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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tancu on November 22, 2004, at 23:07:12
For a little over a year now life's been pretty brutal for me, so I haven't been here much.
I recently remembered these boards when I began to contemplate the potential benefits that Ambien might hold for not only Parkinson's patients, but for other patients suffering from various movement-disorders as well.
Background: Parkinson's symptoms (mild) onset Jun 96'; Ambien was first prescribed for me as a sleep-aid by my GP in 98'. I was missing out on a lot of sleep, and could rarely sleep for more than 2-3 hrs at a time. For the first couple of years the ambien worked exactly the way the manufacturer said it would—pretty much knocked me out for 7-8 hrs each night. During those 7-8 hrs my brain at least had some opportunity to properly cycle through the sleep-stages, thus optimizing my chances of producing as "normal" a state of neurotransmitter levels as possible, all things considered.
Then came the stimulants. In 2000 my neuro dxd the Parkinson's Disease as idiopathic. A short while later he prescribed adderall to help with the fatigue I was experiencing. For nearly the next two years I was able to perform quite well at work. I got plenty of sleep, thanks to the ambien, and I had plenty of endurance and my mind was always sharp, thanks to the adderall or ritilan.
I knew my time was running out, but I failed to see just how unpredictable the whole experience would be. The ambien began to work less well as time went on—partly because this is the nature of most drugs, and partly because I wasn’t exactly willing to “give up” yet. I was as bent on rejecting the inevitable as I was intent on cramming as much “life” as possible into what the “inevitable” would determine my last 7 yrs of a career would amount to. When the efficacy of the ambien diminished I would remain “conscious” when I should have been asleep. This is how I learned about the potential
“benefits” of true sleep-deprivation. Apparently, the brain can produce/release dopamine in response to sleep-deprivation. Throw in a few very shrewd drugs and, yes, things got kind of strange. After about 36 hours of wakefulness, the first effects that I noticed of one 10-mg tab of ambien were some very interesting visual anomolies. Then, to my surprise and delight I found that my major muscle groups were working “together”, allowing me to walk, turn, reach, bend, push, and pull in a much more fluid manner than I had ever experienced as a result of ingesting sinemet. Also, although a small amount of stiffness remained most noticeably in my left-hand and fingers, the slight tremor on my left side was entirely gone. I was elated to find such significant relief. I also discovered that the overall effects, of ambien combined with sleep-deprivation, on my “conscious” self presented certain expected limitations. For example, I certainly wouldn’t want to drive a car or cut the grass. Washing the car or raking the yard, on the other hand, would be very feasible activities. So would playing a musical instrument, or golf, or bowling, etc. (you get the picture).
Drugs classified as sedative/hypnotics require strict adherence to various safety precautions. Because most people fall asleep shortly after taking ambien, amnesia can become a problem for the patient who remains awake. Of course, if you take it and then purposefully remain awake, you are clearly not using it as the manufacturer had intended. Liability is always an issue when one uses a drug unconventionally, so I hope that everyone here can see that it is not my intention to advise you in such matters. I would, however, be very interested to hear from others about their experience(s) with ambien and sleep deprivation. Thanks.
Posted by smokeymadison on November 23, 2004, at 12:52:02
In reply to ambien/sleep-deprivation/dopamine, posted by tancu on November 22, 2004, at 23:07:12
Oh my god have i had some weird experiences with ambien when i take it and don't go to sleep. i get downright psychotic, and i don't have schizophrenia. i have been taking it for three years now and it doesn't work anymore. when it was working and i stayed awake, i would get very weird ideas and act them out. i am currently trying out other sleep meds. i don't wnat to go into great detail about the brief psychotic episodes but they were dangerous, to say the least. i agree wholeheartedly with your warning.
Posted by pablo1 on November 23, 2004, at 23:58:38
In reply to Re: ambien/sleep-deprivation/dopamine, posted by smokeymadison on November 23, 2004, at 12:52:02
Ambien did not work for me and and kept we awake in a wrestless state sometimes. Sometimes it worked as advertized. I've heard of kids abusing it as a psychedelic halucinogen if you stay awake I guess it can be pretty wierd. I just had regular wrestless unsleepiness though.
This is the end of the thread.
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