Weaning off zolpidem (Ambien)

I had no qualms about continuing on ambien and out of all the drugs I’ve tried it was the best. I was on 10 mg. for around 15 years. But you will build up a resistance to it in time. My sleep time got less and less over the years. One night it simply didn’t work anymore but I still continued to take it for a while hoping that it would work again but it didn’t. After 2 nights without sleep, I took 2 ambien; that didn’t work either so I stopped it entirely with no side effects. Then I tried taking more of my anxiety medicine (Clonazepam) which worked for a while but then it stopped too. I had been up to 3 a night but didn’t want to take anymore than that. So now I’m on nothing. I’ll go without sleep for a long time. Then I’ll be watching TV and just shut down for 3 to 4 hours. I’m totally unconscious. Then I’ll go without sleep for another long period (like 2 days) and repeat the shut down. I watch night time TV all night. I’ve tried every legal RX there is; all the sleeping pills, then psychiatric meds being used off label per the doctor’s instructions, etc.; melatonin and the other over the counter drugs do absolutely nothing. I don’t know what to do.

Have you tried cannabis gummies? Like you, I took Ambien for 20 years and it stopped working. I now take one 10mg THC gummie at night for sleep. I live in IL, so can purchase recreational marijuna. I started at low dose of 1 mg and titrated up slowly as needed for sleep. My physician is on board with this plan. Start low dose, do not take whole gummie to start. Good luck!

Have you tried cannabis gummies? Like you, I took Ambien for 20 years and it stopped working. I now take one 10mg THC gummie at night for sleep. I live in IL, so can purchase recreational marijuna. I started at low dose of 1 mg and titrated up slowly as needed for sleep. My physician is on board with this plan. Start low dose, do not take whole gummie to start. Good luck!

I smoked marijuana for so many years it didn’t make me sleepy anymore. I’m not sure if the gummies would even work and I live in a state which makes you get a yearly license for it requiring a $200 doctor visit, the license renewal fee which wasn’t cheap (I did it once) and I just don’t like knowing I’m in all the state data. I’m too old to move 3000 miles to California and I don’t, want to live where it gets cold. I guess I’ll have to try a sleep doctor although I’m not holding a lot of faith in that. I developed mild sleep apnea as I got into my 50s so I know they’ll try to push another machine on me which I hated (tried it for about 3 months) and returned. I know it’s not the sleep apnea causing the insomnia since I’ve had it since my mid 30s when I was in a high stress job and had a lot of anxiety. I think that’s what’s causing the insomnia now because I still have a lot of stress and anxiety for many reasons. I have tried CHT f or almost 2 years but talking about it just doesn’t come through for me. I’ll see about the sleep doctor. Thank you.

I smoked marijuana for so many years it didn’t make me sleepy anymore. I’m not sure if the gummies would even work and I live in a state which makes you get a yearly license for it requiring a $200 doctor visit, the license renewal fee which wasn’t cheap (I did it once) and I just don’t like knowing I’m in all the state data. I’m too old to move 3000 miles to California and I don’t, want to live where it gets cold. I guess I’ll have to try a sleep doctor although I’m not holding a lot of faith in that. I developed mild sleep apnea as I got into my 50s so I know they’ll try to push another machine on me which I hated (tried it for about 3 months) and returned. I know it’s not the sleep apnea causing the insomnia since I’ve had it since my mid 30s when I was in a high stress job and had a lot of anxiety. I think that’s what’s causing the insomnia now because I still have a lot of stress and anxiety for many reasons. I have tried CHT f or almost 2 years but talking about it just doesn’t come through for me. I’ll see about the sleep doctor. Thank you.

I smoked marijuana for so many years it didn’t make me sleepy anymore. I’m not sure if the gummies would even work and I live in a state which makes you get a yearly license for it requiring a $200 doctor visit, the license renewal fee which wasn’t cheap (I did it once) and I just don’t like knowing I’m in all the state data. I’m too old to move 3000 miles to California and I don’t, want to live where it gets cold. I guess I’ll have to try a sleep doctor although I’m not holding a lot of faith in that. I developed mild sleep apnea as I got into my 50s so I know they’ll try to push another machine on me which I hated (tried it for about 3 months) and returned. I know it’s not the sleep apnea causing the insomnia since I’ve had it since my mid 30s when I was in a high stress job and had a lot of anxiety. I think that’s what’s causing the insomnia now because I still have a lot of stress and anxiety for many reasons. I have tried CHT f or almost 2 years but talking about it just doesn’t come through for me. I’ll see about the sleep doctor. Thank you.

You should still try the over-the-counter doxylamine succinate (25 mg), a sleep aid that is inexpensive, sold at Costco as "Sleep Aid" for like $7 for a two bottle package. It was formerly sold as Unisom, which is more commonly sold now with the ingredient being diphenhydramine (Benadryl). There is a version of Unison which is the doxylamine succinate, but you need to read all the Unison labels carefully to see which it is. Start with a half tablet, because it is pretty effective, will cause you perhaps to be groggy after you wake in the AM if you take an entire tablet (at first). It's an antihistamine with the side effect of drowsiness.