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

[[Se...]]

Today I am two year's free of Ambien. A lot of healing has happened in that time. All of the cog fog is gone. My sleep was only disturbed for the first two months. Being on the 2 ADs helped alot but the trade-off is now I have to taper them. I have some muscle pain the past couple months and urinary symptoms that I believe is from the Ambien. I still have some exercise intolerance but it's improving. Some of this is from tapering the AD too. I can tell that the healing is really speeding up at the 2 year mark. I believe this third year will be so much better. Good luck to all of you tapering. It's worth the trouble.

 

Becky 

 

Becky, this is the greatest news.

 

My worst symptom was muscle pain.  Have you looked at my muscle pain thread, I solved it for me.

 

My healing really sped up to starting at 23 months off.

 

Let me know if you want me to post a link to  my muscle pain protocol.

 

I'm almost off the Trazodone, has taken me 10 months to go down from 100 mg to my current 25 mg.  hope to be off in new year.

 

I'm so very happy for you, you are one tough, smart and determined cookie! Yeah, yeah, yeah!

 

:smitten: :smitten:

 

Ali

[[Lo...]]

LL

Congradulations!!!!! So happy for you!!! 

:yippee: :clap: :clap:

Carem

Thanks Carem. I am so happy that I am finally off Zop! Most nights I am sleeping straight through the night...about 7 hours! I would like a little longer but hey! I don't wake up feeling rested but hope that will come with more time. Still find getting to sleep a little difficult. Need to learn how to unwind!

You are doing so well. You have tapered a lot and over a long time. You will soon be done too!  LL

[[Lo...]]

Today I am two year's free of Ambien. A lot of healing has happened in that time. All of the cog fog is gone. My sleep was only disturbed for the first two months. Being on the 2 ADs helped alot but the trade-off is now I have to taper them. I have some muscle pain the past couple months and urinary symptoms that I believe is from the Ambien. I still have some exercise intolerance but it's improving. Some of this is from tapering the AD too. I can tell that the healing is really speeding up at the 2 year mark. I believe this third year will be so much better. Good luck to all of you tapering. It's worth the trouble.

Becky 

Becky, you are such an inspiration! I hope I too experience more healing in the next months and years. There are lots of reasons for urinary symptoms....not necessarily from Ambien. Good luck tapering the ADs.  LL

[[Be...]]

Today I am two year's free of Ambien. A lot of healing has happened in that time. All of the cog fog is gone. My sleep was only disturbed for the first two months. Being on the 2 ADs helped alot but the trade-off is now I have to taper them. I have some muscle pain the past couple months and urinary symptoms that I believe is from the Ambien. I still have some exercise intolerance but it's improving. Some of this is from tapering the AD too. I can tell that the healing is really speeding up at the 2 year mark. I believe this third year will be so much better. Good luck to all of you tapering. It's worth the trouble.

 

Becky 

 

Way to go Becky..this is great news. I think the worst just might be behind you. Now you can truly move on. You've come such a long way..it's truly inspirational. Thanks for sharing something so positive! 

Thanks CeCe. Yes, I've come a long way, but I've got more work to do. Good thing I am a motivated stubborn lady.

 

Becky

[[Be...]]

Today I am two year's free of Ambien. A lot of healing has happened in that time. All of the cog fog is gone. My sleep was only disturbed for the first two months. Being on the 2 ADs helped alot but the trade-off is now I have to taper them. I have some muscle pain the past couple months and urinary symptoms that I believe is from the Ambien. I still have some exercise intolerance but it's improving. Some of this is from tapering the AD too. I can tell that the healing is really speeding up at the 2 year mark. I believe this third year will be so much better. Good luck to all of you tapering. It's worth the trouble.

Becky 

Becky, you are such an inspiration! I hope I too experience more healing in the next months and years. There are lots of reasons for urinary symptoms....not necessarily from Ambien. Good luck tapering the ADs.  LL

 

Great news that you've tapered off! Now every day from this point forward you will heal and get better. Good luck to you.

 

Becky 

[[Be...]]

Hi SS. Glad to see you've gotten so low on the trazodone. Remember to go slow on the last 5 mg. It really makes a difference.

 

The only type of muscle pain I've been getting lately is my feet. They kind of ache first thing in the AM, but lessens as the day goes on. Did you experience any of that with the Ambien? It might be edema from traz/rem as I notice my ankles are slightly swollen. More so on the left ankle, and some in my lower leg/calf.

 

Becky 

[[ga...]]

Today is day 2 of my Ambien taper and I am bedridden with nausea, shaking, racing heart, shallow rapid breathing and an overall sickening "poisoned" feeling. Also, very, very depressed with feeling of doom.  I cut my 10 mg dose down to 7.5 mg two night ago.  Is that unreasonable?  I know everyone is different, but would like to know the experience of others.  How long does this last?  I've read about people shaving Ambien pills...how do you do that...what do you use & how much do you shave?  I've ordered a gram scale from Amazon but it won't arrive until late next week.

