[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Getting off Ambien? (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 10/21/2015 12:37:08 PM EDT
|
So I've taken about 10mg of zolpidem tartrate nightly for years now (usually half a pill before bedtime and half in the middle of the night when I wake up and can't get back to sleep). Used to be that the doc would prescribe 180 days worth of pills at a time. I often stretched that out to last much longer. Now, the nanny-state DEA has decided that doctors and patients aren't trustworthy enough to conduct their own lives... so the pharmacies are watchdogs and will only give you EXACTLY 30 days' worth. It's often dicey whether I'll run-out before I can refill these days. So that means no sleep for me during the shortage. So I can either have my doc up my script, or just friggin figure-out a way to quit and get the hell away from the nanny-state-nazis.
I've got another back surgery coming in December. So I'm gonna be home on the couch for two months anyways and I figure that will be as good a time as any to try to get off this crap and get some hooks out of me. Being sleepy all the time is gonna work better on the couch than at work. Who here has gotten off of Ambien after being on it for years? What did you do? I've tried daily vigorous exercise, valarian root, melatonine, OTC dyphenhydramine and Unisom, etc, etc. They don't put me out like Ambien. So they're not gonna be much help. And the pain-killers that I'll be on for a while after the surgery won't help much, because my system has become used to those and they don't knock me out like that. What else has anyone had luck with? (And no weed suggestions.. that's not gonna fly for me.) Oh... and in before the first Ambien walrus meme. 
|
|
Quoted:
I rely solely on Tylenol PM, so I'm not going to be much help to you. Talk to you doc about Ambien withdrawal before you go cold turkey. If that is even a thing. Yeah... we've got a lot of that and I'll take it (for pain) at night in addition to ambien sometimes... but by itself it doesn't do jack for my sleep. I could take a bunch of dyphenhydramine and drive a long trip and be 100% alert and safe. Just doesn't work on me. My sleep has just been totally screwed for the past six years. I think that years of working a desk job just finally caught up to me. Humans aren't designed to live this way! Yes... I am the real Peter Gibbons from Office Space. 
|
|
Quoted:
I rarely take it but have a prescription for it. I like the old better than the CR. I've got a few stories--shared before. LOL I thought the trip was funny but evidently he didn't.  I'll jump out of bed in my sleep for an imaginary spider or something now and then, but haven't ever left the room or the house while on it. My wife is pretty used to my restless-sleep-shenanigans at this point. 
|
|
Speak to the prescribing physician.
You are likely to suffer some effects, but being laid up any way might be the perfect time to get off of it. I suspect that at least you'll have difficulty sleeping for a week or two; at the worst you'll die. Good luck to you whichever way you go, and I hope the back surgery works. |
|
Quoted: So I've taken about 10mg of zolpidem tartrate nightly for years now (usually half a pill before bedtime and half in the middle of the night when I wake up and can't get back to sleep). Used to be that the doc would prescribe 180 days worth of pills at a time. I often stretched that out to last much longer. Now, the nanny-state DEA has decided that doctors and patients aren't trustworthy enough to conduct their own lives... so the pharmacies are watchdogs and will only give you EXACTLY 30 days' worth. It's often dicey whether I'll run-out before I can refill these days. So that means no sleep for me during the shortage. So I can either have my doc up my script, or just friggin figure-out a way to quit and get the hell away from the nanny-state-nazis. I've got another back surgery coming in December. So I'm gonna be home on the couch for two months anyways and I figure that will be as good a time as any to try to get off this crap and get some hooks out of me. Being sleepy all the time is gonna work better on the couch than at work. Who here has gotten off of Ambien after being on it for years? What did you do? I've tried daily vigorous exercise, valarian root, melatonine, OTC dyphenhydramine and Unisom, etc, etc. They don't put me out like Ambien. So they're not gonna be much help. And the pain-killers that I'll be on for a while after the surgery won't help much, because my system has become used to those and they don't knock me out like that. What else has anyone had luck with? (And no weed suggestions.. that's not gonna fly for me.) Oh... and in before the first Ambien walrus meme. you need to wean off - just like a Benzo - your GABA is fucked and needs to ease back in. Go to a addiction doctor and they will help you wean off on a schedule, or get ready for a fucked up ride on the GABA recovery roller coaster. Do not cold turkey. Look up Ambien/GABA recovery. |
|
This may not be relevant to you but I have had RLS bad since I was a kid. It got really unbearable in my late 30s. Doc put me on Mirapex. It was a game changer. Non narcotic and not addicting except with out it I can't sleep lol... I take one or two before bed and can sleep like a normal person.
