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

[[Ca...]]

I am a year off Ambien, no problems to speak of.

 

Glad for you.  I am curious as to how much ambien and Xanax and effexor you were taking.

Hope you come back and post that.

I had a really hard recovery.  I am still not 100%. it will be 3 years off in November

Carol

 

[[Ro...]]

Hi Carol I am in my 14 month of pain. Only God has kept me this far. Intense pain that would be healed in one area would  then switch to another. Chest burning. I sit in my recliner with ice to get through the days. My brain can not take to much. That is getting better. Sound issues and tinnitus. I tapered off of Neurotin that has helped with reducing the anxiety. Healing is so slow. I have never had a true window without working on it. I take on day at a time. My jaw has kept me up for the last 5 months. I have had a hard time in just trying to eat. I have had to think to eat and swallow. All of that is getting better. Motor issues are better. Over the last 14 months I feel a little less horrible. I have had headaches for the last 8 months. My friends just stay at a distance. The brain heals so slow.

[[al...]]

Does anyone know if recovery from z-drugs is the same time period as benzos? Some say it can last longer?  I see little research regarding ambien (z-drug) WDs. Most of the research references insomnia as the major WD sxs............if they only knew. Neuropathic pain, muscle twitches/pain, tinntitus, anxiety, panic..........and the lists goes on.

 

My w/d from 15mg zopiclone was far more difficult than anything I have ever done. Much more difficult than clonazepan, olanzipine and SSRI's combined. But I can say that once I finally did it, and they were out of my system, I felt better than I had in years and I feel like my healing actually started to take place. I know they say that it is short acting, and out of your system quickly, but for me I woke up with a terrible hangover that left me feeling like a exhausted beyond words zombie the next day that usually started to relieve itself by  late afternoon. Then I would feel good until my night time dose.

 

I wouldn't take one of those things if you paid me to. Ok well maybe if you paid me a million dollars i might consider one dose..... Bama.xo

[[ci...]]

A million dollars isn't even worth taking 1 ambien. No Thanks.

[[...]]

Can anybody tell me how to c/o Ambien to Valium? I know 10 mg A  equals 5 mgs V. I just dont know how it's done. Do you taper the A and gradually add V ? If so how lond should the taper be?

[[Ca...]]

Maybe you could go on a taper thread to find out.  Unfortunately for me I never did one.

I do remember reading that the equivalencies are estimates as it isn't something that is easily quantifiable.

Good luck

Carol

[[ci...]]

I am looking for hope and encouragement. I CT ambien 5 months ago. I have noticed a decrease with neuropathic pain, it is not as intense. But I still suffer with:

 

neuropathic pain, body burning, pins and needles sensations, vibrations thru buttocks, tight bandage feeling around midsection, left bicep pain, anxiety, crying, and panic, afraid to be alone

 

I had consulted with a so called "benzo wise" doctor in San Fran months ago, who told me he never saw a patient with intense burning (neuropathic pain) from ambien WDs, and that my dose was so low (10mg) that the Ashton manual spoke of ones on higher doses, and that would not apply to me. He believed that I may of suffered from an adverse reaction to ambien which may of caused pernament damage. He scared the crap out of me, and luckily I found BB. But everytime I get into my panic I go into this train of thought that "maybe" he is right, I have pernament damage, and since there is so little known about ambien WDs, maybe it is different and I won't get better......I won't heal...because not much is known about the ambien WDs.

 

Any words of encouragement? Thanks, cindy

[[ci...]]

Add tinntitus to sxs, it is brutal!

[[Ca...]]

Cindys

 

You will get better. It hasn't been fast for me and I am still not 100% .  But hugely better.

I hate how the medical community constantly act like z drugs are benign. I got the same reaction from a few psychiatrists.  One called zopiclone "peanuts".  Said that I could continue using it if it was helping with my anxiety.

No one told me that it was what was causing it!

