Anyone take Ambien or other Rx Med to Sleep?

I was just curious if anyone else is on Ambien or has taken Ambien to aid with sleep. I have taken it (10mg) on and off now for 3 years. I was just wondering what some other experiences were and thoughts on it.

And, what the sleep med alternatives are, and what their results are like...for more than a 7 day stretch.

I have tried Tylenol PM, Valerian Root, just about every type OTC, etc. and nothing has worked. Ambien was the 1st Rx sleep med I've tried and it worked great and still does...I was just wondering what all else was out there.

Thx in advance...

i am post-op 7 days and ambien has been the only thing that helps me sleep. it works wonders!

I have been on abien off and on now for over a year. It is the only ting prescribed or OTC that seems to work for me. I am only taking 5mg. I only use it if i have not slept in over 3 nights to try and break the cycle. I don't know what I would do without it.

I used ambien for a few days when I couldn't sleep at all... I don't like the idea because it's habit forming and also you can build a tolerance to it. My DR switched me to trazodone (50mg, which is a very low dose) to help me retrain myself to sleep... I was supposed to take it every night for a month, but after 2 weeks I realized I'd forgotten to take it a couple of times and was still getting to sleep.

These days I supplement with 5-HTP (hydroxytryptophan) and have been sleeping relatively OK. L-tryptophan is the stuff in turkey that makes your DH's and DBF's fall asleep after Thanksgiving dinner while you're still doing the dishes .... it used to be available but now is banned in the US because a tainted batch came in from Asia. 5-HTP is available OTC at health food stores and it converts to L-tryptophan in the body.

I also drink Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra tea sometimes at night (contains Valerian).

Another thing that can really help with sleep is getting your estrogen balanced. And, some ladies find that adding a little progesterone in the evening can help (I wasn't one of them though).

Hope this helps!
s,
-Linda

Gosh, this is something I'll have to investigate myself. I often have the hardest time getting to sleep - and then, I wake up completely NOT refreshed.

I'm not sure this is hormone related or not (I seem to have a complete overabundance of something going on...hairier body/face, zits...hmmmm), but I've been trying the "nighttime" anti-histamines which are available OTC, to try and aid sleepy time.

They do help, occasionally - but they also leave me stuffy headed the next day, and very dry in the nasal/oral mucus sense. Having said that, I'm also taking care of my husband atm who is on disability for an injured back - it could be completely stress-related

Not to worry - I do have buckets of chamomile tea, and other herbal teas to help.
Best of luck finding something that suits you, with the least side effects...I might have to have a chat with my doc, at some point

s and best wishes

Tess

I realize building up a tolerance is one thing to consider. Depending on the stress factors in my life, I'll try to only take it every few days, and not take it at all if I don't have to work the next day. My previous OB-GYN prescribes me 30 days of Ambien at a time and they usually last 3 months. My current GYN only prescribes me 5 pills at a time. So, it just made me wonder what reservations he had, since I NEVER can get him on the phone to ask.

I'll have to check out Trazadone.

I am just a VERY light sleeper and my dh works very mixed up hours as he is a truck driver, and when he is home, which is 90% of the time, he talks & walks in his sleep, snores, jerks about, you name it. Sometimes he has to go out on loads at 2am in the morning and we have to go to bed at 8-9pm so he can get enough sleep...I have to take an Ambien to even get to sleep on those nights. So, anyway, I had taken Ambien for about the last 1.5 months straight pretty much and went 3 nights in a row this past weekend without taking any and I fell asleep after an hour or so; but the sleep was restless and I was very tired each day the entire next day.

Anyway, I'll quit rambling now...thanks again for your comments and for listening!

I've been on Ambien 10mg for over a year. Orig. started it cuz of my back and leg problems. Three back surg and the pain is still there. Nerve damage. Even with the ambien I sometimes have nights that it wont work. Doc had to do something cuz I was getting 2-4 hours of sleep a night. Only thing I didn't like was the hallucinations (sp) I would get in the beg. Things that don't normally move do. Happens only once in a while now. Now my s/o takes them also. It zonks him out real quick. Looks like he's had one too many to drink. I tried a couple weeks without. Won't do that again! It's been a real plus now after TAH.

I must be the only one.
I had my surgery 1-13 and I am still only getting 2-4 hrs broken sleep. I called my DR at wk 2 because I was having headachs and really I feel like I have ADD or something with no sleep. I have a very sensititive system and begining to think I am not a pill person at all. My DR gave me 5 ambein. I was really scared to take them. I wanted sleep so bad that I cut one in half. As I was laying trying to fall asleep I felt my breathing patteren begin to change and I think it scared more than I thought, becasue the next day I wore my carpet out walking back and forth with upset tummy. I think mybe I might try some of the teas in this thread has to be much eaisier for this little worrier. LOL
Hugs and smiles!!
Pluie

hi, i've had insomnia for 10yrs..I've been off and on
ambien for about 8 of those years. My problem got
worse after my surgery. I had been on ambien for
7months, and felt awful. I would get anywhere from
4-6hours sleep, never the 7 or 8 they claim it will
give you. I knew the "awful' brain fog I had was from
the ambien. But what do you do? I read about
trazadone here on this site. This has been a GOD
send for me. I think in the last month I've only
had to take ambien 3 times. The trazadone works
wonders! I now sleep 8 hours a night, and its a deep
sleep. This has really helped in my recovery. The
future looks good now. I know I just replaced one
drug with another, but the results have been great.
I may never sleep normally again, doctors have no
clue what causes it, so I have to get it the best
way that I can. Hope you find a solution soon, this
is such a miserable problem..., sharon

Hello rincess:es:

For the first 2 weeks after my TAH, I did not sleep more than 2-3 hours a night. Spoke w/ at 2 wk post op. She prescribed Ambien(14 day supply, 10mg). I was afraid to take it. But a week later I couldn't take myself any longer. I was mean and irritable and sleepy. So I broke one in half and .....Wow did I feel great the next day. I slept for 9 hours. I then realized that I have been sleep deprived for years. I need at least 8 hours of sleep. I was used to just getting 4-6 each night. Could not sleep longer than that. Now I make sure I walk 30 minutes a day and I sleep like a baby each night!!!! Boy do I feel good!!! :Celebrate: