Zolpidem

[[Su...]]

Hello. I am still learning here. I am off of 1mg x 2 daily klonopin since first week of June.  I have been reading here some comments about Zolpidem [ambien]. I take 10 mg at bedtime. 

My withdrawal [and unsupervised taper] have been nightmarish.  However,  I have noticed a cycle where I feel relatively less symptoms in the day and worse towards night.[my face is burning off now and my neck feels like a concrete post].

What are folks' opinions on Zolpidem being a bad actor here?  How do I address it if this is part of the problem?  Are there any definitive sources on this that you can point me to?

[[Pa...]]

It sounds like you're dealing with interdose withdrawal, when I stupidly started taking Ambien after my cold turkey from Klonopin I used to watch the clock waiting for bedtime and relief from the symptoms it created.  I kept thinking I wasn't getting better from my cold turkey but it wasn't that, the Ambien was keeping me from recovering and I kept getting sicker and sicker.

Z-drugs are classified as a non-benzodiazepine but they affect the same part of the brain and can produce the similar symptoms.  I quit it cold turkey and felt better within days but most will taper it at about the same rate we suggest for benzo tapers, 10% every couple of weeks.  As with benzo's, one size doesn't fit all so choose your method wisely.  

You're so newly off the Klonopin, I'm not sure if its a good time to stop the Ambien but if its adding to your troubles, it might be time.  Life is so good off of these awful drugs, I hope you can find a way to be free of the Ambien.

Professor Ashton mentions staying away from z-drugs.

benzo.org.uk : Benzodiazepines: How They Work & How to Withdraw, Prof C H Ashton DM, FRCP, 2002

This table suggests crossing from zopiclone which is a cousin to Ambien to Valium in order to taper from it.

benzo.org.uk : Benzodiazepines: How They Work & How to Withdraw, Prof C H Ashton DM, FRCP, 2002

 

[[Su...]]

19 minutes ago, [[P...] said:

It sounds like you're dealing with interdose withdrawal, when I stupidly started taking Ambien after my cold turkey from Klonopin I used to watch the clock waiting for bedtime and relief from the symptoms it created.  I kept thinking I wasn't getting better from my cold turkey but it wasn't that, the Ambien was keeping me from recovering and I kept getting sicker and sicker.

Z-drugs are classified as a non-benzodiazepine but they affect the same part of the brain and can produce the similar symptoms.  I quit it cold turkey and felt better within days but most will taper it at about the same rate we suggest for benzo tapers, 10% every couple of weeks.  As with benzo's, one size doesn't fit all so choose your method wisely.  

You're so newly off the Klonopin, I'm not sure if its a good time to stop the Ambien but if its adding to your troubles, it might be time.  Life is so good off of these awful drugs, I hope you can find a way to be free of the Ambien.

Professor Ashton mentions staying away from z-drugs.

benzo.org.uk : Benzodiazepines: How They Work & How to Withdraw, Prof C H Ashton DM, FRCP, 2002

This table suggests crossing from zopiclone which is a cousin to Ambien to Valium in order to taper from it.

benzo.org.uk : Benzodiazepines: How They Work & How to Withdraw, Prof C H Ashton DM, FRCP, 2002

I don't know how to sort it all out. In guess I'll wait awhile to see if the symptoms trend is in the right direction before I change anything else.  

[[Su...]]

Ya know, the thing that's really hard for me is asking for help here. I've always done for myself.  Thank you @[Pa...]for being so forthright and quick to answer! 

[[Pa...]]

I get it, but we have a lot of collective knowledge here and if we can save one person from going through the same things we have, it helps us feel better. 

I never told anyone here I started taking Ambien, I knew it wasn't a good idea but I kept it to myself and I suffered for it.  I'm amazed you identified the possible culprit for your discomfort and asked the hard question, that takes courage because you now know you have another challenge.

I think your decision to give this some time is a good one.  I used to suggest members who were on both benzo's and z-drugs to taper the benzo first so the z-drug could help with sleep but there really isn't a correct order for these things, we just have to figure out what works for us.  And waiting for your Klonopin symptoms to calm down is a good move. 

 

[[Su...]]

