The Curse of Ambien

[mountaineer]

The Curse of Ambien
Rod Dreher
Jan. 20, 2021
Excerpted; go to link for the article.

...  I wrote last night about my struggle this week to kick my dependence on the sleep drug Ambien. Why would I put it on a newsletter focusing on positive things? Because it’s an example of me putting into action the words I’ve been preaching for a while now about accepting suffering in a spirit that allows us to turn it into a means of becoming holier people, or at least stronger. I don’t think being dependent on a prescription sleep medication has anything to do with holiness one way or the other, but I do believe that kicking the habit is a good thing to do. ...

Around 2008, I think it was, I was having a lot of trouble sleeping because of anxiety over a family medical issue. My doctor at the time prescribed Ambien, a widely-prescribed sleep aid that was supposed to have none of the addictive properties of benzodiazepine drugs (e.g., Valium, Halcion, Xanax). It was a wonder drug, let me tell you. It was like sliding down a silky chute to a bed made of pink clouds, having a cheerful swarm of Tinkerbells tuck you in under a goosedown comforter, and Burl Ives singing lullabies as you drifted off to sleep. It was not at all like the over-the-counter sleep aids (Unisom, for example) that left me feeling groggy in the morning. Those were like being beaned by a mallet; Ambien was like being bonked ever so gently by a marshmallow hammerhead.

I loved Ambien, as you can tell. ...

I tried to quit it several times over the years, but the misery was pretty intense. Ambien works by slowing down the brain, making it easier to sleep. Years ago, on one of my aborted attempts to wean myself from the drug, I described a night without Ambien to a friend as like trying to land a plane, but always bouncing back up just before touchdown. It was so difficult, and left me so completely wrecked the next day, that I always just gave up and started taking it again. ...

I decided that I was going to go cold turkey on Ambien, and beat this dependence once and for all. This is not advised medically, the cold turkey thing. Though Ambien is not as addictive as benzos, it is chemically similar, and withdrawal can be bad.  ...

In talking over the years with other long-term Ambien users, I’ve found that every one of us wish we had never taken the drug. Part of the problem, I think, was that people don’t think of sleeping pills as something to which you can become dependent.  ...

Full story at the American Conservative

[Hoodat]

Living drug free is a wonderful thing.  Other than very dangerous sleepwalking, don't know any side affects from ambien.  But addiction to any drug is a very bad thing.  Withdrawal from diazepams (valium, librium, ativan, etc.) or from barbiturates can easily be fatal.   (Can't say that about opioids.)  The same may apply to ambien.

If you are having trouble falling asleep, I would strongly recommend cutting out caffeine, turning off all electronics two hours before bedtime, do not have a TV in your bedroom, and take melatonin and valerian root when you go to bed.

It is shocking to me to see the grip that Big Pharma has on the American people.  Your body is fearfully and wonderfully made by G-d.  It doesn't need these medications to function properly.

[mountaineer]

If at all possible, living without pharmaceuticals has to be the best course. I don't sleep well, either, and have a lot of physical pain that keeps me awake, but certainly don't want to go down the path of relying on a drug. 

[Cyber Liberty]

I tried Ambien. I hated it the first night and threw it away.

[BassWrangler]

Living drug free is a wonderful thing.  Other than very dangerous sleepwalking, don't know any side affects from ambien.  But addiction to any drug is a very bad thing.  Withdrawal from diazepams (valium, librium, ativan, etc.) or from barbiturates can easily be fatal.   (Can't say that about opioids.)  The same may apply to ambien.

If you are having trouble falling asleep, I would strongly recommend cutting out caffeine, turning off all electronics two hours before bedtime, do not have a TV in your bedroom, and take melatonin and valerian root when you go to bed.

It is shocking to me to see the grip that Big Pharma has on the American people.  Your body is fearfully and wonderfully made by G-d.  It doesn't need these medications to function properly.

Long term use of melatonin can also be addictive. Like most addictions, the fix is time. Stop taking the drug and realize you're going to have some sleepless nights until your body re-adapts. Get some good exercise at least 3 or 4 hours before bedtime. Don't eat or drink anything near bed time, skip the caffeine, and make sure you have a dark and quiet environment.

