Halcion & Ambien

Hi, everyone!

 

I have been battling insomnia for 2 months now. My doctor prescribed me Ambien and I only took 1/3 of a pill for 6 days and then a whole pill on the 7th day. Then, was switched to Halcion because that’s what had helped me in the past. Anyway, Halcion at 0.125 didn’t do much, so, I took it for 5 days and then tapered for another 5 days until I was done with it. I was clean for 2 weeks, but this last week was brutal to me with few hours of sleep at night and the terrible feeling of exhaustion, anxiety, burning skin, adrenaline rushes and hypnic jerks at night that would keep me awake! So, I took 0.125 mg of Halcion on one night and nothing on the following night (I only got 1 hour of sleep that night), then, I thought about doing a quick treatment and taper off. So, I took Halcion for another 2 nights and the 2nd night was awful again sleeping only 1 hour (Halcion knocked me out quickly but I somehokw woke up after an hour). Feeling like it wasn’t working, I went to urgent care and the doctor gave me Ambien. I’ve been taking it for 3 days now. So, in total, in a week I took 4 Halcions (one per night) and 3 Ambiens (1 per night). I want to stop taking Ambien. Can I go CT? Even if in a month I’ve taken it for 10+ days? My doctor said I could and that I wouldn’t have any WD symptoms, but she said that if I wanted to be super safe to take half of a 5 mg tonight (5 mg was the prescribed dose) and half tomorrow and then stop. Does this make sense to you guys? Not sure who has experience with Ambien in the short term... Thanks!!

 

P.S I hadn’t taken Halcion since July 2016. I was clean for 4 years.

I would think you'd be okay stopping it, you most likely won't sleep much but it sounds like you haven't been sleeping anyway.  I quit it cold turkey and didn't have a problem, but there are many who taper it.  If you're concerned, you could do as your Dr suggests to put your mind at ease.

 

It sounds like sleep medications aren't helping you, what other methods have you tried?

Hi, Pamster! 😊

 

Yeah... My anxiety would feel much better doing the taper. I just don’t want it to be a shock to the system. I was doing kind of OK for 2 weeks, then, as I saw myself progressing, my anxiety kicked in wondering when the next bad night would come along and that opened hell’a gates! Ugh... I’m currently doing CBT for insomnia. It’s rough... Especially because there are some behavioral things that are hard to implement but are needed to train your body. The relaxation part is tough for me during the night, especially when I get adrenaline surges or hypnic jerks as I’m falling asleep! 😖 These were the reasons why I got back on sleeping pills after 2 weeks clean: to shut them up so they would allow me to sleep...

 

Anywho... To answer your question, I’ve tried Melatonin, herbal sleep formulas (valerian, st. john’s Worth, etc.), sleepy-time teas, meditation, awareness, acceptance, breathing exercises, L-Ornithine, OTC sleep aids, magnesium.... My husband got me CBD oil strips. I haven’t tried those yet because of Ambien, but I’m thinking about using them when I get off Ambien the day after tomorrow.

 

I‘m going to see a psychiatrist this Thursday, but, not sure if he’s be able to help anymore without using meds. I don’t want any more benzos. Maybe just ask for alternative therapies that CBT-I isn’t addressing? 🤷🏻‍♀️ My insomnia coach has given me great information! But, my body’s on hyperalert after 2 months of struggling with 1 good night followed bu a bad night and so on... I’m trying to calm down since sleep can’t be controled and by trying to it seems like I’m just pushing it away. 😔

 

I’m assuming you were also struggling with insomnia since you took Ambien...?

The main reason I went on Klonopin was for sleep, then after my cold turkey I started taking Ambien which wasn't smart since they're so similar.  Once I got off both drugs though, I sleep much better, not as good as some but good for me.

 

It looks like you've tried a lot of different remedies, I'm glad to see non-medication among them. I wish I had an answer for you as far as sleep goes, its one of the most common symptoms for our members and it makes every other symptom worse.  I've seen many members talk about acceptance and I've found that to be helpful myself.  I try not to panic when I have difficulty falling or staying asleep because getting frustrated or angry is a surefire way to keep me awake even longer. 

 

Can you pinpoint what happened 2 months ago to bring this on?