On 14/08/2023 at 17:58, [[P...] said:

  I quit it cold turkey

@[Pa...]. I think I may CT it as well. Your experience is very similar to mine. I'm starting to understand my daily patterns and stressor. All that being equal, I think it will help to get these poisons out if me. 

[[or...]]

Just fyi @[Su...] I waited until my benzo taper was over to reduce my Ambien. I knew it was giving me problems, but one thing at a time. Actually, it was easy to reduce. I was on 10 mgs and I cut the tablets up (as I recall,  they were little footballs) and dropped to 5mgs for a week, then 2.5 mgs, then half of that  (a tiny dose) then nothing. It turned out okay. The Ambien was no longer helping me sleep anyhow. Hope this helps. Good luck. 

[[Pa...]]

I didn’t sleep the first night, the second I think I got some micro-sleep, when you don’t feel you actually sleep but you seem to lose time, I’ve read this is your bodies way of surviving extreme insomnia. It’s not very refreshing but it keeps everything running. The third night I think was hideous nightmares, but you have to dream to have those so, while scary, they were proof I was starting to come out of it.

@[Su...], whatever you decide, I hope you’ll share your experience here, it helps others figure out what they might do. I hope the best for you.

[[he...]]

Zolpidem can be just as nasty as a benzo. They work very similarly and can cause the same kind of injury. I hope you're able to come off easily without any lasting effects.

[[Su...]]

I'm going to cut my 10mg 15 years on ambien tonight to 5 mg for a week.  @[Pa...] was right, I'm experiencing inter-day tolerance withdrawal ... after observing for a bit I have noticed there is no other reason for my feeling worse by evening every day.

Wish me luck.  I feel like the Lost Boys taking the plunge in that old movie that dates me.

Lost Boys

[[or...]]

Good luck @[Su...]! You might not sleep as well, but if it hasn't been helping you sleep anyhow, maybe your body won't notice. 

[[Su...]]

33 minutes ago, [[o...] said:

hasn't been helping you sleep anyhow

I'm awake every hour to pee. I'm actually feeling like this move could relieve my daytime symptoms...

Cautiously optimistic 

[[kl...]]

On 26/08/2023 at 21:34, [[S...] said:

I'm awake every hour to pee. I'm actually feeling like this move could relieve my daytime symptoms...

Cautiously optimistic 

How has it been going trying to get off the ambien?  I am on 10 mg right now and I think it may be causing me to feel worse.  However, I struggle in the morning and at night.  I have been off klonopin since June 8th and it has been horrible.  

[[Su...]]

4 hours ago, [[k...] said:

How has it been going trying to get off the ambien?  I am on 10 mg right now and I think it may be causing me to feel worse.  However, I struggle in the morning and at night.  I have been off klonopin since June 8th and it has been horrible.  

I took the initiative to go off the Ambien 1.5 weeks ago.  I went from 10mg down to 5 mg and held at the dose for 1 week before discontinuing.

So far,  I have definitely reduced the severity of the symptoms I was experiencing from the klonopin withdrawal,  but I am not sleeping.  

[[kl...]]

Om sorry to hear you aren’t sleeping.  I’m afraid of the same thing.  I’ve always had a hard time sleeping. 

[[Gr...]]

On 14/08/2023 at 19:38, [[S...] said:

Hello. I am still learning here. I am off of 1mg x 2 daily klonopin since first week of June.  I have been reading here some comments about Zolpidem [ambien]. I take 10 mg at bedtime. 

My withdrawal [and unsupervised taper] have been nightmarish.  However,  I have noticed a cycle where I feel relatively less symptoms in the day and worse towards night.[my face is burning off now and my neck feels like a concrete post].

What are folks' opinions on Zolpidem being a bad actor here?  How do I address it if this is part of the problem?  Are there any definitive sources on this that you can point me to?

@[Su...] Hello. I read you were having facial skin burning? Yours was worse at night. Same here. I going nuts. Did it calm down or go away since that post? 

I am hoping.this calms and goes away--forever.

I was taking Ambien too. I stopped Sept 13, but this started right after I stopoed Xanax.

I hope you are feeling better. Thank you.

 

[[Su...]]

I still have the facial burning sensation, but not as bad as before.  Although I have major insomnia now, ditching the Ambien definitely helped my physical symptoms. 

Best.