Daeshay76
Old Hand
Reged: 03/22/04
Posts: 426
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My doctor had prescribed me 20mg of Ambien at night before bedtime and the pharmacists had told me that I need to take it then go lay down because it work so quickly well for me it hasnt i still dont go to sleep at all. My problem is when I lay down at night I feel like my heart stops a beat or so then I get a panic attack real bad. The other night when i finally went to sleep (i think i went to sleep) i dont know if this was a dream or not but i was laying in bed and my whole body was not mobile i couldnt even scream all i could do was move my eyes then after a few seconds i could move i am not sure if i was dreaming or if i was really awake so that started a really bad panic attack....Does anyone know of anything else that would work for sleep? I have heard that Valium also works for sleep?? Thanks for all info that is given!
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foster
Stranger
Reged: 04/27/04
Posts: 15
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I hope nobody laughs because I am being serious. I slept in today because I have the weekend off. So come Sunday night I will take a Unisom and in about 15 minutes I will be very sleepy. I don't know if you have tried this, and it just doesn't work for you, but it works for me. I think some people have sleep problems because of no routine. Working different hours every day. If you on the same schedule and still can't sleep then I am of no help. Good luck on getting some Z's.
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tb1218
Member
Reged: 09/19/02
Posts: 171
Loc: indiana
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Foster, I wouldnt laugh, because I thought Unisom worked pretty good too. Ambien really didnt do a whole lot. I do work a pretty regular schedule and but 3-4 nites a week I cant sleep at all. Xanax has worked the best for my insomnia or I sleep the longest on it. But I alternate Unisom and Xanax except if I take Unisom too late, I am really groggy in the morning, and sometimes still wake up way too early. Its been a long time since I took Ambien but I remember not even getting it refilled because even tho it did make me fall asleep faster, I'd still wake up in a couple hours wide awake or sleep fittfully.
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lovepink
Goddess
Reged: 01/01/02
Posts: 1476
Loc: NYC Metro Area
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Daeshay, what you've described is called "sleep paralysis" - I've experienced it multiple times and its incredibly scary as one's body is completely asleep but the mind is still totally conscious and aware. I can't recommend a specific sleep med but you may want to do a google on sleep paralysis for different treatment regimens to prevent or at least lessen the occurrences.
Good Luck.
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Daeshay76
Old Hand
Reged: 03/22/04
Posts: 426
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thanks for the info I have never heard of that I will look into that because it scared the life out of me and i dont ever want it to happen again...thanks for the info
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mailkitty
Newbie
Reged: 05/18/02
Posts: 45
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Hi.
I just had to throw something in because I couldn't believe what I read. The maximum daily dosage for Ambien is 10mg. If you're being prescribed 20mg, without any other information, either the Physician, the Pharmacy or both are being very irresponsible.
From what you wrote, you might consider looking into something for panic attacks rather than something for sleep.
Whatever you do, be careful. Ambien at 20mg per day is outside of the drugs indications and can be dangerous.
Good luck.
Lisa St.Peter
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Daeshay76
Old Hand
Reged: 03/22/04
Posts: 426
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i thought the smae thing doctor wrote take 2 at bedtime for sleep and I am taking lexapro 20mg for my panic attacks it worked well9lexapro) for a few months but now it seems like it isnt working well at all...i dont know what to do about this problem and the doctor i was seeing is no longer in practice so it is going to be hard to find another PCP in TN because they are all too scared to prescribe anything to help you. thank you for the info i have stopped taking the ambien because it didnt help me at all it lekp me awake i didnt even get the "sleepy" feeling from it.
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leila01
Journeyman
Reged: 09/22/03
Posts: 96
Loc: pennsylvania
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Is it possible that you are having these experiences when you sleep because of the dosage?? I'm no doctor, but I always thought that the maximum dosage for Ambien was 10 mg. Could that have anything to do with it? I know Lovepink mentioned she had a similar type situation, but it doesn't sound like it was while she was taking Ambien (maybe it was - I don't think she mentioned one way or the other). Just a thought.
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lovepink
Goddess
Reged: 01/01/02
Posts: 1476
Loc: NYC Metro Area
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Hi leila - no, I wasn't taking any sort of sleep medication or benzos during my episodes of sleep paralysis. The condition is not as uncommon as one would think...after I related my terrifying experiences to close friends & family members, a few breathed a sigh of relief that someone besides THEM had experienced it. Two other females in my family (mother and first cousin) also have episodes...my Mom has only had about three in her lifetime while my 28 year old cousin experiences AT LEAST one episode per week. Based on that, the condition COULD be hereditary but we also noted that sleep paralysis is more likely to occur during periods of stress. My cousin is in her last year of med school so is naturally under tremendous pressure. These are only my observations & unscientific conclusions (links to genes and/or stress) but Daeshay may want to keep a journal after each episode, noting what she did the previous day, whether she felt more stressed than usual.
Daeshay - When I have a bit of time I'll find my bookmarks to sites & message boards dealing with sleep paralysis & either PM the links to you or email them if you PM me with your email address.
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tone
Veteran
Reged: 06/29/03
Posts: 555
Loc: Chicago
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thats very strange, never heard of such a reaction to ambien. for a lot of people, ambien is so powerful that if one were to take 20 mg, the would get an ultra strong buzz in their head, not be able to walk strait, and not really remember well what they did while they were on it
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tone
Veteran
Reged: 06/29/03
Posts: 555
Loc: Chicago
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why are you buying unisom which is diphenhydramine for a high price when you can get generic allergy pills, which is also diphenhydramine for a very low price? i got 400 diphenhydramine pills for $3.00 which is a whole lot of unisom boxes
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lovepink
Goddess
Reged: 01/01/02
Posts: 1476
Loc: NYC Metro Area
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tone, which reaction of Daeshay's to Ambien are you referring to? The possible correlation to her sleep paralysis or her "immunity" to the effects of 20 mg? To comment on both possibilities, sleep paralysis isn't directly linked to Ambien as the local people I know of who suffer from this condition don't take sleep meds at all.
If you were remarking about it being a very unusual reaction to not get knocked out on 20 mg. of Ambien, thats definitely not unusual - I can take 30 mg. and only experience mild drowsiness, not even enough to contemplate sleeping. Ambien seems to be one of those drugs that either work very very well or not at all.
As to your post questioning use of Unisom versus the store-brand package of capsules containing the duplicate active ingredient found in Unisom, this is one time that I agree with you that the placebo effect plays a major role.
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qbird
material girl
Reged: 09/02/02
Posts: 844
Loc: USA
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I was a long term ambien user and can tell you that it will bring on panic attacks if you use it daily. It is not meant for that. You are supposed to use it occasionally and not longer than two weeks or you will be dependent on it. I would use ambien before valium though. Valium will help with sleep but I would avoid benzos if at all possible unless you need them. You should not take ambien and valium together. Your doc started you on a high dosage too. You will build tolerance eventually and will need more to sleep. You should have been started at 5 or 10 mgs. I would question that.
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