Ambien tapering/cravings

[[Oc...]]

 

Hi,

I'm trying to taper Ambien but it's very difficult for me. My initial dose was 10 mg, sometimes 15 mg. Now I'm on 5 mg. I read about very slow tapering here. My doctor, on the other hand, says it might prolong my agony. He says I'm on such a low dose that I can taper to 2.5 and be on it for a week and then stop or I can taper to 2.5, be on it for 3 days, then taper to 1,25 and after 3 days stop altogether. What do you think about it? I really want to quit but at the same time I'm so addicted to the pleasure that the drug gives me. I have GAD and the drug makes me relaxed, makes me feel calm and it's such a nice feeling. I have huge cravings for it between doses that I can't imagine myself without it. Will these cravings go away quickly after stopping the drug? How to motivate myself. I'd be grateful for your help.

Julia

 

[[Pa...]]

Hi @[Oc...], I started taking Ambien after my cold turkey from Klonopin so I know how it can make us feel better but the problem is, how short lived that is.  Ambien is considered a non-benzodiazepine, but it might as well be classified as one because it effects us in a similar way, except for that darn half life.  Its designed to leave our system after 8 hours of sleep so its not very good at managing GAD.  Have you thought about asking your doctor for another medication to manage it?  

Some people can quit Ambien without tapering, I was able to, I didn't sleep much for a couple of weeks but the anxiety, inner trembling and depression it gave me lifted the next day.  Others need to do a slow taper but your doctor is right, for some, doing a slow taper just prolongs the misery. 

As for cravings, I don't have them because by the time I got off of the Ambien, it was making me so miserable I was grateful to see it go. 

[[Oc...]]

Dear Pamster,

thanks a lot for your reply. I've got a whole range od meds I'm on for GAD but they have never made my agitation or tension go away. I know of course Ambien is not supposed to cure anxiety. What I meant is I have this night time routine, this magical Ambien moment I'm waiting for the whole evening when finally my tension goes away and I have this high for at least a little while. I read a lot of threads here but haven't seen a lot of people talking how exactly they managed to combat the very craving for the drug and how badly addictive it is. And I truly admire all of you who managed to do that. So, you' re saying Ambien made you feel depressed and anxious so badly all you wanted was to stop it. My doctor and I guess a lot of symptoms I have might actually be caused by Ambien even though they were once GAD and depression themselves. That motuvates me too but still the addiction is overwhelming. Good to know that my doctor is right about that cause I wasn't sure which way I should go. Thank you againg for your support!

Julia

[[Pa...]]

Until you see Ambien as the source of your pain instead of the source of your pleasure, I don't know how you can stop taking it.  We have to be ready and I'm not sure you're there yet. 

[[vo...]]

@[Oc...] Hi. I'm tapering off of Ambien too. My doctor prescribed it for me around 3 months after finally quitting xanax, to help me sleep because of the insomnia. 7.5mg She didn't realize when she prescribed it that I was going through withdrawals from the xanax. I was having protracted withdrawal symptoms and found that the Ambien minimized the symptoms so I was day dosing. It never really helped me to sleep, only get rid of the withdrawal symptoms. So I came clean to her telling her about the protracted withdrawal and she was familiar with it, so she knew right away that I needed to taper off of the Ambien because it affects the same GABA receptors that benzos do. I recently and quickly dropped down to 2.5mg with the help of a BB member who is helping me taper down. I'm going to hold steady for 2 weeks and then drop to 2.0mg. At that point I'll start making smaller cuts. I understand how much Ambien helps you, as it is doing the same for me, but I hope you get to a place to do the same to get off these evil drugs that have so much power over us.

[[Oc...]]

@[Pa...]You might be right but I'm not gonna stop trying. I was just wondering if others have similar experience with craving the drug so much. Maybe some are more addicted than others, I don't know. But still there are so many people taking it for so many years. It must be for a similar reason.

[[Oc...]]

@[vo...]Hi, so you're almost there. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your success. So you're reducing 0,5 mg every 2 weeks? I wouldn't even be able to cut such small pieces. I was thinking about dropping from 5 mg to 2,5, then hold steady for a week or so cause I'm afraid if I make such small cuts I would be tempted to go back. Do you think it's too fast? Do you have any cravings for the drug? Do you feel agitated or anxious between the doses? In the evening Ambien is all I can think about. I anticipate the moment I can take it and I feel very agitated when it's close the dosing time. I'm so addicted it's difficult for me to imagine my life without it but at the same time I want to go off it badly.

[[vo...]]

Hi @[Oc...] I wish I was almost there. I just dropped from 5.0 to 2.5 last Sunday, so I'll hold for two weeks. That was the last biggest cut I'm going to make. Then I'll start making small cuts every two weeks to keep withdrawal symptoms from ramping up. If you can go down in a week, that's great. I don't want to chance doing it in one week. I'm trusting my BB coach with this - I have faith in her advice. Maybe after about 4 weeks, I might be able to make cuts once a week....

I, like you, look forward to my Ambien at night too! Yes, I have the agitation, as well as irritability in between doses but not all the time. I try to become a hermit when that happens cause nobody would want to be around me. LOL. That's why I had pleasure in day dosing. How long have you been on Ambien? Were you on something else before or along with it?

[[Oc...]]

@[vo...]I don't know if I can go down in 1 week. In fact I'm afraid I can't;) But I have absolutely no idea how to get down to it cause I've read or heard about so many different ways. 1st very slow taper the way you're doing it, 2nd going down fast from 5 mg as my doctor suggests which will make the WD symptoms more intense but shorter. There's also the 3rd one taking Valium for the first few days after stopping to make the symptoms bearable. My doctor gave me Pragabalin 450 mg to eliminate the risk of seizures plus Seroquel insetad of Ambien to sleep. Before I go down, I need to ask my doctor if Valium would be a good idea for the first week, just in case. Besides, I take a few other meds (Effexor, trazodone, flupentixolum) cause I have GAD, OCD and used to be depressed in the past. But I have never taken any benzodiazepines. I've been on ambien for 20 years! Since I was 20. But I have never considered a problem, rather a habit. Maybe bcs I have usually taken 10 mg throughout all that time, sometimes 15 when couldn't sleep. There was only one period of time when I was a student I sometimes took 20 or 30 mg but only occasionally, and I intuitevely came back to 10 mg again. Do you also consult your taper with a doctor? Are you from the U.S? I live in Europe.

[[Oc...]]

Oh and how are you able to make such small cuts? Do you crush tblts into powder? Do you use 10mg tbls? I guess we don't have 5mg tbls where I live.