 

 

 

 

Wow! I read your story... You were suuuper brave and a true example to follow!!  I have never been on anything else but Halcion and Ambien. I actually fell asleep 2 nights ago without Ambien and woke up to take 3/4 of the pill because of my fear of any withdrawal symptoms. Even then, my sleep wasn’t awesome afterwards and I was able to fall asleep after waking up from Ambien again. Then, last night, I fell asleep on my own (I only took herbal supplements and melatonin) and slept 8.5 hours! No Ambien, no Halcion! 😱 This just keeps proving to me that I don’t need any sleeping pills to sleep. My psychiatrist gave me Trazedone, but I just don’t feel fine taking any other medication. I just feel tired of taking med after med... Some nights are better than others, that’s for sure! It’s a looong rough process, but I think sooner or later I’ll get out of it. I’m trying hynotherapy on Monday. I’ve heard a lot of people having success with it!

 

I’ve only taken Halcion and Ambien for a total of 26 days and they weren’t even continued days. They were 2 week apart from each other. I guess this is a right time to stop to not make anything worse... Wouldn’t you think? I guess I just worry too much about withdrawal symptoms that I try my best to avoid them and then continue feeding the animal. Does this sound right to you in your experience? Pr am I already a lost cause? 😔

 

So, to answer your question... 2 months ago I was stressed out because I wasn’t sure if I was missing documentation for the renewal of my green card. I became nuts gathering as much info as I could and stressed out about it. Then, I stopped worrying about it as my sleep continued to worsen. Then, sleep was all I was stressed about. Hence the insomnia cycle of insomnia and anxiety. My green card got approved 3 days ago! Yay! However, my sleep is still not the best with some days having better sleep than others and so on. I’m sure that if my anxiety improves, my insomnia will get much better.

You're not a lost cause but it's probably not a good idea to continue feeding the animal, to tell you the truth, if I were in your shoes I'd dispose of these drugs so I wouldn't be tempted. 

 

I'm thrilled to know you were able to fall asleep on your own, see, your body knows what to do so let yourself get back into a natural sleep rhythm especially since the reason you were stressed out has been resolved.  Congratulations by the way, I'm happy to hear your green card was approved, I can't imagine how stressful that is, to now know if you can proceed with your life plans, I'm glad that's over.

Yes! I agree! I’m just going to keep taking the usual supplements and as I get more sleep confidence I’ll start cutting them out. I had gotten to this point 2 weeks ago, but started freaking out about not sleeping and my sleep got worse. Ugh... It’s tough, but, many people have gotten out if it! Acceptance, like you mentioned, is a method. It’s the core of ACT (acceptance commitment therapy). Dr. Guy Meadows is a huge proponent of this and prefers it to CBT-I because it tackles anxiety, which is something CBT-I only touches on the very surface. I have followed a combination of both techniques, but it’s not easy! 

 

Thanks so much! I am really happy about the green card! Honestly, it lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. I feel more peaceful now. I guess we’ll see how it all pans out.

 

I so appreciate the encouragement and your responses. It’s hard to find support when most people think that what you’re going through is “weird” and doctors just look at you like you’re crazy and all they want to do is get you on medications. 

 

 

Insomniac, I use CBD marijuana for insomnia. It works very well -- lowers blood pressure, which helps manage anxiety. I see that you have some . . . hope it helps you.

 

 

Katz

It's pretty common for a benzo not to work for someone who has used them in the past. If they don't work, they're probably going to make you worse. The best thing you can do is throw them out and not look back. You're already seeing signs of returning sleep. The more you can avoid a pharmaceutical remedy, the more your sleep will improve over time. Just with plenty of ups and downs.

Insomniac, I use CBD marijuana for insomnia. It works very well -- lowers blood pressure, which helps manage anxiety. I see that you have some . . . hope it helps you.

 

 

Katz

 

I have some CBD as well! Haven’t tried it at night, but will give it a shot! Thank you!!

It's pretty common for a benzo not to work for someone who has used them in the past. If they don't work, they're probably going to make you worse. The best thing you can do is throw them out and not look back. You're already seeing signs of returning sleep. The more you can avoid a pharmaceutical remedy, the more your sleep will improve over time. Just with plenty of ups and downs.

 

I agree! It’s like a rollercoaster to me. Some days are better than others. I’ve been implementing behavioral changes and am trying my best with the cognitive ones. I still have these jerks or adrenaline rushes that will wake me up when I’m drifting off to sleep, but, I’ve heard they just go away as your sleep confidence increases and your anxiety decreases. I hope I can see an end to insomnia soon! It’s already been 2 months of it.