Z-Drug Support Group (Lunesta, Imovane, Zimovane, Ambien, Sonata, Zopiclone)

[[De...]]

Hey John, I have never really had a true "window" that lasted more than a couple hours.  I've been symptomatic the entire time, sometimes very bad, sometimes less bad.  Those few "windows" I actually noticed that I felt completely normal, and it was heaven!!  It doesn't last long but I know it's in me there somewhere to be finally healed someday.  Symptoms have come and gone, and reappeared again.  My nerve pain has moved all around my body during this time.  One part will be targeted for 5 days or so at a time, then it moves elsewhere. 

 

Dreaming of the day this is over completely!!!

[[Tw...]]

John,

Has the feeling returned to your feet? 

 

Yes, As my taper has gone down, the burning feeling has gradually reduced as well. I would my leg/foot is about 80% better.

This was a surprising but welcome payoff to my taper.

 

 

[[Jo...]]

Hey Deanna, I hope the day you are completely healed comes sooner rather than later. Your signature says 90 percent healed. What does that feel like? Twbd, so happy to hear your nerve pain has significantly decreased. As for me, feet are still a mess but I will hold out hope. They’ve been messed up since May of 2020…

[[De...]]

Hey John on my good days where I feel 90% myself I can function reasonable well and have the energy to go about my daily routine without having to rest.  I can prepare meals, do household chores and interact socially as long as there is no drama which stresses me out, but I've learned to no longer sweat the little things and let them go.  I feel my best when I'm outside gardening getting lost in my chores and my aches and pains are nowhere to be felt!!  I can live quite nicely at this level of healing.

 

Unfortunately I'm still so sensitive to everything.  Just now coming out of a 2 week wave brought on by a chest cold.  This morning my morning anxiety was timid so feeling rather OK, but I'm developing a rash all over my body.  I'm thinking it is just another new WD symptom to torture me.  Off to search the forum on experiences around itchy rashes LOL....

 

I am glad to hear of your success in your taper....you will be so happy to finally be off this drug.  Good Luck!

[[Su...]]

Hi there.  New to the site so not sure this is the best place to post.  I have been on Ambien for 5 years.  Used to sleep great on it even on a small dose of 5mg.  Over the past year, I have been double dosing my 5mg tablet to get a decent amount of sleep, one at bedtime and one about 4 hours later.  I get horrific daytime anxiety and bruxism now. I went to the psychiatrist and they gave me Trazodone (100mg) which I have been taking along with the Ambien.  However, I am still not sleeping through the night so I continue with my pattern. At the moment I am taking 100mg of Trazodone plus 5mg of Ambien at bedtime, sleep 4 hours and then take another 5mg Ambien and sleep another 3 hours.  Then I deal with horrific day time anxiety every day for the last 3 months.  Wondering what this group would suggest.  My inclination would be to just take the Trazodone and 5mg Ambien and deal with 4 hours a sleep for a while until it improves.  Would like to hear from people who were taking Ambien twice during the night to see what the did.  Thank you.  p.s. I did try Lexapro for 6 weeks (off it for 4 weeks now) and thought it was horrific. The psychiatrist thought that I needed it for my anxiety but I think my anxiety is caused by the Ambien. 

[[De...]]

Welcome Sundeez - you are in the right place!!  I was on Ambien for 12 years and the last year or so I started taking multiple doses (5-15mg) throughout the night just as you described mostly due to a back injury which I now know was also made worse by the drug.  I was never a very anxious person, but in those last couple years I developed anxiety in situations that had no mental component, it felt purely chemical in nature.  It was definitely the Ambien.

 

When it was time to start tapering my doctor told me to take an overall reduced dose (say 7.5mg rather than 10mg), but take it all at once at bedtime.  I knew I could go from 10mg to 5mg because some nights that's what I did.  I ended up doing a pretty quick taper over 5 weeks.  Most ppl will do a 5-10% cut every week or two.  Others here can share their taper stories.

 

I want to tell you that my anxiety and panic attacks improved almost immediately upon starting my taper.  Getting off the drug will be the best thing you can ever do for yourself.  Additional drugs are not the answer.  Dealing with the insomnia in a more natural way is crucial also.  My sleep started to get much better about 3-4 months off the drug.  When you are ready I can share all my sleep tips too.

