Yes, Ambien sucks and can be dangerous. It gave me amnesia, very scary. I would stay away from it and stick with an antihistamine.

Thanks. Have you ever tried Valerian Root?

Also, how are you feeling today?

Melatonin

Tried melatonin and it gave me crazy dreams.

I did not like Ambien either. I had it in conjunction with pain relievers after shoulder surgery. It gave me anxiety attacks, I did not like that at all!

I've since read that doctors are saying that medication induced sleep is not really natural sleep, and the lack of natural sleep (perhaps you are not getting enough REM sleep?) may be the source of problems.

I like the idea of working out very hard and strenuous (at the gym, doing chores, being active) and cutting way back on caffeine and other sleep depriving things a better alternative.

If you can afford the calories, a large heavy meal before going to sleep and staying off electronic media and avoiding other stimuli is a good plan too!

Valerian root may be a good choice. And I agree about exercise, that really is the best sleep aid of all.

Ambien is very habit-forming and often difficult to get off of. It should be used only for a short-term remedy. My wife was on it for a very long time and the doctor should not have prescribed for that. Other meds for sleep that are not as habit-forming and better long-term are trazadone and seroquel. Trazadone works for me. My wife is on seroquel and it is working for her.

yep seroquel here for me too, never have trouble getting to and staying asleep on that....though it does have its downsides (weight gain, might cause kidney problems)....best to go back to your doc and try something else....good luck!!

hugs

Manda xx

I have tried everything OTC, don't drink caffein past 11 am, was on ambien but even with that I had to take 3 zquil in addition to just fall asleep. Tonight I'm trying ambien CR. I don't know what will happen. My doctor did suggest trazadone but does it work quickly?

I don't know if you've tried melatonin or not, but it's a safe hormone that helps regulate your sleep cycle. You just take it once each night around the same time so your body can regulate itself into a good sleep cycle. It's almost like hitting a prolonged reset button. I would maybe mention it to your doctor and see what he/she says. He or she could even provide more information and advice in taking melatonin. I think it'd be worth a shot. :)

I have suffered from chronic insomnia for about 15 years now. Everyone responds differently to medication. But for myself I had no luck at all with ambien or ambien CR or Lunesta, Trazodone or melatonin or valerian root and several others that I can't remember the names of anymore including seroquel which made me extremely groggy through out the day. For the past 2 years my Pschiatrist has been giving my Clonazepam the generic for Klonopin which is really for severe anxiety but one of the side effects is sleep. She also gives me Saphris which is for scitofrenia but also has the side effect of sleep. I take 2mg of clonazapam about 1 to 2 hours before going to sleep and 15mg of saphris right when I am ready to go to sleep. It's not perfect but it is the best combination I have been on all these years. And when I don't have I do not sleep at all

I've personally tried Benadryl which seems to help for a bit, valerian root in chamomile tea which calms me but does not make me sleep, Xanax (for anxiety), and lunesta. Believe it or not I end up w 4-5 hours of restless sleep if I'm lucky, on all of that. Ambien made me hallucinate...I'm at a loss, but exercise seems to induce sleep the best for me. Or being sick. Never want to be sick obviously, but that's the only times I sleep a normal amount. I've taken seroquel but it did nothing. Trazadone made me a complete zombie and then stopped working. I'd wake up so groggy, like a hangover.

Hang in there. I'm probably going to try an antidepressant soon. I also have depression.

Recommend you discuss ALL aspects of 'medication' with your doctor and then follow his/her advice.

I have taken Ambien for years. It is the only thing that helps me sleep. Tell your doctor that you are still having trouble sleeping. He/she may add something at night. I take Trazadone too.

There are actually some nights that the Ambien doesn't work. Cross check your other meds to see if they cause insomnia.