crossover from ambien to klonipin for taper advise needed

[[el...]]

So happy to hear about your sleep last night!

 

Melatonin is good. I use it now and then. Some say not to use it too often, as you can build a tolerence to it. But a few years ago, I used it everynight for months and it always worked for me. Or maybe I would have slept anyway, who knows. But it's best to use it only if you really need it. On the days it's not important to get a good night, it's best to try and go without.

 

Your sleep will wax and wane. Just be patient with it.   

[[el...]]

Thank you eljay for bringing this up.

 

The thing about drinking, even though you are off ambien, you are still on other psych meds. Just not a good mix with alcohol.

[[...]]

Thanks eljay,

it is good to know that my brain will eventually shut off and I can sleep when exhausted.

Hopefully in time it will be more consistant.

I have heard about the melatonin is that your have to take it for weeks to be effective. I t is not a lseeping pill rather jsut works on improving the sleep cycle.

I want my brain to figur it out with out extra chemicals so this is why I have decided to wing it out.

I am glad it works for you.

have a good day

bizi

[[...]]

WEll it has been one month off of ambien.

My sleep is not good smoe days better others.

I wonder how long this is going to take.

I knkow I was taking sleeping pills for years and that I just need to rest and not stress out about not sleeping.

But I am faced with fear.

I am afraid that I am getting hypomanic not lseeping.

Maybe this is why so many people who are bipolar take sleeping pills.

wonder which comes first...the not sleeping or the mania??

I have been afraid to tell my pdoc that I stopped the ambien...afraid that she will think that I am manic....

I am afraid that I am heading there....

am afraid....

bizi

[[el...]]

Maybe this is why so many people who are bipolar take sleeping pills.

wonder which comes first...the not sleeping or the mania??

 

Hi Biz!!

I was just going to answer this beforeyou kind of answered it yourself. My belief is that for many people, the insomnia causes mania. When I ended up in the psych ward last year, for severe insomnia, My first convo with the p doc lead to a diagnosis of bipolar. Cuz I was sounding downright manic. I was manic! From not sleeping. By the time I left three days later, he changed the dx to anxiety/insomnia. 

 

Please give yourself some more time. I would hate to see your doc try and treat you for bipolar at this point. Your sx are normal for wd. You are coming of YEARS of sleeping pills! Normal!

[[...]]

Thank you Eljay.

Please tell me again, how your story med wise why you were manic...had you been tapering off meds? When did the seroquel get introduced?

thanks for your encouragement.

I am not going to tell her if I can get away with it.

Although I am toying with the idea of asking her for 5mg of ambien to have on hand........she knows I went from 12.5 to 6.25....so 5mg would still be viewed as tapering off....and then would only be needed PRN....if I was desperate....

oh I am weak.

I can do this....I must be strong....

bizi

[[el...]]

Oh Biz, try and stay away from the ambien. These are pretty much the same as benzos as you know.

 

My manic stuff was strictly from not sleeping. It(insomnia) could also have come from my going off paxil/lexapro after 5 years, but the main reason was the sudden onset of my rls from the iron depletion. Physically and psychologically it threw me for a loop. Or all of the above! 

[[el...]]

Hey Bizi, why don't you start a blog? We can merge this with it if you'd like.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=88.0

[[...]]

thank you eljay.

Is it wrong for me to have a thread like this?

I wont post here if it is wrong.

I usually don't have much to say...and am not a good writer...to me blogging is like journalling...I want feed back.

let me know thanks again.

So the mania came from the insomnia from the discontinuing of the andepressants. That must have been so hard....did you suffer with withdrawl symptoms for a long time?

bizi

 

[[el...]]

thank you eljay.

Is it wrong for me to have a thread like this?

I wont post here if it is wrong.

I usually don't have much to say...and am not a good writer...to me blogging is like journalling...I want feed back.

let me know thanks again.

So the mania came from the insomnia from the discontinuing of the andepressants. That must have been so hard....did you suffer with withdrawl symptoms for a long time?

bizi

 

 

It's not wrong, but another board might be more appropriate. How about The "General Withdrawal Support" board? that's basically what we are doing here now. You've been welcomed already. 

 

It's easy for me to move, if you'd like. it will be the same threa dwiht the same name

[[...]]

oh I am sorry.

I can't figure out the boards in honesty.

When ever I get to the wrong page I can't remeber how to get to where my thread is so I have to go to my favorites as a  book mark to get to this page.

So this is in the welcome thread?

lol

Where do you think it should be?

It is fine to move it where ever you think...as long as I can find it!

I am so technically challenged....

bizi

 

[[el...]]

I will move it for you to "general withdrawal support" and then pm you a link so you can put it in your favorites. 

 

Do you know how to check your pms? It's in above in the yellow area, click on "my messages".

 

Give me a minute!

[[...]]

I don't have a yellow area on my screen?

I was able to link this new thread area to my favorites.

Will you be moving the insomnia thread that I just found today, also in the welcome area?

Thanks eljay

bizi

[[el...]]

I don't have a yellow area on my screen?

I was able to link this new thread area to my favorites.

Will you be moving the insomnia thread that I just found today, also in the welcome area?

Thanks eljay

bizi

 

It's not yellow anymore, sorry! Colin is changing the theme around.

 

I'm not sure what thread you are talking about, I"ll go take a look.    

[[el...]]

I found it, I just posted to her. Will probably do it tomorrow.

 

 

[[...]]

hey eljy since we are moving this around how about moving mine to the insomnia thread too then?

bizi

[[el...]]

I"m not going to move hers to insomnia. It's not a thread, The Insomnia board is more about specific discussions related to insomnia. I'll get you a link.

There are no personal threads there, like yours and Lindy's. I had Mentioned that board because I hadn't yet seen what thread you were talking about.

Your thread is in just the right place. General wd support. But you can certainly talk about insomnia here!

[[el...]]

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=83.0

[[...]]

Thank you again eljay...you are very kind.

bizi

[[...]]

till ambien free...sleeping well most nights so it is possible.

WAs I jsut lazy for all of those years of taking a sleeping pill?

still have not told my pdoc about it...don't quite know what to do really.

she needs to know but I am afraid of what she will say...she has already threatened to abandon me if I don't behave....

sigh

bizi

[[el...]]

Hi Biz!!

 

Nice to see you again, and great to hear you are sleeping.

 

Do you really think you r pdoc will abandon you knowing you are off sleep meds and doing well??

 

I was just thinking of you yesterday, so  I"m really glad you checked in, thank you! 

[[Be...]]

till ambien free...sleeping well most nights so it is possible.

WAs I jsut lazy for all of those years of taking a sleeping pill?

still have not told my pdoc about it...don't quite know what to do really.

she needs to know but I am afraid of what she will say...she has already threatened to abandon me if I don't behave....

sigh

bizi

 

I can't imagine having a doc that would want me on drugs for something I don't have, ie., insomnia.  Just how have you been misbehaving, bizi? 

[[tr...]]

till ambien free...sleeping well most nights so it is possible.

WAs I jsut lazy for all of those years of taking a sleeping pill?

still have not told my pdoc about it...don't quite know what to do really.

she needs to know but I am afraid of what she will say...she has already threatened to abandon me if I don't behave....

sigh

bizi

 

Hi bizi,

 

Does your dr. really need to know?  You've stopped a drug and haven't replaced it with anything else so what's the harm of her not knowing?    My dr. still thinks I'm taking Klonopin as needed and that's fine, he doesn't need to know everything as long as I'm going in the right direction. 

 

You could tell her you want to cut back, take the prescription and not fill it, or even fill it and don't take it, there are lots of options that you can use without being cut off by a threatening dr.

 

 

[[...]]

Thank you for your kind words.

She already knows about the decreased dose from 12.5 to 6.25 because she called in the order.

What I could tell her is that I am now taking it on an as needed basis....prn.

The assistant always asks about my meds and documents it in my chart before the doctor comes in so I can tell her that.

I appreciate your feed back.

bizi

[[...]]

WEll I hate to admit this but....my life was coming apart, I was becoming manic from not sleeping...I refused to go back on ambien but restarted on the klonipin.

sigh

I feel like such a failure.

I honestly tried....4 months and the not sleeping was getting worse. some nights no sleep at all.

missing work...it is awful.

I also think my hormones are a factor. She wants me to have the hormonal tests run, saliva tests etc...but I can't see taking HRT with my history.

I told my pdoc today that I was not going to take the ambien she said take the klonipin instead. So she ordered .5mg just at night. So at least I have something to make me sleep.

I am sorry if this dissapoints you guys....I am going to try the least dose possible jsut at night.

I know that I swore that I would never take another benzo again and here I am....

sigh

This is so dissappointing to me....