Kudzuslipper
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Has anyone come across any info on this? I have searched and only found that it can (or any sleep drug) can shorten your life.
My Dr. is cutting me off, citing this fact. I believe it is new regulation... She has insisted I see a sleep specialist. Which I have, but not done the study yet. But I am panicking about this. Ambien has changed my life. I have so much less pain, I'm nicer., I'm eating better and even exercising. I have one month left. I'm trying to taper my dose.
Sleep specialist is 99% sure I have sleep apnea, due to a tongue bigger than my lower teeth. My DH has never heard me gasp awake and he says I only snore when I have a cold. He also determined I am a worrier.
I have had insomnia (watching every hour on the clock insomnia since I was a child) 4 days in a row finally sleep from exhaustion, and then it all starts again. Ambien has been the only thing that has stopped this... Valium never worked, flexeril didn't work.,
I can't imagine being able to sleep hooked up to a a machine...
Any thoughts? I've been taking ambien for about 7 years... I never go up on my dose... If it stops working I just stop taking it for a few days (and don't sleep) and then it starts working again.... I just feel this is a wonder drug for me.
I'm very curious if someone can find any documentation of woman dying in their sleep.
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glm1111
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Google "Can women die in their sleep from ambien" There are several articles from different sources that have info.
Of particular interest is the young man who improved on ambien after awakening from a coma. Seems that it has a paradoxical effect on some people and makes them more alert.
I would print this out and show it to your doctor. Sounds like the same thing with Ritalin that is an amphetamine , but has the opposite effect on some people calming them down.
Good Luck.
Gael
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I'm going to be mad if my doctor takes it away. I'm like you, can't sleep otherwise. I know I don't have sleep apnea either.
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Kudzuslipper
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Gail, could you post that link? I couldn't find it. I also haven't found any article that says women are dying in their sleep... Just risk of dying younger. (I don't want to die young, but I would if I don't sleep... I don't know how I did it all those years)
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Catgirl
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It is so important that people get their sleep. Sleep is how the body is able to heal--without it, people go downhill.
There are always side effects from every single med. These are things to carefully consider, but you also have to consider that without the sleep you've acquired since being on it, you could have been way worse by now.
Ambien is a patch. It covers up the real issue of why you can't sleep, and actually gives you sleep. It's quick and easy and works for some people, so docs dole it out. Not anymore though. Docs are now required to monitor the patient like never before for sleep meds.
This is why a lot of docs just don't want to prescribe it anymore. They don't have the time to monitor the patient. That and the shorten your life issue, and maybe more things we aren't privy to (women dying in their sleep?), hence the monitoring.
I couldn't take ambien. I never hit rem sleep and felt worse, so I made my own concoctions (melatonin, etc). The heart of my insomnia is a co infection and adrenal issue anyway, so these are what I focus on, and when I do I sleep. Surprisingly, reducing emf exposure has helped too.
I say follow your gut.
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surprise
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Kudz! Hope you are well.
Lunesta is now available generic. Has none of these stories attached to it. Ask for Lunesta.
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Kudzu, I know how you feel. Insomnia has been a BIG symptom for me. It started slowly and kept getting worse.
Tried all kinds of drugs which would work for a while then, stop working.
Most drugs like ambien and lunesta would give me headaches.
Had a sleep study done and waiting on results. If you are having sleep apnea, there are mouth pieces that can be worn.
They are dental devices which are custom-made mouthpieces that help position the lower jaw and tongue during sleep.
Ask your doctor about the new sleep med that is out. This med works differently because it focuses on shutting off the wakefulness hormone. It does not produce the hangover effect and you get better quality of sleep.
Suzy Cohen mentioned it in one of her articles but I can't seem to find it.
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droid1226
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This is with any sleeping pill. My dad dropped from one unisom, got life flighted and revived by the paddles. One Unisom mixed with synthroid dropped his bpm to 22.
That's an OTC drug. It's not just ambien. He was 48 at the time. He takes this combo every night. Just random.
Topic: MAGNESIUM - LINKS sets -
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Keebler
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- Kudzuslipper,
This may be - in part - some of the detail to which your doctor was referring. I think BMJ refers to British Medical Journal (so seeing that direct source would be best).
Excerpt:
". . . Last year, a study in the journal BMJ Open showed an association between taking 18 or fewer sleeping pills a year -- particularly zolpidem in the drug temazepam (Restoril) -- and having a 3.5 times higher death risk. . . ."
