Posted by Mr Beev on July 14, 2002, at 21:52:36
In reply to Ambien vs Ativan - which is better?, posted by SLS on July 14, 2002, at 14:53:46
Hello,
My experience with ambien has been similar to JonW's: four to five hours of sleep. I can get by at half his dose, or 10mg. Occasionally a single pill (5mg) will work, sometimes 10mg has no effect at all. Now and then I get two or three hours of sleep; rarely, six; and once sublime night, I got seven hours.
Ambien is said to mimic our natural sleep patterns better than the benzos, in spite of its sharing some similarities. My experience with ambien vs. halcion certainly verified this proposition - for me at least.
At first I suffered 'hangovers': it was quite difficult to arise after awakening. But this went away, never to return.
There appears to be some dispute as to whether one suffers withdrawal when ceasing. That happened to me. The only effect was 'rebound insomnia' for a week. Then I was all right.
My pdoc does not care for sleeping pills, for they can all trigger depression, or so she claims. Since I am already undergoing treatment for depression, I cannot say. But I can say: ambien certainly has not made things worse, unlike halcion.
A lot of folks dislike ambien because of its short half-life. It sounds like a little sleep might still be acceptable for you, as the alternative is none at all. Believe me, I sympathize. Since I am a chronic, life-long insomniac, five hours of guaranteed good sleep is just peachy; six is a superb surprise; seven, a miracle from heaven; and if someday I should ever attain eight unbroken hours of good sleep, I shall frolic through the streets like an overstimulated baboon.
Best wishes,
Mr Beev
poster:Mr Beev
thread:112333
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020709/msgs/112353.html