ZoeGurl Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 I have been taking 50mgs of Vistaril every night for quite sometime to sleep, but it has recently quit working. So I tried Lunesta, which was a complete piece of crap, and am now on Ambien. Anyway, this is my question: I notice that Valium and Ambien both affect GABA receptors, so is it safe to take them together to help me calm down and sleep at night? Just wondering, because Lunesta also affects GABA receptors, and so when I was given Lunesta to try, I asked the pharmacist if it was safe to take it with Valium. He immediately said "NO". But then when the Lunesta didn't work, and I was prescribed Ambien, I then asked the pharmacist (a different pharmacist was on duty that day, so I don't know if this was just a difference of opinion?) if Ambien could be taken with Valium, and she said that she didn't see how it could seriously interact, only that it might cause excessive drowsiness, but otherwise she didn't see a big problem with it. But if both Lunesta and Ambien affect GABA receptors, why would one be safe to take with Valium, and the other not? Hopefully this made sense..... lol. Also, if Ambien and Valium are safe to take together, does anyone know the maximum dose that could be taken of each, when taken in combination? I take 10mgs of Ambien, and have also been prescribed the 10mg pills of Valium. Should I break that valium in half? Or can I take the whole thing? Well, thanks in advance guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 This is from https://www.aidsmeds.com/cmm/DrugsNewContent.asp: Moderate Drug-Drug Interaction: Valium (diazepam) and Ambien (zolpidem) MONITOR: Central nervous system- and/or respiratory-depressant effects may be additively or synergistically increased in patients taking multiple drugs that cause these effects, especially in elderly or debilitated patients. MANAGEMENT: During concomitant use of these drugs, patients should be monitored for potentially excessive or prolonged CNS and respiratory depression. Ambulatory patients should be made aware of the possibility of additive CNS effects (e.g., drowsiness, dizziness, lightheadedness, confusion) and counseled to avoid activities requiring mental alertness until they know how these agents affect them. Patients should also be advised to notify their physician if they experience excessive or prolonged CNS effects that interfere with their normal activities. I know I'm not the only one here taking a benzo (Xanax XR, in my case) and Ambien. And I'm not the only one on Ambien who was sorely disappointed with Lunesta. Did the same doctor prescribe both medications? If not, you should make sure they both know all the meds you are taking and you should follow their recommendations regarding dosing. For most people 5-10 mg of Ambien is powerful enough to induce sleep. They key is going to bed immediately after taking it - no TV, no reading, etc. It kicks in in about 15-20 minutes and if you don't give in to the sleepiness, it can make you really wired. I'm not sure why, but I can't take immediate release Xanax and Ambien at the same time - it makes me hallucinate and groggy/hungover the next day. I don't have this problem with Xanax XR. Hope this helps! Sunshine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiaB Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 I have taken 10-15mg of valium and 20mg of ambien at the same time before to make my head shut up enough to get to sleep. Sunshine is right though, the max ambien dose for most people is usually 10mg. You don't say why you were prescribed the valium or if (as sunshine asked above) the scripts were given to you by the same doctor. Were they specifically given to you to use in combination for sleep? If so, I wouldn't worry, just make sure you're in bed when you take them because the effect might be pretty heavy (unless you're already habituated to the meds). If not, I'd be careful and take the valium only if your anxiety is starting to peak before going to bed. Try the ambien on its own first - it is a pretty good drug; possibly the best I have ever taken for my insomnia. It puts you to sleep for 4-5 hours and doesn't have a nasty hangover effect. If you do wake up in the middle of the night and know that you can be in bed for another 4-5 hours, then it's safe to take another 5-10mg. The big danger thing with ambien is not going to bed immediately after you've taken it. People (I include myself among them) have reported blackouts - waking up with bruises when they can't remember falling, discovering that they wrote emails or made phonecalls and can't recall doing either, etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirMarshall Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 Hi Zoegurl. The medcheckers will give the basic safety info on drugs. Another site I use is: http://www.drugs.com/xq/cfm/pageID_1150/int_0/qx/index.htm The dosage questions are ones you should be asking your Pdoc. Don't go changing them without discussing first. Sorry, I have no valium experience. I have used Xanax XR 1mg and Ambien 10mg (up from 5mg originally). Now that I have gotten my sleep patterns more under control and generally doing much better, I rarely use the Xanax. When I do use Ambien I am cutting it in halfs (5mg) or thirds. It does build up tolerance after while, and with occasional use I don't need to full dose. It makes me groggy the next day. Good luck. BTW, I had a long post 2 days ago with sleep hygiene tips. http://www.crazyboards.org/index.php?showt...l=sleep+hygiene A.M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiLi Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 Just a quick warning about Ambien- 10 mg of Ambien did not work for me so, being desparate for sleep, I tried 20 one night then 30 the next and ended up walking around the house like a drunk person, I don't remember it, but I do remember the trip to the emergency room because my Mom called the paramedics. They said it was ambien "intoxication." I also know someone else this happened to but at a much higher dose. So, I learned my lesson... Lili Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoeGurl Posted September 15, 2005 Author Share Posted September 15, 2005 Hey guys, Thanks for the replies. Lili, I'm so sorry to hear what happened to you! I'm very thankful that you are ok! In answer to your question about how my valium was prescribed, it just says to take up to three 10mg tabs daily. My doc didn't specify when to take them, just to take one when I'm feeling anxious. And I tend to feel the most anxious at night when trying to sleep, so that's why I wanted to take it with the Ambien for sleeping purposes. I have been taking 10mgs of Ambien, then when I wake up from that after about 5 hours, I take a valium, and it helps me to fall back asleep for a while. I do tend to feel extra drowsy in the morning, but not too bad. Well guys, thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyCat Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 ive taken those together tons of times no problaymo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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