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Medical cannabis vs Ambien?
I am 75 years old - using 5 mg of Ambien (successfully) at night to help me sleep for six hours. I have chronic neuropathy pain in my feet , ankles and calves. I have been using for about 12 years and it lets me sleep through pain for 5-6 hours. I am tired all the next day. Cramping pain in my legs and feet usually wake me up or assuming the 5 mg of Ambien are leaving my system. I used to wake up refreshed and able to take on chronic pain for the day, however now I am so tired the next day. I would like to wean off Ambien and try pill or edible cannabis hoping this would work equally or better and give me more energy next morning. Thoughts? Any insights? Thanks!
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Ambien is for sleep onset insomnia. It only lasts 4 hours. You could try (after discussing with doc) taking another 5 mg when u wake up. I think long acting ambien is generic now. Medical cannabis works well for me but it is so expensive, and not covered by insurance. For my money, I’d try all generic alternatives first (there are many) and reserve cannabis for bad nights or if none of the generics works. CBD at my dispensary is a little less expensive. It may be worth a try also. Also there are some OTC things you could try, the one that comes to mind is magnesium glycinate, which will help cramps and sleep. Valerian root won’t by itself put me to sleep but it promotes relaxation and I use it in conjunction with meds.
If you do opt for cannabis be sure to talk with an expert at the dispensary. There are so many strains developed for many different purposes, it takes an expert. Also tell him/ her you don’t want to become dizzy
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3 Reactions@laura1970 Thanks..however, I have weaned down from 10 mg to 5mg so don’t want to go back. I am looking for an alternative to ambien. My insurance says it covers it, but until I know what tier level the doctor would recommend, I won’t know the cost. With my neuropathy, we decided to stop all supplements until we figure out which ones will help or make it worse. I am using Magnesium oil spray on my calves and ankles before I go to sleep and that helps with no bad side effects. Next will be to add Tumeric , starting today. I eat healthy in my opinion (as I eat all lean meat) and hopefully get the required vitamins from eating. I have given up on trying to stop chronic pain from neuropathy, however, in order to function, I need 6 hours sleep at least. At 75, I am tired, tired of trying too.
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2 Reactions@patriciaschulz1950 I have tried Ambien for a month and doxepin for a night. I find the Ambien does work in putting me to sleep (5mg) but often wake up after a couple hours.
As of late I have been using CBD/CBN
Equal amounts of each or some have more CBD. This has been working well.
I found that ambien use, even though it works so well at putting you to sleep cause sadness.
Not sure if others have had the same side affect. I only tried doxepin for 1 night, woke up after a couple hours, took another and felt so horrible the following day.
@patriciaschulz1950 I get that!
@patriciaschulz1950
Cannabis definitely helps with sleep. Unfortunately the insurance companies don't recognize it as a medicine. And the cost is way too high. I do not understand
why they call it compassionate Care. Not many people can afford it. It cost a few hundred dollars just to get the license agreement to purchase it and then the product itself is very expensive. They should cover it with insurances. But they do not. Who knows maybe one day they will
@mtmred12 maybe we need an advocacy group. I would certainly get involved to the best of my ability