Don't know if it works if you don't have RLS. |
|
Quoted:
So I've taken about 10mg of zolpidem tartrate nightly for years now (usually half a pill before bedtime and half in the middle of the night when I wake up and can't get back to sleep). Used to be that the doc would prescribe 180 days worth of pills at a time. I often stretched that out to last much longer. Now, the nanny-state DEA has decided that doctors and patients aren't trustworthy enough to conduct their own lives... so the pharmacies are watchdogs and will only give you EXACTLY 30 days' worth. It's often dicey whether I'll run-out before I can refill these days. So that means no sleep for me during the shortage. So I can either have my doc up my script, or just friggin figure-out a way to quit and get the hell away from the nanny-state-nazis. I've got another back surgery coming in December. So I'm gonna be home on the couch for two months anyways and I figure that will be as good a time as any to try to get off this crap and get some hooks out of me. Being sleepy all the time is gonna work better on the couch than at work. Who here has gotten off of Ambien after being on it for years? What did you do? I've tried daily vigorous exercise, valarian root, melatonine, OTC dyphenhydramine and Unisom, etc, etc. They don't put me out like Ambien. So they're not gonna be much help. And the pain-killers that I'll be on for a while after the surgery won't help much, because my system has become used to those and they don't knock me out like that. What else has anyone had luck with? (And no weed suggestions.. that's not gonna fly for me.) Oh... and in before the first Ambien walrus meme. It might be just a matter of stopping it. Wean down from one pill total at night, then 1/2 total, then 1/4. |
|
Quoted:
Crazy thought, but just hear me out: talk to your doctor. Ooooooohhhh... that's a good one Steve. That has never occurred to me or my regular doc of 25 years while I've been in his office over the past six years, discussing my sleep issues and occasional three week bouts of insomnia (even while taking ambien). You are one wiley coyote!
|
|
Quoted:
Speak to the prescribing physician. You are likely to suffer some effects, but being laid up any way might be the perfect time to get off of it. I suspect that at least you'll have difficulty sleeping for a week or two; at the worst you'll die. Good luck to you whichever way you go, and I hope the back surgery works. Thanks for ratcheting "down" the anxiety level with that. That's always a good way to get more sleep. 
|
|
Quoted:
you need to wean off - just like a Benzo - your GABA is fucked and needs to ease back in. Go to a addiction doctor and they will help you wean off on a schedule, or get ready for a fucked up ride on the GABA recovery roller coaster. Do not cold turkey. Look up Ambien/GABA recovery. Quoted:
Quoted:
So I've taken about 10mg of zolpidem tartrate nightly for years now (usually half a pill before bedtime and half in the middle of the night when I wake up and can't get back to sleep). Used to be that the doc would prescribe 180 days worth of pills at a time. I often stretched that out to last much longer. Now, the nanny-state DEA has decided that doctors and patients aren't trustworthy enough to conduct their own lives... so the pharmacies are watchdogs and will only give you EXACTLY 30 days' worth. It's often dicey whether I'll run-out before I can refill these days. So that means no sleep for me during the shortage. So I can either have my doc up my script, or just friggin figure-out a way to quit and get the hell away from the nanny-state-nazis. I've got another back surgery coming in December. So I'm gonna be home on the couch for two months anyways and I figure that will be as good a time as any to try to get off this crap and get some hooks out of me. Being sleepy all the time is gonna work better on the couch than at work. Who here has gotten off of Ambien after being on it for years? What did you do? I've tried daily vigorous exercise, valarian root, melatonine, OTC dyphenhydramine and Unisom, etc, etc. They don't put me out like Ambien. So they're not gonna be much help. And the pain-killers that I'll be on for a while after the surgery won't help much, because my system has become used to those and they don't knock me out like that. What else has anyone had luck with? (And no weed suggestions.. that's not gonna fly for me.) Oh... and in before the first Ambien walrus meme. Do not cold turkey. Look up Ambien/GABA recovery. This is good and useful info. Thank you for that. GD is always like digging through the cat box looking for precious gems... occasionally you find something other than a cat turd!
