I took ambien for about 5 months on most nights.  It worked for me.  I never had any problems with sleep eating or acting strange when on it.  I never increased the dose.  I take it and I'm asleep in 15-20 minutes.  

Before, I would be up to 2 or 3 am. on most nights.  What happens is that I start this cycle... I have a beer, eat, play online poker...(why not, I'm up anyway). The next day, I'm tired from only a few hours of sleep and I would drink coffee and energy drinks to get me through the day. Take naps in the evening...then I can't sleep again.  The Ambien really took this cycle out.

My perscription ran out and I didn't refill it.  So I had some rough nights sleeping and on good one...
I went to a new sleep Dr the other day (who I really liked) and he wanted me to stop taking the Ambien.  I was OK with that but I kind of wanted a refill.  

The last few nights have been rough and I back to my old routine.  Until I can do something else, I think I should be using ambien.  

My question is why would I stop using it if it is working for me?

Its considered unfavorable by most doctors because medications wont cure you, and considering the side effects they tend to produce more harm than benefit. If you want to cure your sleep issues, natural remedies are the best option. Also, if you have SA, sleep medications will further relax the muscles in the throat and make your affliction much worse.

thedeadpoet wrote:

Its considered unfavorable by most doctors because medications wont cure you, and considering the side effects they tend to produce more harm than benefit. If you want to cure your sleep issues, natural remedies are the best option. Also, if you have SA, sleep medications will further relax the muscles in the throat and make your affliction much worse.

I'm not sure what you mean by "medications wont cure you".  I think most medications fall into that category.  
What harmful side effects should I look out for?  
Do I risk becoming dependent on it?  
I thought that Ambien didn't make apnea worse.

And because (from the AmbienCR website):

http://www.ambiencr.com/

"It's non-narcotic; however, like most sleep medicines, it has some risk of dependency."

Vicki


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That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

sleeping pills shouldnt be taken every night as from my experience they eventually stop working

they should be taken only occasionally and when needed, they make your apnea a bit worse but the CPAP compensates


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resmed S6 lightweight, respironics comfort gell mask using CPAP since 1995, no humidifier
during my many years of severe fatigue, no doctor ever asked me if I snored

I have been some form a sleeping for over 10 yrs....I have chronic insomnia...my mother said that as child I always had great difficultly sleeping
I have tried slowing and w/my Dr's ok get myself off off of them...doesn't my body won't sleep with meds...which came first the chicken or the egg
which came first the chronic insomina or the sleeping meds...don't know..I also have clinical depression which can cause insomnia. insomnia can cause depression

ensoul wrote:

I have tried slowing and w/my Dr's ok get myself off off of them...doesn't my body won't sleep with meds...which came first the chicken or the egg

OK. no more for me

Vicki wrote:

And because (from the AmbienCR website):

http://www.ambiencr.com/

"It's non-narcotic; however, like most sleep medicines, it has some risk of dependency."

Vicki

Maybe I am dependent on it.... but I am also dependent on sleeping.   I know i'm in for the long haul tonight.
if it stops working thats one thing.  Does it always stop working?  Is it just a high potential fo abuse that is bad?

tuna wrote:

I took ambien for about 5 months on most nights.  It worked for me.  I never had any problems with sleep eating or acting strange when on it.  I never increased the dose.  I take it and I'm asleep in 15-20 minutes.  

Before, I would be up to 2 or 3 am. on most nights.  What happens is that I start this cycle... I have a beer, eat, play online poker...(why not, I'm up anyway). The next day, I'm tired from only a few hours of sleep and I would drink coffee and energy drinks to get me through the day. Take naps in the evening...then I can't sleep again.  The Ambien really took this cycle out.

My perscription ran out and I didn't refill it.  So I had some rough nights sleeping and on good one...
I went to a new sleep Dr the other day (who I really liked) and he wanted me to stop taking the Ambien.  I was OK with that but I kind of wanted a refill.  

The last few nights have been rough and I back to my old routine.  Until I can do something else, I think I should be using ambien.  

My question is why would I stop using it if it is working for me?

Could be a lot of things. A lot of doctors are afraid of prescribing any controlled drug for very long. Some are and some are not afraid. Some are afraid of the DEA, being sued by patients who might get addicted by drugs they prescribe and some just have moral beliefs regarding any physically addicting drug even if its prescription. It just depends on the doctor and how serious your insomnia condition seems to them. And there is genuine basis and concern that sedative drugs like Ambien can exacerbate OSA, although probably nowhere near as bad as booze, anti-histamines or benzos can screw up OSA.

IMO, Ambien is a rather benign drug. If you have insomnia problems that arent being fixed by CPAP and feel you need Ambien, just go to another doctor.  Maybe a sleep psychiatrist who has an interest in insomnia problems.

Personally if I took Ambien, I think Id opt for the immediate release form and avoid that new timed release Ambien CR. Id be concerned the timed release Ambien CR would worsen my OSA more than immediate release Ambien.

Fred


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"We don't need socialized medicine, what we need is insurance reform."


