POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: SouthSam7 on May 03, 2007, 01:17:29 am
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I used to take a half of a 10 mg (5mg) original Ambien when I couldn't sleep. It was awesome. It worked within 30 minutes.
I just got a new prescription of Ambien CR and it sucks ass. I've taken 1 whole one and a half of another one and still wide awake.
I crushed one tonight and it just made me a little dizzy but not sleepy. I'm fixing to take another one; I have to get some sleep.
Anyone have any suggestions? Lunesta was good, maybe I'll ask for an Rx of that instead.
Ambien CR was over $120!
Thanks,
Sam
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I like Sonatas. They are chemical cousins of Ambien, but don't typically cause the wierd dreams that Ambien can cause. Like Ambien, however, they are metabolized in the system within a few hours- so you won't have a major hangover from taking one the night before. They don't tend to make you feel like you're getting groggy (at least they don't with me). I just tend to feel like fluffing my pillow and then...whaddya know? Morning already? If you have had good experiences with Ambien, you'll likely find these satisying. Ambien didn't make me go to sleep unless I took a whopper amount. These do.
You don't say why you switched from the original Ambien to the CR. I'd be careful about taking big amounts of it. It may not be making you feel sleepy now, but it could keep you knocked out heavy once you DO get to sleep.
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Try Restoril (temazapam) it's cheap and it works.
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I have tried Rozerem, Lunesta, and Ambien CR. I seem to respond well to Lunesta. The Rozerem makes me dream (kind of like taking Sustiva) - that's why if you notice the marketing they "if you can't sleep you can't dream."
I find I have to be tired and that helps me fall asleep....otherwise if I just take a sleeping pill and don't just automatically go unconscious and wake up the next day refreshed. I use them only when I absolutely need to get some sleep (e.g. I'm staying away overnight at a place other than my bed).
Peace,
Jordan
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Sam, I agree with Jordan. I have tried everything because of hard core insomnia after starting my last regimen. Nothing works well for me except for Lunesta. I have now been on it for over a year.
I might also recommend taking a 50 mg 5-HTP tablet on an empty stomach an hour before you go to sleep. I try to cut the alcohol 3-4 hours before I go down also.
--JJ
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Thanks, everybody. I didn't know anyone had responded because my e mail notification doesn't work. I'll keep taking Ambien CR for another few days. Last night was a little better.
I assumed Ambien was no longer available. My original prescription had run out and so this was a new prescription for Ambien CR.
Sam
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200 mg Seroquels will do the trick if nothing else works. ;)
(i am totally kidding & not really advising you to take those, btw)
i used to have bouts of insomnia from time to time that wouldn't let go. not so much anymore.
i take preemptive measures.
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i take preemptive measures.
Prey tell, what are those?
Also, Sam - Watch the caffiene intake for the last eight hours before bedtime. Perhaps, you're drinking too much tea, soda, etc. Try switching to water so that your system gets flushed out.
Tom
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I use to take ambien, now I take lunestra, which I actually like better than the ambien. sweet dreams, Jim
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Hmmm.....I really nest to score some Lunesta. The reviews are awesome!
And Tom, I'm not telling all the details of my preemptive measures. ;)
Lately, though, I haven't needed anything. I have been sleeping a ton.
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Thanks, bud, and everybody. I guess it's working, but it just takes so long to work. I won't drink any coffee after 6 pm tonight.
Wish me luck,
Sam
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Is original Ambien still available? I go to ambien.com and ambiencr.com comes up.
Thanks,
Sam
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Sam,
I have never had to use any sleeping medications yet, so I am not that knowledgeable. However ,I did post this topic. It's a little further down the page. I don't know if you will find it beneficial or not ;
http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=11629.0
Ray
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Seroquel will put you to sleep - its like getting run over with a cement truck!
I used it once; the next morning my throat hurt like a sumbitch cuz it had my snoring so friggin hard...
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ambien CR is time release, so your getting a small low dose continiously which isn't working for you.
You really should just get plain Ambien. The new formula CR often is done to try to extend the drug companies patent on the formulation. Even though time release of ambien is for keeping you asleep so you don't wake up, which I've never had a problem with with ambien. I used to break the 10 mg tabs in half and half again 2.5 mg which was enough to work for me.
Since it was announced as a generic version, you may even find that the cost for ambien from the original maker may drop in response. Or you can just go generic and save a bundle.
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My experience w/Lunesta is be prepared to take it every night. If I took it one night, I absolutely could not fall asleep ... even for a minute... the next night... would finally nod off around 7am. What a great drug... you take it once and you're hooked.
I vote for Restoril, but it's physically addictive... but it seems to work best if you only want to take it every now and then... and you can sleep the next night without it... and less hangover than the others... which is a problem when you only take this stuff every now and then. If you take the stuff every night, I think your body becomes used to it... so, like alcohol, the hangovers are diminished with more frequent usage.
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i vote Restoril. i took it every night for 3 months straight and dropped it the night i switched out Sustiva and i have slept great since. don't know if i was lucky to not have withdrawls, i get strung out to everything easy. 15mg a night worked great and there is a lower dose 7.5mg or a 30mg if needed.
