ambien/ fx'or- to take or not...

Hi, I'm just been put on ambien and effexor. My current medications are one paxil, which I take about once a week because I hate it. I would be very curious to hear from people who have experience with sleep meds including negative ones. How addictive are they? What happens when alcohol gets in the mix?

thanks!

I'm on Effexor and I also take Ambien. The Ambien isn't working very well anymore (after about two weeks). I did some research online and that's fairly common. It really only helps for a week or two. If you take it for longer than that the effect wears off. I've read that there's a time-release formula that works better for long term use. It's supposed to be potentially addictive but I haven't noticed any rebound if I stop taking it. I'm seeing my shrink on Monday so I'm going to talk to him about it.

The Effexor is a completely different matter. You HAVE to take the right dose, at the right time, and you HAVE to take it every single day. It takes awhile to build up in your system. Then, if you stop suddenly or miss a dose you can have significant withdrawal--nausea, dizziness, buzzing sensations--and that can last a long time. It's hard to get off of Effexor, not because it's addictive, but because it changes your brain chemistry and has to be withdrawn very slowly.

You might think, OK, then I don't want it--but I'll tell you this: For me it has been the one medicine that actually helps. When I first got on it it was like flipping a switch--suddenly, after about 10 days, I was a normal person. It was amazing.

You can't drink on either of these meds though. Period. Nothing.

Good luck to you!

Hello!

Ambien is a sleep medication that is unlike meds like Ativan and Xanax which are benzodiazepines. Ambien's dosages come in 5mg and 10mg and it is also generic now.

Ambien is an excellent sleep aid and is best taken on en empty stomach right before bed.

Ambien does have some addictive potential which mostly depends on how long you take it. It's best to talk to your doctor about how long you should use Ambien. While many sites will tell you that it is only used for 7-10 days, many docs will keep patients on it for many months and years if they feel it's necessary. However, over time it loses its effectiveness which may mean it's time to stop taking it.

Ambien has been in the news recently because of the possibility of some unusual side effects including sleep walking, driving to somewhere in the middle of the night and not having any memory of having done so, sleep- eating, engaging in sexual activities and most significant: amnesia. Many people take Ambien and stay up instead of going right to bed. And in doing so, the med kicks in without the person really feeling it and they send emails, make phone calls and have conversations with spouses or roommates all the while not remembering any of it the next morning.

Ambien can produce s light euphoric effect, thus its addiction potential. Other more common side effects include sleepiness, dizziness, unusual dreams, diarrhea, and waking up feeling hungover or groggy.

If taken as prescribed, you shouldn't have to worry about any unusual side effects -but if you suspect you are or you feel you have become too dependent on it for sleep please talk to your doctor.

Ambien has a half-life of approximately 2-4 hours which minimizes the hangover effect that other sleep aids usually produce.

Because the makers of Ambien lost their patent years ago, they developed Ambien CR which has two parts: the first layer immediately releases into your system while the second part slowly releases the med over a longer time. This is to help with people who wake up too early or wake up multiple times during the night. Ambien CR is not available in generic.

I hope this helps!

Jerry

I should add that combining alcohol with Ambien or any medication for that matter is unwise. Please contact your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

I have taken Ambien CR for several years now. Just started having the lovely side effect of doing things I didn't know I was doing because my psychiatrist told me to take 1 1/2 because1 was no longer effective. I, of course did this without thinking, and then realized that CR pills say "DO NOT CUT".... gotta love it.

But anyway, Ambien CR was great for me, but I have built up a tolerance for it at this point. And I have taken it with may other meds (I have treatment resistant depression and have tried many meds). Pretty much all of them had no problems with the ambien.

Thanks pgrundy, jerry, and nicole for your nice responses! It is really surprising to me that mixing meds is ok. I had heard that alcohol isn't allowed, but I tend to think of sleeping pills as being harder on the body than alcohol....
Many thanks again!~