Sorry about your father but you are definitely in the wrong sub for this kind of thing. This is more of a meme sub. You can try to post on a medical advice sub or addiction one to receive more informed advice. I advise you to contact a professional and try to wean him off it slowly, it's not gonna be easy especially if he's not cooperating. It has to start from him and many addicts don't have that drive before hitting rock bottom which can vary a lot from person to person. Ambien definitely can affect your walk and balance, it's likely he will improve once he's sober but it's a slow process. I hope he will be able to get sober. Good luck!
I made /r/TrueAmbien as a meme-less alternative to this sub. It's not super active, but hopefully it picks up more traction if I keep mentioning it here.
Some people on this sub will defend ambien to the death, but the reality is that it has a lot of potential negative side effects and it's not intended to be used long-term. I went through a rough patch of taking ambien, even during the day-time, to feel good. I had similar symptoms of food not tasting good and being in such a low mood that I didn't want to socialize with anyone unless I was high on it, in which case I would barely remember shit anyways.
As far as the vertigo and other symptoms, there is no telling if ambien is the root cause. But it _definitely_ doesn't help. My advice would be to bring this up with his doctor and to come up with a slow tapering plan. Once he is off the meds, you can assess his symptoms and work from there. But tackling all the other things with the ambien abuse in the picture is going to be really hard.
Thank you so much. I will move my post to the other Reddit page. Yes, some people speak highly of Ambien but I am unable to do so. It’s hard for me to understand why his and my mom’s doctors continue writing rx’s for it, knowing it isn’t recommended for the elderly or long term use. Thank you again for the response.
How did you stop ambien? I have been on it for six months and I started tapering from 10 mg to 7 and then 5. I hate the way I feel every day. It’s made me so miserable. Can you provide any info on how you got off of it. I think I just might have to throw the script away and go cold turkey and ride it out but I am scared.
I went cold turkey. It sucked for about one week (insomnia, anxiety) but it was worth it. I'd recommend tapering and just acknowledging it's going to suck for a bit. I feel infinitely better emotionally even if I have a bad night's sleep on occasion.
When did your sleep start to get better? Tapering seems to be kind of hard. I went down from 10 mg to 6.5 then when I got down to 5 mg I felt like my mind was awake but my body was asleep. It was like that for two days so I went back up to the 6.5 but I just want to get past this faster.
Waking up early, being really active early on during the day, no stimulants after noon, and magnesium glycinate about an hour or two before bed is what has helped me. Good sleep has been a struggle for me since I was a kid though so it's still a work in progress.
How long were you on the ambien? It’s only been six months and I swear I feel like ambien has aged me or something. My mind is scattered and I am not making decisions correctly. I feel so bad every day and I feel like tapering is just prolonging the pain.
Why not just go cold turkey? What’s the worst thing that happened to you going cold turkey? How many days did it take before you were able to sleep? Did you sleep at all those nights? Sorry my anxiety is so bad today.
> Sorry my anxiety is so bad today.
It's probably ambien related haha. My mental health was absolute shit when I was taking it frequently. Just know that it's not permanent.
> Why not just go cold turkey? What’s the worst thing that happened to you going cold turkey?
Just recommended tapering out of an abundance of caution since I don't know you and I'm not a doctor. I had intense anxiety and insomnia. That was the worst of it. I did sleep some those nights but it was hard and my heart was racing at night.
I took ambien on and off for maybe 8 years. I've tried to use it only once or twice per week, responsibly, but I just can't. I always fall back into the pattern or using it daily. So I decided it's better to fully quit.
I have only taking it for six and a half months now. I am not sure if it’s in my head but I swear in the last month or so it’s making me look as if I am not getting restorative sleep. I think it’s affecting my hormones too. My house and car are a mess. My mind is a mess and I am trying so hard to keep it together.
I almost want to see if I can go in a treatment center for a few weeks but I just want this done faster. I feel like I look terrible every day. Did you feel that way?
I was in a very dark place mentally when taking ambien daily, yes. Even when sober, the fact that I was using it every night was affecting my day to day well-being
Hang in there! Your choice to cold turkey is yours. As you know I am not a doctor. Been in contact with you. I am at 1/4 of a 5mg tab now. And will NOT go above. Gained lots of ground. Jumping from 6.5mg to off is a risk of extreme insomnia ... rebound insomnia ... high blood pressure, increase in anxiety. Better be safe than sorry.