 

Yes. Good that you found BB.  Think of how many do not find there way out of the nightmare. We are the lucky ones. Even if it takes years you will get your life back.

 

Carol

[[Se...]]

Cindys

 

You are healing! There is a great post by Parker that has helped me visualize what is going on in my brain with Ambien w/d:

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=66397.0

 

You will get there, all of your brain functions are regenerating. I just hit 5mg, down from 10mg and I am trying hard to focus on what is happening less with the symptoms versus mentally listing the side effects I am feeling. This is a great thread, and I am here to offer you encouragement and hope. Time is your friend, and it sounds like you have a great supporter in your husband. Baby steps. Please let us know how it is going.

 

I still can't believe how many years I thought I was "sick" and it was the stupid Ambien! It is just our brains recovering and fighting their way back to normal. Hang in there

[[ci...]]

Seriouslydone, I had read your signature line and was so interested in learning more about your encounter with ambien. There are only a few of us that have strugged with ambien WD and tolerance WD from ambien. I had written you a PM, wanting to know more about your personal expereince with ambien. I was in tolerance WD for at least 18 months and saw numerous specialists and tests and even had my gabladder removed before I discovered my problem was ambien.

 

Do you feel comfortable sharing your history of ambien on PM with me? or do you prefer to post? I do not mean to intrude on your privacy , I was just so curious to find out your problems with ambien, that is why I sent yu a PM.

 

How are you doing now since you are tapering off? Any improvements with your sxs?

Thanks so much for replying to me on the post, cindy

[[Se...]]

Cindys--Of course I'll share. Everyone wants to be asked about their story LOL.

 

I just posted on the withdrawal support forum today....I am having a Sad Day so your timing is perfect.

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=116187.0

 

I tore my ACL in 2006, when my kids were 2 and 3. Recovery was a nightmare with 2 little ones. The stress kicked off a series of ongoing sinus infections and illness over the next few years--4 and 5 each year. Always feeling sick, even when the infections cleared up. Those years it was impossible to work with illness and 2 little ones--but the plan had always been that I would work. So financial stress and a loss of creative outlet added to the stress. I saw doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, specialists, psychiatrists, integrative medical doctors, etc.

 

I had sinus surgery in 2009...then the infections moved to my throat and I had recurrent strep infections. So in 2010 I had my tonsils out (in my 40's!). Even after that was healed I still felt sick and had become nocturnal and struggled with insomnia. I think I had been on Ambien before then, but I remember talking to my doctor about my discomfort at relying on sleeping meds. He assured me that the big thing was that I needed to get better and we need to "take over" my body and reset my circadian rhythm. Ambien at night and stimulants in the morning, supplements, and a low carb plan. Worked gloriously for 6 months and lost 40 lbs. Then the sinus infections came back, multiple times a year. But the 10mg Ambien stayed constant. I felt I needed sleep to heal and I slept great on Ambien. Best buddies.

 

In Feb and March of 2013 I had 2 major back to back sinus infections and multiple rounds of antibiotics and awful steroids. Sinus cleared but I never got better. Headaches, fatigue, daytime sleepiness, lightheadedness, body aches (hmmmm) kept me bedridden every second I could be (except 20 times a day when Momhood beckoned). I faked my way (badly) through interactions, all the while wanting to be left alone. It felt like a low-grade flu. Waiting 2 months for appts with new doctors.

 

A friend of mine had gone to National Jewish Health for a week and they had finally diagnosed her with lupus and a bunch of rare things. My husband suggested I go for a week to Mayo in Minnesota, they were covered in our plan, and I could see doctors in a week versus the fragmented care here. I had now been bedridden for 6 months when I went. They were impressive. Gee, I am pretty healthy. The endocrinologist had an interesting take. I was on a lot of different meds and hormones, and he pointed out that often it makes it hard to distinguish between a symptom, a drug interaction, or a side effect (or, um, duh, Ambien interdose withdrawal and tolerance!). He suggested I go off all my drugs, and then get re-tested at home to see what I really needed to be on.