 

I'm also on 1.75 mg of Ativan a day which is one reason why this is probably so much harder than if I were on Ambien alone.  Am feeling overwhelmed knowing how long I have to go to get off of both drugs.  My internist thinks my anxiety level is too high to taper off the Ativan, but being on it makes me more anxious.  Vicious cycle.

[[wa...]]

If it were me  - I'd hold at this dose until the severe symptoms let up.  I don't know if it is my cog fog but your sig. is very up down with different benzos.  It's OK to slow down so you don't have to updose or reinstate.

 

 

Get your scale and taper 5% by weight off the 7.5mgs every two weeks.  If you have trouble with doing that dry cut, private message  SG57  who helped me figure it all out.  WBB

[[...]]

Today is day 2 of my Ambien taper and I am bedridden with nausea, shaking, racing heart, shallow rapid breathing and an overall sickening "poisoned" feeling. Also, very, very depressed with feeling of doom.  I cut my 10 mg dose down to 7.5 mg two night ago.  Is that unreasonable?  I know everyone is different, but would like to know the experience of others.  How long does this last?  I've read about people shaving Ambien pills...how do you do that...what do you use & how much do you shave?  I've ordered a gram scale from Amazon but it won't arrive until late next week.

 

I'm also on 1.75 mg of Ativan a day which is one reason why this is probably so much harder than if I were on Ambien alone.  Am feeling overwhelmed knowing how long I have to go to get off of both drugs.  My internist thinks my anxiety level is too high to taper off the Ativan, but being on it makes me more anxious.  Vicious cycle.

 

If it was me I would want off the ativan first... Perhaps you could get off both the drugs and go on to 10-20mg of diazapam instead? that should avoid any WD SX

[[GA...]]

Being on Ativan AND Ambien is not a curse. Because the longer acting Ativan will act in the background to help you get off the shorter-acting Ambien. Get off the Ambien first. This is the advice I was given when I first came here, but of course I wanted to do it MY way, which was hurry up and taper off both of them at the same time. But the less Ativan I took, the more the interdose withdrawals from the Ambien kicked in.

 

Then there is the option of switching over from both Ambien and Ativan to the even longer half-life Valium. I can't speak for those who have done that. It seems to work for some, but others have trouble tolerating Valium. These drugs aren't necessarily interchangeable. Some have more of a sedative quality, others; more anti-anxiety. For that reason I stuck with the Ativan. I had to updose temporarily to get off the Ambien, but it worked well and I'm now close to tapering off the Ativan.

 

But what works for one person may not work for another. Just as the drugs are not interchangeable, neither are benzo users.

[[wa...]]

Well, Z buddies -- I thought I was over the worst of my journey and now, after only 3 weeks jumping I'm again in the dumps.  Very bad anxiety and the mornings are as bad as they were in acute.  I was strolling along eating what I wanted.  Had my morning coffee to wipe away cobwebs (and some depression) and the muscle spasms were finally lifting.  I had beer Friday (oops?) I know, I know - bad.  Monday started with that old anxious feeling.  I couldn't drive Monday but somehow did yesterday for the acupuncturist to get that angst feeling down.

 

Just needed to vent.  I am not done with this or, rather, it is not done with me.  There are moments I feel just as I did last December. 

 

And I have some sxs I thought I'd never get.  I used to read archives on here and think, "Thank God THAT isn't happening to me"  but now it is.

The dereal. , dizziness  dpr, etc.

 

I think there is a persistent belief on BB and elsewhere that Z drugs are not so difficult.  Not true.  Thank God, in spite of a lifetime of other drugs, this damned Lunesta was my last drug.  I don't even take Advil at present.  I can't tolerate anything in this wave.    WBB

[[al...]]

Well, Z buddies -- I thought I was over the worst of my journey and now, after only 3 weeks jumping I'm again in the dumps.  Very bad anxiety and the mornings are as bad as they were in acute.  I was strolling along eating what I wanted.  Had my morning coffee to wipe away cobwebs (and some depression) and the muscle spasms were finally lifting.  I had beer Friday (oops?) I know, I know - bad.  Monday started with that old anxious feeling.  I couldn't drive Monday but somehow did yesterday for the acupuncturist to get that angst feeling down.

 

Just needed to vent.  I am not done with this or, rather, it is not done with me.  There are moments I feel just as I did last December. 

 

And I have some sxs I thought I'd never get.  I used to read archives on here and think, "Thank God THAT isn't happening to me"  but now it is.

The dereal. , dizziness  dpr, etc.

 

I think there is a persistent belief on BB and elsewhere that Z drugs are not so difficult.  Not true.  Thank God, in spite of a lifetime of other drugs, this damned Lunesta was my last drug.  I don't even take Advil at present.  I can't tolerate anything in this wave.    WBB

 

I second that! Everyone has such a bad experience during withdrawal, they can't imagine that theirs is not as bad as it gets.