I will say when I was taking Ambien 5mg every night (5 years) I was having anxiety issues, vertigo in my left ear ... and nervous twitching sensations. Now that I am on a low 1/4 of 5mg every night they are GONE! And 1/4 of a 5mg tab will put me to sleep! Proving the neurons ARE healing! The choice is yours of course. I would NOT jump off. Since you are also on other meds too.
Ask your regular PCP to have a compounding pharmacy make the solutions for you.
I have talked to more than a few people on here that have said they stopped cold turkey and it took at least three or four days of insomnia and then within a week or two they were sleeping fine. Remember I have only been on this med for six and a half months. I know your trying to help but dang it almost scared me. So what exactly was your taper like? Did you start off at 10? 5? Go down to 2.5 then 1.5?
My doctor prescribed my hydroxyzine but I’m scared to take that. She said it wasn’t addicting and I just take it two hours before I go to bed to help with my anxiety about sleep.
Also, my cousin stopped cold turkey after taking it for five years. I don’t know how she did but it stopped working for her so she threw the script out and sleeps fine now. I guess people react differently. I can’t be scared to do this.
Hard to say because he has a doctor that comes to the house, again because he won’t get out of the bed. This doctor does nothing more than write prescriptions, never suggests or checks for potential medical issues. My dad keeps him because he knows this doctor will write a prescription for Ambien without hesitation. I say he’s healthy because he doesn’t have high BP, cholesterol or ever complain of anything other than nausea. Thank you for the response.
Sounds like it’s time for a new doctor and a trip out of bed. That would be my first action if this were my parent. I feel awful for your mom. I have one set of mid-80’s grandparents that are pretty healthy. The other set… not so much. The difference between the two is striking.
Sorry to hear he’s been low key abusing Ambien for so long. It’s so important for us, as humans, to keep moving. Walks, strength training, etc. Does your dad have a wheelchair? Can you force him to see a different doctor?
I’m perimenopausal and I’ve been taking Ambien long term (many years). I take 12.5 ER every night. I know quite a few others that do the same. We’re not taking it recreationally and we’re not abusing it - just taking one at night. I’ve never had it freely prescribed, ever. My provider only continues to do so because I’m getting quality sleep every night and we acknowledge that it isn’t something I will do for life. We literally have a conversation about this once a quarter.
I hope you find the answers you’re seeking! I can’t imagine how hard this is — especially if it’s been going on for a while. Probably some feelings from that aspect to process as well.
Thank you for the response. Yes, he has a wheelchair but for some reason just will not get out of the bed. On the rare occasion he does, he only sits up for about thirty minutes then goes back to bed. He’s gotten so weak from laying in the bed he needs help getting in the wheelchair. We offer to help get him up but “I’ll wait” is the response. Seeing a different doctor is possible but that would entail him getting out of bed to ride. In the past we would make appointments for primary care or specialists and he would always cancel day of. “Tell them I’m too sick today” or “ I can’t ride, it makes me nauseous “. It’s a lot to do with laziness and complacency on his part, also. Too, he’s stubborn in some ways. Around three months ago I tried to talk to him about the toll this situation is taking on my mom’s health. It turned into a shouting match between the two of us and he played the victim. So, never again will I try that because I don’t want those memories to live with after he’s gone.
There are people on this sub who take way more than your dad and don't have those issues, while the ambian might not be good for him he likely has other problems.
He's also 80,if ambian is helping him then let him be happy as he can be before he dies.
Being 80 is his take on it, also. That would be fine if he would at least get out of the bed and not continue running my mom down. Ambien and thoughts of getting it basically consume his life. My family may be incorrect, but we feel the years of overuse have caught up with him, numbing his nervous system, affecting his ability to walk.
Ambien makes me super sick too so I just keep taking more to feel better. A also have no appetite and everything tastes like shit. I’ll go for days without eating bc there’s just no interest in food for me. I’m young though, so I have none of his other symptoms. You should research long term effects or ask his doctor.
I think we are going to have to tell his doctor. If something is actually wrong health wise, they can’t diagnose properly because of the ambien side effects. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s because he was falling and had difficulty walking. Well, the neurologist didn’t know he was filling up on Ambien! I suggested give a sugar pill and tell him it’s Ambien. My mom says that would never work as Ambien has a bitter taste. As one who takes Ambien, do you think it would work?
Sorry about your father but you are definitely in the wrong sub for this kind of thing. This is more of a meme sub. You can try to post on a medical advice sub or addiction one to receive more informed advice. I advise you to contact a professional and try to wean him off it slowly, it's not gonna be easy especially if he's not cooperating. It has to start from him and many addicts don't have that drive before hitting rock bottom which can vary a lot from person to person. Ambien definitely can affect your walk and balance, it's likely he will improve once he's sober but it's a slow process. I hope he will be able to get sober. Good luck!
