lilie Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 My doc says no more regular ambien because I had to take more and more to get to sleep and he said that I could possible get a seizure. I'm not finding that anywhere on the little packet. What gives? he gave me, after much trouble from blue cross the 12.5 in cr it works-if I take two lilie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirMarshall Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 I don't have a clue where your doctor is coming up with seizures as a risk. Below you can see the list of all reported CNS side effects, and seizures aren't among them. Benzo's like valium and klonopin are used to TREAT seizures. Ambien is not a benzo and has little or no antiseizure properties. However, this is not the same as increasing or promoting seizures, Further, if the med is a risk for seizures, I don't see how going to a controlled release form changes the chemical risk. Regular Ambien comes in 5mg and 10mg tabs. The CR from is 6.25mg and 12.5mg. So the CR form actually gives you more of the med. http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/zolpid_ad.htm : Central and peripheral nervous system: Frequent: ataxia, confusion, euphoria, insomnia, vertigo. Infrequent: agitation, decreased cognition, detached, difficulty concentrating, dysarthria, emotional lability, hallucination, hypoesthesia, illusion, leg cramps, migraine, paresthesia, sleeping (after daytime dosing), speech disorder, stupor, tremor. Rare: abnormal gait, abnormal thinking, aggressive reaction, apathy, appetite increased, decreased libido, delusion, dementia, depersonalization, dysphasia, feeling strange, hypokinesia, hypotonia, hysteria, intoxicated feeling, manic reaction, neuralgia, neuritis, neuropathy, neurosis, panic attacks, paresis, personality disorder, somnambulism, suicide attempts, tetany, yawning. Why did he change you? Regular Ambien probably helps fall asleep faster, but wears off during the night. Ambien CR may not be quite as rapid acting but should last longer. Are you prone to seizures? You'll have to ask your doctor to better explain his reasoning. a.m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilie Posted September 1, 2006 Author Share Posted September 1, 2006 he booted me from regular ambien because I went from 10 to 20 to 30 mgs without being able to sleep I'm not prone to seizures at least not that I'm aware of lilie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirMarshall Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 Ok, increasing dosage, no relief. 30mg is 3 times the maximum recommended dosage. I don't think this is one of those drugs that docs routinely exceed the recommendation. If it doesn't work as advertised commonly you move on to something else, of find something to add. Be sure your doc knows you are already doubling the CR dosage. Good luck, a.m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 Ambian is a benzo cousin. You have to take it at 10-20 times the dose needed for sleep for it to have an anti-convulsant effect, but it does effect your seizure threshold. The seizure risk would not be when you take it but when it wears off. As the CR tapers off more gradually, this would be less of a problem. A hangover also increases your seizure risk. So do lots of things. It sounds like he's worried about somthing else and is using the seizure thing to scare you. That said, I'm willing to bet he got his info from the drug company sales reps who don't want you buying the now generic regular ambian. He's the doc though, so he's got the keys. Whatcha gonna do eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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