I'm excited cause my doc prescribed me Ambien, but also nervous

[kellyt]

I saw my post tx neph today and discussed with him taking something to help me with anxiety, worry, etc.  After talking a bit we decided my horrible sleep habits are probably the result of my  mental breakdowns during the day.  lol    Most of you know we owned and worked a security business since 2008 that had me up working 10p to 6a watching security cameras.  Well, we sold that business in January and it appears my body is just refusing to switch gears and sleep at night.  I'm not a big daytime napper, either.  I'm just not good at it.  I am usally "in bed" for 7-8 hours a night, but I'm not sleeping consistently sometimes waking up 4-5 times a night.  I wake up in the morning feeling like I only slept 30 minutes.  I'm not dreaming anymore, so I don't think I'm going into REM either.

Anyway,  any advice from any of you who have taken Ambien (I'm getting the generic 10 mg).  I'm waiting to take it until my husband gets home from working out of town on Friday.  I don't want to take it for the first time home alone because I've heard and read about all the possible crazy side effects.

But I'm excited about possibly changing my internal clock back to normal and having enough energy during the day to exercise and get more done.

[MooseMom]

I took Ambien for a while, and I didn't haven't any weird side effects, at least not any weird enough to appear on the evening news.

I found it to be effective for about a year, and then it just stopped working for me.  I've also taken Lunesta, and the same thing happened.  I'm now taking generic temazepam, and it works OK.  I think I just fell back into a more normal sleep pattern.  I probably don't need it anymore, but it's cheap, so I keep taking it because I don't want to faff about with my sleep pattern.

I am hoping that the Ambien will maybe reset your clock and allow you to get into a healthier sleep pattern.  Poor sleep patterns are brutal on your body and mind, and I believe that no one will ever get any better in any way as long as they are not sleeping well.  If you are worried about bizarre side effects, then yes, do make sure your husband is home before you start taking it.  I didn't have a problem with it at all, and I hope you won't, either.

[Chris]

I took Ambien, but it dd not help me one bit even at a higher dose. I was then given Prosom and that helps with sleep. I barely dream unless I sleep way to much (more than 12 hours)owever with latest health since the beginning on October 2011 I haven't had much insomnia and now miss it. Kinda miss only sleeping 3 hours and rushing off to do things.
 
So if Ambien does not work, there is something else to try, but make sure it is ok with meds from the transplant center.

[okarol]

I recall seeing this news report (I am pretty sure is was not regular Ambien, but Ambien CR):
...............................................................
Sleep researchers have discovered that nocturnal eating may be a side effect of the popular sleep medication, Ambien.

That comes on the heels of reports that some Ambien users may drive while sleeping.

The medical director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center in Minneapolis, said, "We've had people eat very inappropriate things that they would never eat while awake. Some example would be buttered cigarettes, salt sandwiches, raw bacon."

And sleep-binging could leave its mark – on waistlines.

"I put on over 100 pounds since I've been on Ambien," says Brenda Pobre, who couldn't figure out why she was gaining so much weight.

"I would wake up in the morning and there would be candy wrappers all around the bed," she says. "There would be crumbs in the bed. There would be all kinds of evidence that someone had been eating in the bed. But I had absolutely no recollection of it."

Her sons stayed up to watch her, afraid she would injure herself.
...............................................................

[cariad]

Whoa, Karol, those are strange reactions. I took it before my first son was born to get me to sleep in hospital waiting to go into labor. I don't know that it worked, but I was very anxious, and I did manage some sleep, so probably helped.

Ambien CR helped me through one of the most difficult periods of my life, when I came off morphine and ativan, had not been able to eat for 10 days, and had brutal, brutal acathisia. I was unable to fall asleep and wandered around the house all night. I finally got an ambien prescription and was able to sleep 5 hours for the first few nights I took it. Gradually that increased and I took myself off it. No sleep eating or driving! Just sleep.

I would recommend that you take seriously the caution to make sure you have 8 full hours to sleep when using it, and I think it's always a good idea to have another person around when taking a new med. I was trapped on a flight to Africa when some idiot took ambien for the first time and then became quite ill and they had to ask if there was a medical professional on board. These were all college-age missionaries, so the drama queen factor was high, but she was quite nauseated. (I got to hear the symptoms because the only medical person on board was the ER nurse sitting next to me.)  The fact that she could not lie down and get proper sleep was what probably sent everything pear-shaped for her.

[jeannea]

I took Ambien once. I slept for 14 hours and then was hung over for about 1 1/2 days. But I tend to have that kind of overreaction. I don't think I did anything strange like the sleep eating.

[conchman]

Not sure if it was from the slighlty more than average "recreational" drug use in my late teens/early twenties, but I have used Ambien in the past (not CR) and it really does not do much for me.  I think everyone's reaction will be different.  I can take it and wake up 2 hours later, wide awake.  Still, use with caution and be aware that anything like this could be addicting.  I tried to only use it once a week, for one night of decent sleep when I worked 3rds, they say you get used to the schedule, I never did.  Finally got a new job, that fixed the sleep issue...

[malaka]

Hasn't anybody told MooseMom why this story appeared in the Chicago media?  Doesn't she know she's famous? 

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpps/news/offbeat/woman-told-not-to-smoke-at-denver-airport-strips-naked-dpgonc-20120411-fc_19072137

 

[MooseMom]

That was NOT me!  I do not smoke.

[Chris]

Maybe I need to take plain Ambien so I can sleep eat to gain weight?    Chocolate diet hasn't helped, this could be a winner then! 
 
I did not hear that in the local news malaka

[kellyt]

Thanks everyone.  And, Karol, those side effects are exactly what I read about when I googled side effects.  I've also been told of people making phone calls and texting that they don't remember, too.  lol  My instructions are to take it for 3-4 nights and then stop for a while.  I don't have a problem going to sleep, but I have a problem staying asleep.  And most nights I just can't fall asleep until 2a and I still wake up multiple times in the night.  I don't think I ever sleep more than 4 hours in a row.  When I wake up I generally can fall back asleep, but i will wake up again and again every hour or so.

This should be a permanent med for me, just to get my clock back on track.  I'll let you all know how it works for me.  I hope it works!

[Sax-O-Trix]

I'd pee the bed if I took a sleep aid, lol.  Good luck with the Ambien!