Ambien stopped working

Posted by emmabell @emmabell, Oct 25, 2022

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.

Kind regards /Emmabell

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@lisaschultz327

I have been an insomniac for over 25 years. I think I’ve tried all the RXs. 10 mg Ambien worked the best for the last 10 years but after some years, I found myself waking up in the middle of the night after 3 hours sleep and couldn’t get back to sleep. I finally took 2 and it worked for awhile. Then I started getting less and less sleep. I would make little cocktails of other drugs that have soporific effects after I’d get my 3 hours of sleep but then that stopped working. My doctor recently put me on 50 mg. Quviviq. I noted when reading the directions that it said it might take time for the full effects to be felt. It has been 3 weeks now and it is definitely not working. I started taking it with some other RXs and I’ll get 3 hours sleep and then be up watching TV for 3 hours and then have to take more of some of the other RXs to knock myself out for another few hours. (I know you’re not supposed to watch TV but if I don’t I just worry about all the things one worries about.). I never had any of the nightmares that some people reported with Quviviq but I’m definitely not getting the 7 hours sleep that I need. I don’t know what to do other than not get a refill for that drug.

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Hello Lisaschultz327....it sucks not being able to sleep. Have you tried Lunesta...Estazolam...or the extended release Ambien? Or some people say the CBD/THC Gummies work very well. You can get a very low amount if THC if you want to start out mild if you aren't used to THC. I have not tried these yet as I am not a THC user but I think I am gonna try them because I know people who use them that say they work very well and these people are not marijuana smokers. Good Luck....I am trying to get off Ambien because I don't want to take a sleep med every night....but Ambien is very very addictive as I just learned this past week. Had taken it for about a week every night...and the first night I didn't take it....it was a hell of a withdrawal. Extreme Anxiety!! So bad I had to leave work because I felt sick. And doctors are so willing to give out this medication but won't give us something like a benzo drug that really works. I took Flurazepam for over 10 years but only 1 or 2 times a week. Never had to take more than that. Ambien is so addictive that even after 1 or 2 nights of taking it...you have a hard time sleeping the 1st night you don't take it. Flurazepam never did that to me.

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@lisaschultz327

I have been an insomniac for over 25 years. I think I’ve tried all the RXs. 10 mg Ambien worked the best for the last 10 years but after some years, I found myself waking up in the middle of the night after 3 hours sleep and couldn’t get back to sleep. I finally took 2 and it worked for awhile. Then I started getting less and less sleep. I would make little cocktails of other drugs that have soporific effects after I’d get my 3 hours of sleep but then that stopped working. My doctor recently put me on 50 mg. Quviviq. I noted when reading the directions that it said it might take time for the full effects to be felt. It has been 3 weeks now and it is definitely not working. I started taking it with some other RXs and I’ll get 3 hours sleep and then be up watching TV for 3 hours and then have to take more of some of the other RXs to knock myself out for another few hours. (I know you’re not supposed to watch TV but if I don’t I just worry about all the things one worries about.). I never had any of the nightmares that some people reported with Quviviq but I’m definitely not getting the 7 hours sleep that I need. I don’t know what to do other than not get a refill for that drug.

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I have been taking Ambien for over 20 years. I am now only taking Ambien about 1 or 2 times weekly or when traveling. I am having good luck with Wylde strawberry CBD gummies. They do have 1 mg of THC but do not make me high. I live in IL and purchase these at Rise dispensary. They take away the anxiety of not being able to sleep. Good luck!

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Hi and thank you for replying. I did try Lunesta which was very much like Ambien but the next day I would have a very unpleasant taste in my mouth for more than half a day. I have never heard of Estazolam but will check with my doctor. I just goggled it and it says there could be life threatening drowsiness when combined with opioids which I do take for pain for severe degenerative disc disease and associated arthritis. I used to smoke marijuana regularly although I do not anymore. It never helped me to get a full night’s sleep though; I am not sure if the CBC gummies would help me. I do not drink alcohol anymore either. At 73, sleep is something I value but I would like to live longer as I still enjoy life. I will ask my doctor about the Estazolam. Thank you.

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@tka0722

I have been taking Ambien for over 20 years. I am now only taking Ambien about 1 or 2 times weekly or when traveling. I am having good luck with Wylde strawberry CBD gummies. They do have 1 mg of THC but do not make me high. I live in IL and purchase these at Rise dispensary. They take away the anxiety of not being able to sleep. Good luck!

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Hello tka0722.....glad to hear the THC gummies with very low amounts of THC are working for you....that is what I need too...something to take the anxiety away and sleep good. Thanks for your advice. I am going to try very hard to only take Ambien once or twice a week and also when I travel. Gotta sleep good so you feel good on vacation.

