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Ambien stopped working
Hi everyone. I’m hoping to get some advice as I feel a little lost and the doctors I’ve spoken to so far haven’t been able to come up with a solution to my problem.
I’ve had insomnia and also wake up a lot for year. It started with noisy neighbours and construction work (before then I had no issues). During this time I also developed chronic pain that made it even harder to sleep.
My dr prescribed “light” sleep medications to begin with. Some didn’t work, some gave side effects, and some did work for some time. But since I had no control over the noise in the area, eventually I had to move on to Ambien (and gigantic ear plugs).
So, I was on Ambien for a few months, started at 5mg but then noticed I had to take 10mg as my body was getting used to them. Eventually I moved and got rid of the noisy neighbours, but my body was so used to my crazy sleeping habits that I couldn’t go back to my regular hours. I would still wake up the hours my neighbours used to wake me up.
I tried my very best to stay at 10mg of Ambien but eventually I found myself waking up every second hour or so, having to take more to fall back to sleep. I got scared and called my dr, who gave me diazepam (5mg) and told me it should help me break this vicious cycle.
It did. The very first night I slept all night and only needed one Ambien. It stayed like this for a few months and my plan was to taper off everything, but then bad things happened in my life and it didn’t feel like a good time. I was too afraid to not get any sleep while going through so many struggles.
And now I’m kinda back to where I started. My body is so used to Ambien that sometimes I can’t even fall asleep on 10mg (even tho I’m still on diazepam as well). If I do fall asleep, I wake up after 4 hours, sometimes after only 1-2 hours, and it’s impossible to go back to sleep (my chronic pain isn’t helping).
Since I’m already on Diazepam I can’t use this to control the issue this time. My dr told me to try 7,5mg Diazepam and even 10mg but for some reason it’s not working. Quite the opposite. So I’m staying on 5mg.
What can I do? Has anyone been in a similar situation? I really want to get off both Diazepam and Ambien, but at the momemt my goal is to just find a safe way to sleep through the night because I haven’t slept in months!
Could I maybe slowly taper off Diazepam and add something else so that 10mg Ambien will be enough to sleep through the night?
Sorry this got so long. I’d be so grateful for any ideas or advice.
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Are you taking Mirtazapine and is it helping you? If so, what dose are you taking?
I'm having good luck with CBD THC infused gummies for sleep and anxiety. I live in IL and can purchase at Rise dispensary. I am no longer taking Ambien. I am using micro doses of THC, about 3.75 mg. I cut the gummies in quarters or half depending on strength. I have found the staff dispensary to be knowledgeable and helpful with beginner gummy use. I am a retired RN and happy to be off Ambien. Good luck!
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1 ReactionI tried trazadone but it affected my liver enzymes, which tend to fluctuate. Lunesta didn’t really help and I didn’t want to be on it long term. Currently, 7.5 mirtazapine and 1 mg melatonin are working pretty well for me (after weaning from lorazepam)
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1 ReactionHow long were you on lorazepam for? I've been taking it every night for about 2 weeks....but want to stop taking it every night....if I can. Mirtazapine is something I might want to try because it works for alot of people.
No I am not taking Mirtazapine....but it sounds like it works good. I'm currently taking 1mg lorazepam for both anxiety and sleep.
I was on lorazepam over two years. Both my doctors and I wanted me off it.
I also use a Rise dispensary and am disappointed they don't offer more of a variety of gummies for sleep. Here in MN they only offer one brand with two sleep gummies to choose from. The one I'm using has 10mg THC and 2mg CBN. They don't work as well for me as gummies with more CBN and the only ones I can find are sold at hemp dispensaries, so they aren't as potent or well tested. Glad such a low dose is working for you.
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1 ReactionJust curious as to why you wanted off lorazepam.....I mean, did it quit working cause you took it that long? Did you ever have to increase the dose? What dose were you on? How hard was it to stop using it?
I believe you and I had “discussed” this, maybe on another thread. I was on .5 mg for short term anxiety and then began relying on it for sleep. My doctors (pcp and sleep medicine) did not want me taking it indefinitely due to it being a benzodiazepine. It’s my understanding that it’s not great to be on them long term.
My sleep doctor gave me a weaning schedule, which I altered in order to wean more slowly.
Both doctors are comfortable with my taking the low dose mirtazapine and melatonin long term.
Hope I’ve answered your questions
I'm happy you were able to get off lorazepam and also happy that mirtazapine is working good for you. Hopefully the mirtazapine helps your anxiety. That is why my doctor gave me lorazepam....because it helps anxiety and sleep. But I'm afraid of getting addicted to it....