Becks Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Pdoc prescribed me 10mg of of Ambien (Zolpidem Tartrate) to help with my sleep issues. I was on Seroquel but due to experiencing some crazy side effects, I am no longer able to use it. So, I'm wondering, what to expect?? Tips, advice, stories? Am I going to wake up drugged and if so does that feeling go away?? Thanks everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weordmyndum Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 One big thing to watch for with Ambien is weird parasomnias. Most of them are fairly innocuous, but there was a news story a few years back where a Congressman drove to the Capitol in the middle of the night because he thought he had to vote on something. He had a wreck, and there was something of a scandal with accusations that he was driving drunk. I dated a guy who'd eat all kinds of weird stuff while on Ambien--entire sticks of butter, uncooked pasta, etc. When I took it, I didn't have any issues with parasomnias. I did have morning hangovers, but that may just have been because I still wasn't sleeping much/well even with the Ambien. Hope it works for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saoirse Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Ambien can be well, interesting. Some people do WEIRD shit on ambien and never remember it. Others abuse it because it can be fun recreationally. But in my experience, it can really be helpful. I hope it works for you! I never woke up feeling drugged on ambien but I have a high tolerance to sedatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dedoubt Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 As stated, it can cause people to do weird things. I had to stop taking it because I was getting up and doing things instead of sleeping (with no memory of it). It seems that most people don't have that happen, and it works pretty well for sleep. When I did sleep, it worked very fast (you should take it while actually in bed) and I usually got between 5-7 hours of sleep. I get hangovers from pretty much everything, and did from Ambien, but not bad ones. Just feeling kind of groggy for a few hours. Sweet dreams! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becks Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 Thanks everyone! I put Hubs on alert just incase I start doing funky things during the night. He promised to sleep with the car keys hidden I imagine I'll have to play around with the dosage times a little before I know how much sleep I'll actually get/need on this. I'm aiming for an 11pm to 7am or 8am approach. Wish me luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saoirse Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Good luck! Tell us how it goes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Culla Holme Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Faithful customer since 93. The makers of Ambien deserve the Noble Prize. It works fast, so take it and go straight to bed. It doesn't stay in your system long, which means you won't be getting a hangover. 5 milligrams can be effective. The Today Show recently had a deliciously foolish segment on it. Ambien users have a significantly increased mortality rate. Matt Lauer, himself a user, was shocked. Not discussed was the obvious cause, that people with sleeping disorders have the higher rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becks Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 So......after my first night, Ambien worked pretty good for me. It took me about an hour to fall asleep. I couldn't get comfortable in bed, so I moved myself to the couch. Then the bathroom light was bothering me so I had to get up and shut the door (we leave it on because there's way too many kids getting up in the middle of the night to go) and then......I settled in and fell asleep. I heard my 10 year old moving around, so I got up to check on him and went right back to bed. My 3 year old woke me at 6am, crawled up on the couch next to me and snuggled with me while she watched Noggin. The alarm went off at 7am for my 10 year old and I was awake enough to wake him up. Finally crawled off the couch around 8am and I feel good, no hangover! So far (and of course it's only my first night) I'm relatively happy with it. It didn't work as quickly as I expected, but once it did, I did sleep good and I was still able to hear the kids enough to know if they needed me or not. Something that I was totally incapable of when taking the Seroquel. On to night 2! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saoirse Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Glad it worked for you! And glad that you didn't do anything bizarre under the influence! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Love Ambien. Only sleep med I've ever used that actually works. I've been on it for five years straight and have not developed a tolerance to it (although I've always needed to augment it with some Seroquel IR). One note of caution-no, two: DO NOT DRINK if you're taking it, and do not plan to stay up and "just get a couple more things done." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becks Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share Posted March 10, 2012 Nope! Nothing bizarre, at least not yet! Gearhead ~ Thanks for the tips! No worries about the drinking, since starting psych meds I've only had 1 drink in the last 10 months. As I've gotten older, my stomach just can't handle it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epheneh Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 The worst I experienced was on my first use, when i texted a friend and said something to the tune of 'woah suddenly i'm tripping balls' (had mild mushroomy-like visuals, much to my surprise) and i think i made another weird one to my therapist. Past that, nothing that seemed 'out of control.' I actually tended to do productive things like return emails (coherently) and other little 'bah i'll do it later' type stuff. This only lasts for about 20-30 mins, tops, before the sleep takes over. However, as I posted in the 'generics suck' thread, I have none of these issues now. I also don't sleep. I think I'm going to start harassing and threatening the generic manufacturers until they offer some proof that their drugs aren't garbage. Like send them to an independent lab and fork out some cash for the real thing as a comparison. That's in between my FDA contact attempts- go figure, they'e not returning my calls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
december_brigette Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Im glad you had a successful first night. And I hope it continues that way. My issues were that I would wake up in the middle of the night to go potty, I was fully aware, but my eyesight was doing some really bizarre stuff. I also had hangovers from hell. And when I took it - like I mentioned to you - I had to be in bed, in my sleep position, with nothing else to do because it pimp slapped me to sleep. For some its not so good, for others its the best thing. I wish for you best things with ambien. xoxo, db Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becks Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 Thanks db! Last night I took it and within 30 mins I was out, but then my 3 and 5 year olds woke me up sometime around 4am and I had a tough time getting back to sleep. Then I konked out until Hubs woke me at almost 11am!! i'm hoping once these dental issues go away, so will my sleep issues! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I tried Ambien, and I will NEVER go on it ever again. Not even one pill. It erased whole days ... everything I said/did was completely forgotten the next; no recollection. It also caused me to sleep during the days a lot. I guess this med wasnt' for me because others I know swear by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyheart19 Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 My biggest advice for Ambien is that you should either be in bed right after taking it or be starting to wind down for the night. I found that if I stayed awake after taking it and kept my brain stimulated (watching TV, doing homework, talking on the phone) then I would start doing really goofy things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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