Anyone else using Ambien?

[sparrow]

I've been taking Ambien for a year and a half. I had insomnia since age 12 prior to that.

[Dixie_Amazon]

I have taken in the past. I quit because of the hangover effect, then again I can take a half dose of Benadryl at night and I am groggy until noon the next day.

A friend of mine takes it and it works like a charm for her. I guess it just depends on how you are wired.

[muffin47]

Hi Sparrow,
I have taken it before, but I would wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning and couldn't go back to sleep.....I've been taking Ativan for about 3 years, and I get a good nights sleep with it.

Deb

[livinginchaos]

I recently started taking Ambien, on an as needed basis.

Prior to this, i was taking trazedone, but I needed to be able to sleep for a full 8+ hours at a time when I took it and I usually don't sleep that much (unless it's a weekend).

So far, I like Ambien, but I've only taken it 3 times. I haven't been getting the wake up grogginess, nor the headache I would sometimes get w/ trazedone.

[ColoradoDawg]

Ambien works wonders for me... Not quite as well as Klonopin though. But to keep my tolerance down I switch off regularly. Pretty much as needed for me, but I dont want to over take two drugs that help me get restful sleep.

The strangest thing is that Adderall helps me sleep really well too. When I can break the insomnia rhythm, my doc's putting me back on a 20mg XR before bed. It has worked very well for me in the past, but I still find it odd... Oh well, gotta sleep huh?

[Marlene5]

I take half an Ambien and it works great. I am worried about being dependent on it, though. I also liked Sonata because it is so short-acting that you can take one at 3 am and feel good in the morning. I just don't want to get into multiple pills, though.

[oegboy]

I take Ambien on an as-needed basis. it works good but only if I try to go to sleep w/in the 1st 10 min afterwards, if not I just go on a little "trip"
I used to take trazadone and liked it a lot better tho because it made you sleepy, I have a hard time forcing myself to go to bed when I'm not even tired like I have to w/ Ambien
I wish I could get some Ativan or Klonopin, I know that would work great for me!

[ColoradoDawg]

Originally Posted by oegboy

I take Ambien on an as-needed basis. it works good but only if I try to go to sleep w/in the 1st 10 min afterwards, if not I just go on a little "trip"
I used to take trazadone and liked it a lot better tho because it made you sleepy, I have a hard time forcing myself to go to bed when I'm not even tired like I have to w/ Ambien
I wish I could get some Ativan or Klonopin, I know that would work great for me!

I personally wouldn't attempt to get klonopin or ativan if the ambien can work for ya, as the risk of addiction is not worth the chance imo. HOWEVER, since klonopin has such a long half life (up to 50 hrs in some people), the benifits of one dose can last for several days, as it does for me. I take 1 mg every 3-5 days, and have not had much sleeping problems since I started a month ago. Just my $.02 though...

[oegboy]

Originally Posted by ColoradoDawg

I personally wouldn't attempt to get klonopin or ativan if the ambien can work for ya, as the risk of addiction is not worth the chance imo. HOWEVER, since klonopin has such a long half life (up to 50 hrs in some people), the benifits of one dose can last for several days, as it does for me. I take 1 mg every 3-5 days, and have not had much sleeping problems since I started a month ago. Just my $.02 though...

I know... from my "wild days" in HS I know that I have a weakness for tranquilizers and any downers, but they make me sleep SOO good but I'm smart enough to realize that the potential negative side effects greatly outweigh the positive.

[netsavy006]

How likely is a person to suffer an alergic reaction to Ambien (in term's of a percentage (%))

[Tyboulder]

I've been taking ambien regularly for years and I've never heard of an alergic reaction. Just people complaining about feeling groggy the next day. That, and the weird stuff that happens when you stay up on that drug --> new post...

[bunny0271]

I've been taking Ambien for years and it used to work wonder, but within the past 6 months or so it is not so effective. It's depressing, I used to take a pill and fall right to sleep and sleep for a 4+ hours (that's a long time for me). Now I take a pill and toss and turn for a few hours. I'm going to a sleep clinic next month to see what they can do for me.