Help! can I go off ambien tonight??

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I've been taking ambien to get back to sleep around midnight and around 4 am.  Been taking it since I've been off klonopin and while I started trazodone.  People on Benzobuddies have said it isn't a good idea to be on ambien while dealing with w/d from klonopin. 

 

I've been on 5 mg/night for about six weeks. 

 

Can anyone tell me what might be involved in quitting it, taking benadryl tonight instead?  (Don't know how to handle it if I wake up real early, but hoping I can either get myself back to sleep or get more sleep later in the day.)  I'm nervous about this, hoping I can get some help from you all.

 

Without info, I'll go down to 2.5 mg a night for a week.

[[Se...]]

Hello Luci

 

I was on clonazepam and escipiclona (like ambient), to quit clonazepam was really hard but quitting Z drug for my was easy. The kay for me was benadry insted of Z drug.

 

I recomend you first to taper off the benzo med and then Z drug, I did in this way and did ok.

 

I hope you are ok

[[sh...]]

Ambien has the same effect on us, just as benzos do, so taking it while tapering might make your symptoms worse. If I'm correct, I've read one member suggest to just stop taking it. The only thing you might feel is increased insomnia. I could be wrong, though. Doing a quick forum search might help you out.

[[Me...]]

Hi if I read your signature correctly you are off Benzos.  Ambien/Zolpidem works on the same receptors as a Benzo.  You are on Trazadone and have not been taking a large Ambien dose and nor have you been on it very long however I would suggest you take 2.5mg for a week and then drop it. You may have a bit of rebound insomnia for a while but am sure it wont be so bad that you wont be able to ride it out. I tried c/t off it and experienced far worse w/ds than when I c/t a Benzo including 21 nights straight of zero sleep but I have been on it for 13years at doses of 50mg. Good luck 

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I am surprised that the trazodone doesn't relax you enough to go back to sleep..?  I have to take about 275 mg of it for it to work.  Before that I was taking higher doses of ambien and taking it twice during the night just to sleep about 3-4 hours.  With trazodone and tapering off of ambien I sleep about 5 during the week and 7 on the weekends.  One thing I do know is that a slow taper on ambien works the best for me.  I tried cutting quicker and it didn't work.  And I too cannot handle waking up and not being able to go back to sleep.

 

Good luck.

[[Se...]]

Yes Luci

 

When I was tapering off rivotril I did with Ambient and Benadril (hiderax here) and I did well. One day I took 5 Mg's Ambient and the next day Benadril. after that quitting Ambient was so easy because I think I was put on Quetiapine and I began to sleep very good.

 

But as everybody know that is just for a while because then Quetiapine didn`t work anymore and I had to made my mind up: to quit the last med and that has been quite tough right now. I think that med help me out getting away from benzos and Z drugs and gave me I relief but afterwards you have to go on with the process and that means to quit all med in order that your brain look for its natural balance.

 

I hope you are OK

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I ended up not going off it.  I'm down to 1.25 mg.  I'm so scared of not being able to sleep that I continue to take the tiny dose at 3 in the morning so I can get another couple hours sleep. At least I don't need it at midnight to get back to sleep!  Ambien always works fast for me.  Within 20 minutes of taking it, I'm back to sleep.  Until I went off klonopin, I only used ambien maybe once a month or less, in extreme situations.  If the jitters and hard heart beat would go away, I'd be able to use valerian.  sigh!