Posted by owensmar on August 27, 2004, at 20:35:43
In reply to Ambien or Ativan?, posted by Minnie-Haha on August 23, 2004, at 19:19:13
> Info out there on whether or not Ambien or Ativan is the lesser of two evils for someone who is suffering from long-term anxiety and depression with insomnia (or insomnia with anxiety and depression? Sometimes this seems like one of those chicken-or-egg problems.)
>
Please don't begin taking Ativan on an every night basis for insomnia. I got myself into terrible trouble that way. I didn't realize at first I was addicted but over the years, I kept having to increase the dose and increase the dose and the insomnia kept getting worse so I'd increase the dose again and still not be able to sleep. When I finally stopped it in 1986, I went through hell. It was months before I didn't startle at small noises. For weeks, I barely slept at all. For the first week or so, I thought I was dying. It was a horrible withdrawal. Admittedly I was on it for nine years and quit cold turkey.I guess my point is just that you build tolerance to it pretty quickly and withdrawal is really bad.
Marsha
poster:owensmar
thread:381490
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040825/msgs/383159.html