Ambien?

[jessmarimba]

Alright guys, I'm losing it. I know I'm posting a lot and some of them make no sense (I'm really sorry), but I have no energy to do much but sit around online. And a lot of that comes from the fact that I still am not sleeping through the night because of my back (9 weeks! I could be a new mom or something).

I have tried everything I can think of. Avoiding caffeine, chamomile tea, tylenol PM, beer before bed...haven't tried Nyquil yet but I'd really rather not.

So, has anyone had any luck with Ambien? Or any other remedies? I am considering asking for a prescription at my appointment tomorrow.

Thanks so much!

[OakLeaf]

I'd look to treat the problem directly. If the only reason you aren't sleeping is pain, let the doctor know how poorly your pain is controlled.

I know it's next to impossible to get decent pain relief from a doctor in the current climate ... but that climate makes it difficult to get tranquilizers, too, so it probably won't be any easier to get them.

[Zen]

Ambien is a 'hypnotic' and will definitely let you sleep.
Try a half of one at first.

I can understand the desperation.

[limewave]

I agree with Oak.

I was on ambien for awhile. It was awful. I'd take it usually right before bed, but sometimes DH or housework would distract me and I would black-out and do weird things and say really bizarre stuff that I would not remember the next day. Sometimes DH would have to carry me to bed. And it would also leave me with a sleepy hangover the next day. So I had to get another pill to "wake me up" . . .



I hope you can get the pain under control soon. Sometimes a glass of red wine in the evening does the trick too. Take care!

[jessmarimba]

It isn't pain, exactly. Its more the fact that I am a generally a very restless sleeper, but I can't sleep...restlessly...anymore. Like, I unconsciously try to roll over, and I can't do that unconsciously now, so I wake up. Readjust. Move pillows so I am properly supported. And then nod off again. I do this about 10 times a night. I guess I want something that will encourage me to sleep deeply enough that I won't keep trying to move?

And these guys seem MORE than happy to keep throwing meds my way. I've still got two different prescriptions for percocet and they offered vicodin last week. So that's why I figure one more prescription shouldn't be too hard to get (sadly enough).

[channlluv]

After Heath Ledger's overdose was tied to Ambien, Jack Nicholson said in an interview that he had been on Ambien, too, and had actually had an incident when he woke up a couple of hours after going to bed and he was driving his car down a very twisty-turny-over-the-cliff kind of road near his home, and he never touched the stuff again.

I hope you can find another solution.

Roxy

[KnottedYet]

I took Ambien for 2 weeks, and it was rather terrifying.

I'd prefer to never take it again.

Try a hot shower, hot buttered rum, warm milk, s*x, or something, before Ambien.

[Zen]

I took Ambien, slept quite well and without incident.

[Pedal Wench]

I took Ambien, slept quite well and without incident.

Me too. I only use it when I'm anxious and anticipate a problem that night. So, for me, occasional use hasn't been an issue, and I really feel okay the next day - better than if I hadn't slept well.

[Blueberry]

Benadryl? It's not totally without risks, but if it works for you, it's much gentler than most of what you're looking at. I find that when I'm having trouble sleeping, dropping the temperature, avoiding much liquid before bed - and yes, a small alcoholic drink can all help.

[zoom-zoom]

Me too. I only use it when I'm anxious and anticipate a problem that night. So, for me, occasional use hasn't been an issue, and I really feel okay the next day - better than if I hadn't slept well.

+1. I have a standing 10mg. script, but I frequently cut the pills and take 5mg, as needed. Usually that works pretty well. When I take 10 I am more likely to do silly things like sit back at the computer and type goofy stuff that I don't remember the next AM (for some reason I like to start messing with Photoshop after taking Ambien. ) or raid the fridge. But it beats not sleeping and being unable to function. I have no issues with Ambien hangover or truly scary behaviors or side-effects. Mostly it feels like having a few beers or wine without the calories.

[solobiker]

I had trouble sleeping for over 1.5 years before I went to the Drs with c/o not sleeping. (I am kind of stubborn) I tried all sorts of things including natural sleep aids. Nothing seemed to work at all. They tried me on Amatriptyline for sleep. I had an alergic reaction to that where my throat closed up on my. Not a fun experince at all. He then put me on Ambien. I tried it for a bit and it did work, however I started to not feel very well during the day. I was dizzy, light headed and felt like I had the flu so I no longer took that. I also started to have a hard time talking at times and with word finding..
I did some research and talked with a friend and now I take on a rare occasion Calms Forte which seems to help...I also stepped down from a rather stressful positoin at work. PM if you have any questions because I do know how it feels not to sleep. I was sent on a sleep study at the end of last year and the results were... "YOu don't sleep at all"..gosh, tell me something I didn't already know. The rest of the results were that I never entered REM sleep and I woke up over 19 times per hour. So needless to say I feel your pain. Just don't wait like I did.

[malkin]

I took Ambien, slept quite well and without incident.

Brewer and me too.

[moonfroggy]

i have pretty sever insomnia which is i think part of some pretty sever ptsd i also have. i take Valerian to help me sleep and it really works quiet well and has less side affects than the various prescriptions i have tried over the years. i have never tried ambien. also i sometimes take benadryl when i am having a lot of trouble with sleep and it really makes me sleep. benadryl doesn't work for everyone some people get hyper on it. definitly speak with a doctor. actually it was my doc that told me about valerian when i got sick of all the prescriptions.

[itself]

More recently I tried two products from Pure Encapsulation:

L-Tryptophan
Gaba

To my surprise both work amazingly well. The Gaba calms the anxiety beautifully.

Hope this helps!