Zolpidem, Also Known As Ambien, Linked With Sharp Increase In ER Visits, Study Finds
No author listed - Huffington Post - 05/02/2013
excerpts:
Visits to the emergency department linked with the sleeping pill zolpidem, commonly known by the brand name Ambien, have increased by nearly 220 percent over a five-year period, according to a new report.
The report, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, shows that there were 19,487 zolpidem-related visits to the emergency department across the U.S. in 2010, up from 6,111 in 2005.
Zolpidem-linked emergency department visits increased by 274 percent for women between 2005 and 2010, and 144 percent for men.
Half of the visits in 2010 were caused by taking zolpidem in addition to another kind of drug, with 37 percent of the visits involving taking zolpidem in addition to a central nervous system-depressing drug.
SAMHSA reported that taking zolpidem with other drugs can be dangerous because it makes the sedative effects of the pill even more powerful.
Zolpidem is FDA-approved to treat (not cure!) insomnia, but side effects include parasomnias (like sleepwalking), daytime drowsiness, hallucinations and dizziness.
Earlier this year, the FDA recommended drugmakers to lower dosages of zolpidem because of the morning drowsiness effects of the drug.
"All sleep drugs have the potential to cause this . . . " -
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Kudzuslipper
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Thanks everyone for the very thoughtful response.
I do know ambien is a crutch... But it is better than the alternative. I am not exaggerating when I say, I have had hardcore insomnia since my very early teens... I'm now in my 50's. Every once in a while, I get an amazing nights sleep, where I wake up feeling refreshed and energized...And I realize how, even with ambien I am not getting restorative sleep. But I function much better with it.
None of my drs seem interested in talking about adrenals.... I'm so tired of hunting for answers.
I recently went to a chiropractor, who said my sympathetic nervous system is out of whack... Basically, I don't have one. (I'm all fight or flight) He saw this by looking at my eyes... Following a red and white piece of fabric... And showed me how to deep breath... It just felt silly to me... Waste of money... I was hoping he would re-allign me.
Well, sleep study is scheduled. Maybe they'll find something helpful.
Still have not found an article saying woman are dying in their sleep (as catgirl says maybe we're not privy)
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Keebler
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- Kudzuslipper,
I'm really sorry that something that has worked well for you for years is no longer available. As you likely see, I'm the opposite of a fan for ambien. Still, I know that if this has worked for you and it's gone, that creates havoc and the need to scramble for "what else & how else?"
I do wonder why the chemistry of ambien is different for various people. I know how it nearly killed me but others do fine. There may be more to this in that your doctor is considering all things and really is concerned about the safety of this.
For many years, probably nearly 20 years ago, I took Seldane - the only Rx that ever really worked against terrible sinus trouble. Then they took it off the market, citing health risks. I did not believe them and kept taking for a year or so from the stash I'd been able to collect.
Only this past year was I able to find exactly why Seldane was so abruptly yanked off the market and the details are horrifying for the heart. I may have suffered damage but there is no way to know. At least I didn't die like some others.
A huge problem with any web search is that when we search, we don't find the truth. So many web URLs have been purchased by the companies of many drugs and so we get all those URLs, not so much the academic studies or thoughtful essays of those who discuss such drugs.
I'm sorry that I can't circle back to where I thought I was going with this - but there are other ways, still, that may really help solve the problem. I have my doubts, though
about that sleep specialist. I'm not impressed with two things he said:
1. "sleep apnea, due to a tongue bigger than my lower teeth" (well, did he discuss WHY? and consider inflammation? My guess is he did not.)
2. "He also determined I am a worrier." (this really shows a bad attitude and rush to judgment on his part, stigmatizing you from the get-go.)
Can you find a better sleep specialist? One who is better educated with a broader understanding? -
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Marnie
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surprise
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Kudz, I absolutely feel you. I have had hardcore insomnia for decades. My mother has had it her whole life.
Call it Bart, call it post Lyme, call it whatever, but I have spent literally thousands of dollars on every single natural supplement known to man.
Do I like/ feel good taking a sleeping pill? No, of course not, and I try not to spiral down into what serious issue must be broken in me/ doomed for the future.
Right here, right now, I have to sleep at night (and even with Lunesta it's not perfect). My current Dr. who prescribes it to me: I looked in his eyes, was emphatic, and honest. He got me.