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Seroquel will put you to sleep - its like getting run over with a cement truck!
I used it once; the next morning my throat hurt like a sumbitch cuz it had my snoring so friggin hard...
A 200 mg Seroquel can possibly knock you out for an entire weekend.
I should reiterate that I was not seriously suggesting one use it for such an off-label purpose. ;)
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my doctor tried to push 50mg of the seroquel i said no thanks give me the restoril and i'm glad he did. it worked for me. i never heard of seroquel, of course i researched it later. Glad i stuck to my guns.
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my doctor tried to push 50mg of the seroquel i said no thanks give me the restoril and i'm glad he did. it worked for me. i never heard of seroquel, of course i researched it later. Glad i stuck to my guns.
your doctor tried to push for seroquel for sleep?! or what?
seroquel is a potent anti-psychotic. not intended for a sleep aid (though it does have the ability to knock you in the dirt for that as a side effect).
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yea as a sleep aid. now after a google i know what it's main intent is but can be used off label to induce sleep. i don't know why they can't just give sleeping pills
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good grief! that is ONE HELL of an off label use for this drug. i was not joking when i said a 200 mg could knock a guy out for a weekend. even a 25 mg can make you groggy enough that you don't want to get off the couch all the next day.
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as a matter of fact it was 25mg he gave a 50mg sample that i was to break n half. never took it. too scared after what i read. i dunno i told him sustiva made irritable and grouchy with insomnia so maybe he thought i was a little crazy. i held out for restoril.
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Well, don't let a little term like "anti-psychotic" scare ya too much. ;D
It basically justs balances out Serotonin levels- doesnt completely rescramble your noggin or anything. It does come off in print somewhat more ominous than it really is. It's just that it has a potent sleep side effect. That's my biggest eyebrow raise for it being prescribed. Not one to take without a certainty of plenty of sleep time available.
I always thought the name was kinda funny: Seroquel.
As in "Serotonin" and "Quell"...quell that little psychotic episode with a quickness!
Give 'em a pill and put 'em down!
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quetiapine is the generic name. sounds like it could take me out of a fit and quiet me down.
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oh, yes...it could.
i know it has a generic/chemical name, but i don't think it is available as a generic. most of the BEST pills aren't.
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did we just hijack? is this what they consider hijacking? if so. sorry........
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ambien sucks! go Restoril!
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I can't take ambien during the week as I get up before 6 AM every day for work...On weekends I take it to try to "catch up" on sleep which really is not possible, as lost sleep is what it is. But I do enjoy my one 10 mg of it and a half hour after taking it sometimes I can sleep standing up :D...I often find myself on the sofa with a cup of water in my hand..Sometimes stuff is all over the floor like my eyeglasses or the remote and other things and I am usually pretty neat about stuff being in its place...I still don't remember a post I made recently and that scares me...I miss the days of my youth when I slept like a baby with no pills necessary, I envy adults who can do that, my mind and my spirit are just too restless for such natural comforts anymore.
Jody ???
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I've tried 'em all....hate the groggy effects of Restoril....the "limited time offer" that ambien provides....the lame butterfly presented by Lunesta....but the Seroquel....now that has been an amazing drug....in moderation....for me. I take a 25 mg tablet and cut it in half so 12.5mg is perfect! I know higher dosing is for heavy duty situations only but like many things MODERATION is the key for me! If I really want a killer nights sleep I do half an ambien (5mg) with half a seroquel (12.5mg) and it's (almost) better than sex!
Be Well!
Craig
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did we just hijack? is this what they consider hijacking? if so. sorry........
No that's not a hijack to me. This is exactly the information I am looking for. Thanks, all.
Sam
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Seroquel is being prescribed more and more by M.D.'s for difficult insomnia cases. I'm a case in point. After Ambien stopped working for me, and Lunesta and Rozerem did absolutely nothing, my psychiatrist prescribed Seroquel--@ 100 mg. He said he knew nothing less would work for me. He was right--sometimes even the 100 mg. doesn't work!
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i don't really sleep eather no matter what i take! 5 hrs. is all i geta nite if i'm lucky. i liked the sounds of preemptive measures . smoke a bowl, curl up with your pet, take a nap or 2 or 3.
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Hi all. Have my periods of insomnia as well. I've posted some natural means to help fall asleep in the past. Just a quick review...warm milk, chamomille tea, valerian root ( smells like cat sh*t) but works. 2 months ago, I started accupuncture, and am amazed with the results. Sleeping a solid 6+ hours most nights. Just my 2 cents as alternatives to meds...give'em a try! Brian
edit on 6/13...you might also have a nice turkey dinner which contains L-tryptophane, a natural sedative, just think of the naps you've enjoyed after thanksgiving dinners...L-tryptophane is also available in tablet form at any vitamin supplier. nighty nite, sleep tight
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Pre-emptive measures will, I'm sure, work well, but for those of us who enjoy better living through chemistry, the 1mg Clonazepam my doc prescribed works without fail for me. A few months with no more than 2-3 hours sleep each night tends to make one just a bit edgy. I've been to that edge.
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Try Restoril (temazapam) it's cheap and it works.
I concur! Restoril works great for me when I need it.