I miss ambien

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Okbanana22

Okbanana22

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Feb 7, 2021
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520
My doc took me off it a couple of years ago, I had been on it for many years. I think it's a good thing....I feel better even though I likely sleep less. I had headaches and felt like garbage all the time.

I miss having an off button. It was hard to be okay with having insomnia....
 
I use ambien when I travel or when I have issues falling asleep before an important meeting and do not want a hang over. For me, the best sleeping pill is over the counter. I take half of a pill every other night and sleep rather heavy. (Unisom but They sell two types, I use the one with the drug that is not in Benadryl and Tylenol PM- can't remember the name but they are blue.)

I have conditioned myself to take sleep meds every other day with the idea being I can convince my mind that this is just one bad night of sleep and tomorrow will be better. It works okay.
 
I have found doing what ethom said to be a life saver for me. I really encourage skipping a night and even taking a nap to get some natural sleep the next day. Just knowing that eventually you will take a med makes the staying up or bad sleep not that horrible.
 
Ambien is about the best addition to my life ever since 2004. Almost however much pain I’m in, and it can be a lot after 2 major surgeries, i have major relief and no problem At least getting to sleep. Every night.
 
ambien is a wonderful 'off button' but also an insanely addictive drug. I've been on it for over 10 years and in 2019 was able to stop using it. Been off for almost a year and after the pandemic started last march started taking again and really struggling not to take every day. Also feel that it changes my personality, I become this angry a%$$%#l that my family and friends hate. Stay away from ambien if you can!
 
marcvasa said:
ambien is a wonderful 'off button' but also an insanely addictive drug. I've been on it for over 10 years and in 2019 was able to stop using it. Been off for almost a year and after the pandemic started last march started taking again and really struggling not to take every day. Also feel that it changes my personality, I become this angry a%$$%#l that my family and friends hate. Stay away from ambien if you can!
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Completely agree. It’s the best off switch option I think. But (slowly) noticed a change in personality. Unlike other meds zopiclone, benzos etc... more irritable and feeling crappy over the day, less motivated.

really not sure why, perhaps because it’s quite selective to sleep and short acting the rebound during the day leads to some mild but noticeable affects for me. I am trying to keep it for one off situations, like flights or or bad insomnia not more than once / week to improve this.

Also stay off of web purchases or social media after taking ! Received a few packages I had no idea I ordered...
 
Ambien is almost as hard to get prescribed these days as Vicodin. Not kidding. I think they're great, saved my life in a lot of ways. I have had chronic insomnia since I was 13. Like mom.
So now I have to substitute (yuk), or drive over the border, or something...
 
liltiki2 said:
Ambien is almost as hard to get prescribed these days as Vicodin. Not kidding. I think they're great, saved my life in a lot of ways. I have had chronic insomnia since I was 13. Like mom.
So now I have to substitute (yuk), or drive over the border, or something...
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Interesting! I'm about to make an appt with my doc to get a new Rx. I've never had a problem getting Rx's from my shrink, GP, or endocrinologist. Benzos on the other hand... I can have chronic anxiety attacks for weeks on end and they're all "here's half an ativan." Thanks, might as well be an M&M.
 
Okbanana22 said:
My doc took me off it a couple of years ago, I had been on it for many years. I think it's a good thing....I feel better even though I likely sleep less. I had headaches and felt like garbage all the time.

I miss having an off button. It was hard to be okay with having insomnia....
Click to expand...
liltiki2 said:
Ambien is almost as hard to get prescribed these days as Vicodin. Not kidding. I think they're great, saved my life in a lot of ways. I have had chronic insomnia since I was 13. Like mom.
So now I have to substitute (yuk), or drive over the border, or something...
Click to expand...
I have to disagree, Ambien is still very easy to get prescribed initially when meeting with a new doctor. They then tend to try to change medications after a few months on it for whatever reason, however if you're that desperate and your doctor isn't listening to you then there's no reason I see that you can't just see another doctor.
 
Yes, but after 'initially' it's downhill. And I don't know what plan you're on, but if a doctor tells me no, I can't go doctor shopping for one to say yes. Unless I'm paying them out of pocket, outside of my plan. Even then it's an issue. All that bad press initially....
 
@liltiki2
For sure, I'm not necessarily advising you to go "doctor hopping", but certain doctors are more lenient when prescribing scheduled medications. I suppose figuring out how to reliably get a prescription is more difficult depending on the doctors in your location, but it's not rocket science to look at a doctor's reviews before spending time and money to see them. Go in with a plan, be smart.
 
Ambien is a Great Drug. I never had any issues taking it. I still take it to help with sleep. Getting off of it is very, very difficult. You'll go 2-3 weeks and feel like you haven't slept an hour.
 
I miss it too. And I miss Klonopin. Those 2 & duloxetine were what I was on when my docs practiced compassion instead of covering insurance companies’ asses. Cut off without taper, 2 grand MALs & at least 100 (to 200) “mini-seizures” but they would never admit they f***ed up. Idk 🤷‍♂️ I suppose the mentally ill don’t deserve peace of mind and the proper meds. :*(
 
I mention this a lot. My GP said he’d never take me off ambien as long as it was helping. One dr I saw was using a blood pressure type device with an ambien cr logo on it. Didn’t look like she was discouraging it either.
 
I'm debating stopping the Ambient soon. I just really enjoy falling asleep quickly like my husband. I don't want to be up rolling around for hours. It's just so much easer to take a pill and be done with it. But I think I need a break from it. Any advise on how to make smooth ambient sleep to sober sleep transition?
 
liltiki2 said:
@SAEmusic did you seizure from the K’s? The doctor cold turkeyed you off Klons? He should go to prison for that. I’m so sorry,
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Yep. The doctor simply cloaked or masked the WD’s by putting me on so much Haldol, Neurontin, and Lyrica that I don’t hardly remember any of my 70 to 7The doctor simply cloaked or masked the WDs by putting me on so much Haldol, Neurontin, and Lyrica that I don’t hardly remember any of my 7270 - that all happened because of a mistake I made but they still did what they did and I suffered two grand mall seizures and hundreds of “mini seizures“, the place is called Aurora mental hospital in Santa Rosa, California. Stay far far far away
 
Yes!!! Ambien (zolpidem) has been (for me at least) the best med for falling asleep quickly & not leaving a terrible next-day hangover feeling. It's a shame that folks abused it & caused it to be so hard to get now! My old doctor that prescribed Ambien for 8yrs retired & now I cannot find a local doctor willing to write a script due to all the regulations. My new doctor initially told me Melatonin, but that's like taking a Tylenol for appendicitis. He then prescribed Trazodone, which is worse than any other med I've taken in my life. Sadly, living with chronic insomnia now...
 
I used it for several years, and it was wonderful to me. It would do exactly what it was designed for if you wanted to sleep. I would often combine it with valium and watch a ball game. It was never something that I had to use, but I was only taking it for a couple of weeks before it was gone. There was a few months that someone was willing to sell them and I was able to use it for longer, still I felt no compulsion to take it.

For a sleep aid I must say it would make me feel like dancing. It would definitely help one fall asleep too, and then wake up feeling refreshed. I tried to find it from IOP sources but it was either not available or they were pretty expensive. While I did enjoy it the feeling was short lived. Even using the ER/CR formula it didn’t have a lasting effect.
 
but doesn't it make you loose your memory? Is that a good thing ? maybe not when it is the very small good things one has to hold on to. Hmmm.
 
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