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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Gerry S. on June 19, 2001, at 13:41:06
I have been taking 20mg of ambien nighly for about a year. In the past few months I have had tremendous daytime anxiety, which I thought was due to AD's I was starting (and stopping). Could it be long-term use of ambien?
Posted by Wendy B. on June 20, 2001, at 10:09:58
In reply to Long-term use of Ambien and daytime anxiety, posted by Gerry S. on June 19, 2001, at 13:41:06
> I have been taking 20mg of ambien nighly for about a year. In the past few months I have had tremendous daytime anxiety, which I thought was due to AD's I was starting (and stopping). Could it be long-term use of ambien?
Hi Gerry,
Yes, it could, just from my experience. Two friends of mine were on Ambien for insomnia, one was using it as needed, but felt catatonically depressed during the daytime, worse than he had ever been. The other friend was pretty much addicted to it. When I asked my therapist about both of them she said one of its side-effects was daytime depression (maybe also anxiety?), and that the addictive quality of the drug was a problem!
Your going on and off anti-depressants may have had an impact on the anxiety, but you should keep trying the anti-deoressants. There are a lot out there, and one of them might work for you.
Anyway, my therapist advised me to tell both of them to get off it. Talk to you doctor about other remedies for insomnia... (benzos, perhaps) and when you go off it, do not go cold turkey, you have to taper, and perhaps add an anti-anxiety agent like xanax as you taper. The doctor may or may not know about tapering off Ambien, but it's important for someone like you who's taken it for a fairly long time.Good luck!
Wendy
Posted by manowar on June 20, 2001, at 12:09:37
In reply to Re: Long-term use of Ambien and daytime anxiety » Gerry S., posted by Wendy B. on June 20, 2001, at 10:09:58
Hi Wendy,
My pdoc told me that ambien was the only sleep med that was non-addictive. No?
Posted by kid_A on June 20, 2001, at 12:20:33
In reply to Re: Long-term use of Ambien and daytime anxiety, posted by manowar on June 20, 2001, at 12:09:37
> Hi Wendy,
> My pdoc told me that ambien was the only sleep med that was non-addictive. No?I was specifically warned by my pharmacist that it is addictive... My pdoc said nothing about this, but then again, I may or may not be taking it for that long anyways...
Posted by kid_A on June 20, 2001, at 15:42:11
In reply to Re: Long-term use of Ambien and daytime anxiety, posted by manowar on June 20, 2001, at 12:09:37
heres another good quote:
"Do not stop taking zolpidem (Ambien) suddenly if you have been taking it for several weeks. This may cause withdrawal symptoms and make you uncomfortable. Talk to your doctor if you need to stop treatment with zolpidem."
...sounds addicting to me.
Posted by manowar on June 20, 2001, at 16:16:43
In reply to Re: Long-term use of Ambien and daytime anxiety » manowar, posted by kid_A on June 20, 2001, at 15:42:11
A non-addictive sleep med. I thought it sounded too good to be true.
Posted by Wendy B. on June 20, 2001, at 16:51:21
In reply to Re: Long-term use of Ambien and daytime anxiety » kid_A, posted by manowar on June 20, 2001, at 16:16:43
> A non-addictive sleep med. I thought it sounded too good to be true.
Yeah - I'm pretty sure about what I said. Although you could use the search function in PsychoBabble or in Tips, and check yourself, if you want. Sometimes it makes you feel better to find out for yourself. But my therapist told me it is definitely addictive, just not on the same "schedule" as the benzodiazepines like Xanax, which need the scrip filled out in triplicate... Whay this is so, I cannot for the life of me tell.
So, sorry for the bad news, don't shoot the messenger, ok?
Keep on truckin'
Wendy
Posted by kid_A on June 20, 2001, at 17:44:21
In reply to Re: Long-term use of Ambien and daytime anxiety, posted by manowar on June 20, 2001, at 12:09:37
I don't even know if Ambien is intended for long term usage, or even day to day usage... At least that is what some of the information I have read has stated...You could try remeron, I know people who have had chronic insomia who sleep like babies on remeron, and they have been on it for a few years... It also has ad effects as well; which may be benefitial to you, I dont know... Insomnia -generally- is caused by some form of trauma that is better cured in combination w/ an ad.
Don't ask me if there are withdrawl symptoms if you stop... But I havent read anything to this effect...
Posted by susan C on June 22, 2001, at 17:20:02
In reply to Re: Long-term use of Ambien...why not try Remeron? » manowar, posted by kid_A on June 20, 2001, at 17:44:21
> I asked my pdoc multiple times if there was ANY problem with addiction with Ambien and he said, where did I read that and I said the paper with the meds and the internet, and he said, no he has a lot of patients who have used it and there is no reason to be concerned. Hrumph! It sure works well for me. (I forgot to take it one night and boy, I tossed and turned, got up wide eyed, all night) The first time I took it was the first time I had had a really good nights sleep for I dont know how long. What do you mean by "ad"?
> I don't even know if Ambien is intended for long term usage, or even day to day usage... At least that is what some of the information I have read has stated...
>
> You could try remeron, I know people who have had chronic insomia who sleep like babies on remeron, and they have been on it for a few years... It also has ad effects as well; which may be benefitial to you, I dont know... Insomnia -generally- is caused by some form of trauma that is better cured in combination w/ an ad.
>
> Don't ask me if there are withdrawl symptoms if you stop... But I havent read anything to this effect...
Posted by Elizabeth on June 25, 2001, at 6:07:45
In reply to Long-term use of Ambien and daytime anxiety, posted by Gerry S. on June 19, 2001, at 13:41:06
> I have been taking 20mg of ambien nighly for about a year. In the past few months I have had tremendous daytime anxiety, which I thought was due to AD's I was starting (and stopping). Could it be long-term use of ambien?
Rebound effects from Ambien are possible but extremely unlikely, especially since the daytime anxiety only started recently. I think the stop-and-go approach with ADs can lead to increased anxiety over time.
You might try stopping the Ambien under your doctor's supervision, and see whether the daytime anxiety continues (although realise that this would be potentially confounded by sleep loss).
Alternatively you could switch to a longer acting sedative-hypnotic-anxiolytic that would continue helping some during the day (Klonopin or Tranxene might be a good choice).
-elizabeth
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