We are not alone. Lots more like us- big market. Doesn't make it right, but I can't beat myself up over this. And no, I don't have sleep apnea.
Hope you find a Dr. to help--
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Kudzuslipper
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I do get what you are saying Keebler. I do believe my dr. does have my best interest at heart (and her license) I believe she is covering her bases by sending me to a sleep specialist.
good news is, my insurance will pay for a full fledged sleep study (not that I think i will sleep in a sleep lab without my hubby or my dogs, hooked up to a bunch of machines, but at least I get to take my blessed ambien)
he thought my tongue is normal, my mouth is too small due to braces. I do feel these are pat answers. my hope is that they find I don't have sleep apnea and then it becomes less dangerous to prescribe the ambien... I think the thinking is you are too imobilized by the hypnotic drug not to wake up when you are gasping for air... but I wake up to go to the bathroom and then fall right back to sleep.
"worrier?" no Sh** Sherlock is what my first thought was...LOL. don't have to have a PHD to figure that out. but he is right. And actually, sleeping and ambien has helped me to worry less.
Oh Surprise... that is exactly how I feel... It's working, I don't want to mess with it. I couldn't stand Lunesta. it didn't work as well... and that taste? and not just at night... constantly! do you get that taste? like skunk living in your mouth and sinuses?
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Marnie
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Gave you two alternatives....
Niacinamide or pregabalin - read the 2012 pubmed summary!
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Kudzuslipper
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thanks for the links Marnie!
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Marnie
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You're welcome.
Sleep tight..don't let the...
which reminds me...did you see the amazing picture of the guy who was seriously bitten by bed bugs in a movie theater that was subsequently closed?
Half of the visits in 2010 were caused by taking zolpidem in addition to another kind of drug, with 37 percent of the visits involving taking zolpidem in addition to a central nervous system-depressing drug.
- Exactly
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droid1226
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Seroquel works amazing. It's so strong and i can't handle a full dose 25mg, i do like 2-4mg which can knock me out.
Benzo's have a terrible stigma, for good reason but they do help sleep. I'm still not convinced Ambien isn't one either. Idc what evidence someone shows me. everyone in medicine seems to interpret facts/evidence their own way. so i'm just gonna say Ambien might be a benzo.
I do think seroquel works best, for me......but idk what long term effects it may have on the brain.
Monsanto has done none of us favors with its products, IMO.
In vitro exposure of human CD34+ cells to ***TCDD***
HEADS UP..."induced modulation in gene expression involving the GABAergic pathway,"
which may be associated with altered synaptic transmission, visual perception, and other neurologic conditions (Fracchiolla et al., 2011).
The two active ingredients in the Agent Orange herbicide combination were equal amounts of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T),
which contained traces of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD).
[ 08-19-2014, 08:25 PM: Message edited by: Marnie ]
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randibear
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wow....I tried both lunesta and ambien. I cut the pill in half. my husband said I was talking loudly and kicking around like crazy. he woke me up and my heart rate was over 130.
whew..never tried them again.
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Kudzuslipper
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Marnie, so that's saying agent orange changes your GABA receptors? What if I just took GABA? In my 30's when I first started dealing with what was then called fibro... I took one dose of GABA with a magnesium supplement.... I took at lunch and I was driving somewhere when it hit! Omg, I felt like I took 3 flexeril. I had to pull over, get a coffee, I was afraid to drive.
This is what infuriates me.... There are many "bad" drugs I refuse to take. Flexeril, Percocet, Valium, NSAIDs, cause they make me feel worse. (Flexeril a muscle relaxer makes my muscles burn... Go figure). Heck, antibiotics like Cipro and flagyl have more impact on your CNS.
It seems, for me, ambien is a mild drug that works at night and as long as I actually sleep I have no grogginess . If it does not work and I don't sleep, I feel extra foggy in the am.
Droid, I would think seroquel is much scarier than ambien.
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Keebler
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And yes...my husband is on propranolol (beta blocker) for tremors. It depletes CoQ10...
Those are not the only 2 Rx's...it is very difficult to rebalance the neurotransmitters!
Google this: TCDD mitochondrial dysfunction
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surprise
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posted
How about:
'Woman dies with 3 kids in the car, ran car off road, lack of sleep'.