 

So I went off everything....except the Ambien! LOL! Mayo suggested chronic fatigue as a diagnosis, and at least we are moving in the right direction by learning that restorative sleep was a problem for me. A new sleep doctor in Feb 2014 decided I have narcolepsy--again, the restorative sleep at Level 3 and 4 not working. That sleep regenerates our hormones, immune system, metabolism etc. It seemed to make sense.

 

I went on Xyrem--an expensive drug for narcolepsy, issued out of only 1 pharmacy in the country and works on GABA. When I started, I C/T Ambien that night. After 3 weeks on Xyrem (actually OFF AMBIEN), I started to have terrible issues: shaking, tremors, brain fog, d/p. It was truly horrible 13 weeks of what I thought was getting used to Xyrem, but now believe was mostly Ambien c/t w/d fueled by Xyrem. He added beta blocker Atenolol 200 mg for the shaking and had me worried about dysautonomia.

 

I decided one day no more shaking--and stopped Xyrem cold. My symptoms resolved overnight when I stopped. Real truth--because I stopped X and reinstated the Ambien!! (so funny in hindsight).  Great 2 weeks, then the old symptoms reappeared, I thought due to narcolepsy (now I think Ambien tolerance and interdose withdrawal, always felt better at night). Started stimulants, which led to anxiety, which led to a cocktail that now included Xanax 1mg plus boosters, Wellbutrin, the Atenolol, Xyrem....what a hot mess.

 

This time I started the Xyrem slowly and kept the Ambien too under my doctor's advice. When I started needing more Xanax, I thought, "No. Danger. This isn't right." I had read about Xanax and decided I wanted off. Found BB and uncovered the Truth About Ambien. Immediately began Xanax taper and the w/d symptoms verified the problem for me. I have worked the Ambien taper down to 5mg.

 

I do a water titration for the Ambien where I dissolve the 10mg full dose into a syringe worth of 10mg water. A 10% cut is simply to remove 1 mg of water from the 10mg solution and so on. Under Ashton's advice I split what is left into 2 nighttime doses, and this seems to minimize the morning impact I get hit with as it wears off in a staggered way. I make semi-daily cuts of fractions of a mg (the tiny lines on the syringe), and it has worked great for me. The perfectly even, and tiny dosing reductions are much better than when I was trying to cut 10mg pills accurately. I have stayed on the Xyrem while doing the Ambien taper. Not sure it is the best decision, but I am sleeping. I will re-evaluate once I am off the Ambien and I may just get off everything for a bit. As it is now, I do skip the Xyrem twice a week.

 

I have side effects: shaking, zombie-like, blunt emotions, headaches,  irritable, fatigue but not sleepy, restless but can't focus on anything, eyes blurry, teary and squinty. These almost always resolve my school bus time, but I am tired and over-stimulated by dinner time. It is brutal. I isolate a lot. With the new school year, I am stopping at the gym on the way home and making myself walk a mile every day. I do think it is helping in lots of ways. I read a ton, gobbling up books non-stop. Less computer time than in the past but still a fair amount.

 

I am waiting. It is really really hard. The idea of MORE wasted time is intolerable. I repeat the word "gentle" to myself a lot and it helps. I know now there isn't anything wrong with me, and while I think that is awesome, the flip side rears it's ugly head and the shame and frustration of lost moments hit hard. While I KNOW it will get better it is hard to FEEL that it will get better.

 

I hope this helps--I too find kinship in others who are pushing ahead.

 

[[Ra...]]

I do a water titration for the Ambien...

 

I've often wondered if Ambien could be water titrated.  What type of pills do you have?  In the 10mg version, I've only seen the white rice-shaped ones, and the lavender-coated round ones (the latter is what I have, Mylan brand).

 

I've read that the lavender coating is there to slow absorption, so I'm wondering what, if any, effect the coating will have while trying to titrate the pill.