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I could have written that myself. I am in the EXACT situation. I'm on ambien 10 MG as well as zanax and cloudiness, it's a blood pressure medicine but used for adhd and sleep as well. I wake up almost every hour on the hour. I didn't start off on all those, but my sleep has always been off, nothing works. Now on top of the insomnia I'm stuck om all these addictive medicine. And the part where they say you shouldn't be on ambien for no more than 3 weeks is hilarious. Are they serious. I'm, too late, it's been years now and what would 3 weeks of done? I can't offer any suggestions because I'm in the same boat, but I can so relate. Thank you for your story.

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@cindisue

Hello Lisaschultz327....it sucks not being able to sleep. Have you tried Lunesta...Estazolam...or the extended release Ambien? Or some people say the CBD/THC Gummies work very well. You can get a very low amount if THC if you want to start out mild if you aren't used to THC. I have not tried these yet as I am not a THC user but I think I am gonna try them because I know people who use them that say they work very well and these people are not marijuana smokers. Good Luck....I am trying to get off Ambien because I don't want to take a sleep med every night....but Ambien is very very addictive as I just learned this past week. Had taken it for about a week every night...and the first night I didn't take it....it was a hell of a withdrawal. Extreme Anxiety!! So bad I had to leave work because I felt sick. And doctors are so willing to give out this medication but won't give us something like a benzo drug that really works. I took Flurazepam for over 10 years but only 1 or 2 times a week. Never had to take more than that. Ambien is so addictive that even after 1 or 2 nights of taking it...you have a hard time sleeping the 1st night you don't take it. Flurazepam never did that to me.

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I agree, ambien is a controlled drug just as benzos are. But because of the epedemic doctors feel it's better to give the lesser of two evils in their eyes. But if you only have to take the benzo that is made for sleep, a couple times a week why give the ambien you have to take every single day. It's a really sad situation and a very real one for people who can't sleep. You can't function without sleep, think, remember, concentrate. There are psychiatrists who will give benzos, usually older ones who nunderstand how they work, look at each patient separately not lumping us all into addicts. Good luck. I'm on benzoyl, zanax, which I want to switch to flurazepam, so I know there are doctors who will give them.

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@sleeplessinsandiego

I agree, ambien is a controlled drug just as benzos are. But because of the epedemic doctors feel it's better to give the lesser of two evils in their eyes. But if you only have to take the benzo that is made for sleep, a couple times a week why give the ambien you have to take every single day. It's a really sad situation and a very real one for people who can't sleep. You can't function without sleep, think, remember, concentrate. There are psychiatrists who will give benzos, usually older ones who nunderstand how they work, look at each patient separately not lumping us all into addicts. Good luck. I'm on benzoyl, zanax, which I want to switch to flurazepam, so I know there are doctors who will give them.

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I’m not the person on the benzo, just the Ambien which doesn’t work anymore after 20 years. There was someone else that wrote in about the bentos working. I’m going to ask my doctor about them.

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@emmabell

Sorry, I wish I had some advice but I have no idea how to get off of ambien =( I need to take more and more and whenever I try to not take them or even just a lower dose I don’t get any sleep. I’m in quite some trouble. I hope there are others that can give us advice <3

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I am in the same position. I suffer greatly from depression, anxiety and insomnia . I am so scared , I take trazodone and Restoril . My husband has cancer . I am total wreck . Did anything different ever help you ? Thanks

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@skullbasecancer4

I am in the same position. I suffer greatly from depression, anxiety and insomnia . I am so scared , I take trazodone and Restoril . My husband has cancer . I am total wreck . Did anything different ever help you ? Thanks

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Hi, I too suffer from insomnia and recently stopped taking ambien because it wasn’t working anymore. I also suffer to some degree depression and anxiety. I recently had to have an a emergency pacemaker and defibrillator implanted. While in the hospital, the doctors took me off of sertraline for depression and seroquel for anxiety and told me to never take them again as they were affecting my heart which has several problems. When I got home, I asked my regular M.D. for an extra clonazapam bringing me up to 3 - 1 mg. Tablets a day. It seems to alleviate the anxiety and helps with my sleep. Not all M.D.s will give you the benzos (Clonazapam is only one of them) as they can be addicting although I have never had that problem. Doctors these days want to put you on all the new psychological drugs many of which cause other physical problems like with my heart but I think the old class of benzos work best for me. I think you should ask your doctor to start you on 1 mg. Clonazapam taking the last one just before bedtime. If you live in a state where they’re legal, I think I would also try some of those marijuana gummies that other people on this site have spoken about. I used to smoke it when I was younger and I always thought it did wonders for depression and also helped with sleep. I only stopped smoking it because I have asthma and haven’t gotten around to trying the gummies yet.

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@skullbasecancer4

I am in the same position. I suffer greatly from depression, anxiety and insomnia . I am so scared , I take trazodone and Restoril . My husband has cancer . I am total wreck . Did anything different ever help you ? Thanks

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Hi, I’m off the benzos but on even higher dosage of ambien by now. I never managed to come off of them. I’m going to talk to a doctor about it later this week because I don’t know what to do. I’ll update here if I get any info of use… Hang in there everyone.

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