'Woman gets divorced drove husband mad with *****iness from lack of sleep'
'Woman can't get to food store or produce meals for family: lack of sleep, can't get off couch in her zombie state'
I'm not making light of possible side affects of Ambien. But can anyone here say they are 100% prescription free? Because EVERY prescription has a possible side affect.
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Kudzuslipper
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Surprise.... LIKE!
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Kudzu .. Flexeril (and many other drugs) depletes magnesium, so it is no wonder that it made your muscles burn.
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Keebler
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- It's probably been about 17 years since I gave up on all sleep meds or OTC sleep aids. It took a while but I know I'll never go back.
Other things, nutrients mostly and some herbs seem to give my body what it needs to allow sleep. I wish I had know long before.
I know everyone's body works differently - and tolerances vary but it is important to know that it's possible to find a balance and not have the rotating side effects or ups and downs from either prescription or OTC sleep aids to have to wrestle with.
It took a long while yet I found that with nutrients, and unplugging all electronics - even getting rid of that glowing clock - and getting room darkening curtains, etc. There are so many variables. -
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Kudzuslipper
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Keebs. I am so proud and in awe that you've done that.
I don't think I'm there. But one day, it's good to know its possible.
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posted
True, if it's adrenals, the right nutrients can help the body heal. I found that staying away from foods high in histamine has helped me obtain more restful sleep.
Histamine makes you rev up if you are sensitive to it.
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surprise
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I am currently waiting for some new adrenal supplements to arrive-
I went through some stress in July (visiting family member) and I was taken aback how much it took me down/ completely exhausted/ couldn't deal with it---
hoping for more healing w/ the adrenal supplements.
-------------------- Lyme positive PCR blood, and positive Bartonella henselae Igenex, 2011. low positive Fry biofilm test, 2012. Update 7/16- After extensive treatments, doing okay! Posts: 2518 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2011
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droid1226
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I have to add. Seroquel makes you hungry(they both sorta do) but leaves you with a terrible hangover. Ambien, zero hangover.
GretaM
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posted
Aww man. My script just ran out for the zolpidem. Darn it!
I know waht you mean Kudzu...
Pre lyme I was taking half a unisom, an ativan, one zopiclone, and 10mg Elavil to get sleepy...
When I told my doc this at the time...I think the top of her head floated off and hit the ceiling.
Anyways, now I'm down to 5mg zolpidem (Sublinox) and 3mg melatonin.
Reallu upset to hear about the zolpidem getting that many warnings.
I know my doc mentioned women metabolize it differently, so a 10mg dose to a male, is equivelent to a 5mg dose to a female.
Other than that-didn't realize it was such a risky drug.
However, murder via days of insomnia and lingering bartonella infection, is also a risk factor for death. Haha.
I'll take my risk with the zolpidem...
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Marnie
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The difference in response to Ambien might involve how fast (genetically driven) a person can process the drugs...fast metabolizers versus slow.
As well as the existence of underlying hepatic (liver) impairment - making a bad situation worse:
Kudzuslipper
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Marnie, I understood the first one... but what does this mean...practically? what do you have to do?
"An absence of iNKT cells caused B. burgdorferi to leave the blood and enter the joints more effectively. B. burgdorferi that escaped Kupffer cells entered the liver parenchyma and survived despite Ito cell responses. Kupffer cell–iNKT cell interactions induced a key intravascular immune response that diminished the dissemination of B. burgdorferi."
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Marnie
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"B. burgdorferi that escaped Kupffer cells entered the liver parenchyma and survived "
Google: berberine liver
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Kudzuslipper
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ha. riddle me this batman! I tried berberine. I got an allergic reaction. nose running and itchy eyes within a 1/2 hour every time I tried it. same response to milk thistle.
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Marnie
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What form of berberine - sulfate or HCL? Dosage, amt., timing?
My daughter took 6, not 3, VCO capsules to rid Candida =
Histamine response. Allergic response.
Had to take Benadryl to counter.
She said, "Mom, I'm allergic to virgin coconut oil."
I said, "No, you just knocked off too much Candida too fast."
Histamine response = die off reaction possible? Maybe:
P.S. Romanian docs cured lyme (early onset) using IV abx AND
Anti-inflammatory, ANTI-HISTAMINE, HMG CoA reductase inhibitor...
Mg.
