Zolpidem (ambien)

[mooky]

I noticed Jack Nicholson saying how dangerous this drug was. I have been prescribed it by the GP here for the last four years.

Now I cannot go to sleep without it. If I do I suffer dreadful nightmares. My doc says to come off very slowly, so each night I shave a little off the tablet with a small nutmeg grater. I was also prescribed Deroxat four years ago. Not nice tablets at all. They have helped my depression so much but coming off is very very hard. Has anyone else been prescribed them?

[5-element]

Mooky -

I don't know if your GP would agree to that, but it might be possible to substitute a benzodiazepine (here in France, Bromazepam/Lexomil seems always the first choice, whereas it was Diazepam/Valium in the UK) for Ambien. As far as I know, Bromazepam is longer-acting, therefore less addictive (I know it sounds weird!). The sedative action of Bromazepam/Lexomil can be as effective as Ambien/Zolpidem....

A UK psychiatrist specialised in treating addiction, would then stop the Ambien altogether, give you Bromazepam for a couple of weeks, and THEN start cutting down very slowly on the Bromazepam.

If you are not completely happy with the way your generaliste is handling it, you could try to go and see a neurologist, ask your generaliste to be referred to an addiction specialist?

As for Deroxat (Seroxat in the UK), it is one of the first choice anti-depressants, and should not be addictive - not like the sleeping tablet. That is the official line on anti-depressants, and since you have been on them for 4 years, you might not need them anymore?

Some people cannot take any types of anti-depressants at all. I am one of those. Deroxat was the 3rd type I was prescribed, and I felt violently ill within an hour of taking the first very low dose. I persevered for another 2 days, and physically it felt as if I was dying. The relief on the third day, when I didn't take any, was undescribable!!! And yet, my (obviously much older than me) mother has taken Deroxat off and on for periods of time, without an ill-effects, and without any problems coming off them either!

Good luck with it all. Strangely enough, Ambien is supposed NOT to be addictive for a number of people. But still, the same was said about all the benzodiazepines. It might be an idea to look at what other people than just Jack Nicholson have to say about it.

For instance you could have a look at

askapatient.com

bearing in mind that most of those who comment have had negative experiences - all the happy ones are just.....happy and don't feel they have much to say about a particular medication.

[Pixie Toadstool]

Hi there - just to say that I was prescribed Seroxat when it first came

out in the UK and when I tried to stop taking it without doctor's

advice I felt extremely weird.  Eventually I weaned myself off them

gradually - cutting down to half a day, a quarter a day and then a

quarter every other day - which worked for me (over a period of a

couple of weeks).  Since then, the industry has admitted that this

approach should be taken for all these types of anti-depressants

because of the way they work.  A friend of mine had exactly the same

experience as me but it took her much longer to get off Seroxat than me

(maybe 4 weeks or so) - so give it a go and see how you feel.

The thing with sleeping tablets is that they will all alter your brain

chemistry to some extent.  I think you will find most GPs are less

inclined to prescribe anyone a benzodiazepine these days as they are

considered EXTREMELY addictive and very difficult to stop once

started.  Echoing what the previous poster said, Zolpidem is meant to

be pretty much non-addictive.  Again you will need to wean yourself off

it - maybe try to do it when missing a few nights sleep is less

important than at other times.  Depression/anxiety and insomnia tend to

be linked and so sometimes doctors prescribe antidepressants because

they believe the sleep disturbance is to do with depression - not

generalised anxiety.  I have worked in the pharmaceutical industry for

over 20 years and one thing I have learned is that whatever drug you

take will alter the way your body works - there is almost a balancing

mechanism which can take some time to sort itself out.  I am sure you

have tried other remedies for insomnia including herbal ones (which can

still give you the hangover effect the next morning).  For me, the one

thing that helps me sleep at night is if I don't drink alcohol and if I

put my earplugs in to cut out any noise (including my husband snoring)

- so that might be another idea.  They say a warm milky drink helps and

I know it has something or other in it which aids sleep - so another

possibility (my mother in law swears by Horlicks).  Sorry if you have

heard all this before.  Just one thing - the insomnia really could be

due to depression which is not adequately treated by Seroxat - if this

is the case the GP would be able to offer you much more modern

antidepressants now which are generally well tolerated and very

effective - a good one I would like to have if I was depressed again

would be escitalopran/m (it has 2 different spellings and different

brand names in different countries).  Another one which is meant to be

excellent is duloxetine.  Anyhow I wish you luck!

Regards

Pix