Anyone take Ambien?

buckeyegirl

Cathlete
Hi all,

I've always battled restlessness at night, especially since having kids. I seem to be a super light sleeper, and it's getting worse. I always have difficulty falling asleep in a timely manner (of course DH falls asleep within minutes and starts snoring:mad:)and then if I wake up in the middle of the night, it's horrible trying to fall back to sleep.

Does anyone here have any experience with Ambien? I also do have melatonin which I haven't tried yet.

If you take Ambien, are you happy with it? Side effects? Usually if I take any OTC sleep meds, they contain anti-histamines and I'm all "heady" and foggy the entire next day. My only fear is that I'll be in the small percentage that get up and raid the refrigerator or go joy riding in the middle of the night and not remember it!!:eek:

Heidi
 
I may not be the best person to answer your question, but I just starting taking Ambien two nights ago. I never had trouble sleeping before, but was recently diagnosed with cancer and then after surgery am going through menopause.
Anyway, I was taking Simply Sleep, but that wasn't always working. So I tried the Ambien that my dr had prescribed. The first night after taking Ambien I slept 7 1/2 hours..Yeah! But last night I only slept 4 1/2 hours.

I would like to hear from others. I haven't slept very well for the past 2 months and I am TIRED!:(
 
Gin,

Thanks for your response, and you have absolutely every reason to be exhausted after what you've been through the last 2 months! Hope you are on the mend!

Heidi
 
Ambien

I have been taking Ambien since I had my last child 2 years ago. I take about 5-10mg a night (try to stay at 5 the most) and sometimes only take 1/2 of the 5mg. It does help me on most nights to fall asleep and stay asleep for 6-7 hours. My only drawback is I feel like I have to take it now. I know it is probably mental more than anything, but I don't want to have to take it every night. Right now I sleep with Ambien and don't without, but I am hoping soon to get to a point where I only need it on occassion. Overall, I am very happy with it because before it, I couldn't fall asleep and maybe got 2-3 hours a night.
 
Hi-

So sorry to hear about your sleeplessness.. I go through fits of insomnia myself and its awful! Normally, I have no problem w/ falling asleep, just staying asleep.

I have tried Ambien, and here's my experience... it does keep me asleep, but it does make me groggy in the AM, which I normally experience with OTC sleep remedies, like Tylenol PM, etc. However, I used the 10 mg dose and it wasn't controlled release, which I have heard is much better. If you want to try it, I would suggest starting at the 5 mg dose and getting the controlled release ( Ambien CR). I do know alot of people who take Ambien and swear by it though, so it may be worth a try.

I also tried Sonata and that didn't do anything.

Now, I have to tell you that I found something that worked really well for me to sleep and did not make me groggy at all.. It was Xanax. My DH had gotten a prescription for it post a surgical procedure and in a desperate moment of trying to get a good night sleep, I took one of those. It worked like a charm, I slept like a baby and woke up feeling refreshed and not at all groggy. I haven't used them on a regular basis as that I don't really like taking meds if I have to, but when its been a week of getting 4 hours of sleep at night and being so tired, you feel sick, you will do anything! :)

Talk to your doctor and see what he/she says. See if you can't get a sample of the Ambien and the Xanax and see which one works best.

Good luck to you!! Lynn M.
 
I've been taking AmbienCR for a year now. I was a restless sleeper like you, and it took me forever to get to sleep. Now it takes me 15 minutes tops to get to sleep. The only side effect, if that's what you want to call it, is that, after an hour or so of it being in my system, there are some things I won't remember the next day. Nothing serious. Usually, I won't remember having talked on the phone with someone, or logging onto the computer.
 
Hi,

For years, I have used Xanex to help me fall asleep. I take half a pill (5 mgs) the nights I need it. It usually takes me 6-8 months to take 30 pills (that's 60 doses). It's not something I do every night and my doctor warned me that if I needed it every night then I needed to switch to another method. I really love the Xanex because I can take it at 4 am and still wake up at 8 and not be groggy.

It was my gyno who prescribed the Xanex, my primary care doctor doesn't like Xanex as a sleep remedy (it's really an anti-anxiety medication) and he says you don't get into the deep sleep you want when you take it (although I feel like I do). So, he prescribed Ambien CR. I've taken it off and on for about a year now. Honestly, I feel groggy in the morning when I take it. I do get a wonderful sleep and have great dreams when I take the Ambien, but I am groggy (and grumpy) in the morning.

Try it, see how you do. Everyone is different.
 
Thanks, everyone.

