ambien anybody?

[Bob98SR5]

no, i'm not peddling ambien! :D

has anyone taken it? i just got a prescription for it as i told my doc that i have not been sleeping well and it has been causing me to be lethargic at work.

what i'd really like to know is if its addictive. thats my greatest concern. i hear the sh#t works like nobody's business, so i'm not worried about that. also, how long does it last?

[CJM]

The one kind is, i think the regular not time release. I took it and honestly it put me out but its a narcotic iirc and you can only take it for maybe 2 weeks. I used it for my full 2 weeks b/c after awhile I couldnt go to bed without it. I found it also made me tired in the morning but that might just be me.

I have problems sleeping, I cannot just go to bed and be out 15 mins later..sometimes i spend hours eyes shut or open just laying there.

What has worked in the past besides actually being tired:
-regular over the counter sleeping pills
-any pain reliever that has pm in it
-nyquil (seriously its addictive and will put you out but not a good idea)
-drink of any liquor before bed (my mom does it, she cant sleep at all otherwise-just 1 small glass too).

I actually found my problem to be routine. I had been going to highschool and doing the 8-3 then working 4-10 or so. Once I graduated and went to community college the classes were different days at different hours, work was different hours, i staye dout really late, and i just couldnt sleep b/c everyday was different.

I found I needed a routine and i do it pretty much the same way atm. I go to bed by 1-2am, if i have work im up by 10 and ready to go by 12pm. Out the door at 2 to be on by 3. If I have no work same deal, maybe I stay up a bit later like 2-3am if theres a good show on or something.

Routine bob..routine. Unless you have alot of newfound stress in your life then you need a good routine. Force yourself to at least sit in your bed with the tv off for awhile, cant sleep turn on the tv, go ont he pc, eat whatever-then go back to bed and try to sleep.

[randver]

i took it when i got back from Iraq back in 2006. to help with me being hyper vigilant at night. yes the longer you take it the more you need it to help get to sleep. and yes you will be tiered in the mornings from it.

things to help you sleep at night that helped me.
going for a run or working out in the evening.
turn off the tv and computer at least 1 hrs before you want to go to bed and read a book.
sex.
stay away from anything with caffeine after 6pm.

as mentioned above. once you find what helps you feel tired. set a routine and do it at the same time each night so that your body gets used to it and resets when it thinks you should go to sleep.

i no longer use it. but to help with my PTSD me and the wife go to bed at 10pm. then we read for an hr, turn off the lights and go to sleep. on the nights that i change this routine i tend to stay up tell around 1 or 2

[Seanz0rz]

even with routine, i cannot sleep. if i do manage to go to sleep, i can only remain that way for about 3 hours uninterrupted, and once im up, thats it im up.

im am addicted to a sleep aid at this point. doesnt matter what it is, i just need something to help me sleep. it can be anything that cjm listed above, a number of otc sleep aids, muscle relaxants (that i take frequently for shoulder pain, only thing that even touches the pain). so whether or not something is "addictive" or habit forming is really up to your particular sleep problem and how you address it.

i havent tried ambien, that might be my next choice. im trying hard to get off the pills, but nothing so far seems to work other than putting in 12 hour days of hard physical labor, not something i can do when im putting in 9 hour days at school, not counting homework.

[4x4mike]

I've been a very light sleeper for the past 10 years or so. Before that I could sleep 14-15 hours if I wanted. Now little sounds and movements from the wife keep me awake. Couple that with a baby I don't get as much sleep as I'd like. If I need a really good night of sleep I'll pop 2 Tylenol PM's. I usually get enough deep sleep I'm good to go. I usually have some kind of soreness from riding to warrant it. The bottle I have has lasted 3 or 4 years so it shows how little I use it. About 9 years ago I started using Melatonin as it's herbal or some kind of something. I took it for about a week, it didn't change anything so I stopped because I didn't want to become dependent on it.

