Ambien??

I know 3 people who have had awful, awful, awful experiences with Ambien and one of them did not end well. Please get off the Ambien!!

I have used Ambien in the past but very limited. My doctor did not want it to be for long term at all. There are good over the counter sleep aids that you can try. I get a great one from Costco for a really good price.

Did he give you the same strength?

I like Ambien but, in particular, Ambien 10. They work nicely even for somebody like me with a severe sleep problem. I don't have medical care, so I don't get them anymore unless somebody gives me some but what I always did, when I had access to them, was to never take them every night - I took them no more than twice a week so I always had those days to look forward to AND I didn't have to worry about them losing efficacy.

I tried the Ambien time-release once and it didn't do a thing. But maybe you need less help and you had the lesser strength ones and he gave you stronger ones this time (?). Well, I would imagine you know exactly what you are taking but you never know - some people just take something without knowing what it is.

Another thing with Ambien is to take it AT bedtime and get in the bed. Don't dawdle around or you'll end up doing all kinds of stuff. If you get right in bed, it works pretty fast and you should be good. I wouldn't take it if it was going to be a short night, i.e. it's pretty late and you have to get up pretty early. I can see how that could cause you to feel wonky when you get up.

I've taken it for years with no side effects. I suffered with insomnia for a long time before even asking my doctor for it. I'll never do without it again. I would much rather take a pill and be able to sleep than suffer.

Everyone reacts differently to medications. You just have to be careful. It's good you're asking your doctor about the dizziness, etc. You may just need to reduce the dose.

ETA....I still don't get but about 4 to 5 hours of good sleep but if I didn't take Ambien I'd never be able to go to sleep. Usually when I do wake up in the middle of the night I can go back to sleep for a little while.

My 87 year old mother has been taking Ambien for many many years with no ill side effects. She has had insomnia her whole adult life. I remember when we were growing up, if she fell asleep on the couch or anything, we knew NOT to wake her up because chances were she would not go back to sleep. Many days she went to work without having any sleep at all. Even now with taking the Ambien, she only sleeps 5 or 6 hours a night.

Try over the counter ZZquil. It works well for the occasional sleepless night.

Thanks for your replies. I called the doc for an appt today, to check to see if it is my ears or what...no appointments available. I decided to think back if there was anything new I started to take about the time this all started happening. I did start ubiquinol about that time and sure enough, dizziness is a side effect. What I am having is something I have never had before, a true vertigo. Like going in a circle as apposed to feeling like a drunken sailor on a ship in a storm. It also lasts the entire day which I've not had before. So I am thinking that it could very well be the ubiquinol.

I remember when I was in my 30's I tried coq10 and it made me very anxious and made me shake. Perhaps I just can't tolerate it. I will stop and see if that helps.

also, my cpap machine tells me I sleep between 10-11 hours a night . Something is flukey for sure.

thanks everyone.

Fatcat - when you say you weaned yourself off Ambien, would you mind sharing how you did that and how long it took? How many mgs were you taking?

ZZquil is just diphenhydramine, which is the same ingredient in most other OTC medications. Just buy generic diphenhydramine (Walmart brand) and save a lot of money.

FATCATinCT, are you taking any other prescription medications at the same time that you take your Ambien? There could be an interaction. Another thing is that Ubiquinol can lower both your blood pressure and your blood sugar...causing dizziness.

Are you saying that your doctor has absolutely no appointments available? Wow...I would change doctors fast. Ask to see a nurse practitioner or physician's assistant. Until you see your health care practitioner, I would go off the Ubiquinol.