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Kudzuslipper
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Well... The good news is my co pay for this horrible experience will be $0.00! So all I have to deal with is being in a creepy office park... With only 2 other people in the building at night. Hooked up to wires... Being video taped and watched...
They probably know no one would do it if it were $500 co pay like a colonoscopy...
Insurance is so out of whack.
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Dogsandcats
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Kudz I did the fun sleep study. It was winter so I went in a t shirt and sweats. There was another man in the same section I was, so I was glad I didn't have my nightie on! Mine was in a business center, very creepy walking around at night.
They hooked me up to a million wires and put me into the Motel 6 bedroom. I did take a sleep aid. Fell asleep and a voice comes over the speaker in the room (she sounded like Mary Poppins) and told me to turn left. Fall asleep and Mary wakes me up and puts a mask on me. Back to sleep. Mary says turn over. Mary changes mask. At about 4:30 Mary tells me I am done, go home.
Stumble out, really shouldn't have been driving, and went home.
Sorry this is so long....
Got my Cpap machine. This was a while back when they had few choices and the mask made me feel like Darth Vader's daughter. The next thing- no air- God has come to take me home. Gasp gasp....I reach for the light switch.... The cat had been batting at the hose and put holes in it so I wasn't getting any air. Every time I moved the tube waved back and forth in the air and provided a delightful toy for him.
Tried one more mask and just couldn't get used to it. People who use them swear they have changed their lives, so give it all you can.
I snored like a truck driver at time of this story. My sons had a great time imitating me. My husband felt blessed he is pretty much deaf. This is when I was in the midst of Lyme treating.
I have gained weight since this (sad music) and I don't snore now unless I am overtired. Go figure.
Lack of sleep is a form of torture, if you need something, take it. IMHO.
-------------------- God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he'll be there.
Billy Graham Posts: 1967 | From California | Registered: Oct 2010
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Cool story, Dogs. The cat was having too much fun!
In my husband's hometown, their sleep clinic is in a little house near the hospital. It's rather cute.
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surprise
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dogsandcats, that was the best story ever, lol.
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Kudzuslipper
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dogs and cats... thank you for sharing! I concur best story ever!!!! I am picturing every part of it. Especially little furball staying up all night playing your air tube. But I suspect you are being kind calling your sleep tech Mary Poppins.... I am envisioning Nurse Ratchet from One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest.
I have been worried about what to wear, as I sleep in a slip... think it will be tee shirt and stretch pants...
this place sounds exactly the same. it is a pain care and sleep center in the middle of a big huge office park in an industrial area... when I was there (during the day) they were very busy. mostly the pain care side... but apparently the "office" I was seen in... has a murphy bed that comes down and that is where the sleep study is done. The woman I spoke to was very proud that there was italian art on the walls... (can't say I even noticed) there will be one other woman being studied at the same time ( I assume in a different room.) I am hoping the building has a security guard.
Did I mention I am doing this on september 10th? I have a real hard time with 9/11 having relived it so many times for work... and now with the world all in flames... well you get my irrational fears...
did I also mention that I sleep on a tempurpedic? can't imagine the murphy bed is gonna be too comfortable...god I hope the sheets are clean.
oh well, it is confirmed I get to take everything I normally take for the sleep study... so I will take my ambien, along with probiotics and magnesium and tylenol which all do help induce sleepiness...
so Dogs and Cats... after all that... back to everything as usual? no CPAP? no mouth gaurd? how long ago was that? can I ask if you take anything to help you sleep?
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Marnie
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Tempurpedic mattress? Oh, YEA...WONDERFUL - esp. the cloud!
Very costly, but worth every penny, IMO. We have 2...ours and our son's are both tempurpedic.
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Kudzuslipper
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So Marnie, what is the treatment if they do discover those?
Oh yes... Tempurpedic is 2nd only to my "precious" sleep meds. Lol.
I know there's talk about it's off gassing... It it did smell horrible for three months... But I would never have a real mattress again.
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surprise
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posted
I also have a tempurpedic mattress- lol, all the insomniacs fell for it. It never smelled or off gassed. Ear plugs, and always before DH gets to bed-
nope.
Still end up on the couch for 1/2 the night. Sleep solid 4-5 hours w/ Lunesta, then up. Then couch for lite dozing. Lite sleep w/ not good dreams and crook in my neck from couch.
