Ambien?

[IMGONNABE40!]

Has anyone ever taken this? I have one and was thinking of taking it tonight. Never have taken anything like it before. Since I am down here in FL with mom and illness and all, I have not been sleeping. My step-father gave it to me. Thought I would hold off since I had a few beers earlier this evening.

Any thoughts?

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

I would not mix it with alcohol at all! I know you said you'd wait awhile. But, I would get freaked out that I wouldn't wake up.

 

[Lisa AF]

I have taken Ambien. It "makes" you sleep but wears off after about 3-4 hours so your not drowsy the next day. Don't know about taking it after a few beers.

Now, about the "makes" you sleep. I have decided (in the past) not to go right to bed after taking one a few times. I have no memory of that time, but my husband is thinking about attending medical school so he can write me an RX for these. He says I'm a completely different person. I guess the label should read take these only around people who you trust or who can keep a good secret.

 

[gshoemate]

I had a prescription for them. They were 10 mg and I would cut them into thirds, that was enough to put me to sleep for the night. And it was nice in the morning because I didn't feel groggy like I do with over the counter sleeping pills. To bad the insurance company increased the co-pay. But I wouldn't mix them with beer.

 

[Desperado]

I'd recommend cutting it in half. You can always take the second half if it doesn't work and your still awake in an hour+.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would cut the pill in half if I was you. I givemy mom 1/2 pill almost every night to help her sleep...they are pretty mild as far as sleeping pills go but 1/2 pill should get you to sleep.

 

[Rutt and Tuke]

I'd recommend not taking a prescription medication prescribed for someone else.

 

[MB MinnieGirl]

I had to read and respond to this thread when I saw the title.

My mother was on this drug & it sadly was a nightmare. My father kept telling me that mom would wake in the middle of the night & litterally go nuts. Then he'd have a hard time getting her back to bed. She even became violent. The problem was, she wold black out. The nest morning, he could not convience her that anything had happened. She never remembered even waking up.

I witnessed this first hand on a trip home to visit & was really afraid for my mother. She was a different person & would not listen to us. She was indeed violent & actaully speaking to a person & a dog - who were NOT THERE. True to what dad had said, she remembered nothing.

I tossed them all down the drain & then took her to another Dr. while I was home. I also made her look into the research on the med. She has not (thank God) taken it in 2 years now.

Please be VERY carfeul if you take this medicaiton & be sure somebody is there with you.

 

[Ronda93]

I've had a prescription to Ambien for a couple of years. Use it once every 6-8 weeks.

The warnings are pretty explicit. When you take it you need to be headed for bed... now. You'll act oddly and have no memory of the time. I guess people use it when traveling, overnight flights and the condition has been refered to as "travelers amnesia".

Only use it when you can get 8 hours of sleep. Don't take it after tossing and turning for four hours... you may get up, but you won't like it.

5 mg is usually enough for restful sleep, but as others have said it doesn't leave a fog in the morning.

It's a good sleeping pill, but I wouldn't use it for more than two or three consecutive night.

 

[Geoff_M]

You should never take an Rx med prescribed to anyone else. It's illegal for a reason. All Rx drugs have "contra-indications", meaning conditions under which people shouldn't use them. Don't assume your step-dad knows enough about your medical history and the drug to make the call that it's "safe" for you to take.

And never, never, never take a CNS (central nervous system) drug with alcohol in your system. Period! It will greatly increase your risk of side-effects.

 

[CLynnJones]

I have had insomnia for years. I take Benadryl to help me sleep--it works great. It doesn't make me groggy and my doctor said it is a safe way to help me sleep.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

I agree with all who said not to take Ambien with alcohol...that is a very risky combination.

Ambien is a very strange drug, at least for me. I never take it now because it's so unpredictable. Some nights I would take it and still be awake when the sun comes up....completely unaffected. Other nights I could take it an zonk out and get the best night of sleep imaginable.

The problem is sometimes I have a very odd reaction to that drug. My mind starts to race and I get visual hallucinations. I won't go in to detail on this, but trust me, very strange things happen. It used to really worry my family, so I quit using it. It's too bad, because when it works right, it's a wonderful drug. It's just so darned unpredictable for me. But that is just me. I know that Ambien is a wonderful drug for many people.

I guess the bottom line is this: Since a doctor didn't prescribe the Ambien to you, if you have a bad reaction and need to go to the ER, you're going to be in a bad situation because you're going to have to admit you are taking it without a RX. I'm not morally against sharing medications, I just wouldn't want to see you get into trouble, since Ambien is a somewhat risky drug.

 

[Chris2597]

I take Ambien on occasion and it works great, but I only take 1/4-1/2 a pill....I have total amnesia if I take the whole pill....from the time I take it until I fall asleep.....I had to laugh at the other poster that said her dh was going to go to med school so he could get her another rx Ambien....My dh says that the few times I have taken a whole pill that I act differently than I normally do....it must be good because he says I should take a whole pill more often....I have absolutely no recall of why he says that......It is really a pretty freaky feeling to have no recall of your actions....So for me I am sticking to a lower dosage which gives me a good nights sleep.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by CLynnJones
I have had insomnia for years. I take Benadryl to help me sleep--it works great. It doesn't make me groggy and my doctor said it is a safe way to help me sleep.

Benadry has varying effects on people...some it knocks out and some it wires up like they just drank 10 cups of coffee! My mom it makes all wired up...my daughter it knocks out. I have never tried it myself since I don't like to take any type of medication (even an aspirin) unless I am feeling so bad I can't get out of bed.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've been taking Ambien for about 3 years now. I cut a 10 mg. pill in half and take a half every other night. It is an addictive hallucinagenic tho, so you have to be carefull!! I took my half last night and still had a nasty nights sleep. They make you fall asleep faster and then stay asleep. For me they have been heaven sent.

I tried the Benedryl route, but after a week, nothing was happening. My doctor told me that a lot of people build up a resistence to the antihistimine in it, so it stops working.

As to the cost of the Ambien....it is costing me $50 a month for it. Well, it would if I were filling the prescription monthly. The way I'm doing it I get about 3 months worth of sleep for one $50 co-pay!!!!