Anyone take Ambien?

[CMHusband]

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.

So sorry for your loss...No dependency does not seem to be an issue. I've been taking them for about 6 years now. I've always been kind of high strung so like someone else said it shuts down my thoughts and lets me really sleep. I NEVER could sleep until I found these little babies.

 

[lulubelle]

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.

Thank you for the kind words, SeaSpray.
I do worry about the "weaning off" stage. I have not taken any prescription drugs for many years, so this is new to me. But they really do help. Of course it's only been 8 weeks, so I shouldn't be paranoid. I am careful not to increase dosage as well.

CM Husband, sounds like they are a good fit for you. I'm not high strung, so maybe the need will diminish in the coming months.

 

[MushyMushy]

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 your loss.

I was worried about dependency and wanting to wean myself off. A good friend of mine is a doctor and I brought up my fears to her and she pretty much felt that as long as I'm still getting a good night's sleep on the Ambien, then don't worry about dependency so much because it's better to get that sleep. Now I don't like the point I'm at now where I'm taking a 10 mg pill and not sleeping well, so I'm trying to wean myself down to half a 10 and then seeing if I can go some nights without and only use it when I need it.

But in your case, if this is letting you get good rest, then by all means keep taking it. You can always wean yourself off slowly later.