Now if I wanted to get some sleep on a regular basis I'm pretty sure I could do it if I tried. I would have to cut caffeine out of my daily menu. I drink one cup of coffee M-F usually. Lunch is accompanied by a Diet Pepsi/Coke. Combined and on a daily basis I think there is enough caffeine in my system that along with my made up ADD it keeps me up or keeps my sleep light. During weeks were I don't have soda and coffee, camping for instance, I sleep like a rock. Remember Joshua Tree? It was the best sleep I'd had since I was single. From what I heard I snored and farted all night (signs of good sleep with or without chili).

[CJM]

I sleep very light alot of the time and it needs to be 100% quiet in order for me to conk out unless I am exhausted. Things like someone snoring, noises outside, heck even my pc running (and its quiet) bother me. If the slightest noise wakes me up, I am up and out of the bed and roaming to see wtf it was.

FWIW, i found a way over the past few years i can go to bed and actually fall asleep if i try. I try to think of something I want to dream about. Usually some fantasy-be it fun, sexual (yea hey whatever helps), interesting...whatever. Sometimes it helps sometimes it doesnt, but generally it at least gives you something to do while you lay there. If you do fall asleep then you hopefully dream about whatever.


Another thing, I cannot sleep much if at all unless I am in my own bed at my own house. I stay in a hotel, go camping, my work truck-doesnt work. I can sleep but VERY lightly.. that could also be part of your problem. I also cant sleep with anyone in my bed at all besides me, I just cant get over the other presence there-making noises and junk.

[oly884]

Things that have worked well for me:

Melatonin (this is what i'm using now, i usually take around 10mg's to really get good sleep. Read up on it.

Benadryl, OTC sleep aids, pain relievers with PM on it. They are ALL the same drug. The same medicine that is the antihistamine in benadryl is the same as the sleep aids found OTC. So, for what it's worth, if you can get benadryl cheaper (think costco) then don't bother buying any other OTC 'sleep aid' that isn't melatonin.

[04 Rocko Taco]

CLearly Bob (as shown by the fact thats it 4:57am) I do not sleep regularly either, and have trouble going to sleep... but I try a couple tylenol PM's every now and then if things get out of hand, and it usually helps me sleep nicely. :)

[corax]

If it's just a problem that you can go to sleep but not soundly or feel rested when you wake up, it might be as simple as not drinking alcohol or eating right before you go to sleep. There are also a number of teas (such as chamomile) you can try to calm yourself before hitting the sack. With the constant recall of various drugs due to "side-effects" (hell, Prozac is still on the market even with all the instances homicide/suicide) I'd be careful with any script.

[tulsa_sr5]

Oly, I'll take a meletonin sometimes too. It's super mild and doesn't really make me sleep, but makes me a little extra drowsy about 20-30 min later & seems to be the extra little bit i need some nights.

[fustercluck]

The trouble with scrip and OTC sleep aids is that your sleep cycles are not as deep and full rest is not achieved. I use Benadryl. It is not addictive. It is OTC and it is cheap. Of all the aids I have used, it allows for the deepest sleep.

Since you have the scrip, go ahead and use the Ambien. It works like a charm. You won't even know you fell asleep until morning. It's a bit of a wierd feeling. Sex helps too hehe.

[CTRJ]

Benadryl is addictive too. At least it was for me. About 10 years ago, I started taking it for an allergy and it got to the point where I couldn't sleep at night if I didn't take at least 2-4 a night. I finally quit and it was pretty rough trying to get sleep that first week.

[fustercluck]

more specifically, benadryl isn't addictive if used occasionally. Chronic sleep disorders should be managed by trained and licensed pros.