 

Good luck!!! 

[[Su...]]

Thank you for the kind reply.  I know I have to make the jump and just get off these pills once and for all.  Would love any tips you have on sleeping (or not!). 

[[La...]]

Hi all, just wanted to share, since I reduced from 25-30 mgs. to 7.5 mgs over a period of five weeks, I am feeling a bit better. Those large doses must have been responsible for all those dark thoughts. Sleep is getting choppier and I’m still burning and anxious, but my outlook has improved quite a bit over two days. Hope it’s not just a window. Do Zolpidem users experience waves and windows like our Benzo using buddies do?

Yes! It can give the same symptoms as regular benzos because it hits the same receptors. All they did was take a benzodiazepine and tweek it a bit then sold it as a sleeping pill. You get waves and windows with over time the waves decrease in intensity and duration. In some cases the Z drugs are worse! Like in my case… I’m one of the worst cases. It acted like a regular benzo in my brain. Not surprised because it downregulates the exact same receptors.

[[La...]]

Hi there.  New to the site so not sure this is the best place to post.  I have been on Ambien for 5 years.  Used to sleep great on it even on a small dose of 5mg.  Over the past year, I have been double dosing my 5mg tablet to get a decent amount of sleep, one at bedtime and one about 4 hours later.  I get horrific daytime anxiety and bruxism now. I went to the psychiatrist and they gave me Trazodone (100mg) which I have been taking along with the Ambien.  However, I am still not sleeping through the night so I continue with my pattern. At the moment I am taking 100mg of Trazodone plus 5mg of Ambien at bedtime, sleep 4 hours and then take another 5mg Ambien and sleep another 3 hours.  Then I deal with horrific day time anxiety every day for the last 3 months.  Wondering what this group would suggest.  My inclination would be to just take the Trazodone and 5mg Ambien and deal with 4 hours a sleep for a while until it improves.  Would like to hear from people who were taking Ambien twice during the night to see what the did.  Thank you.  p.s. I did try Lexapro for 6 weeks (off it for 4 weeks now) and thought it was horrific. The psychiatrist thought that I needed it for my anxiety but I think my anxiety is caused by the Ambien.

You’re having interdose WD and tolerance WD. You need to taper the Ambien. You’ll feel much better if you get off it. The anxiety it caused me while on it was the first to disappear as I tapered. You should taper 1mg every 10 days. If you need any help please let us know.

Welcome to Team Z!

[[De...]]

Thank you for the kind reply.  I know I have to make the jump and just get off these pills once and for all.  Would love any tips you have on sleeping (or not!).

 

Hey Sundeez - As you go through the site and take in the general recommendations I would support all the advice about good nutrition, stay away from caffeine completely (I do drink decaf coffee) and limit sugar.  No alcohol.  Hydrate well and eat lots of protein throughout the day.  This sets up your body for healing.

 

I would advocate meditation if you can do it.  No need to be perfect at it, just set aside 15-20 minutes a day and use a guided meditation app.  This calms your nervous system.  Our sympathetic NS is dominant over our parasympathetic NS, so we are always in a state of fight or flight, hence the anxiety.  Breathing exercises throughout the day to calm our heart rate and NS.  Stay away from anything too stimulating like horror movies, etc.  We need to get that balance back to the nervous system.

 

This will all help us to sleep, because who can sleep when we are in a constant state of hyper-vigilance? Avoid any stress that is avoidable.  Our bodies become super sensitive to physical or emotional stress.

 

For sleeping tips learn all about sleep hygiene, i.e., go to bed and wake at same time each day, keep bedroom dark and cool, everything to aid our bodies in regaining our circadian rhythm.  Establish a good routine and stick to it.  When sleep doesn't come, DO NOT OBSESS ABOUT IT.  This is key.  Do not let lack of sleep be an issue.  Accept this as a matter of healing and know that you will once again sleep just fine.  There is an insomnia board on this site, but I did not go there because I know myself.  The more I think and ponder something the more I become obsessed with it and sleep will not come if you are trying so hard.  Whatever your issues were before the Ambien (the reasons you went on it in the first place...) you will have to deal with those.  With that said there are lots of good tips out there about naturally regaining your sleep. 

