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How can I get off ambien and still sleep
Sleep Health | Last Active: Mar 25 2:00pm | Replies (31)Comment receiving replies
I have been on 12.5 Ambien for many many years. Went to a sleep specialist and he gave me 3mg of Lunesta to take instead of the Ambien. Well, after 3 nights of no sleep…I went back to the Ambien. Anyone else experience Lunesta as being useless?
Replies to "I have been on 12.5 Ambien for many many years. Went to a sleep specialist and..."
How long did you take to drop the Ambien? This might be caused by withdrawal from Ambien and not the Lunesta.
Second, typical Lunesta dosage starts at 1mg and is increased as needed to a therapeutic level.
It is suggested to gradually taper off of it because the withdrawal effects can be quite nasty - two of which are insomnia and fatigue. If you've been on it for many, many years, that tapering down can require a very long time and be done very gradually. Your physician should be able to provide a plan and and provide alternative dosages to assist. May also be able to split tablets to get lower doses a tapering approach would require.
I have tapered off of Ambien myself - it's neither easy nor quick.
I'm currently working on tapering off a different sleep med and am tapering by reducing the dosage by splitting tablets.
Hope this helps.
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As long as the Ambien is working for you....why switch to something else? I tried 1mg and then 2mg Lunests with no good results. Flurazepam was the BEST sleep med I ever had! But of course...it was discontinued. Never had to take it every night so never became dependent.