Resmed S8 Autoset Vantage, HumidAire 3i, Resmed Quattro ffmask

tuna wrote:

I took ambien for about 5 months on most nights.  It worked for me.  I never had any problems with sleep eating or acting strange when on it.  I never increased the dose.  I take it and I'm asleep in 15-20 minutes.  

Before, I would be up to 2 or 3 am. on most nights.  What happens is that I start this cycle... I have a beer, eat, play online poker...(why not, I'm up anyway). The next day, I'm tired from only a few hours of sleep and I would drink coffee and energy drinks to get me through the day. Take naps in the evening...then I can't sleep again.  The Ambien really took this cycle out.

My perscription ran out and I didn't refill it.  So I had some rough nights sleeping and on good one...
I went to a new sleep Dr the other day (who I really liked) and he wanted me to stop taking the Ambien.  I was OK with that but I kind of wanted a refill.  

The last few nights have been rough and I back to my old routine.  Until I can do something else, I think I should be using ambien.  

My question is why would I stop using it if it is working for me?

Ambien messes with sleep architecture far less than benzos, alcohol or anti-histamines. The main active ingredient in the most common OTC sleep aids is plain old benadryl...a potent anti-histamine. Talk about screwing your sleep up!

Fred


_________________
"We don't need socialized medicine, what we need is insurance reform."


Resmed S8 Autoset Vantage, HumidAire 3i, Resmed Quattro ffmask

tuna,

do you have apnea? do you use cpap?   Maybe the 'addiction' you need to kick is on-line poker at night!  

maybe your dr. just wants to see for himself exactly how your body acts without the meds so he can evaluate from zero.  If you have circadian rhythm disorder (which can cause insomnia problems) he would want to see if you can deminish your insomnia by using "proper sleep hygiene" first.

My son has chronic insomnia.  For some people, natural remedies do not work.  There are other meds, meds besides "sleep meds" that help with insomnia and are more acceptable long-term.  I believe ambien affects your sleep stages, as do other meds (different meds affect the sleep stages in different ways....RAM_Sleep can tell you about this).

Did your dr. give you a sleep diary to keep?  It is actually very helpful.  It keeps you accountable for your behavior and you are able to see any patterns.

I always knew one is suppossed to go to bed at the same time, but had never heard that the time you get up in the morning is even more important....it is suppossed to be the same regardless of when you go to bed and then if you take naps during the day they are suppossed to be limited to 30 minutes max....and no naps after 6pm.

See if you can force yourself to do that....even if you are taking 6 naps the first few days (but no longer than 30min each).  My son naps every 2 hr for 30 min.  But, it doesn't seem to affect his night-time sleep: he still has insomnia and arousals and light sleep.

so, the doctor is back to talking about apnea where in the beginning he thought he had circadian rhythm disorder.  NOw, that we've ruled that out he is listening to me more about apnea that I observe.

(by the way, my son still takes med for insomnia...but we did decrease it.  The result is that when he is awake during the day he is more alert.  He goes to sleep ok, but his arousals tend to keep him awake for an hour or more during the night....it's a trade off.  When we discontinued his sleep med completely he did not get enough hours of sleep at night and his days became increasingly dysfunctional due to inablility to cope, and sleepiness...so we settled for a happy medium).

IF doing the sleep hygiene doesn't help, maybe you could talk with the dr about a lower dose of ambien, or a different type of med. good luck!

I just read in another thread that you take provigil?!  did you have insomnia before you started taking it?  My son is not able to take provigil because even a low dose keeps him up at night .

It may be the combination of provigil and ambien that the dr doesn't like.  Mabye an antidepressant would work better than both of them.

Go with what the new doctor says, he sounds like a winner.  Think, do you really think it's a good idea to be taking one drug to sleep, and another to wake up?  Any doctor who does that to you ought to have his liscense reviewed.  Bottom line, you need to control your apnea, work with your doctor and things will get better soon.  Virginia


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Resmed elite , 17, mirage quattro ff . 25 + years of untreated OSA

I have always had trouble sleeping. I take 1/2 trazodone and one Ambien at night to sleep with my mask.  Both my psychiatrist and sleep doctor also said I can use provigil on the days I wake up nd did not sleep well with my mask.  The doctor suggested 1/2 because one made my stomach uppset.  I agree it does not seem right to take something to help you sleep then something to help you stay awake during the day so I am only doing it once in a while.  But for me my main goal is to get to work everyday and to be able to function well because it is demanding.  I tried for two months to sleep with the mask and no Ambien but all that happened was depression.  Naps??  Who has time to take naps? Not me. I'll have to wait till I am retired for that.

Grateful,  I agree with you that you need to do what you need to do, but this shouldn't be on a long term basis. The goal is to use the mask all night, every night, and to get your apnea treated.  Provigil should only be used on a temporary basis, while you get your sleep act together.  Same thing with ambiam.  I used provigil for about 9 months off and on, but that was because I had a doctor who gave it to me instead of working on controlling the apnea. I found a new doctor, got the apnea under control, and I have no need for provigil.  Just because  a doctor allows you to do something, does not mean it's a good thing to do.  Be careful. Virginia


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Resmed elite , 17, mirage quattro ff . 25 + years of untreated OSA