Good afternoon @irr4et. Thanks for joining the discussion. I haven't seen that name for a while. I am not a medical professional so I cannot diagnose conditions nor prescribe medications. I have some experience with Ambien (Zolpidem) for pre-surgery pain. I found that getting off of it post-surgery was a very scary experience. As we all realize, everyone is different, especially with medications,

I did review your posts and found that you were on different medications back in March, except for Lyrica. Did you make some changes then?

Here's the deal!,,,,,, as they say on TV. In my experience, finding workable sleep patterns is sometimes quite difficult and requires a rather strong commitment to making it work. That is especially true when we are dealing with multiple conditions and four or five different medications.

My issue is that I get caught up in activities, and find that the time between 9 pm and 2 am is devoted to Mayo Connect. When my morning starts early I always feel draggy in the afternoon and generally nap. After a while, I have established a sleep pattern that is not the most supportive.

I also use medical cannabis as a sleep aid......it works at a 2:1 CBD/THC or sometimes a 1:1 CBD/THC. If I overdo it then I sleep until 10 or 11 in the morning. Unfortunately, then I play catch up all day which leads to anxiety, etc., etc. If I am having difficulty getting to sleep, I do some mindfulness meditation practice. That also works for me.

So.....you are in control. You can define when you choose to sleep so that you are refreshed and prepared for the next day. Then, you need to embrace that pattern and stick to it. When you have the answer, please share it.

Do you think you need both the Indica and the Ambien? Does your clinician know about your medical cannabis use?

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris