my Ambien story - please share your success stories (I need some hope)

[[tu...]]

I posted this on the withdraw/recovery forum and it was suggested that I post this message here.

 

MY STORY:

 

I was prescribed Ambien for insomnia last August (2011).  I was taking between 5-10 mg nearly nightly until February 10, 2012.  While on the Ambien (October 2011) I started experiencing horrible dizziness/vertigo/panic attacks.  I have never had any of these symptoms before and was certain that something was medically wrong with me.  Went to many doctors (including the one that prescribed the Ambien) to see if it was a virus, inner ear, ms, a brain disorder etc.  They could find nothing and led me to believe I had anxiety.  With nothing else to go on started learning behavioral techniques (yoga/meditation/cbt) for dealing with anxiety (was prescribed Xanax and did take it a couple times but it did not help so stopped taking it).  The techniques did help turn down the volume on the anxiety, but the dizziness persisted.  The panic attacks remained as well although I got better at managing them.

 

In January decided to go off the Ambien, because even though the doctors were not linking it to my symptoms, something in the back of my head suspected it.  It was the only thing that changed during that time.  I tapered my dosage down from 7.5 mg for two weeks to 5 for two weeks to 2.5 for a week and then 1.25 for the last 5 days.  I stopped taking the Ambien altogether on 2/10/12.  It was probably not a slow enough taper, but it is done.

 

Initially my withdrawl went great.  The first couple of days my dizziness/panic attacks were gone completely and I slept about 5-6 nightly.  Unfortunately, by day four rebound insomnia had settled in and I spent most of the next week not sleeping (3 of those 7 days were completely without sleep).  The anxiety during this time was much lower and some days it was gone completely.  I felt I was making great progress.  Not feeling dizzy and the panic attacks that sensation created was very empowering.  For about 10 days I felt very good about my withdrawl and more confident about the future than I had in some time.

 

Unfortunately a setback occurred about 9 days ago.  I was told it would, but still it has been so discouraging.  I have had some trouble with dizziness and while a full-on panic attack has not insued, I am feeling a little skittish about certain circumstances that "haunted" me the last few months (busy shopping malls/intersections).  The anxiety has ramped up as well.  I sometimes think that is the most painful part of this.  The anxiety can be so crushing.  My sleep has declined over the last week as well.  Last night I got 3.5 hours of sleep.

 

I am trying each day to do the things I know to help myself: taking my vitamins, getting some sunshine, exercising 30+ mins each day, yoga and quiet reflection/meditation.  I have some wonderful people in my life and they all try to support me the best they can.  For some it is difficult.  They do not understand how you can become so physically and emotionally altered for such a long time by something.  I would not have understood it either if I hadn't lived it.

 

While I have learned a lot from this experience (compassion and patience for myself and others), I want to turn the corner and be done with this chapter.  I miss the old me.  I miss the self confidence this has taken from me.  I miss being able to trust my body and my emotions on a daily basis.

 

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR OTHER PEOPLE"S AMBIEN SUCCESS STORIES.  What your symptoms before withdrawl were, what you experienced during withdrawl and long it took you to recover from the Ambien.

 

Thanks for reading this - good luck!

[[Be...]]

Hi, Turtlegirl.

 

I tapered off 10mg/night Ambien a couple of months after I tapered off long-term use of lorazepam (Ativan).  I was still having benzo withdrawal symptoms and I don't remember any particular w/d symptoms from the Ambien except the trouble getting and staying asleep.  It took many months before I felt my natural sleep rhythms return.  I still have bad patches from time to time but nothing like the sleeplessness that occured getting off a benzo and then Ambien.  Boy, am I glad that period is behind me. 

[[am...]]

Hi Turtlegirl,

Whew! It can be so frustrating when you are experiencing something and you suspect it is the drug but then the doctors aren't linking it. I truly believe they don't know enough about these awful drugs. I was on Ambien for a year and had many of the sensations you describe. I was told it probably wasn't Ambien and of course I was prescribed other drugs, such as anti-depressants and benzos - which of course, only made it worse. It is so true what they say about being your own advocate. Sometimes you have to go with your instinct.  After several months on Ambien, it was not working well for sleep, but I was also withdrawing from an anti-depressant, so I blamed it on that. I was also on Lorazapam, so I stopped taking that that thinking that was the problem (and it was part of the problem), but the symptoms shifted then - it was horrific. Ambien for me had somehow stimulated my auditory nerves - so my ear drums always hurt - went to 3 specialists and they could find nothing wrong. Then when I withdrew the Lorazapam, which I believe acted like some kind of a buffer - the pain in my ears was just not tolerable - I would scream for hours and nothing would help. I was truly suicidal - so I went back on the Lorazapam and once again, it buffered it - but did not take it away. After seeing a doctor from a teaching hosptal (who was completely useless, kept interrupting me and told me I wasn't feeling what I was feeling), I knew I was on my own. The only thing I hadn't tried was stopping the Ambien. Desperate, I stopped that night. Miraculously, after not taking the first one, the pain stopped, the dizziness stopped, the feeling like I couldn't walk straight stopped, and a few other things! That first night I had 2 hours sleep and after that - every week I got better sleep. Within 6 weeks, my sleep pattern returned to normal and has been that way ever since. Now, I'm withdrawing my last .5 mg of Lorazapam - which also has been hell (much much worse than Ambien). But honestly, the Ambien w/d was not at all as difficult as I thought it would be.  Are you taking anything else or was it just Ambien?  Good luck to you - hope this is encouraging.

amb

[[Me...]]

Hi Turtlegirl

 

I posted you on your Withdrawal thread. I will attach the link to the Best Ambien success story I have read here as well.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=12829.0

 

x

Me

 

[[tu...]]

Thanks for all the information.  While I am scared about this process I am also encouraged.  I appreciate everyone's good thoughts.