 

[[Se...]]

Rayman:

 

Thanks for asking--I've been at it several weeks and it has worked fine. LOL, my "arsenal" of Ambien includes the round purples, the white rice shape with the score in the middle...and little round whites. Those little round ones have been the ones I have used. I was grinding them, but, did an experiment and they just dissolve into a white clear liquid with no little bits.

 

I kept the math very simple, I think some of the explanations make it too hard. 1st cut of 10% if you use 10mg pill in 10ml is simply 1 ml. Then you are taking 9mg/ml so the second 10% cut would a little less or .9 ml of liquid so you would remove 1.9ml if you use the 10%/week method.

 

I made it even simpler and after the first 1ml cut/dump I just use the little tiny lines and remove a few more every few days. Now that I got past half--dump 5ml and take 5ml-- I switched to using the syringe to remove the amount I am taking--so 4.7 ml is my new mark. Now I get to watch the dose decrease in the syringe every few nights and it will be fun to really "see" it decreasing!

 

Best of luck

[[ci...]]

Is there any medical doctor in the US that recognizes the adverse effects of ambien and ambien WDs?

 

 

If it was not for my fellow Ambien WDs BBs, I do not know where I would be. No one recognizes ambien WDs, except for my fellow BBs. I have read old posts from BBs who suffered from ambien WDs and have recovered. Recovery times have varied greatly from 8 months- 3 years. I have to try to remember that we will recover, we will heal. But for now, I just want to say Thank You to my fellow (ambien) BBs, who are lighting the way for me thru this dark tunnel.

 

Thank you, cindy

 

 

[[Se...]]

Cindy--I hear ya! We Ambien users get no respect! LOL

 

I think the vast majority of the medical profession has no idea about benzos OR z-drugs causing this agony. I wish every med student had to subscribe to BB and see that this is real. Our medical professionals have limited tools: when someone comes for help they can 1) give a drug, 2) order tests, 3) suggest a treatment and 4) create a diagnosis or  5) promote future appointments. We pressure them to do one of those things and if we leave without one of those things we feel cheated and as though the doctor didn't do their job! Now that I know what I know, it all seems so backward! For me, the drugs WERE the problem but I got more and more of them. Crazy!

[[Wo...]]

I am a year off Ambien, no problems to speak of.

 

Glad for you.  I am curious as to how much ambien and Xanax and effexor you were taking.

Hope you come back and post that.

I had a really hard recovery.  I am still not 100%. it will be 3 years off in November

Carol

 

I'm so sorry Carol. My doses were relatively low, 10-15mg Ambien, .25-.5mg Xanax per day. 75mg Effexor at the most. I dropped them one by one after stabilizing on Valium. I was VERY lucky, won't mess with that stuff again.

[[Ca...]]

Thanks workin it out.

It is nice to see that some people do taper and heal in textbook fashion.

Love Carol

[[Ji...]]

oooow, very glad someone started this thread.

 

I was on Zopiclone for 8 YEARS. I still have no idea how this drug can just be put on repeat prescription. I had no idea the damage they were doing to me. No idea about interdose withdrawal.

 

I got off zopiclone by switching to a liquid solution. My Dr here in London said he has never prescribed it before and didn't even know it came in liquid form. This was really helpful for me tho, as the taste of it (although foul) my brain had become conditioned to associated it with bedtime i think so found I slept with the slightest amount but without it I would just lay there awake.

 

I'm so glad to be off of it as the muscle twitches, blurred vision, shortness of breath and mental fog have pretty much cleared up.

 

There's so little info on it out there tho. Its good to hear about others experiences on this drug.

 

JJ xx

[[Ca...]]

Hey JJ

Good to hear from you. 

I am still hanging about here. I am almost 3 years off now and getting better all the time.

I never had the liquid.  I just crushed the tablets to a powder and divided the pile up. I also got very used to the bitterness.