-------------------- Lyme positive PCR blood, and positive Bartonella henselae Igenex, 2011. low positive Fry biofilm test, 2012. Update 7/16- After extensive treatments, doing okay! Posts: 2518 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2011
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Kudzuslipper
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Surprise, sorry you end up on the couch with a crook in your neck... What a crazy complex if problems we all have.
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surprise
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Eh, I'm learning to lie on my back on the couch, then it's better. Old habits die hard in old people.
I'll tell you, if I finally, truly AM sleeping, God help the person who wakes me up.
-------------------- Lyme positive PCR blood, and positive Bartonella henselae Igenex, 2011. low positive Fry biofilm test, 2012. Update 7/16- After extensive treatments, doing okay! Posts: 2518 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2011
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surprise
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By the way, just starting a new supplement at night, Cortisol Calm. Still trying! And still healing.
-------------------- Lyme positive PCR blood, and positive Bartonella henselae Igenex, 2011. low positive Fry biofilm test, 2012. Update 7/16- After extensive treatments, doing okay! Posts: 2518 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2011
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Dogsandcats
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posted
It was about 5-6 years ago.....I threw out the machine.
Between the cat playing with my air, the machine leaking on the night stand, feeling like Darth's kid, the sore spots on my
nose where the little "pads" as they call them- they are nose plugs....and the best....the "joker" smile ( indent) left across my cheeks from the straps- which looked suspicious on my face as I went into work. Looked like I was wearing one of those straps they offer on tv at 3am- promising to lift my waddle and cheek flab, causing me to look 30 years younger.
I wear a mouth guard cause I grind my teeth. My life is so serene can't imagine why I would grind......
But- they have new masks, new machines and I am a certified WUSS when it comes to my creature comforts. So take my sarcasm and remember many peoples swear this has changed their lives! One man takes a generator camping so he can wear his mask!
Yes she sounded like Mary Poppins. Very prim and proper, and all that.
Don't drink a lot of water that day. After they hook your head and body up to the "Frankenstein" wires and if you are lucky to have the mask on, going potty - well- isn't fun. All you need to do is drag one foot behind and throw in the mummy walk too.
How could a place with beautiful art and a Murphy bed not have clean sheets?
-------------------- God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he'll be there.
Billy Graham Posts: 1967 | From California | Registered: Oct 2010
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Kudzuslipper
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""""How could a place with beautiful art and a Murphy bed not have clean sheets?""""
Kudzuslipper
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3 days til the worst night of my life!
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Judie
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posted
Gosh, that's terrible. I hope you can find another source!
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Ellen101
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posted
Kudzu how did your test go? Hope it went ok! I know this is something I need to consider doing as well. My sleep problem is strange. I wake every 2 hrs like clock work. I need to pee and have something to eat.
This started many years ago in my late 20's. At the time they thought it was low blood sugar. I did a glucose tolerance test and the results showed hypoglycemia.
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Kudzuslipper
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my test is wednesday Ellen. I am freaking out!
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posted
Kudz, I weaned off sleep meds, but got a longer time to do it than you did. I take 5HTP (l tryptophan doesn't work as well for me, neither does melatonin). Getting my adrenals healed helped my sleep most of all.
Valerian root is good for relaxing.
We did lose a previous board member (Clarissa) a couple weeks ago, one who was well, due to sleep meds. Her tox screen isn't back yet so I don't know what she took, but she died in her sleep after taking sleep meds.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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Kudzuslipper
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Thanks for the suggestions Six.
I survived the ordeal. I wish I could post my wired up selfie!
Dogs and cats my. "Voice " did not sound like Mary Poppins or nurse Ratchet. She was actually very nice. The Murphy bed was not too bad... Sheets were clean... And I was not too freaked out.
Hopefully there will be some useful info. Now that I've done it, my pcp will dole out a script at a time as I taper and until I get usable info for moving forward.
I will say, I have tapered down to 5 mg from 7.5 and I am not sleeping as long... But my word loss seems to be better.
I also have to say, I believe the poco ionic magnesium ReMag that Tutu often mentions seems to be making a huge difference in sleep and with pain.
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Kudzuslipper
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So... I stop breathing 22 times am hour. It is considered moderate sleep apnea. They want to fit me with a cpap mask. I know I won't wear it. I will talk with them about a mouth guard. Tbc.