|
|
Quoted:
This may not be relevant to you but I have had RLS bad since I was a kid. It got really unbearable in my late 30s. Doc put me on Mirapex. It was a game changer. Non narcotic and not addicting except with out it I can't sleep lol... I take one or two before bed and can sleep like a normal person. Don't know if it works if you don't have RLS. I don't think that I do, but it's certainly worth bringing-up to my doc. FYI... I recently switched to a new primary care doc (because of insurance reasons) and I'm hoping that he may have some insight that my old doc didn't. |
|
Quoted:
Ween off with ZZquill I believe that it's just dyphenhydramine. That's the most common ingredient in most OTC sleep meds. Before I ever got on ambien, that used to help. But it stopped being effective years ago. I'd like to get back to a point where it might be of some help when needed. That's the goal. |
Hard excersizing after work helps.
|
Quoted:
Alcohol doesn't work for me either. My stomach is very sensitive and can't tolerate it. I get nausea and that's worse than not sleeping (barely). Quoted:
Quoted:
 Alcohol doesn't work for me either. My stomach is very sensitive and can't tolerate it. I get nausea and that's worse than not sleeping (barely).
|
|
Quoted:
It might be just a matter of stopping it. Wean down from one pill total at night, then 1/2 total, then 1/4. Quoted:
Quoted:
So I've taken about 10mg of zolpidem tartrate nightly for years now (usually half a pill before bedtime and half in the middle of the night when I wake up and can't get back to sleep). Used to be that the doc would prescribe 180 days worth of pills at a time. I often stretched that out to last much longer. Now, the nanny-state DEA has decided that doctors and patients aren't trustworthy enough to conduct their own lives... so the pharmacies are watchdogs and will only give you EXACTLY 30 days' worth. It's often dicey whether I'll run-out before I can refill these days. So that means no sleep for me during the shortage. So I can either have my doc up my script, or just friggin figure-out a way to quit and get the hell away from the nanny-state-nazis. I've got another back surgery coming in December. So I'm gonna be home on the couch for two months anyways and I figure that will be as good a time as any to try to get off this crap and get some hooks out of me. Being sleepy all the time is gonna work better on the couch than at work. Who here has gotten off of Ambien after being on it for years? What did you do? I've tried daily vigorous exercise, valarian root, melatonine, OTC dyphenhydramine and Unisom, etc, etc. They don't put me out like Ambien. So they're not gonna be much help. And the pain-killers that I'll be on for a while after the surgery won't help much, because my system has become used to those and they don't knock me out like that. What else has anyone had luck with? (And no weed suggestions.. that's not gonna fly for me.) Oh... and in before the first Ambien walrus meme. It might be just a matter of stopping it. Wean down from one pill total at night, then 1/2 total, then 1/4. Yeah. I have done that a few times before. Early on, I was taking a full pill before bedtime and got scared because of some things that I did in my sleep and read about. So I weened-off completely for a while and then just got by on 1/4 - 1/2 a pill when needed for a few years. But gradually, it stopped being effective. Still... if I'm on the couch and half out of it anyways... maybe partial pills will work well enough until I've got it out of my system enough to fully quit. Very good point. People who've never had real insomnia just don't have a clue how desperate a person will get for sleep. It's like going without water... after a while all of your resolve just goes in the toilet and you'll do anything to get just one good night's worth of FULL, sleep. Night after night of an hour of two or nothing deeper than stage 1 sleep will drive a person nuts. Makes you feel like a shell of a human being. Very stretched-thin and hollowed-out. Like a ghost. And the more you dwell on the problem and think about how the fix it, the worse it gets. BTDT a few times. P.S. I've got a stack of books on my nightstand and try not to watch TV or use electronic devices before bed. I've done all of the normal things that people recommend. My big thing here is just getting off this crap (ambien) and not looking back. The suggestions about seeing an addiction specialist are pretty sobering. Never thought that would be something that I might have to do.
