[SingDanceRunLife]

Like so many others with bipolar, I have some bad sleep issues...so I brought it up with my pdoc at my appointment today, and he prescribed Ambien.

Anyone with experiences to share? Anything in particular I should expect/look out for?

Thanks!

Loved ambien. Finally found out what having getting a full night's sleep was all about. Just be sure you go straight to bed once you take it. When it kicks in, it kicks in.

[SingDanceRunLife]

Yeah, I basically never sleep through the night which is really rough, especially when I have to get up for school or work in the morning. My Rx is for CR (the extended release form), so hopefully I'll finally be able to sleep right!!

I never took the CR version. Hope it works well for you.

[SingDanceRunLife]

Thanks. My pdoc prescribed the CR version because it supposedly helps you both fall asleep AND stay asleep unlike the regular version which just helps you fall asleep.

[greylove]

I've always been able to count on regular release Ambien to put me to sleep within twenty minutes and to keep me asleep all night. One caution, though: At least in my experience, Ambien with an antipsychotic will knock you out cold. I was taking Ambien before Seroquel was added. Seroquel, in addition to being an antipsychotic, is a pretty good sleep aid as well. The combination had me sleepwalking and sleepeating. I wouldn't have heard a fire alarm go off. I only take Ambien now when Seroquel doesn't let me drift off to sleep.

[SingDanceRunLife]

Unfortunately, Seroquel doesn't knock me out or keep me asleep which is why my pdoc added Ambien.

I sleep like a rock anyway (always have)...so not hearing a fire alarm go off is the norm for me. (Once, the smoke detectors in my house malfunctioned and all went off at the same time for absolutely no reason, and it didn't wake me up...and there were 7 spread out throughout the house, including in my room!)

[PiperLeigh]

Definitely be in bed immediately after taking it. It works quickly. Also, according to my husband we have had conversations after I took it that I have zero recollection of. So don't have your phone nearby if you're someone that likes to text or anything like that because you may say something and have no memory of it the next day. (I have a good friend who takes ambien and she also says she doesn't have a memory of some of the time after she takes it.)

On one occassion I got the stupid idea that I'd take it and then try to get in a quick shower before going to bed. Yeah, no. I fell asleep in the shower. No kidding. Don't do that. They really aren't kidding when they say take it and go to bed. Happy zzzzzz's.

[SingDanceRunLife]

Wow. I look forward to being knocked out though! It usually takes me a good while to fall asleep, even if I'm dead tired...and I've tried it all from taking a shower before bed to listening to relaxing music to aromatherapy to melatonin!

So basically my routine every night is to take my meds about an hour and a half before I want to be asleep because it takes that long for the Seroquel to even start kicking in (even though I'm on IR), and once I get in bed, I turn on the TV or a movie to watch until I fall asleep...I actually watch from anywhere between 20 minutes and an hour, depending on how tired I am, then I turn away and close my eyes once I'm actually ready to go to sleep, and I'll be out within about 10 minutes.

[SingDanceRunLife]

ZOMG! It's like a magic pill! It knocked me out so fast last night!! Like, I took it, and by the time I was finished getting ready for bed, I was basically out already. I remember going to the bathroom and planning on filling up my humidifier, but I never got to that (discovered that this morning when I woke up). Wowza!

[rainbow8]

I'm glad the ambien worked so well for you! It did what it was supposed to for me too. I fell asleep about 10 mins. after I took it and only got up once to use the bathroom. It just kept me groggy and tired the whole day, unless that was the zoloft.

I'm really glad you had a good night's sleep!

[SingDanceRunLife]

Thanks Me too!

[archipelago]

Ambien works well for me. It can create problems with memory in some people. I hadn't heard of extended release. I might ask about that since sometimes it wears off before I've finished sleeping. That's the only trouble I've had. I like to sleep for long periods and it is a fast acting and fast disappearing drug.

[SingDanceRunLife]

My sister told me we were eating last night...and I don't remember doing it o.O

...but she said I was awake, so hopefully it wasn't the dreaded sleep-eating I've read about...

[SingDanceRunLife]

I think it was a 1 time thing...thank God.

I've been sleeping so well since I started the Ambien...it's seriously amazing! And yesterday, I made it through the day, including a 5-hour shift at work (and I work with kids -- yesterday it was babies under 2) without coffee. Yeah, by 4:00 I was exhausted and ended up taking a nap...but still. That's huge for me!

[nicoleb2]

Originally Posted by SingDanceRunLife

My sister told me we were eating last night...and I don't remember doing it o.O

...but she said I was awake, so hopefully it wasn't the dreaded sleep-eating I've read about...

Did you go to bed right after you took the ambien? If I stay up after taking it, (always do because it doesn't help for an hour or two), I often find out that I was talking to someone and don't remember anything about it

[SingDanceRunLife]

Originally Posted by nicoleb2

Did you go to bed right after you took the ambien? If I stay up after taking it, (always do because it doesn't help for an hour or two), I often find out that I was talking to someone and don't remember anything about it

I did go right to bed, so that's weird...but it seems like it was only a one time thing...although I apparently got up and got an apple (but didn't eat it) last night...weird!!

EDIT: I realized/remembered that I actually got the apple before getting in bed, but I guess I never ate it.

[birdcrazy]

I was on it when I was having trouble sleeping and it worked pretty good, but I was doing things before I ended up falling asleep that I didn't remember the next day and that even included sex, lol! My husband is dependent on both ambien and seroquel and he has to take both in order to fall asleep.

[SingDanceRunLife]

I take both Seroquel and Ambien as well. Seroquel alone wasn't cutting it. Oh well. I'm on it primarily for bipolar management, not sleep. The sleep inducing properties are just a nice addition.