Ambien?

[puppylove]

I was prescribed Ambien for two weeks to get out of the insomnia cycle I'm in. I have never had it before. I'm a little apprehensive about it because plain old Benadryl sometimes makes me feel so drugged and out of it who knows what Ambien will do... I know that you can also do stuff and not remember which is pretty scary. Has anyone tried it?

[badhbt]

I take Ambien. I have tried numerous other drugs and to me Ambien is the best. It is fast acting, but wears of in 4-5 hours. How many mg's were you prescribed? You could always start out with 5 mg?

I hope it works for you because insomnia is not fun. Take care.

[arizona girl]

I've tried it as well in the past. The short acting kind, not the newer extended release. That form has had some issues.

It was great I'd fall asleep and I'd wake up feeling refreshed with no drug hangover fog in the morning. It really might be of great help for you. If you can get to deep sleep that is where the body repairs itself.

BTW how has the nausea been lately?

[Racer]

Have you tried melatonin? I am sensitive to meds, so I just use over the counter sleep aids for short term. Ambien might be the most potent form of sleep aid. You must sleep after taking a dose, if your body fights going to sleep, or stay up to long after a dose, be prepared for vivid hallucinations (dreaming while awake!!!). If you normally get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, be prepared to use the bed instead (or the nearest corner!)

Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear. I am way sensitive to medications, so my experience might not be the norm. I would go with the safest, lightest dose, of sleep aid that works.

[khaarina]

Ambien worked for me for awhile, but the last few times I took it, it did nothing for me so I went back to Benadryl. When the Ambien did work it was great. Knocked me out quickly and I woke up feeling refreshed, not at all drowsy and no wierd side effects.

[sue1234]

In my case, Ambien is the best when it comes to giving me a night of sleep. I am one that does have to get up to pee in the middle of the night, and I do that just fine...no accidents.

However, as usual, I react to everything. I can take it fine for about a week, then I begin getting weird anxiety and muscle stiffness. It makes me feel weird. So, I don't take it anymore.

I hope you tolerate it fine, because it really helped my sleep.

[Gerrik1]

I also use Ambien and it works very well for me. I have to take it before midnight. But I suffer from insomnia in stretches and it helps me through them. I am allergic to Benadryl and so I can not take anything with it in it.

[POTLUCK]

Ambien ( 5 mg ) does not cause me any problems but helps me sleep. I like the 6.25 mg long acting form better as it will keep me asleep longer. Benadryl keeps me asleep the longest ( 25 mg ), but that can be a bad thing if I do not want to sleep in in the morning as it leave me groggy in the morning.

Melatonin works better as a sleep cycle regulater ( which is what it is naturally ) than a soporific. If you take it at the same time it will help set your sleep cycle. You only need a low dose as the body only uses a low dose naturally. (i.e. you can use half or less of the 3mg pill you buy over the counter) After 3 days it should be helping set your cycle of sleep.

[SeattleRain]

I did some very, very strange things while taking Ambien...

I sent weird text messages to my gf at the time that said things like, "becca where are you i can hear your teeth" and "the cheese dispenser is coming after me."

I stopped taking it after I started leaving the house. At 3am I took one dog for a walk while telling the other to watch over the "cryptonic" tapes so the aliens don't get them...

[Chaos]

I like it. I take half of a 5 mg tablet and it helps me get to sleep. I take it for 2 nights then off for a night when I need to use it so I don't accommodate to it to much.

[lynnie22]

I take ambien to help me sleep. I have alot of problems sleeping. I take the long acting form. I seem to be drug resistant when it comes to sleeping pills, so it doesn't always work, but it doesn't leave a hangover. For some people, it has some very strange side effects -- like with SeattleRain. But most people don't from what I know. Although be mindful of things like: finding crumbs in your bed when you wake up in the morning. There seems to be a connection with ambien and sleepwalking/eating. For most people, it's perfectly okay though. Never affected me that way. On the nights that it doesn't work for me, I am up watching television, no effects. We need your sleep for sure.

[POTLUCK]

Ambien is generally effective with few side effects for the short run. It is not recommended for the longer term. I will post something here on this so this is not advice. I can post something on possible side effects like SeattleRain's but this has more dangerous potential as one could hurt themselves during sleep. These experiences are very rare.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/265434-long-term-side-effects-of-zolpidem/