|
|
Quoted:
I'll jump out of bed in my sleep for an imaginary spider or something now and then, but haven't ever left the room or the house while on it. My wife is pretty used to my restless-sleep-shenanigans at this point.
Quoted:
Quoted:
I rarely take it but have a prescription for it. I like the old better than the CR. I've got a few stories--shared before. LOL I thought the trip was funny but evidently he didn't. I'll jump out of bed in my sleep for an imaginary spider or something now and then, but haven't ever left the room or the house while on it. My wife is pretty used to my restless-sleep-shenanigans at this point.
I never did anything strange on it and have never gotten out of bed. Taking one is like hitting me with a tranquilizer dart...down for the count! I laugh about it now imagining all the funny things I could have talked him into doing.
|
|
Quoted:
Alcohol doesn't work for me either. My stomach is very sensitive and can't tolerate it. I get nausea and that's worse than not sleeping (barely). Quoted:
Quoted:
Alcohol doesn't work for me either. My stomach is very sensitive and can't tolerate it. I get nausea and that's worse than not sleeping (barely). http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/nix-nightcap-better-sleep A.W.D. |
|
Quoted:
I believe that it's just dyphenhydramine. That's the most common ingredient in most OTC sleep meds. Before I ever got on ambien, that used to help. But it stopped being effective years ago. I'd like to get back to a point where it might be of some help when needed. That's the goal. Quoted:
Quoted:
Ween off with ZZquill I believe that it's just dyphenhydramine. That's the most common ingredient in most OTC sleep meds. Before I ever got on ambien, that used to help. But it stopped being effective years ago. I'd like to get back to a point where it might be of some help when needed. That's the goal. You know. If some of those other things worked for you in the past, but not anymore, such as benadryl or melatonin, and you haven't used them in a while, you might revisit them. In addition consider neurontin 600mg QHS. That has a sedative effect and keeps you in REM. Elavil 50mg QHS--also has a sedative effect. Avoid benzodiazepines as a sleep aid. If you think detox from ambien is bad--- |
|
Quoted:
Ooooooohhhh... that's a good one Steve. That has never occurred to me or my regular doc of 25 years while I've been in his office over the past six years, discussing my sleep issues and occasional three week bouts of insomnia (even while taking ambien). You are one wiley coyote!
Quoted:
Quoted:
Crazy thought, but just hear me out: talk to your doctor. Ooooooohhhh... that's a good one Steve. That has never occurred to me or my regular doc of 25 years while I've been in his office over the past six years, discussing my sleep issues and occasional three week bouts of insomnia (even while taking ambien). You are one wiley coyote!
If your regular doc can't figure it out, seek a second opinion. Good luck with your medical advice from internet strangers. |
|
Quoted:
I believe that it's just dyphenhydramine. That's the most common ingredient in most OTC sleep meds. Before I ever got on ambien, that used to help. But it stopped being effective years ago. I'd like to get back to a point where it might be of some help when needed. That's the goal. Quoted:
Quoted:
Ween off with ZZquill I believe that it's just dyphenhydramine. That's the most common ingredient in most OTC sleep meds. Before I ever got on ambien, that used to help. But it stopped being effective years ago. I'd like to get back to a point where it might be of some help when needed. That's the goal. I hope you get relief soon! I kinda know the feeling 
|
|
Quoted:
I never did anything strange on it and have never gotten out of bed. Taking one is like hitting me with a tranquilizer dart...down for the count! I laugh about it now imagining all the funny things I could have talked him into doing.
