Ambien?

[carsonshepherd]

I don't take any medications myself, but my partner takes a parade of them. He has sleep problems as well as severe chronic migraines and depression. Ambien he has not tried, but a friend of ours takes it and likes it, as long as as she gets the 8 hours sleep. I know you distrust pharmaceuticals, but if it helped your lifelong sleep problem, it would be a beautiful thing.

Amitriptyline has helped my BF sleep. He has to take it 3-4 hours before sleep, or he can't get up in the morning. It takes at least 10 hours to cycle through. It has slightly helped his migraines, maybe, since there are days when he gets the vomiting but not the headaches, but it hasn't helped him a whole lot, and he still can't work a regular job. The good stuff that really works is out of his price range.

 

[lesbiaphrodite]

Ummmm. I had a really bad reaction to Ambien. I took it one night and woke up standing at the window with a hammer trying to re-do my curtains at 3 AM. I have no idea how I got up on the chair, how the hammer was in my hand, or why I was doing curtains in the dark. So, I guess you could say, I was in a fugue state. I stopped taking it rather immediately.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

Thanks so much everyone for your comments and stories. I'm supposed to take the Ambien for two nights just to see if it will get me back into a normal sleep pattern. At my worst, with my sleep disorder, I've been up roaming, checking stuff obsessively, and eating, so I guess those type of side effects wouldn't be anything new. I also have sporadic memory loss already. Hopefully I won't get up and seduce the whole neighborhood or drive to Super Walmart and buy knitting needles. Maybe I'll go ahead and trust my doctor and give it a shot.

 

[LadynStFreknBed]

I did take Ambien for awhile. I was able to sleep, although I have a disorder that causes nightmares. The nightmares continued, even though I couldn't remember them. I was told that I would yell out, "No!" several times during the night. I didn't like the thought of having nightmares and not being able to wake up, so I stopped taking it. My sleep is still a problem, but I am trying behavioral changes before resorting to medication again.

 

[petes478]

I had a period of time where i couldn't fall asleep, or if i did, i would wake up an hour later wide awake. It really sucked. I asked my doctor for some type of sleeping pill and I tried many, including Dalmane, Halcion, Chloral Hydrate,
etc. none of them worked. Then he gave me Ambien, and it worked great. There were no side effects. i slept soundly through the night. I heartily endorse it. Good luck-I hope it works as well for you.

I have this nasty sleep disorder that's part of a larger illness and my doctor perscribed Ambien. He wants to try and "jump start" my sleep cycle. Has anybody ever taken this and had good results? The list of possible side effects kind of freaks me out. I am not a big fan of drugs in general. So, am I gonna be sleep-gambling or sleep-driving/cooking or is it worth the risk????