 

What color is your hair now?

 

Love Carol

[[Ji...]]

Hey JJ

Good to hear from you. 

I am still hanging about here. I am almost 3 years off now and getting better all the time.

I never had the liquid.  I just crushed the tablets to a powder and divided the pile up. I also got very used to the bitterness.

 

What color is your hair now?

 

Love Carol

 

Hi Carol,

 

 

How have you been? Would you mind letting us know what zopiclone withdrawal has left you with? I think people can underestimate this little blighter.

 

Your story is one of the first ones I came across here on Benzo buddies. I came here because i was going through hell coming off of diazepam. It was only once I got on here i realised just how much damage the zopiclone was also doing to me. In fact its likely to be the cause of me needed to be prescribed a benzo in the first place. The dr put it down to exam stress but I am certain now that i was experiencing interpose withdrawal from the zopiclone.

 

I'm so sorry to hear that you are still suffering from the zopiclone days. I am also far from being out of the woods. When i have bad days i try and remember the absolute hell of acute withdrawal from diazepam and suddenly it doesn't seem AS bad. (crazy eh)

 

Ive been reading a bit about post traumatic features associated with acute withdrawal from these kinds of drugs. I certainly do get flashbacks of my horrible ordeal..is this something you suffer with at all?

 

My hair is Dana Scully red at the moment, haha why do you ask? It has changed a bit over the years. I even had a goth phase in my teens and died it blue/black! As one does in their teens lol

 

I'm not looking forward to winter this year. I managed to distract myself last year with a trip to Israel (not likely this year given the tensions and all)

 

I have one more med to get off then i'll be med free! owwf. fingers crossed it won't be too hellish.

[[Se...]]

JJ--nice to see another Z-drug warrior on here--I'll stop by your blog and say "hi".

I too think many of my "illnesses" over the years were caused acutally by tolderance and interdose withdrawal from Ambien/zolpidiem. And docs just kept giving it to me like jelly beans. My mindset was I needed to sleep to stop feeling ill..but it never worked!! UGH.

[[Te...]]

Funny, I got on this forum to educate myself about a friend's w/d journey. I'm a recovering alky, and have been so happy to not have done more than an occasional benzo. I did do about a month's worth of xanax to help me with the jitters during a couple of unsuccessful home-detox efforts...so, then i note that I kinda identify with some of the w/d symptoms, but then, i read stuff and develop symptoms all the time . While grazing the forums, i ran across this heading. Well, yeah, i did take ambien/zolpidem 10 mg 3-4 times a week for about 5 years...would quit when i was taking 2 of them a night to find that zone, then start up again. Always figured a lot of my ugly stuff was the alcohol. A lot of it probably was. Maybe, just maybe, i shouldn't have been washing down those little footballs with booze...gee, ya think?...mike?...anyway, while my w/d was hidden behind ETOH detox, some persistent problems i always attributed to P.A.W.S. make better sense now. Numb/tingling feet, anxiety-prone, palps, really bad and persistent tinnitus, and some aberrant thoughts/behaviors. I quit the ambien when i quit drinking, 21 months ago. Thanks, i think, for this thread...mike

[[Ca...]]

Texasstar

 

Thanks for posting. I believe that both alcohol and z drugs damage our game receptors.

 

I know that when I was having (unknown to me) interdose withdrawal,  I would start to feel anxious around 6 ish. I have never wanted alcohol before but during this time I craved a glass of wine.

 

Congratulations on stopping the alcohol and z drugs.

 

Hopefully with more time,  the rest of the symptoms go away also.

 

Carol

[[Wo...]]

I was concurrently addicted to alcohol and zopiclone. I didn't drink excessively but craved alcohol all day and couldn't wait to get home to have a couple of drinks. That was every day for about 10 months. Combined with zopiclone every day for 8 months and it did a number on my CNS. I'm 1 year off now and most of my symptoms are better but a couple I believe are permanent.