Ambien

[Jed]

Hi Guys ,
I am back again with another question. Just had a visit with my cardio about my recovery. I am not happy with my progresion but i do tend to set my goals high. The reasons for my unhappiness is that i am having trouble sleeping, shortness of breath and tightness in my chest at times. I feel like i have plateaud(sp). My incision is doing great but my overall fitness not where i would like it to be. I don't expect to be back to normal but i was hoping for better. Anyway addressing my sleeplessness my cardio has just put me on Ambien. I have read on here from several people about Ambien being addictive but my cardio said it wasn't. Can anyone clear that up for me? I want and need sleep but i don't want new troubles to acheive it. Thanks in advance for your help, Jed

 

[Harrybaby666]

Hi Jed...

Hi Jed...

I hope your recovery keeps going full speed ahead for you...even though I haven't had surgery yet, I have had other surgeries and I know what it's like not to be able to sleep...

Let me tell you this...a couple of years ago, when I found out that my father was needing a heart transplant, I couldn't sleep for 3 weeks straight, and I asked my Dr. for some sleeping pills to help me get through it....I took 1 ambien every night, and I never once felt like I was going to be addicted to it..I hope this helps you get the rest that you deserve and need. If I can help you in any other way, please feel free to pm me. Take Care, Harrybaby666

 

[geebee]

I took Ambien for a few weeks also after my mother died. I wasn't able to "turn off my head" when trying to sleep and Ambien worked very well. I was able to stop it after about 3 weeks and got back on a regular sleep schedule without it and never felt like I needed it again.
Of course, everyone is different and there can be dependency on medication that is not actual physical addiction. As with any medication you should stop it as soon as you can sleep on your own. It works very fast so you can try almost every night to sleep on your own and only take it when you cannot get to sleep.
Hope this helps.
Smiles,
Gina

 

[Harpoon]

I think, more or less, any sleep aid is considered "addictive" in that it is possible for most people to develope an addiction to it....


I was given Ambien a few times while I was in the hospital after my vave replacement but it didn't seem to help much. The nurses has warned me against possible addiction and stopped giving it to me after a few nights.

 

[Karlynn]

I don't recall which member it is, but there is one that felt they were somewhat addicted to Ambien. They had taken it for quite a while, more than 6 months. But they were able to get off of it.

I think you can get used to taking something on a nightly basis and have a hard time not taking it because mentally you fear not being able to sleep if you don't take it. Then there is true physical addiction - which I don't think Ambien has been shown to cause. True addictive drugs cause physical reactions when 'withdrawing'.

I have an Ambien prescription and I use it when I have an important day the next day and just can't sleep the night before. I would psych myself out worrying about how horrible I'd feel and worry about getting through the day on no sleep. And I wouldn't be able to sleep. Ambien does a nice job of letting me drift off to sleep.

Maybe you'll find that worry over not getting enough sleep is causing you to be more sleepless. If this is the case you may find that just having the Ambien around to take if you need it will give you the security to relax and fall asleep.

Right now, I certainly wouldn't worry about having to wean off of it should you come to depend on it. You need your sleep in order to heal properly.

 

[Glenda]

I have been on Ambien for over three years. (off and on, mostly on) I asked the doctor about it and he said not to worry about it. I need my sleep. If I don't take the Ambien I'm awake all night. My mind just won't shut down. Believe me I've tried not taking it for a week at a time and I don't sleep at all, even during the day. The doctor feels it's the less of two evils. I have to have my sleep to keep well, otherwise my immune system gets down and I catch eveything. Also it works well along with my leukemia which cause me muscle and joint pain the majority of the time. At least when I sleep my pain stops for at least six hours. That's all I can get out of it. I've tried everything but nothing helps like Ambien. It's very costly even with my co-pay so I wish there was something else.

 

[Yaps]

I was given ambien

I was given ambien

everytime in hospital, I personally do not like it, after falling asleep ..Im awakened for b/p bloodwork..etc.. couldnt fall back asleep.
Lorazepam is what I take now in emergencies, I can fall back asleep with it..just me I guess.Love Yaps

 

[Karlynn]

I don't know why they give Ambien in the hospital. It's directions say you aren't supposed to take it unless you can get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. No one interrupts sleep more than hospital personnel.

I still take it, even if I know I'm only going to get 6 or 7. I've found no problems in waking and staying awake after that.

 

[Johnny Stephens]

The potential for Ambien to be habit-forming is called out in its entry on Medline: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a693025.html

I have taken it post-surgery for occasional sleepless times, never more than once a week. Works amazingly quickly - I usually am not even aware of being drowsy, I just fall asleep.

They gave me lots of Benadryl in the hospital and it didn't work at all.

 

[Spring]

Ambien

Maybe addictive is too strong a word for the effects of Ambien, but I surely found it to be habit forming. If you read the info, it's a hypnotic type drug designed to help you fall asleep quickly, so coordinate your intake with your readiness for sleep. It was given to me after heart valve surgery, and I was not informed that it is designed to be most effective for short time use.

After several months, Ambien lost its effectiveness for me and a period of insomnia followed. That was a difficult time. I decided mind over matter had to kick in, and in time it did. So many of the frustrating issues for me following the surgery had nothing to do with the incision and healing, but when they appeared unexpectedly, I had a hard time waiting it out. Most of those issues took care of themselves in time. Don't give up.

Recent news reports tell of FDA approval for Lunesta manufactured by Sepracor. Researchers say that Lunesta may be taken for up to 12 months without losing its effectiveness or causing rebound insomnia when the drug is stopped. Don't know when it will hit the market.

In the meantime, once you break the cycle of insomnia, I like the advice of most of the others who use Ambien only occasionally. There are always exceptions.

If I have made it through this adventure at age 79, you can as well. Spring