[Lemon]

For those of you on sleep meds (I take Ambien), how do you decide when to take them? Do you take the med every night? Since I got the prescription I've been taking a pill every night. I'd rather not be that dependent on a sleep med and just take it if I know I'm particularly anxious and therefore probably unable to sleep.

I just take it every night... with trazadone.. or I wouldn't sleep...

[gimmeice]

I am on Ambien CR and take it every night.
Have you talked to your doctor about your concerns about becoming dependent on your meds?

[sunrise]

Lemon, I take a xanax or a half xanax if I have trouble sleeping. This is now about 1-2 times a month which isn't enough to become addicted. I don't feel any ill effects in the morning and it really helps me sleep if I am lying there thinking things over and over and over in my head, worrying, angsting, etc. I think if you have severe enough anxiety to not be able to sleep every night, it might be good to talk to your doc about a different sort of med (anaxiolytic) or approach (meditation, exercise, etc.). Maybe then you could give up the Ambien. Just a thought--definitely worth a review with your MD. With my first therapist, finding ways to increase my sleep was a top priority for us. (We used CBT methods for this.)

[Lemon]

I'm not worried about becoming addicted. I just see taking the meds as a sign of my anxiety and depression level, so I'd rather feel good enough that I could sleep on my own. I know I can get back to sleeping better after I deal with some other issues.

[Lemon]

Sunny, thanks for sharing your experiences. I get my Ambien prescription from my pdoc so she definately knows about the other mental health issues! I also talk to my T about sleeping and we talk about other ways to help. I actually have had good sleep habits my whole life, so I know I can get back to sleeping on my own more regularly, it's just a matter of time (hard to be patient.)

Hey I take Restoril. And have been for years. I am probably addicted.

But I tried Ambien CR and Lunesta and I hated that insurance only provided 15 a month. I was like "I need it every day, dammit!"

So, I stuck with my benzo.

Perhaps the other nights, you can take a sip of Tylonel PM. I heard that works well.

[Lemon]

Riptide - doesn't insurance suck! The covereage seems to vary so much. Mine covers a pill a day, but if you use 90 pills in 90 days your doctor has to reauthorize, which mine will. So it's just a hoop to jump through.

Before my pdoc gave me the Ambien scrip I had tried Tylonel PM. It worked, but made me really sleepy in the morning, so that's why I went with an actual sleep med. When I wake up now, I'm relatively awake even if I didn't get tons of actual sleep.

I guess it's a process of reteaching myself how to sleep. It is nice to have the Ambien back-up.

[cheetah]

How did your doctor prescribe the medication? Did he/she instruct you to take it nightly or just as needed?

I take Ativan 2mg every night. Without it I either will not fall asleep or I'll sleep for just a short time and then wake up.

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Lemon said:
Riptide - doesn't insurance suck! The covereage seems to vary so much. Mine covers a pill a day, but if you use 90 pills in 90 days your doctor has to reauthorize, which mine will. So it's just a hoop to jump through.

.

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Insurance totally sucks! My insurance would only give 15 pills a month. Made NO SENSE to me..especially since Ambien and Lunesta are not "addictive." But insurance will pay for my Benzo every day which is addictive.

Personally the hardest thing about any sleep medicine is trying to get the right timing, so that you are not "hung over" in the morning. If I take my benzo too late, I am barely alive the next AM.
(I also take Seroquel at night, so I will am like a zombie if everything is timed wrong!!)

Someone suggested "natural rememdies" but none of them ever worked for me. It was just a waste of money.

Good luck figuring everything out!

[aggie83]

About a year ago, I started taking Lunesta because I really couldn't sleep and was worry, worry, worry, about nothing. My ObGyn had me on Wellbutrin and we tried various sleep medications (OTC not for me as they contain Benadryl which wires me up!). Seroquel, Ambien and Lunesta. Ended up finding Lunesta worked best. That helped tons. As I was getting better, I would only take the Lunesta if I was feeling really stressed, say twice a week.

Well, depression struck again and the Lunesta wasn't cutting it. Was referred to an internist a month ago. Apparently I'm really depressed. I also quit smoking. He added Lexapro and I tried Ambian CR again and now it works. If I take it too late, I have a hard time getting out of bed. It also seems to take a long time for it to work on me, like an hour and a half. If I take it about 8 p.m., I can be asleep by 10:30 and sleep all the way until 5:30! That's a lot!

Right now, since I'm not worrying or fretting while trying to sleep, I am taking Ambien CR Sunday through Thursday and skipping the weekends. I have Blue Cross and it will give me 30 per month, but the copay is $50.