 

This can be overwhelming as you start out.  Take one step at a time.  Decide on a taper plan, then prepare yourself for when those times come during the night when you may not be able to sleep.  Read a book?  Just lie there and rest anyway.  Whatever will work for you.

 

We'll be here for you with any help we can provide.

 

 

[[La...]]

Hugs to Team Z! I hope you’re all feeling better today and if not then hang in there. Get through today! Distract yourself with positive fun things. I had a very bad day yesterday with back to back waves topped off with a serious headache that didn’t let up until this morning. I still feel it but it’s bearable.

How’s everyone doing?

Deanna I’m sorry about your rash. Did you eat, drink or use anything new? I’m having sensitivity issues too. I recently had to switch my deodorant y to o a natural unscented one. If you’re itching a lot, cornstarch or oatmeal can really help. That’s why it’s used in baby powder ( cornstarch) and oatmeal is in aveno 👍🏼 I’m feeling rough today so I’ll be resting and distracting myself.

Sundeez a sleep routine each night would be a great idea. Strict bedtime routine. Maybe include some soothing instrumental music. Youtube has awesome ones. I use the soothing relaxation channel on there. And baby instrumental lullabies. When are you starting your taper?

[[Jo...]]

Hey Sundeez. Welcome! Yes, I would say in my experience, Zolpidem causes anxiety. Awful anxiety. As I have reduced my dose in my taper, the anxiety has also decreased. Nasty stuff. Best wishes to you.

[[Su...]]

Thank you all for your replies.  Tonight I am only going to take my usual first dose of 5mg Ambien along with the 100 mg of Trazodone.  I am going to go to bed a few hours later so that I can sleep the hours that are closer to my wake up time.  I know I will get a few hours of sleep tonight so not going to panic.  I spent a few hours reading the posts on this thread and I think I need sheer willpower to get through this.  I have used Ambien as a crutch to try and get 7 hours of sleep a night and I know that it has totally backfired. I have a 5 year old son and he deserves to have a mom that is not crippled by Ambien.  I am very glad I found this page so I can check in and have some accountability.  I have seen a lot of the posts by people who care and are using their personal time to help others on here and that is very much appreciated.  I hope one day I can change my Profile to say OFF AMBIEN like so many of you have had. 

[[De...]]

Sundeez you can do it!! One step at a time!  We are cheering you on :-)

 

 

[[Ka...]]

Team Z!! GREAT to see all your posts! Sundeez and Barbara, welcome! Sundeez glad John is here to talk to you about anxiety and ambien. John, so glad you're improving and look forward to hearing more on that note.

 

Sundeez, if you don't mind me saying, woo hoo to getting off the other stuff. I too tried trazadone with ambien to help me sleep and try to wean off A but it didn't work. I started ambien as a single mother and YES you do want to get off this poison. Your anxiety is just the beginning and not sleeping but 4 hours really says a lot.

 

Life can be HARD on one or more nights of 4hours ... but then I sleep good. I recommit to the sleep routine.

 

Lady sorry you are getting hit hard again, can't wait until that passes!

 

Deanna, you help me remember to take it easy---I"m still healing and don't need to overdo it and add to that stress on my stystem. Going to tone it down a bit on summer plans and get more calm if possible.

 

Twbd1ila!!!! YAY, back down to 2.5, good for you! And glad you've noticed so much improvement overall.

 

Hope I didn't forget anyone...and still thinking of the others, Basten, Shay, Jerry for starters.

 

Just rolling with the punches here, been busy, had some bad nights ... woke up at 3am today but got up at 4:30 and lived life. Went to bed and saw where my A used to live and it seemed missing, was funny to realize!! So wild to realize I am getting to sleep 90% of the nights and with NO PILL.

 

:sick:

[[Tw...]]

Sundeez,

 

Glad to have to have you.

Below is one of my first posts back on March 2021 in quotes. I've come a long way in 4 months. I'm now down to 2.5 and sleeping better than when I was taking 15 to 20 mg. My goal is to come completely off.  While on 15 to 20 mg, The anxiety I had was off the chart, now doing much better. Developing taper plan was part of my journey. Ambien worked like a charm in the beginning, then experienced 5+ years of pain/anxiety which is part of what called interdose withdrawals. Read and ask questions.