I do have Xanax and use it more for anxiety issues although, yes, it does make me groggy. I just hate to take something that can have dependency issues in the long term.

I will try the Ambien - hopefully my doc will call in a script vs. having to be seen.

Thanks for the input!
Here's to restful nights!:)

Heidi
 
I had problems sleeping (not falling asleep and waking up every hour) for the past two or three years but I have never taken Ambien or any other sleep medication.

My doctor gave me melatonin a few months ago and what do you know, I fall asleep within half an hour of going to bed and actually sleep through the night. The best thing is that I actually wake up rested and ready to go :D

Mine is a fairly high dose. 20 mg by Allergy Research Group.

I don't know, I probably would try the melatonin first and try to figure out what the underlying cause of the sleeplessness is. But then again, I am probably not the right person to give "unbiased" advice since you would have to hold a gun to my head before I take any drugs because those drug always come with side effects that you then need another drug for ........

I hope you find something that works for you!
 
Hi Heidi:

I have been taking Ambien for about the last 7 years, on and off (mostly on)... Actually I am now taking the generic version 10 mg tabs. I have always been a light sleeper as well and DH snores too, which doesn't help. I also took it because I have a hard time falling asleep (always have) and had a lot of work stress. I had a hard time turning off my mind and would constantly be thinking and worrying about everything... I had to get help and my doctor suggested Ambien.

the only thing that I worry is taking it when I am by myself, when DH goes out of town. It really completely knocks me out at first and I HEAR NOTHING! I was afraid that something would happen and I wouldn't not wake up... I have tried all the OTC sleep aids and found that Advil PM works the best for non-prescription versions for me, but still get a slight hungover feeling the next day, but it does seem to work quicker than the rest.

A side effect that I have experienced is that if for some reason I take it and for some reason do not go straight to sleep, I get some strange halucinating type feelings... for example I tried to type a post one night and the screen worbled and looked almost liquid... but most of the time I take it with none of these effects. I do not take this unless I am crawling into bed and ready to sleep. It works FAST and I wouldn't recommend needing to do much more than brush your teeth before going to bed... My mom once told me about a time when she was visiting my sister and she took her nightly dose of Ambien but they were chatting and giggling for awhile after they went to bed, and pretty soon my mom was going down to the vending machine in the hotel plugging the machine and getting all these snacks... didn't remember doing it at ALL the next morning... my sister thought it was funny and didn't realize what was going on until she talked to mom about it the next day!

I do have to admit that the longer I take it, the less effective it seems to become... I have started going to bed earlier than DH because if I can get to sleep before he comes to bed, chances are that I will sleep until he gets up in the morning (which is 2 hours before I have to get up).

As with any drug, it effects people differently. I have tried Lunesta and Roserum (sp?) but neither one worked for me. Ambien CR gave me major anxious feelings and I could not sleep at all. I tried it for a week to see if it just needed some time to work, but it never did... Now I still take the 10 mg generic but only sleep about 4-5 hours a night these days. Stress has a big effect on the way it works for me too!

good luck and hopefully you will find what works for you! definately talk to your doctor about all your options!

hang in there!

ETA: I agree with Carola in that you should definately try to determine what the underlying causes of the insomnia is before starting to treat the symptoms. But that said, i tried all the relaxation techniques and all that stuff but still had trouble falling asleep...
 
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I've been taking ambein for probably six months now. I have terrible insomnia. One day while driving I just couldn't not stop yawning. I was so tired and realized that driving was really dangerous. I drove back home and decided enough was enough. Saw my Dr. who prescribed ambien 10mg. I take it only when I need it. What I've done that has really worked wonders is increased my running mileage. I went from 12 miles a week to 20-25 miles a week. I also incorporated more yoga into my workout which has helped with my running and my sleep. I bet if I could get up early and workout early in the morning that would help too but I just haven't gotten there yet. I would really try the melatonin first. It didn't work for me but it may for you. As a warning my Dr informed me that ambien can be habit forming and you can get dependent on it. This is why I only take it when I HAVE to get a good night sleep. By the way it only works for 4 hours for me. Like clock work I always wake up 4 hours later. Oh and something else I should say, . . . I know people do it all the time but I don't agree with sharing a prescription for something unless you talk to your Dr. first. I've read that Xanax can be an addictive drug too. I hope you find what works for you.
 
I took Ambien for a bit w/o any side effects. My husband, however, took it once and became VERY suicidal. It was really frightening. I had no idea what was wrong with him until I read the side effects.

I decided at that moment that I would just try to go the non-medicated route, which has worked for me. My inability to stay asleep was from stress and worrying, so I found that if I write down all that I have to do the next day and journal that I can stay asleep.
 