[Bob98SR5]

guys,

i popped the pill around 1045pm and was out like a light around 11:15. i woke up this morning feeling pretty refreshed thought slightly drowsy. having the extra 2 hrs of sleep helped alot and i am definiltely more alert at work today. this is a good thing.

oly: Ill look into that melatonin stuff. to others: i have taken benadryl (worked), nyquil (too much--got addicted to it), and have done the workout before going to bed thing too. that really didnt help much b/c my adrenaline would be going off the charts afterwards and also i'd take a shower afterwards. my body felt like it was morning, so id be in worse shape.

i'm going to see how this goes. im going to try to make adjustments in my routine. i think for me this past year i was working too much and worrying to much about my career and advancing. perhaps i am putting more pressure on myself than i should be

[2ndGen]

lucky me, I'm 6' 180#, one sip of beer I'm out cold. you should look into the more towards the "natural" method than prescription medications. maybe you can talk your insurance campany to cover your beer bill, for sure cheaper than drugs for them.

seriously, try start with half a pill. i would have my bed checked out first, try a different mattress see how it goes.

[oly884]

guys,

i popped the pill around 1045pm and was out like a light around 11:15. i woke up this morning feeling pretty refreshed thought slightly drowsy. having the extra 2 hrs of sleep helped alot and i am definiltely more alert at work today. this is a good thing.

oly: Ill look into that melatonin stuff. to others: i have taken benadryl (worked), nyquil (too much--got addicted to it), and have done the workout before going to bed thing too. that really didnt help much b/c my adrenaline would be going off the charts afterwards and also i'd take a shower afterwards. my body felt like it was morning, so id be in worse shape.

i'm going to see how this goes. im going to try to make adjustments in my routine. i think for me this past year i was working too much and worrying to much about my career and advancing. perhaps i am putting more pressure on myself than i should be


Excellent!

With the melatonin, they come in 1mg, 3mg, and 5mg. Start with a small dosage, and work your way up till you start seeing an effect from it. I've read a few different studies that say some people respond excellent to small doses ~.1-1mg's but not to higher ones, and with others, they need higher dosages.

Also, make your room as dark as you can when taking melatonin, this includes turning off TV's, etc. Melatonin is produced by your body at night, when you sleep, so by taking it and introducing it to your system, you are making your body think "ok, time to sleep" so if there's any light around you, I find it doesn't work quite as well (whether that is a placebo effect or not, I don't know...)

Keep in mind too that the larger the dose of melatonin, the more vivid dreams you have. I've had some nutty dreams when I do take it, a few nights I've taken 15mg's, my dreams have been, well, a bit too real. Woke up one time thinking there was someone in my room, grabbed the gun and all, haha.

Also, do keep in mind that ANY OTC sleep aid (any PM stuff, nyquil, unisom, etc.) are ALL (with very few exceptions, and even then, it's dang near the identical drug) benadryl: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenhydramine

So, don't expect any different sleep with nyquil, unisom, et al.

[Seanz0rz]

Keep in mind too that the larger the dose of melatonin, the more vivid dreams you have. I've had some nutty dreams when I do take it, a few nights I've taken 15mg's, my dreams have been, well, a bit too real. Woke up one time thinking there was someone in my room, grabbed the gun and all, haha.

yeah i take sleeping pills so i DONT remember my wacky dreams... haha

something that helps me go to sleep, and maybe this is just me, but i start to think about stuff in great detail, like im looking at it from 1 millimeter away. the way a perfect weld bead looks for example, or the surface of oak at that distance, that kinda stuff. for some reason when i do that im out!

oh, and just relax, dont think about sleeping, dont think about what oyu have to do tomorrow, etc. guess that goes along the lines of fantasizing about something.

i missed my sleeping pill last night, took me 4 hours to go to sleep :( unfortunately my schedule is all messed up with trying to get homework and such turned in on time.

[Bob98SR5]

i took the pill about 11pm but only now im getting drowsy. im gonna hit the hay. but you['ll love my next topic...

[Small_words]

I took ambien a few times when my flight schedule was messed-up and I had to get some sleep. It could do some wierd things, like I saw the walls move once and a friend saw color trails behind people as they walked. That said, it helped me get to sleep, but only if I was already trying to sleep. I'd get some exercise in, take a long shower, and read a book in a darkened room. Even then normal Ambien only helps to get you to sleep, it won't keep you there.

[Bob98SR5]

day 2 of ambien: good sleep again