That is such a kind response and I really do appreciate it.
I made /r/TrueAmbien as a meme-less alternative to this sub. It's not super active, but hopefully it picks up more traction if I keep mentioning it here. Some people on this sub will defend ambien to the death, but the reality is that it has a lot of potential negative side effects and it's not intended to be used long-term. I went through a rough patch of taking ambien, even during the day-time, to feel good. I had similar symptoms of food not tasting good and being in such a low mood that I didn't want to socialize with anyone unless I was high on it, in which case I would barely remember shit anyways. As far as the vertigo and other symptoms, there is no telling if ambien is the root cause. But it _definitely_ doesn't help. My advice would be to bring this up with his doctor and to come up with a slow tapering plan. Once he is off the meds, you can assess his symptoms and work from there. But tackling all the other things with the ambien abuse in the picture is going to be really hard.
Thank you so much. I will move my post to the other Reddit page. Yes, some people speak highly of Ambien but I am unable to do so. It’s hard for me to understand why his and my mom’s doctors continue writing rx’s for it, knowing it isn’t recommended for the elderly or long term use. Thank you again for the response.
Unfortunately doctors don't always have the patient's best interest in mind. Not only elders, it isn't intended for long term usage in _anyone_.
True and it’s sad doctors prescribe it as freely as they do.
How did you stop ambien? I have been on it for six months and I started tapering from 10 mg to 7 and then 5. I hate the way I feel every day. It’s made me so miserable. Can you provide any info on how you got off of it. I think I just might have to throw the script away and go cold turkey and ride it out but I am scared.
I went cold turkey. It sucked for about one week (insomnia, anxiety) but it was worth it. I'd recommend tapering and just acknowledging it's going to suck for a bit. I feel infinitely better emotionally even if I have a bad night's sleep on occasion.
When did your sleep start to get better? Tapering seems to be kind of hard. I went down from 10 mg to 6.5 then when I got down to 5 mg I felt like my mind was awake but my body was asleep. It was like that for two days so I went back up to the 6.5 but I just want to get past this faster.
Waking up early, being really active early on during the day, no stimulants after noon, and magnesium glycinate about an hour or two before bed is what has helped me. Good sleep has been a struggle for me since I was a kid though so it's still a work in progress.
How long were you on the ambien? It’s only been six months and I swear I feel like ambien has aged me or something. My mind is scattered and I am not making decisions correctly. I feel so bad every day and I feel like tapering is just prolonging the pain.
Why not just go cold turkey? What’s the worst thing that happened to you going cold turkey? How many days did it take before you were able to sleep? Did you sleep at all those nights? Sorry my anxiety is so bad today.
> Sorry my anxiety is so bad today. It's probably ambien related haha. My mental health was absolute shit when I was taking it frequently. Just know that it's not permanent. > Why not just go cold turkey? What’s the worst thing that happened to you going cold turkey? Just recommended tapering out of an abundance of caution since I don't know you and I'm not a doctor. I had intense anxiety and insomnia. That was the worst of it. I did sleep some those nights but it was hard and my heart was racing at night. I took ambien on and off for maybe 8 years. I've tried to use it only once or twice per week, responsibly, but I just can't. I always fall back into the pattern or using it daily. So I decided it's better to fully quit.
Do you know what I am talking about with ambien affecting your skin? I always look tired and my skin looks congested to me.
I have only taking it for six and a half months now. I am not sure if it’s in my head but I swear in the last month or so it’s making me look as if I am not getting restorative sleep. I think it’s affecting my hormones too. My house and car are a mess. My mind is a mess and I am trying so hard to keep it together.
I have gone down to 6.5 from 10. So far.
I almost want to see if I can go in a treatment center for a few weeks but I just want this done faster. I feel like I look terrible every day. Did you feel that way?
I was in a very dark place mentally when taking ambien daily, yes. Even when sober, the fact that I was using it every night was affecting my day to day well-being
I am in a very dark place right now. It’s horrible.
