I have been taking Ambien for three years now. I started taking it after I had my spinal fusion and have had zero issues with it! In fact, it changed my marriage! I was able to get the rest that my body needed, despite my husbands snoring!
I had mommy guilt at first about it as I did not hear my kids wake in the middle of the night with leg aches or scary dreams. Hubby was able to comfort them and secretly, I wasn’t upset about missing the 2AM parties! There were a few times when the 2AM get togethers included puking. For those, I felt bad.
There were a few times that I forgot to take one (while traveling) and I was in a zombie sleep those nights! You know, you lay there exhausted and want to sleep but can’t. That made for rough mornings and unhappy moments. I was clearly addicted to Ambien.
My insurance covers it, and the out of pocket was less then $6 a month.
Wanting to be free from having to take a pill to sleep, I researched the detox. The first game plan I had was to take half a pill. I tried this for three nights and stopped. I had really crazy dreams and didn’t like the way I woke up feeling. I felt distressed and not rested.
So I scrapped the hope of getting off of Ambien for a few months. Last month, I decided that I was going to go for it…cold turkey. Here is how things went for me:
Night One: did not sleep at all
Night Two: did not sleep at all
Night Three: slept an hour or two, fell asleep around 5AM
Night Four: slept 3 hours
Night Five: slept 4 hours
Night Six: slept 6 hours
Night Seven: slept 6 hours
I’m a few weeks without Ambien now and am still sleeping around six hours a night. I have a months supply of pills that tempt me each night, but I am staying strong and pushing thru!
Here are three tips to help you sleep better at night:
- Turn off electronics an hour before bed
- Turn off all lights and stimulation and STAY in bed
- Don’t eat an hour or two before bed…this helps because it keeps you out of the bathroom.
Personally, I would like to thank my friends and family who offered me support and wisdom as I was going thru the detox stage! I would also like to thank coffee for helping keep me awake those first few days! 🙂
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