LoveToKnow Recovery:AllComments

From LoveToKnow Recovery

Comments

George,

Your wife's doctor may be giving her Seroquel to help her as she gets free from the effects of Ambien. I would suggest that you ask her doctor whether she will be prescribed any medications after being released from the treatment center and if she will be given follow-up care to lower the risk of her starting to use Ambien again.

Jodee Redmond LoveToKnow Editor

-- Contributed by: JC Redmond

My wife is currently in a treatment facility for ambien addiction. While her insomnia will continue to be a concern, her psychiatrist prescribed Seroquel, and it seems to be working. Should I be concerned that my wife may continue to be dependent on drugs in order to get a good night's sleep?

The ambien usage was pretty severe, culminating in a 94-pill binge in less then 2 weeks, combined with a steady intake of afternoon and evening alcohol. My wife's parents and I intervened, and my wife volunteered to seek assistance, ultimately deciding to go to an addictions facility, (she will be there for three weeks).

-- Contributed by: George

Sharon,

You are right. Aterax is not addictive.

Jodee Redmond LoveToKnow Editor

-- Contributed by: JC Redmond

I took =+- 6 per day, 3 in the afternoon and 3 at night. I got so hooked on stilnox that I landed in rehab for 3 weeks. Know I take aterax to sleep at night which I was told is not addictive?

-- Contributed by: Sharon

Alliyah,

Rather than stopping on your own, please see your doctor about this issue. You may need to go to a detox center to get off of it safely.

Jodee Redmond LoveToKnow Editor

-- Contributed by: JC Redmond

I've been taking this drug for a long time.it started of with one 5 mg per day now it's like 10 mg per day.It is driving me insane and I have been displaying bizarre behaviour changes, alot of acne, diarrohea.Help me get of this safety and help me sleep, if I come off this horrible drug

-- Contributed by: Alliyah

Stephanie,

Stopping the medication suddenly is not a safe way to get off of it. Please discuss your situation with your doctor. You may need to go to a treatment facility for medically-supervised detox.

Jodee Redmond LoveToKnow Editor

-- Contributed by: JC Redmond

I've been taking Ambien for a long time but first i started with Ambien CR and later started taking the regular Ambien. I want to get off of it safely and i need help!!!!

-- Contributed by: stephanie

Wendy,

It is possible that part of your problem with insomnia is inherited. I would suggest that you tell your doctor about the level of Ambien that you are taking and that you are waking up in the middle of the night. There may be a different medication you can take that will help you get more rest.

Jodee Redmond LoveToKnow Editor

-- Contributed by: JC Redmond

I have been using Ambien at Bedtime for several years. Last year I upped the amount to 20 mg. a night. Lately I'm finding that it isn't enough. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I take another 10 mg. I want to be able to get off this merry-go-round. How do I do that? I can't sleep without the ambien and if I don't sleep I get migraine headaches. I don't drink and I don't take other drugs except Supitriptans for my chronic migraines. My mother had insomnia. Could I have inherited it from her?

-- Contributed by: Wendy

Eileen,

You are talking about two issues here: your friend and yourself. Your friend can get services from a therapist or a treatment facility that offers services on a sliding scale. If you decide to approach him about his Ambien use, he may well get angry, and it may take more than one conversation to get the message across. He has to want to get help. If you are feeling threatened by his behavior, that may be a matter for the police to get involved in.

To talk to him about his Ambien use, start by saying what you have noticed about his behavior and tell him that you are concerned about him. Then wait for his response. If he seems interested in getting help, then you can offer to help him find a counselor. If he isn't responsive, then back off and try again at another time.

You already know that you are enabling him. Stop. Now. Put your meds in a secure location where he can't find them. If he becomes erratic or you feel threatened, then go somewhere safe. Practice saying No, and don't back down once you say it. If you feel that you need help doing this, you may want to see a counselor yourself or join a group like Nar-Anon to get some help.

Jodee Redmond LoveToKnow Editor

-- Contributed by: JC Redmond

I am an Ambien CR user myself, and it has worked fine for me at the prescribed dose, though at this point my concern is about a loved one. In the past year, I became involved with someone who also uses Ambien CR, and I've learned that he uses several different doctors and pharmacists to be able to take more than one per night. He's stolen my own Ambien pills for his own use (and lied at first when I asked him about it), so I had to hide my own meds from him. He finally started having me hide his own Ambien so I could regulate his dose, which didn't work long since he searched though my stuff to find it. He sometimes has binges of 8-10 per night, and his behavior becomes erratic and sometimes aggressive and scary when he is on high doses.

I know he needs professional help, but his resources are extremely limited since he was laid off and has no health insurance. I also don't know how to get through to him about my concerns without him becoming angry. He realizes that he has a problem, but I don't think he realizes how bad it is, and I think the addiction is making him belligerent.

I also need to escape the enabler role that I know I have allowed myself to take on, for my own mental health. I love him, but this is breaking me apart.

Any comments or advice you might have would be appreciated.

-- Contributed by: Eileen

Chuck,

You need to tell your doctor the dosage you are taking and level with him or about the alcohol use, too. The doctor can then recommend the appropriate course of action for you.

Jodee Redmond LoveToKnow Editor

-- Contributed by: JC Redmond

I take ambien 1/2 to 1/3 10mg dose with alcohol, for more than a year. It allows me to take smaller doses and achieve the desired sleep affect. I never take the whole 10 mg dose, but recently I am experiencing addictive symptoms, blackouts, amnesia, irregular sleeping even when dosed. The alcohol problem may be the greater of the evil. You mentioned not to discontinue the drug suddenly or without Dr. recommendation, but my dose is miniscule compared to others talking about their problems. An addiction counselor stated that I would not be weaned with another sedative as ambien does not necessarily carry physiological side affects, that maybe I was experiencing trying to wean off the alcohol concurrently was causing the withdrawl symptoms. Comment?

-- Contributed by: Chuck

Evelyn,

Your doctor or pharmacist can give you information about what to expect from the process. Please ask them what you can expect as you get weaned off the medication. Good luck.

Jodee Redmond LoveToKnow Editor

-- Contributed by: JC Redmond

Hi! My Doctor is helping me to get off of ambien by weaning. Right now I am taking 1 pill every 3 hoours. This is hard, and going to get harder. This is the end of the first day. Wish I knew what lay in store.....Yikes!

-- Contributed by: Evelyn

Hi Brian,

If you want to get help with your addiction to Ambien, you need to see a doctor. You may want to go back to the doctor who originally prescribed it. Do be honest with how and how many of them you are taking so that you can get appropriate treatment.

Jodee Redmond, LoveToKnow Editor

-- Contributed by: JC Redmond

ibeen on ambien for a few months a fews a friend of mind suggested i try snorting the the high is wonderful what i remember of it i always end up forgetting what a where i am and do stubid stuff for example i snorted my whole script last night an cant even remember am i junkie i tend to think so ever narc i get ususally go up my nose help

-- Contributed by: brian

Ted,

If you have questions about your medication, I would suggest that you contact a pharmacist or the doctor who prescribed it. If you took the medication as directed and it didn't help, you may want to ask your doctor if you should be trying a different type of drug to deal with your insomnia.

Jodee Redmond LoveToKnow Editor

-- Contributed by: JC Redmond

After several weeks of nightly doses of Ambien it no longer was effective. I stopped the drug entirely, How long must I abstain before it's therapeutic effects will resume. Ted

-- Contributed by: T. LeBlanc
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