Posted by Joanne on December 16, 1999, at 10:05:16
In reply to Re: INSOMNIA, posted by Elizabeth on December 15, 1999, at 23:27:25
> > Andy: From what I understand, Ambien is a great drug, but (please correct me if I a wrong)it's for short term use, whereas nortriptyline can be used for extended periods of time.
>
> I asked my pdoc about this when he prescribed Ambien to use for insomnia daily. He replied that many people are able to take it longer term without developing tolerance. He also said that in his experience it actually works better if you take it every day than sporadically - perhaps this is because it keeps you on a regular sleep schedule (something that's always been a problem for me).
>
> I took it - 20mg/night - for a year or so, pretty much every night, without tolerance. My main peeve about it is that it's too short-acting.
>
> BTW, nortriptyline was not sedating for me, and it had anticholinergic effects that I had trouble tolerating, even at very low doses.
When I first started taking Ambien, it worked extremely well. It was very fast-acting, and had no "hangover" feeling the next day. I've been taking it for several months; unfortunately, I must have built up a tolerance to it, because now it no longer works on me. However, if you've never tried it, I would highly recommend it for insomnia. Mary, let me know how you're doing with the Ambien. I hope it's working well for you. Joanne
poster:Joanne
thread:16735
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991212/msgs/17013.html