The first while that I took it just used to knock me out hard and fast. The first night I took one I was sitting on the couch, and used to the normal hour or so that it took OTC meds to start kicking-in. Fifteen minutes later, I was OUT... while still sitting there on the couch. So my wife and son got me up and walking towards the bedroom. I stopped in the bathroom to pee and kept falling forward and hitting my head on the wall while trying to pee. They got me into the bedroom and I collapsed on the bed diagonally. So they were trying to move me onto my side of the bed so my wife would have a place and I was just OUT. They were laughing because it was all so unexpected and silly. The next wacky story I remember was while at work. It was about 4:45 PM and my stomach was upset. I reached into my little first-aid type kit and pulled-out an antacid pill and took it. Right about 5PM I had this feeling come over me like "Oh sh#t... I don't think that was an antacid pill I just took". It was all I could do to stumble to the elevator with my wife (who works down the hall from me). I kept going out in the elevator. She got me into the car and I just passed-out there while she ran errands. That was six years ago and I've damn sure never let that happen again. But then again... it doesn't affect me that heavily any more and I never take a whole pill at once. I've been getting by on half a pill, twice a night for some time. I try to use the minimum that will allow me to get some semblance of rest. |
|
Quoted:
Yeah. I have done that a few times before. Early on, I was taking a full pill before bedtime and got scared because of some things that I did in my sleep and read about. So I weened-off completely for a while and then just got by on 1/4 - 1/2 a pill when needed for a few years. But gradually, it stopped being effective. Still... if I'm on the couch and half out of it anyways... maybe partial pills will work well enough until I've got it out of my system enough to fully quit. Very good point. People who've never had real insomnia just don't have a clue how desperate a person will get for sleep. It's like going without water... after a while all of your resolve just goes in the toilet and you'll do anything to get just one good night's worth of FULL, sleep. Night after night of an hour of two or nothing deeper than stage 1 sleep will drive a person nuts. Makes you feel like a shell of a human being. Very stretched-thin and hollowed-out. Like a ghost. And the more you dwell on the problem and think about how the fix it, the worse it gets. BTDT a few times. P.S. I've got a stack of books on my nightstand and try not to watch TV or use electronic devices before bed. I've done all of the normal things that people recommend. My big thing here is just getting off this crap (ambien) and not looking back. The suggestions about seeing an addiction specialist are pretty sobering. Never thought that would be something that I might have to do.
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
So I've taken about 10mg of zolpidem tartrate nightly for years now (usually half a pill before bedtime and half in the middle of the night when I wake up and can't get back to sleep). Used to be that the doc would prescribe 180 days worth of pills at a time. I often stretched that out to last much longer. Now, the nanny-state DEA has decided that doctors and patients aren't trustworthy enough to conduct their own lives... so the pharmacies are watchdogs and will only give you EXACTLY 30 days' worth. It's often dicey whether I'll run-out before I can refill these days. So that means no sleep for me during the shortage. So I can either have my doc up my script, or just friggin figure-out a way to quit and get the hell away from the nanny-state-nazis. I've got another back surgery coming in December. So I'm gonna be home on the couch for two months anyways and I figure that will be as good a time as any to try to get off this crap and get some hooks out of me. Being sleepy all the time is gonna work better on the couch than at work. Who here has gotten off of Ambien after being on it for years? What did you do? I've tried daily vigorous exercise, valarian root, melatonine, OTC dyphenhydramine and Unisom, etc, etc. They don't put me out like Ambien. So they're not gonna be much help. And the pain-killers that I'll be on for a while after the surgery won't help much, because my system has become used to those and they