Anyone take Ambien?

[MushyMushy]

I take Ambien on a nightly basis. The last couple of weeks I haven't been sleeping well on it at all. I'll have a hard time getting to sleep, and then I'll wake up a few times during the night and then way too early in the morning. It's almost like it was when I started taking it in the first place. About two nights ago I decided to just go ahead and maybe wean myself off of it, so I only took half a pill.

Slept like a baby all night!

The next night, I took just half a pill and again slept wonderfully.

So Ambien takers, why do you think that is? It's just very odd to me!

 

[Pakey]

I only take it on nights when I can't sleep, not on a regular basis. It does not always work but on the nights that it does, I sleep so deep that I wake up sore from being in the same position all night. I have no idea why it sometimes does nothing for me.

 

[CMHusband]

I take a half a pill every night. sleep great, wake up great.

 

[laracroft]

I take it and I love it. I don't take it every night but when I do, it just shuts my thoughts down and lets me get rest.

 

[SeaSpray]

What do you consider "half a pill"?? I've been prescribed 5mg pills and 10mg pills. I can't sleep AT ALL if I take 10mgs. So I break the 10s in half, and the 5 works great. I can even break a 5mg in half and sleep great. For me, sometimes too much of a "good thing" will have an adverse effect! Gotta love the Ambien though... LOL

 

[136368]

Sometimes less is more. I know it's not a direct comparison, but the drugs Mirtazapine and Quetiapine both exhibit stronger sedative properties on lower doses than they do on higher ones.

I used to take Zopiclone and Zolpidem (trade name Ambien) regularly for about a week each. Strictly speaking, you shouldn't take them for more than a week due to their effectivity wearing off to a placaebo effect and the possibility of dependence.

But, YMMV and if it works for you, all the better

 

[ilovejack02]

I take half of a 5 mg, works great. Something is off when I take a whole and i don't sleep as well.

 

[Polyluvr]

I took it for awhile a few years ago~ my DH had my MD take me off of it when I was getting in the car and grocery shopping in the middle of the night~ I'd put half of it away and leave containers of ice-cream on ther counter~ in the am he'd get up for wk and it would be melted

Or I would shop online~ and these packages would show up; and I had no clue

So I had to come off of it~ I have great luck w Advil PM now.

 

[momof1princess]

my mom's former boyfriend used to take it every night, and it had a strange effect on him: he would "wake up" in the middle of the night and raid the fridge, and not remember it the next morning. after 2-3 weeks of that, he had to stop taking it, because he was gaining weight and eating himself out of house and home!
my mom tried it as well, and it really didn't work for her. she doesn't sleep well due to chronic pain (herniated, bulging cervical disks), and really hasn't found anything so far that works for her.

 

[Green Tea]

I took it for awhile a few years ago~ my DH had my MD take me off of it when I was getting in the car and grocery shopping in the middle of the night~ I'd put half of it away and leave containers of ice-cream on ther counter~ in the am he'd get up for wk and it would be melted

Or I would shop online~ and these packages would show up; and I had no clue

So I had to come off of it~ I have great luck w Advil PM now.

Oh my goodness! I have taken it for years. Never any Ambien shopping. Though maybe when the packages that I order when fully awake can be blamed on the medication when DH rolls his eyes when Zappos brings yet another pair of shoes.

I have a 10 mg pill. It seems to ebb and flow with regards to how much I take. Might go for weeks taking 10, then keep breaking in half until I have only a tiny speck.

 

[livie1205]

I take it and I love it!!!I have had no issues with it at all...

 

[136368]

I must admit I have heard some bizarre stories related to this drug, just like your phantom shopping trips. On person spent an entire night sleepwalking setting up a monster domino set. Very, very odd. And I have no idea why it does this! It is rare though.

 

[BEloveDisney]

I took it for a long time and stopped when I started blacking out and hallucinating.


There is something that happens after awhile, I forget what it is called, but it stops working after a while. Some special kind of insomnia.


I took Lunesta for awhile and had similar results as to when I took Ambien minus the hallucinations. Left a funny taste in my mouth, but that wasn't as bad if I took it with juice or something other than water.

 

[136368]

If insomnia is a problem, there are some more exotic medications you could take. For example, the antidepressants Mirtazapine (Remeron) and Dothiepin (Prothieden) both exhibit strong sedative effects. If you're really stuck or really in trouble you could always fall back on an atypical antipsychotic such as Quetiapine (Seroquel - VERY powerful sedative! Take it and you will konk out within 20 minutes) and Olanzapine (Zyprexa - reliable as a rock.)

No matter what happens, there are always other options!

 

[MushyMushy]

I took it for awhile a few years ago~ my DH had my MD take me off of it when I was getting in the car and grocery shopping in the middle of the night~ I'd put half of it away and leave containers of ice-cream on ther counter~ in the am he'd get up for wk and it would be melted

Or I would shop online~ and these packages would show up; and I had no clue

So I had to come off of it~ I have great luck w Advil PM now.

WOW! That's scary that you would have gone out like that. Now, I've said things that I don't remember saying or will send out emails or messages to people and completely forget that I've done it (my iPhone sits at my bedside). A few weeks ago I'd sent my best friend a message asking her to go shopping with me the next day. Well, I had no recollection of sending that so I went ahead and did my shopping in the morning. She called me when I was just getting back home to tell me she was ready to go.

I would totally go off it if I did anything more than that, though.

 

[sparklynails23]

Tiger Woods has been known to take it.

 

[MushyMushy]

Tiger Woods has been known to take it.

Well that explains his behavior then! Ambien is known to cause people to act out in that way.

 

[lulubelle]

I alternate between Ambien (half to whole of a 10 mg) and Ativan (Lorazepham) 1 mg. My DH passed away 9/5/10 and the Ativan really calms me down and the Ambien lets me sleep without restlessness. Under the circumstances, my doctor prescribed them for me, but I do worry about getting dependent on them. Those who have taken them for "years", you don't seem concerned? I'm just asking.

 

[SeaSpray]

I alternate between Ambien (half to whole of a 10 mg) and Ativan (Lorazepham) 1 mg. My DH passed away 9/5/10 and the Ativan really calms me down and the Ambien lets me sleep without restlessness. Under the circumstances, my doctor prescribed them for me, but I do worry about getting dependent on them. Those who have taken them for "years", you don't seem concerned? I'm just asking.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your DH. And I totally understand your concern. Earlier this year I was prescribed medication, including Ativan, for post traumatic stress. I also take Ambien at night. I am very aware of the medication that I take, and the issues they can create when taken long-term. I'm currently trying to wean off of the Ativan. I currently take .5mg - 1mg each evening. Then at bed time I take 5mg of Ambien. Honestly though, I have not felt as though I've had to increase the strength of medication that I take; I'm still taking the lowest dose possible each day, but I want to get off the "every day" thing, especially with Ativan.

Best wishes to you, lulubelle.

 

[CMHusband]

What do you consider "half a pill"?? I've been prescribed 5mg pills and 10mg pills. I can't sleep AT ALL if I take 10mgs. So I break the 10s in half, and the 5 works great. I can even break a 5mg in half and sleep great. For me, sometimes too much of a "good thing" will have an adverse effect! Gotta love the Ambien though... LOL

I cut the 10's in half. so 5 mg. would be half for me. Plus that give me twice as many for my money.