[[M5...]]

Is it normal to feel like you are hallucinating/ having very strange REM bursts of sleep when trying to get some sleep. Flashes of light, auditory hallucinations while drifting off to rem sleep only to wake up immediately?

[[Be...]]

Yes they are normal. I've had them and still get them once in a while. They become less and less as time goes on. I've heard things like people talking that sounded like it was coming from another room, phone ringing that wasn't, and explosions. The boom sound was scary first time I heard it. It really jolted me out of bed. It usually happens when you first start to drift off to sleep. After a while you come to realize that this is all part of it and it goes away. So don't worry about it.

 

Becky 

[[ga...]]

Failed my first Ambien taper attempt from 10 mg to 7.5 mg.  The second day was so bad that I couldn't leave the house even for food and I live alone so that won't work.  I reverted to my 10 mg dose last night.  Wondering how I'll ever even get started on a taper.  Don't know where to go from here.

[[Lo...]]

Dear @gardenlady ...Going from 10 mg to 7.5 mg of Ambien was a huge cut and bound to give almost anyone crazy symptoms. Sometimes people can taper quickly in the beginning but most cannot.

 

I suggest that you start by tapering tiny amounts. I did a cut and weigh every day in the amount of 1% of current dose.

 

Slowly but surely you will get to the point where you can jump/

 

Hang in there. Slow and steady wins the race.  LL

[[ga...]]

Thanks Loveslife.  Did you taper 1% of the pill weight or in mgs?  If I start at 10 mg, then a 1% cut in mgs would bring it down to 9 mg.  How do I figure out how much 9 mg will weigh?  I haven't received my scale yet, so this is all new to me.  Thanks in advance for help with the math.

[[wa...]]

Once you get your scale, you'll weigh your pill and cut by weight.  1% of 10mgs is 10% and a large cut in my opinion.  Private mail SG57 - he knows all about how to help you and get mg equivalent for weight with a scale.  WBB

[[ga...]]

Thanks, WBB.  I will PM  SG57 about scale weights, but can you suggest a slow taper plan for 10 mg Ambien?  I really need some specifics on where to start since I'm clueless.  I realize everyone is different and I have to find what works for me, but I need help at least on where to start. 

[[Lo...]]

Hi @gardenlady, See the following link and probably you will be able to figure it out.

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7601-excel-spreadsheet-to-calculate-dose-weights-using-a-scale/

 

BTW 10% of 10 mg is not 1 mg. It is .1 mg.

 

I weighed the whole tablet - actually 3 or 4 individually, averaged them and took that as the weight I was cutting and weighing.

 

LL

[[Li...]]

10 mg is 100% which means that 10% is 1 mg... 1% is 0,1 mg

[[Lo...]]

Duh! Of course, you are right. However, we are not tapering by 10%...just by perhaps 1% at most.

[[me...]]

I have to disagree here, especially with an Ativan back up, a 10% cut (which is 1 mg, from 10 mg.) is a totally appropriate and conservative cut. The test will be to see how that cut feels.

 

Gardenlady--your situation is a bit unique, I think GABAreceptors has excellent advice and experience that is relevant to your case. If you begin a very slow taper of Ambien (e.g. months), you are going to be miserable for a long time, much longer than is necessary IMHO.

[[GA...]]

I have to disagree here, especially with an Ativan back up, a 10% cut (which is 1 mg, from 10 mg.) is a totally appropriate and conservative cut. The test will be to see how that cut feels.

 

Gardenlady--your situation is a bit unique, I think GABAreceptors has excellent advice and experience that is relevant to your case. If you begin a very slow taper of Ambien (e.g. months), you are going to be miserable for a long time, much longer than is necessary IMHO.

 

It worked for me and it does make sense: as long as you have Ativan in the background, it will ease a lot of the Ambien withdrawal, if you have any at all. But don't cut the Ativan until the Ambien has been withdrawn from. And some will find this controversial, but I actually updosed the Ativan to get off the Ambien, which helped considerably. THEN, after the Ambien is gone, you're dealing with only one drug. And Ativan has a longer half-life, meaning it's not as likely to cause interdose withdrawal, like Ambien will. GL is taking Ativan, what, three times a day? I've only taken it once a day, for the entire 26 years I've been taking it, and I've never gotten interdose withdrawals from it. In fact, I've never even gotten tolerance withdrawal from Ativan.

 

Some people will have a different story to tell, but this advice only makes good sense - if you are taking a short half-life drug and an intermediate one like Ativan (or Xanax) withdraw from the shorter one first. Don't even consider tapering off the intermediate one til the shorter (Z-drug) has been tapered off and done with.

 

That was probably the single best piece of advice I got from here since I first joined almost a year ago. I tried cutting them both at the same time and it did not work.

 

[[...]]

First night sleeping in my house alone as the parents have gone away for a weekend... I didn't sleep and then got a wave of REM and then woke straight back up which is "rem rebound"

 

Even with a 15mg Z dose