don't knock me out like that. What else has anyone had luck with? (And no weed suggestions.. that's not gonna fly for me.) Oh... and in before the first Ambien walrus meme. It might be just a matter of stopping it. Wean down from one pill total at night, then 1/2 total, then 1/4. Yeah. I have done that a few times before. Early on, I was taking a full pill before bedtime and got scared because of some things that I did in my sleep and read about. So I weened-off completely for a while and then just got by on 1/4 - 1/2 a pill when needed for a few years. But gradually, it stopped being effective. Still... if I'm on the couch and half out of it anyways... maybe partial pills will work well enough until I've got it out of my system enough to fully quit. Very good point. People who've never had real insomnia just don't have a clue how desperate a person will get for sleep. It's like going without water... after a while all of your resolve just goes in the toilet and you'll do anything to get just one good night's worth of FULL, sleep. Night after night of an hour of two or nothing deeper than stage 1 sleep will drive a person nuts. Makes you feel like a shell of a human being. Very stretched-thin and hollowed-out. Like a ghost. And the more you dwell on the problem and think about how the fix it, the worse it gets. BTDT a few times. P.S. I've got a stack of books on my nightstand and try not to watch TV or use electronic devices before bed. I've done all of the normal things that people recommend. My big thing here is just getting off this crap (ambien) and not looking back. The suggestions about seeing an addiction specialist are pretty sobering. Never thought that would be something that I might have to do.
Also, magnesium at night is very relaxing--not a sedative in itself, but helpful if taken with the already discussed supplements and medications. |
|
The diphenhydramine doses in the U.S. OTC products are pretty conservative at 50mg, in Europe you can see double that in sleep pills. So, if you're not getting any help from 25-50mg, I'd go up to at least 100 before you write it off.
Personally, I feel like shit if I wake up with less than about 9-10 hours of sleep after taking diphenhydramine. The half-life varies per person, and for me its unpleasantly long. You can try Doxylamine (the API in Unisom) instead, which is a similar 1st generation sedating anti-histamine. Finally, anyone that's taking Advil/Tylenol PM, Nyquil, Simply Sleep, or whatever that has diphenhydramine as the active could save a ton of money buying generic allergy diphenhydramine instead. |
|
Quoted:
You know. If some of those other things worked for you in the past, but not anymore, such as benadryl or melatonin, and you haven't used them in a while, you might revisit them. In addition consider neurontin 600mg QHS. That has a sedative effect and keeps you in REM. Elavil 50mg QHS--also has a sedative effect. Avoid benzodiazepines as a sleep aid. If you think detox from ambien is bad--- Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Ween off with ZZquill I believe that it's just dyphenhydramine. That's the most common ingredient in most OTC sleep meds. Before I ever got on ambien, that used to help. But it stopped being effective years ago. I'd like to get back to a point where it might be of some help when needed. That's the goal. You know. If some of those other things worked for you in the past, but not anymore, such as benadryl or melatonin, and you haven't used them in a while, you might revisit them. In addition consider neurontin 600mg QHS. That has a sedative effect and keeps you in REM. Elavil 50mg QHS--also has a sedative effect. Avoid benzodiazepines as a sleep aid. If you think detox from ambien is bad--- Thanks for more good advice. I was taking neurontin/gabepentin for a while to try to deal with my back pain/sciatica. All that did was make me feel out of it and fuzzy all day. Drove me crazy. I HATE feeling groggy. I'm dreading coming out of anesthesia after my back surgery. I remember being quite frustrated after my first one because of that fighting to wake-up. Was very maddening to try to come out of it and get dragged back into it. And I had a VERY sore throat from intubation afterwards as well. I dread both of those things (and the catheter).
|
|
I weaned wean off it after years of taking it. It took probably month to do so and used Tylenol PM during the transition and use that rarely now.