[Restored]

If you want to go to sleep, try and stay awake

[Bigun]

I don't take any drug that I do not absolutely have to take as per the instructions of my long time doctor

[XenaLee]

If at all possible, living without pharmaceuticals has to be the best course. I don't sleep well, either, and have a lot of physical pain that keeps me awake, but certainly don't want to go down the path of relying on a drug. 

I have chronic back pain from a car accident I was in at 16...almost went thru the windshield and had whiplash.   I don't take anything stronger than Bayer aspirin, so I rely on an auto-off heating pad at nite.   Puts me right to sleep, usually.   

[XenaLee]

If you want to go to sleep, try and stay awake

Or... play an audio book with a droning, soothing voice.   

[thackney]

I struggled with sleep problems all my life.  Essentially every night, often awake for hours trying to go to sleep, waking up and not able to return to sleep.

I had miserable migraines after the worse nights.  I often walked around like a zombie.

When I was traveling a lot for jobs, I was even worse out of my own bed.  I used ear plugs, white noise and finally started adding over the counter sleep aids.  It helped a lot.

Now I take Diphenhydramine and Melatonin. The first to fall asleep and the second to stay asleep.  Taking one without the other always results in the loss of those.

I take little caffeine, none after noon.  I turn off the blue light in electronics for the evening.  I have finally convinced my wife not to engage me in conversations at bed time.  Now that I do not have a kid in rodeo, I keep my sleep times very consistent.

If I miss taking them, I am miserable.

[XenaLee]

I struggled with sleep problems all my life.  Essentially every night, often awake for hours trying to go to sleep, waking up and not able to return to sleep.

I had miserable migraines after the worse nights.  I often walked around like a zombie.

When I was traveling a lot for jobs, I was even worse out of my own bed.  I used ear plugs, white noise and finally started adding over the counter sleep aids.  It helped a lot.

Now I take Diphenhydramine and Melatonin. The first to fall asleep and the second to stay asleep.  Taking one without the other always results in the loss of those.

I take little caffeine, none after noon.  I turn off the blue light in electronics for the evening.  I have finally convinced my wife not to engage me in conversations at bed time.  Now that I do not have a kid in rodeo, I keep my sleep times very consistent.

If I miss taking them, I am miserable.

You could also try taking a 30-minute detox soak in a bathtub.   It has the effect of lulling you into a more relaxed state.

[Hoodat]

When I was traveling a lot for jobs, I was even worse out of my own bed.  I used ear plugs, white noise and finally started adding over the counter sleep aids.  It helped a lot.

Now I take Diphenhydramine and Melatonin. The first to fall asleep and the second to stay asleep.  Taking one without the other always results in the loss of those.

Ear plugs and white noise helps me while on the rig.  Another bonus is my C-PAP machine.  It affords me the luxury of pulling the covers over my head while still being able to breathe.

It's rare that I will take diphenhydramine, maybe once every 4 months or so.  I don't do melatonin/Valerian Root unless I am not tired.

[mountaineer]

Isn't diphenhydramine just Benadryl? I do take that, or the generic equivalent, once in a while. It probably helps with the sniffles, too.
The best thing probably is as many have mentioned - don't eat too close to bedtime, no caffeine, no computer screen time.

[Wingnut]

I sleep like a baby.  I wake up every two hours crying looking for a breast to suckle.   

[BassWrangler]

I have chronic back pain from a car accident I was in at 16...almost went thru the windshield and had whiplash.   I don't take anything stronger than Bayer aspirin, so I rely on an auto-off heating pad at nite.   Puts me right to sleep, usually.

I have a similar problem, except it's mostly in my neck. At age 16, was hit and run by a drunk driver. Totaled my car. I went to check on driver of other vehicle, and he started spinning his tires trying to unhook the bumpers and get away. I ended up being dragged down the road with my arm around his neck and had to let go.  Next day was a mass of pain.

Now in later life, it is a big pain in the butt. What has helped me the most is physical therapy - basically strengthening the muscles that support the spine. I also have lower back issues, but daily walks and a few core exercises make that much less of an issue.

[Fishrrman]

The link in the OP doesn't work for me.

This one does:
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/the-curse-of-ambien/