Medical cannabis vs Ambien?

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

@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.

@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

As long as the federal government declares it illegal that unfortunately will never happen.

I have CRPS in both feet so my pain used to wake me up alot during the night, I tried Ambien for a short time and went sleep driving in the middle of the night, stopped at a gas station and bought a ton of ice cream, called everyone in my contacts and had no recollection of out the next morning! I take a 200mg gummy to help with pain during the day but they don’t make me tired, just hungry. My doctor prescribed a sleep meds combination that works great for me! It’s .03mg of clonidine(to make me fall asleep fast, 50mg of seroquel that helps me stay asleep and a 3mg pill of Lunesta. Now I’m able to sleep all night long and I don’t wake up feeling all hungover and groggy. You build up a tolerance quick with THC products, 6mo into using them I was up to eating 800mgs of gummies, it got too expensive to Continue. Have you also considered taking Kratom capsules? Those worked good for a bit too and they are alot cheaper than gummies. Just make sure you get the ones that are for relaxing and not the energy ones. Good luck to you!

I've tried everything under the sun for sleep. Ambien is the only thing that works. I've been using it for 15 years. Sadly tge drug is restricted. The medical community (including mayo pain clinic) think it's evil and want to take you off it. Like Kratom for pain, the medical community doesn't want you to have something that works. I even walked out of a clinic because they took me off ambien suddenly and threw me into rebound insomnia!

That breaks my heart. Are you in Canada or USA? I have no problems
getting in Florida. I just am trying to detox my body and find a more
natural way to fall asleep. I have established a routine - preparing for
bed - so it calms my nerves down - only using 5mg Ambien now but not
staying asleep - maybe 4 hours. I want more. Maybe it is an aging thing
(75 years old) and it comes with that but I call that BS. I eat well - ,
rarely enjoy a cocktail anymore , convinced it will keep me awake. I
exercise, it’s frustrating as this is such a debilitating illness and no
one cares or understands.

Pat Schulz