Man]

side effects are rare, and include: sleepwalking, failure to sleep, failure to wake up, Abdominal pain, agitation, anxiety, constipation, decreased sex drive, diarrhea or loose stools, difficulty with ejaculation, dizziness, dry mouth, fatigue, gas, headache, decreased appetite, Abdominal bleeding, anemia, black stool, blood in urine, blurred vision, changes in heatbeat, chills, confusion, congestive heart failure, eepression, dry eyes and mouth, emotional volatitity, fever, hair loss, hearing loss, hepatitis, high or low blood pressure, hives, inability to sleep, inflammation of nose, inflammation of the pancreas or stomach, kidney or liver failure, servere allergic reactions, shortness of breath, skin eruptions or peeling, sleepiness, stomach or upper intestinal ulcer, ulcer of gums, vision loss, vomiting blood, wheezing, yellow eyes and skin, Abdominal cramps or pain, abdominal discomfort, bloating and gas, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, fluid retention and swelling, headache, heartburn, indigestion, itching, loss of appetite, nausea, nervousness, rash, ringing in ears, stomach pain, and vomiting.

Tell your doctor … if you experience increased gambling, sexual or other intense urges.....

In rare cases, death occurs..... Tell your doctor if you experience Death.....

[Bigdog]

Really why people shove these things down their throat is beyond me, just look at those list they run on tv with this side effect and that side effect and give me a good reason to. I would rather get 3 hours of sleep a night then deal with all the possible side effects.

It's sad how the medical field has become all about pushing pills, instead of actually treating people.

[Teabaggins]

just smoke some bud, maaaaaaaaaaaaannnn

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by Brain Sturgeon

I prescribe it a fair bit, and it is usually well tolerated without many side effects. However, irritability with the various prescription sleep meds out there is not unheard of. How long are you sleeping after you take it?

You could try taking 5mg at bedtime to see if that has any less of the irritability the next day while still letting you get to sleep. Otherwise, you could try Lunesta, which also has a low side effect profile, although it will be a bit more pricey. Outside of these two, benzodiazepines are the next most common class of drugs used for sleep (typically restoril, although diazepam, lorazepam, alprazolam, versed have also been used) although there tends to be more side effects with these such as oversedation and amnesia (particularly with versed).

Neither benzo's, Ambien, or Lunesta are particularly physically addictive, although they can be psychologically addictive if used/relied upon long enough.

Other than these meds, melatonin is the most common "nutritional supplement" used for a sleep aid, and there is a little science behind it as melatonin produced by the pineal is thought to be important for sleep-wake cycles in humans. But whether or not taking melatonin actually helps sleep is not clear.

Hope this helps...

That was very helpful...thanks

I sleep extremely deep for about 9 hours after taking 10mgs. It takes about 3 hours for it to make me sleep, during those 3 hours I feel really "out" (no control of motor skills/erratic thoughts). I tried 5mgs last night, it didn't help me sleep much, and I still feel really tense today. I'm not sure, but it seems like the Ambien is making my hydroxyzine completely ineffective. Do you know of any interactions between the two? I really want to stay away from benzos, I'll probably get addicted. I was on lorazepam last year for about a week for anxiety, and it was a horrible experience.

I took melatonin pills for a few weeks, they worked okay, but lost their effect. That's when I switched to 8 Unisoms a night.

I've had extremely hardcore insomnia for two years now. I was only getting about 5 hours of sleep a night, and it was light sleep.

[leov36]

Originally Posted by Bigdog

It's sad how the medical field has become all about pushing pills, instead of actually treating people.

this may be true, but its also true that a majority of people have come to expect meds now for any thing they experience as a little undesirable, they are less apt to try non medicated remedies. did the docs start this or society.......or the the drug companies btw, benzos and alcohol are similar in the fact that they effect the same pathways. someone going through dt's, give em ativan.

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by Aaron

I took melatonin pills for a few weeks, they worked okay, but lost their effect. That's when I switched to 8 Unisoms a night.

I have been using melatonin for years. It is quite effective for ameliorating jet-lag and changes in your sleep patterns. But is not a supplement that should be taken every night. The body becomes habituated to it if used every night for several weeks. I try not to use it on consecutive days now for instance.

Some people are wired differently regarding sleep. I was an insomniac also in my late teen years. I found the best solution besides sleep aids was a regular schedule where I woke up the same time each day, including weekends and off-days. Going to bed at the same hour each day goes along with that. You might also try to get more exercise and physical activity. A physically tired body will want to sleep more.

[Slec]

I don't know if 5 hrs a night is insomnia. Maybe it is, it isn't for me to judge. I get bouts of insomnia and have for about 15 yrs now. I'll sleep fine for a while, and then I'll have 2 straight weeks where I'm lucky to get more than 2 hrs a night, and those 2 hrs are on and off..no napping during the day either. Only effect is on my short term memory so I generally just deal until my brain is fried. I won't recommend my way out of it.

oddly enough, when I go through this, my dad is going through it too. We live 7 hrs apart...quite odd.

Good Luck, Aaron, hope you can get passed this.

[krazeyeyez]

i also got bad insomnia and as was said, i cannot fall asleep at all and when i do i sleep maybe two hours waking up about three four times during those two hours lol, its bad. Xanax if your on that be careful, make sure your doctor isn't overprescribing, if you forgot a whole day chances are you took WAY too much, a lil goes along way with XANAX and can make you an ass while on it because well, you simply just don't care lol.

i love ambien, best drug for insomnia, i wake up after a night using that and feel like i just came out of hibernation lol. I don't take it regularly by any means, just when i really need it.

BTW anyone here on ambien seen rolemodels yet LMAO, "just fight it, stay awake" LMAO great scene and oh so true, sleeping pill turned LSD if you fight it at all, which is where people usually find abuse usage for this.

[Aaron]

I'm already getting slightly addicted to ambien, so I'm going to stop taking before it gets worse. I'm just going to take two hydroxyzines before bedtime.

I had hallucinations every night I took it right before I fell asleep, they were really creepy too. I remember thinking I was being attacked by my ceiling fan. The side effects of this medication greatly outweigh the benefits, at least for me. The irritability never wore off.

[jkwest]

you should try licking a toad...thats great for hallucinations...