Weaning off zolpidem (Ambien)

May need to increase the dose of Zolpidem, as you age your metabolism changes etc. Also Ambien is a short acting benzodiazipine. A longer acting one is fluorazepam that would carry you through the night. Usual dose for women is 15 mg, med 30mg. But of course that is completely a physician/patient decision. Just giving pharmacological information.

I have been using half of a 10 mg zolpidem and half or less of clonazepam since my son was killed in an auto accident 28 months ago. I am still very sad I can't seem to fall asleep without these meds. Last night I tried to do it with just a piece od the ambien but I had to end up taking another very small piece of ambien and a small piece of clonazepam. And I got 6 hours and 48 minutes of sleep. And I seem to dream a lot. Can you help me get off of these addictive drugs help me get a uninterrupted 7 - 8 hours of sleep so when I wake up I'm wide awake and energetic?

@kndaustin71 Ambien (zolpidiem) is not a benzo. I took it for 15 years before it stopped working for me (probably due to a course Flagyl & Cipro).
Now, I take 1mg of Lorazepam (which is a benzo). It has greatly reduced my anxiety, but I don’t sleep as well as I would like - usually around 6-6.5 hours.
Melatonin helps me fall asleep (1.5mg) but can give me crazy dreams. Then I take .5mg Lorazepam and another .5mg later if needed.

You are absolutely right! I stand corrected! Thank you......it's still short acting! LOL

@lisalucier yes. How did she do it safely. I have been on 10 mg ambien for 16 years

Am I missing something here? Why are these doctors prescribing a drug that, by the actual drug manufacturer, does not recommend taking it for more than 6 weeks max. And it also states, it is not to be used for long term. Why are these same doctors prescribing long term use and not looking for the answers of the actual cause of insomnia? When looking up the side effects for long term use, Ambien is highly addictive, causes depression, and many, many severe side effects. Ah yes, leading to more prescription's. Being healthy is not as easy as popping a pill. It takes time, kindness and care. I understand needing something to help you sleep during an extreme stressful time. But again, it is not meant for long term use. It is very difficult to face addiction; especially when it is a prescribed legal drug. Being able to trust your doctor to guide you and follow the regulation when you are most vulnerable, is imperative. If your mother wanted to drink a bottle of vodka every night because it made her feel better and sleep better, would you recommend that course as being a healthy choice for “quality of life”?

@stanlee8652
There is a group called “Taper Clinic”, that is very good on tapering off of different drugs like these. It isn’t cheap but you will get the best help and care. I have been using them for over 2 years to taper off of several drugs for insomnia.