Posts: 1728 | From USA | Registered: May 2011
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posted
Some of the masks are not so bad. Give it a whirl!!
Say... Do you guys really say "crook" in my neck or is that your auto-correct talking? Two of you said the same thing, so I'm thinking I must be weird.
I always said "crick" in my neck. Just wondering.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Kudzuslipper
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Hey there... me again. so I get my mask on thursday. In the mean time I am trying to reduce my ambien. I am down to 1/3 or 1/2 a 5mg (I was taking 2/3rds of a 10mg)
I am falling asleep but not staying asleep and even on the few nights I do stay asleep I am so very tired during the day.
I also have an annoying eye twitch.
are these withdrawal symptoms?
think it could be cause my 5mg pills are from a different manufacturer?
oh and tutu--- I believe I say crick too, which I am also experiencing from trying to sleep on my side instead of my back.
what a mild annoying nightmare this all is... not as much of a nightmare as a lyme or bart herx...
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surprise
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Hang in there Kudz- I am really tired, too. Totally get it. Please let us know how the mask is- good thoughts it brings deep restorative sleep---
Crook in neck here.
-------------------- Lyme positive PCR blood, and positive Bartonella henselae Igenex, 2011. low positive Fry biofilm test, 2012. Update 7/16- After extensive treatments, doing okay! Posts: 2518 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2011
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quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo: I DID NOT KNOW WE LOST CLARISSA! How awful! I've chatted with her in the past. So sorry to hear!!!
Yes, really sad. I didn't start a thread because she hasn't been active since she got better about four years ago and at that point she mostly separated from the Lyme community.
I don't know what she took, but I know the night before she died she had trouble sleeping. There's no reason to suspect suicide .... but she did take some kind of medicine to sleep the next night and never woke up.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
I weaned off sleep meds over 6 months. I would reduce one night, then normal amount the next until I could handle reduced every night. Then I'd reduce (or eliminate) every other night, etc. Until I was off them.
I take 5HTP at night now. Just a half dose. L Tryptophan is similar but didn't work as well for me and was harder to find.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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Kudzuslipper
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I had to go back and see what was posted about Clarissa. I am so sorry to read that. it is sad and scary.
[ 09-25-2014, 11:03 AM: Message edited by: Kudzuslipper ]
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Kudzuslipper
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Could it be that woman are dying in their sleep due to generics?
I couldn't find anything on google. But this lower dose generic zolpidem is not at all good for me. First off, it feels stronger, I fall asleep faster and it's a scary dead sleep. Secondly, I wake up exhausted. And I'm feeling all edgy. And my eye is twitching.
I was encouraged to take the whole pill (still less than what I was taking) while getting used to the cpap. I have spent the entire day today in and out of sleep.
Which makes me think... Have these problems popped up because there are more and more generics out there?
I had never, ever felt this way before. I was taking a generic 10, but the 5's are a different manufacturer. I am shocked at the difference between brands.
Why couldn't they just leave me alone?
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surprise
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You are not crazy, there can be a difference between generics, and some people do feel it:
posted
kudzu .. It's not that one that you take under your tongue, is it?? That one has tons of fillers and additives. Awful stuff!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Kudzuslipper
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No. It's a regular pill tutu.
Surprise, that's a scary article. 2 nights on the mask. Irst night I didn't sleep a wink (the machine even told me no sleep) Last night (in the evil generic) I slept 5.5 hours with .7 events. I then took it off. We'll try a full night tonight.
The sleep doctor gave me 3 months of ambien... I just can't take the brand I had been taking cause the 5mg is a red pill... I'm allergic to red dye.
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surprise
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Can you wash off the dye? I've heard of Moms doing that--
Well, if you tell me the mask gets you deep, restored, no pill sleep in the upcoming weeks, I'm in :-)
-------------------- Lyme positive PCR blood, and positive Bartonella henselae Igenex, 2011. low positive Fry biofilm test, 2012. Update 7/16- After extensive treatments, doing okay! Posts: 2518 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2011
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posted
GACK!! Dyes are horrible!! That will cause histamine levels to rise and that in turn will keep you awake.
Call your doctor to get it changed to another generic. I know some brands are actually white.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Kudzuslipper
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So now I'm procrastinating going up to bed. I'm petrified of the mask and the pill.
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I didn't start a thread because she hasn't been active since she got better about four years ago and at that point she mostly separated from the Lyme community. 
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