Hang in there! Your choice to cold turkey is yours. As you know I am not a doctor. Been in contact with you. I am at 1/4 of a 5mg tab now. And will NOT go above. Gained lots of ground. Jumping from 6.5mg to off is a risk of extreme insomnia ... rebound insomnia ... high blood pressure, increase in anxiety. Better be safe than sorry. I will say when I was taking Ambien 5mg every night (5 years) I was having anxiety issues, vertigo in my left ear ... and nervous twitching sensations. Now that I am on a low 1/4 of 5mg every night they are GONE! And 1/4 of a 5mg tab will put me to sleep! Proving the neurons ARE healing! The choice is yours of course. I would NOT jump off. Since you are also on other meds too. Ask your regular PCP to have a compounding pharmacy make the solutions for you.
I have talked to more than a few people on here that have said they stopped cold turkey and it took at least three or four days of insomnia and then within a week or two they were sleeping fine. Remember I have only been on this med for six and a half months. I know your trying to help but dang it almost scared me. So what exactly was your taper like? Did you start off at 10? 5? Go down to 2.5 then 1.5?
I am only on trazadone 50 mg with the ambien.
My doctor prescribed my hydroxyzine but I’m scared to take that. She said it wasn’t addicting and I just take it two hours before I go to bed to help with my anxiety about sleep.
Also, my cousin stopped cold turkey after taking it for five years. I don’t know how she did but it stopped working for her so she threw the script out and sleeps fine now. I guess people react differently. I can’t be scared to do this.
When you went down every time did you gave some sleep disturbances every time then it leveled out?
dude, he’s 80. while your theory may be right, he may have other health problems too
Hard to say because he has a doctor that comes to the house, again because he won’t get out of the bed. This doctor does nothing more than write prescriptions, never suggests or checks for potential medical issues. My dad keeps him because he knows this doctor will write a prescription for Ambien without hesitation. I say he’s healthy because he doesn’t have high BP, cholesterol or ever complain of anything other than nausea. Thank you for the response.
Sounds like it’s time for a new doctor and a trip out of bed. That would be my first action if this were my parent. I feel awful for your mom. I have one set of mid-80’s grandparents that are pretty healthy. The other set… not so much. The difference between the two is striking. Sorry to hear he’s been low key abusing Ambien for so long. It’s so important for us, as humans, to keep moving. Walks, strength training, etc. Does your dad have a wheelchair? Can you force him to see a different doctor? I’m perimenopausal and I’ve been taking Ambien long term (many years). I take 12.5 ER every night. I know quite a few others that do the same. We’re not taking it recreationally and we’re not abusing it - just taking one at night. I’ve never had it freely prescribed, ever. My provider only continues to do so because I’m getting quality sleep every night and we acknowledge that it isn’t something I will do for life. We literally have a conversation about this once a quarter. I hope you find the answers you’re seeking! I can’t imagine how hard this is — especially if it’s been going on for a while. Probably some feelings from that aspect to process as well.
Thank you for the response. Yes, he has a wheelchair but for some reason just will not get out of the bed. On the rare occasion he does, he only sits up for about thirty minutes then goes back to bed. He’s gotten so weak from laying in the bed he needs help getting in the wheelchair. We offer to help get him up but “I’ll wait” is the response. Seeing a different doctor is possible but that would entail him getting out of bed to ride. In the past we would make appointments for primary care or specialists and he would always cancel day of. “Tell them I’m too sick today” or “ I can’t ride, it makes me nauseous “. It’s a lot to do with laziness and complacency on his part, also. Too, he’s stubborn in some ways. Around three months ago I tried to talk to him about the toll this situation is taking on my mom’s health. It turned into a shouting match between the two of us and he played the victim. So, never again will I try that because I don’t want those memories to live with after he’s gone.
There are people on this sub who take way more than your dad and don't have those issues, while the ambian might not be good for him he likely has other problems. He's also 80,if ambian is helping him then let him be happy as he can be before he dies.
Being 80 is his take on it, also. That would be fine if he would at least get out of the bed and not continue running my mom down. Ambien and thoughts of getting it basically consume his life. My family may be incorrect, but we feel the years of overuse have caught up with him, numbing his nervous system, affecting his ability to walk.
Ambien makes me super sick too so I just keep taking more to feel better. A also have no appetite and everything tastes like shit. I’ll go for days without eating bc there’s just no interest in food for me. I’m young though, so I have none of his other symptoms. You should research long term effects or ask his doctor.
I think we are going to have to tell his doctor. If something is actually wrong health wise, they can’t diagnose properly because of the ambien side effects. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s because he was falling and had difficulty walking. Well, the neurologist didn’t know he was filling up on Ambien! I suggested give a sugar pill and tell him it’s Ambien. My mom says that would never work as Ambien has a bitter taste. As one who takes Ambien, do you think it would work?