 

"I made the decision yesterday to start tapering off of ambien after 21 years. Just joined benzo buddies out of desperation for wanting a different life.    I am only now realizing that my daily evening anxiety, shaking, and pain are due to withdrawals  from ambien on daily basis.  Over the past 5 years especially, the nightly anxiety, shaking, and muscle spasm pain have gradually gotten worse. My hope is that I can taper off ambien successfully. Reading stories of how you and others have done it brings strength and hope"

[[Ka...]]

WOW Twbd1ila, just such a short time and look how far you've come!!! Woo hoo, happy for you.

 

Don't know how to handle the late social nights, I don't have many and they'd keep me up too. But learning to be less afraid.

 

I cleaned up my profile after I saw your beautiful neatly laid out taper!! What do you think?!

 

Oh glory day OFF THIS MED. I am so happy. I do not want to join an insomnia group and talk about it that's just me because it's what's right for me. I take some herbs now, I sleep good and also have bad nights. I'm just 6 weeks off. My nights and days have been hell for so many years with that topic and on ambien. I am done. I am a bit past "mid" life and I'll take what I get for sleep. Blissfully good sometimes and not happening other times. BUT going to a full-time job and struggling is a different story. Luckily I got to stop that nonsense and found this site and came on this journey.

 

I'm excited to be on this side of my taper. I'm so happy I learned how bad these meds are. I am so grateful that I'm learning to deal and cope with life better than in the past when I wanted a pill to help me. Do not take me wrong, if the pill wasn't poison I'd take it in certain circumstances still.

 

My pill is not sleeping in; getting good exercise; chilling in the eve to quiet my mind, etc., etc., etc., THIS FORUM IS MY DAILY MED!!

[[La...]]

Hugs Team Z!

Sun you can do this! We got your back!!! You’re very welcome and we care about you.

Twd that was kind of you to post that. I’m proud of you for tackling your taper head on. You’re doing great. Keep up the good work. You’ll soon be off! How exciting that is!!!

Kachina you’re doing well too. You handled your taper so well. Wow 6 weeks already. You go girl! The sleep will become better as time rolls by. I’m glad you’re accepting it and distracting at night when you’re having trouble.

Deanna that was kind of you to help encourage our newbie. How’s the rash? You’re 1 year!!!! Congrats to you and well done lovely lady!

I wonder where all of our other buddies ran off to.. basten jerry etc I hope they’re doing ok.

Today… live your best life even though you might not feel good. Get through today and that means you’ve accomplished another day towards healing. Love to you all ❤️

[[De...]]

Love that this thread is lively again with new ppl and most of our old good friends too.  I hope Jerry is doing alright.

 

My "rash" didn't get any worse, my hubby thinks it could be a teeny version of poison ivy.  I've never had that in my entire life and I've been doing my thing in the garden for years.  Oh well moving on...

 

Yes one year off today! I'm ready to get this thing wrapped up and put a bow on it, LOL!

 

Twbd I am so happy to hear that you are doing so well on your taper.  That drug is a beast isn't it?  Making you think you need more of it and all the while making you severely ill.  Kachina - you are rocking it as well!!  John so happy the anxiety is reduced.

 

Sandeez you can see how you'll be better off once you start your taper.  What's the plan??

[[La...]]

Good to hear from you John! How’s it going? I’m thinking of you. When are you reducing again? How’s your sleeping? Sorry so many questions Lol just want to keep up with everyone on our team.

I agree with Deanna. It’s wonderful to have you all here. Group hugs 🤗

Everyone congrats to Deanna for her 1 year milestone today! Hip hip horsy!!! ❤️👏🏼💐💥✨🌟

[[Ka...]]

!!!!HAPPY 1-YEAR OFF AMBIEN DEANNA!!!!

Happy 13 months Lady!

Happy 6 weeks Me!

Happy Being OFF Benzos Friends, Shay, Pamster and Others!!!

:boxer:

[[De...]]

Thank you so much Kachina!!!  You are very creative and that was so sweet 

[[Sh...]]

Happy anniversary dee dee! Yeeewwww! 1 year off 

[[De...]]

Happy anniversary dee dee! Yeeewwww! 1 year off 

 

Thanks Shay!  Feeling very symptomatic today so while I'm mentally noting the milestone I'm ready for the day to end and hopefully feel better tomorrow.

[[Jo...]]

Happy Anniversaries to all. Hope everyone feels better and completely healed soon!!!!