Well, I'm just signing off the computer to go to bed because I just took my Lunesta! I've done Ambien many times but it seems like I had a lot of instances of not remembering things ... phone calls, emails ... I've loved Lunesta and feel fine in the monring. Only thing I have noticed is about 15 minutes after I get a bitter taste in the back of my throat that kind of last into the next morning. My one girlfriends does Xanax when needed for sleep. Another took Rozare - but when I tried the Rozarem it had the opposite affect and I couldn't slep at all! But like so many here I'm not into taking pills. Well, I'm gonna scoot before things get weird around here!
 
Well, you should try the melatonin first. It worked for me pretty well until the last year or two, & then I started having wicked insomnia (you know, can't go to sleep, can't stay asleep, stare at the clock from 3 am til it's time to get out of bed).

I resisted the prescriptions for a while but I couldn't take it anymore, I started taking ambien CR about 2 months ago & I have to tell you, it's been a godsend. I'd forgotten what it was like to get 7-8 hours uninterrupted sleep. I love that stuff!
 
I have taken Ambien for about a year and find it works well. I do not have the grogginess that others have reported but medications can work differently for each person. I have a story about it though..

One night I took it and then decided to go downstairs to tell my husband something. I remember going down to our basement, talking to him then coming back upstairs or so I thought... He found me asleep on our stairs and had to carry me to bed! To this day, he teases me about sleeping on the stairs. I guess I was conked out and I definitely do not remember sleeping on the stairs! The moral of the story is the stuff works quickly so go to bed right away after taking it! :)

Good luck!
 
I work the night shift (7pm to 7:30am) and have a lot of trouble staying asleep during the day and then when I switch to being a "day" person I cannot get to sleep before 5 am and then the next day is shot if I have things to do. This shift is terrible on my body and I did not want to take medication to sleep but right now Ambien is the only thing I can take and get some decent sleep. 5 mg wasn't keeping me asleep so I'm on 10 mg now. My doctor is concerned because there are a lot of reported amnesic events reported with Ambien, but I have not had any negative effects. It does put me to sleep quickly--usually within 15 minutes so I only take it when I'm in bed. I stay asleep for at least 4-5 hours and do not wake up groggy. I do take it everyday and now feel like I need it to get any sleep, but for now it's what I have to do working nights.

Sandra
 
Isn't Ambien the one that had some people "sleep eating" and "sleep driving"? Getting up to do these things, then not remembering the next morning?

There are several non-drug things you can try :

1) make sure your bedroom is dark, and wear an eye mask to block light (I do this, and it really helps). There are some nice molded-type sleep masks in the travel sectino of many stores (not the flat ones, that don't block light as well, and interfer with REM).

2) Take a warm bath in Epsom salts about 1/2 hour or so before bedtime. The magnesium in the Epsom salts can help relax you.

3) Starting about an hour before bedtime, keep the lights dim, to allow your body to start making its own melatonin.

4) If you take a calcium or calcium/magnesium supplement, take it later on in the day (maybe about an hour before bed--giving yourself enough time to let it travel on its way and not cause stomach upset if you lie down too soon after you take it).

Another supplement that can help is called ZMA (for Zinc-Magnesium Acetate). It's sometimes sold as an aid to exercise recovery (because it promotes sleep).
 
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I have taken Ambien for about a year and find it works well. I do not have the grogginess that others have reported but medications can work differently for each person. I have a story about it though..

One night I took it and then decided to go downstairs to tell my husband something. I remember going down to our basement, talking to him then coming back upstairs or so I thought... He found me asleep on our stairs and had to carry me to bed! To this day, he teases me about sleeping on the stairs. I guess I was conked out and I definitely do not remember sleeping on the stairs! The moral of the story is the stuff works quickly so go to bed right away after taking it! :)

Good luck!

Sleepwalking is a side effect.
 
Sleepwalking is a side effect.

Sometimes natural remedies stop working. I had a long talk w/my doc about it b/c I was nervous about addiction. She said insomnia is a very common problem for women post-40, & that the potential health effects of insomnia are far worse than those of ongoing use of sleeping pills.

The CR (controlled release) has supposedly resolved the sleep-eating & sleepwalking issues. I sure hope it has anyway, b/c my BR is at the top of a tall staircase, & my fridge is at the bottom. :eek:

Anyway, I've been taking it for 2 mos. without any incidents, & there's no way I'd give it up now. Not b/c I'm addicted to chemicals, but b/c I don't want to stare at my clock in the wee hours ever again.
 

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