Posted by Elizabeth on February 2, 2002, at 13:33:25
In reply to Major addiction to ambien---heLp!!!, posted by Dona on February 1, 2002, at 17:03:59
> I have taken ambien for years and gradually increase the dose to 30 mg a night or more. There are days when I just take it all day long and sleep the day away, but sometimes I do things I forget--and twice almost crashed my car.
Can you talk to us some more about why you've been taking Ambien during the daytime?
I think the idea of letting your husband hold onto it is a good one, and I hope it works. It may be as simple as breaking a bad habit, but I think you need to deal with the feelings that make you want to "space out" during the daytime. Opening up about those feelings might be a good start.
> Is ambien physically addicted or am I just psychologically addicted.
Ambien rarely (but sometimes) causes physical dependence (which is not addiction, although it often occurs along with addiction). Taking a higher dose may increase the risk of dependence. Withdrawal is unlikely to be dangerous, though, although it may be unpleasant. Ambien isn't an anticonvulsant like the benzodiazepines are, so you're not going to get withdrawal seizures, which are the main serious risk of benzo withdrawal. Rebound insomnia and perhaps anxiety seem like the most likely withdrawal symptoms. Continuing to take 10 mg under your husband's supervision should minimize the withdrawal symptoms, if any.
I wouldn't say that you're "just" [psychologically] addicted, though -- it's relatively simple to deal with physical dependence (just taper off the drug gradually), but true addiction is often a very difficult hole to dig yourself out of.
I can understand not wanting to go to a rehab center -- from what I've heard, they can be very oppressive. I think it's worthwhile to try other things first, but I hope you recognize the seriousness of the situation -- taking a hypnotic dose of Ambien during the daytime is not safe, and driving on Ambien puts your life *and the lives of other people* at risk. Do you think there might be a self-destructive component to this behavior?
I don't know your doctor personally, but I think it's likely that if you tell your doctor the full story, s/he will want you to go to a treatment center. So I understand wanting to deal with it on your own if you can. Still, I think it would be a good idea to try to switch to a different sleeping pill -- come up with some reason to ask your doctor for something different (e.g., tolerance to Ambien, Ambien doesn't last long enough, etc.). Doxepin and Remeron, which fachad mentioned, are two options. (Remeron is most sedating in lower doses like 7.5-15 mg/night. If that's too sedating you could try 22.5 or 30 mg.) Another antidepressant that's used as a sleeping pill is trazodone (actually, it's used for insomnia more than for depression!). All of these drugs are sedating because they are pretty strong antihistamines as well as antidepressants. There are also plain antihistamines -- the "drowsy" ones such as Benadryl, promethazine, and hydroxyzine -- that can help. So you have a lot of options. You wouldn't even need to get a prescription for Benadryl. There are other OTC antihistamines, such as ClorTrimeton (chlorpheniramine) and Tavist (clemastine -- plain Tavist, *not* Tavist-D), but they tend to be less sedating (although I found Tavist to be very sedating, myself).
Is this the first drug problem you've had? What other medications are you taking (psychiatric and otherwise)? Have you been diagnosed with anything other than depression, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia?
Your husband must be very understanding and supportive, to help you try to deal with this problem. I encourage you to take advantage of all the supports you have available to you, like family, close friends, and support groups. I hope that we -- people on this board, that is -- can help you too.
best of luck to you,
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:92531
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020131/msgs/92619.html