It is bad for you so good job. I still have sleepless nights and just deal with it know as the next night is normally great. A big component of is anxiety so training myself that its OK not to sleep sometimes was a big component. Sleep hygiene is a big component as anything else. White noise and a favorite book on tape help me on rough nights. And get a sleep study to look for underlying problems. I run a sleep lab and have ARF discounts so come see me or IM if you like. |
|
Quoted:
You'll find the rebound insomnia to be pure hell. Talk to your doc about a low dose of Remeron, 7.5mg is all it takes. Thanks for that! I'm gonna print a lot of these suggestions out to talk to my doc about. I've got to see him to get signed-off for my back surgery, so I'll bring it up then. He and my neuro might not want me trying to quit ambien until well after my surgery. Granted, I'll be NOT sleeping while in the hospital for several days. Cause I sure as hell didn't sleep at all after my first surgery. Just watched the clock tick all boring night long -- even while on ambien and the pain meds they had me on. Was a VERY long night. Adding a couple more days to that is gonna suck.
|
|
Quoted:
The diphenhydramine doses in the U.S. OTC products are pretty conservative at 50mg, in Europe you can see double that in sleep pills. So, if you're not getting any help from 25-50mg, I'd go up to at least 100 before you write it off. Personally, I feel like shit if I wake up with less than about 9-10 hours of sleep after taking diphenhydramine. The half-life varies per person, and for me its unpleasantly long. You can try Doxylamine (the API in Unisom) instead, which is a similar 1st generation sedating anti-histamine. Finally, anyone that's taking Advil/Tylenol PM, Nyquil, Simply Sleep, or whatever that has diphenhydramine as the active could save a ton of money buying generic allergy diphenhydramine instead. Good info! When I do take dyphenhydramine, I always just take 50mg. Have never tried 100mg. I will keep that in mind. Who knows... maybe I can try to kick ambien before my December surgery! Will try 100mg of the dyphenhydramine tonight and just a partial dose of ambien total and see what that gets me. |
|
Quoted:
I weaned wean off it after years of taking it. It took probably month to do so and used Tylenol PM during the transition and use that rarely now. It is bad for you so good job. I still have sleepless nights and just deal with it know as the next night is normally great. A big component of is anxiety so training myself that its OK not to sleep sometimes was a big component. Sleep hygiene is a big component as anything else. White noise and a favorite book on tape help me on rough nights. And get a sleep study to look for underlying problems. I run a sleep lab and have ARF discounts so come see me or IM if you like. YES!!! Great advice. Especially the anxiety part. I deal with that and it was only when I'd get tired of that feeling after a couple weeks of insomnia and just "give up" and resign myself to not sleeping... that I was able to sleep again. Weird how that works. My coworkers had better be ready for me to be a bit out of it for a while during this period.
And I will keep you in-mind regarding the sleep lab thing. It may come to that. Because I am TOTALLY committed to being off of ambien. I don't wanna be a slave to that crap any longer. NOW (or after my surgery) is the time to kick this. Can't put it off any longer. Even if I end-up being a zombie.
|
|
Quoted:
Busy mind. Won't shut down. Once it starts, it's an energizer bunny. I could probably stand to try some meditation techniques to help with that. Quoted:
Quoted:
why can't you sleep? Busy mind. Won't shut down. Once it starts, it's an energizer bunny. I could probably stand to try some meditation techniques to help with that. at least you consistently take ambien and it's not on an 'as needed' basis... good friend of mine is a neuropsychologist and he says this is the best way to do it.. (we just happened to be talking about drugs like xanex and ambien the other day)... hope you find a way to get some sleep... i get a racing mind at times.. i can usually always fall asleep, just depends on what time.. only time it's really bad is when i gotta get up for work early (i work swing shifts so that my help in my wacky sleep habits) |
|
Btw... I rarely drink caffinated drinks after about noon because of this issue (unless it's a weekend and I stay up later).
Also... I 100% believe that if I allowed myself to live with my natural sleep/awake cycles, I could sleep fine again. I naturally want to stay up until about 1-2AM, and sleep until probably about 8AM. Over time that might get an hour or two later. But I get up before 5:30 for my job. I've known for some time that I'm fighting my own body on this deal. I'm just not in a place to leave my job at the moment though. |