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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Nala on April 18, 2003, at 6:17:43
I am having trouble with STAYING asleep with Ambien, 10mg. I wake up in the middle of the night & am unable to get back to sleep. I don't want to increase dose due to becoming futher addicted. I also take 2 mg klonopin around 6:30pm. I have a diagnosis of Bipolar II; thus the rest of my cocktail consists of: Effexor XR 75mg, adderall 5mg in am. I've tried Remeron and Serzone so those are not options for me. Does anyone know of a good sleep aid that works through the night without an unbearable hangover? Thanks in advance,
Nala
Posted by Otherworldly on April 18, 2003, at 9:34:16
In reply to Insomina with Ambien, HELP!, posted by Nala on April 18, 2003, at 6:17:43
>Dear Nala --
I also found that Ambien (15 mg.) would put me to sleep very nicely, but not keep me asleep. The solution for me was to take .5 mg. Xanax with the Ambien. The combination gave me a good night's sleep. I know it doesn't make sense, since Xanax, like Ambien, is a short-acting medication. But for whatever reason, the combo worked to give me a full 8 hours, with no hangover.
Good luck.
**************
I am having trouble with STAYING asleep with Ambien, 10mg. I wake up in the middle of the night & am unable to get back to sleep. I don't want to increase dose due to becoming futher addicted. I also take 2 mg klonopin around 6:30pm. I have a diagnosis of Bipolar II; thus the rest of my cocktail consists of: Effexor XR 75mg, adderall 5mg in am. I've tried Remeron and Serzone so those are not options for me. Does anyone know of a good sleep aid that works through the night without an unbearable hangover? Thanks in advance,
> Nala
Posted by sapphiredragon on April 18, 2003, at 9:41:16
In reply to Insomina with Ambien, HELP!, posted by Nala on April 18, 2003, at 6:17:43
Last year, I began having sleeping problems connected with menopausal hormone flux, my doctor prescribed estrogen/progesterone & this was extremely helpful.
Recently, though, in connection with severe stress (my son's suicidal depression & emergency hospitalization), I began having problems with waking in the middle of the night & being unable to get back to sleep. My doctor prescribed ambien. I have been using it on most nights during the last month and initially it really helped in getting a solid night of sleep.
Recently, however, I've been noting some side effects that I do not like.
For one, my dreaming patterns seemed to be changing: I would keep having the same dream motif or theme repeat over and over again during the entire night. Sort of obsessive-compulsive dreaming, you might say. Since I've never had this experience before, I think it might be from the ambien.
I also was finding that 10 mg of ambien was less effective and I was waking up again in the middle of the night. My doctor said it was okay to up the dosage to 15 or 20 mg, so I tried 15 mg and I was able to sleep through the night.
But, like you, I do not want to keep upping the dosage and create further drug dependency. I asked my doctor if it was okay to use melatonin along with the ambien. He said that was fine.
So, last night, I tried a combination of 1 mg fast-dissolving melatonin, 3 mg sustained-release melatonin, and 5 mg ambien. It worked well; I woke up feeling alert and refreshed. I am going to try and wean myself from the ambien gradually by using melatonin to induce (and sustain) sleep.
I'll post my continuing experience....
Posted by Janelle on April 18, 2003, at 17:47:00
In reply to Insomina with Ambien, HELP!, posted by Nala on April 18, 2003, at 6:17:43
I have heard (but don't have any direct experience) that OTC (Over-the-Counter) Antihistamines like Benadryl or even the generic drug store brand (e.g. Walhist from Walgreens) are very good sleep inducers.
Actually, I did try Benadryl once - it got me to sleep okay, but dried up my nasal passages and just left me with a dry feeling all over!
Another suggestion would be Restoril. I think it's a benzo, short-acting. I took it a few nights and it worked great - knocked me out and kept me out, but then it pooped out real soon, like not even a week into taking it.
Posted by Snoozy on April 18, 2003, at 20:13:44
In reply to Re: Insomina with Ambien, HELP! » Nala, posted by Janelle on April 18, 2003, at 17:47:00
I had the same problem of staying asleep with Ambien the few times I've taken it.
I do use Benadryl sometimes for help sleeping. If you're not used to it, it can be very sedating. The drowsiness really kicks in about an hour after you take it. I sometimes have allergy problems in spring and summer, so I'm not so bothered about dryness.
> I have heard (but don't have any direct experience) that OTC (Over-the-Counter) Antihistamines like Benadryl or even the generic drug store brand (e.g. Walhist from Walgreens) are very good sleep inducers.
>
> Actually, I did try Benadryl once - it got me to sleep okay, but dried up my nasal passages and just left me with a dry feeling all over!
>
> Another suggestion would be Restoril. I think it's a benzo, short-acting. I took it a few nights and it worked great - knocked me out and kept me out, but then it pooped out real soon, like not even a week into taking it.
Posted by Nala on April 19, 2003, at 16:14:16
In reply to Re: Insomina with Ambien, HELP!, posted by Otherworldly on April 18, 2003, at 9:34:16
> Otherworldy,
Thanks, I may see if my pdoc will approve this combo. I'm willing to try anything. I just hope my system hasn't built up an extreme tolerance to benzos. I've been on klonopin for years just recently increasing to 2 mg. Again, thanks!Nala
>Dear Nala --
>
> I also found that Ambien (15 mg.) would put me to sleep very nicely, but not keep me asleep. The solution for me was to take .5 mg. Xanax with the Ambien. The combination gave me a good night's sleep. I know it doesn't make sense, since Xanax, like Ambien, is a short-acting medication. But for whatever reason, the combo worked to give me a full 8 hours, with no hangover.
>
> Good luck.
>
> **************
> I am having trouble with STAYING asleep with Ambien, 10mg. I wake up in the middle of the night & am unable to get back to sleep. I don't want to increase dose due to becoming futher addicted. I also take 2 mg klonopin around 6:30pm. I have a diagnosis of Bipolar II; thus the rest of my cocktail consists of: Effexor XR 75mg, adderall 5mg in am. I've tried Remeron and Serzone so those are not options for me. Does anyone know of a good sleep aid that works through the night without an unbearable hangover? Thanks in advance,
> > Nala
>
>
Posted by Bill L on April 21, 2003, at 9:35:38
In reply to Insomina with Ambien, HELP!, posted by Nala on April 18, 2003, at 6:17:43
Have you tried just 5 mg Ambien? If 5 works, take 5 when you first go to sleep, and 5 more after you wake up (assuming you have at least 4 more hours before you have to wake up for work or school).
Posted by Murple on August 28, 2003, at 2:44:45
In reply to Insomina with Ambien, HELP!, posted by Nala on April 18, 2003, at 6:17:43
Right away I see you mention taking Adderall. If you're not aware of it already, this is amphetamines - in other words, speed. Adderall is a powerful stimulant drug and taking it on a regular basis could definately be contributing to insomnia. May want to consider this instead of blaming the Ambien, and discuss it with your doctor. Maybe something like Ritalin or Cylert, while also stimulants, may have less impact on your sleep.
> I am having trouble with STAYING asleep with Ambien, 10mg. I wake up in the middle of the night & am unable to get back to sleep. I don't want to increase dose due to becoming futher addicted. I also take 2 mg klonopin around 6:30pm. I have a diagnosis of Bipolar II; thus the rest of my cocktail consists of: Effexor XR 75mg, adderall 5mg in am. I've tried Remeron and Serzone so those are not options for me. Does anyone know of a good sleep aid that works through the night without an unbearable hangover? Thanks in advance,
> Nala
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