Re: Sleep Medications

[Guest guest]

Mike,

Nice to " meet " you and learn your personal history regarding chronic pain,

etc.

Thanks also for the perspective on addiction and misuse of medications.

I knew that Ambien was a scheduled drug. It has the potential for abuse, as

does any scheduled drug. From those I know who take Ambien, I have not

heard of any problems with taking more than prescribed, but that doesn't

mean that it couldn't happen. When I was taking it, my doc was very careful

to only give me one a day for no more than 30 days at a time. Guess that

should tell me something about how he felt about it.

I have never had any trouble leaving a medication (or illegal drugs) or

alcoholic beverages alone. I guess you could say that I don't have an

addictive personality, whatever that is. Personally I do not like feeling

like I have lost control of my body or my brain and refuse even Tylenol with

codeine. I also seldom even finish a small glass of wine with a dinner if

it is served. I do have friends who have had trouble by taking more than

prescribed by their doc a day. I have relatives who have become addictive

to pain medications following heart and orthopedic surgeries. So I do know

that addiction/misuse of a drug is a potential problem. I regret saying

that Ambien was not addictive...it can be.

You have a remarkable story and seem to be quite a character...someone I

look forward to getting to know better. I hope we will see more of your

posts on the list...soon!

Thanks again,

Ray in Virginia

[Guest guest]

I know what you mean about doctors being reluctant at times. It took me a

while in the computer business to finally understand doctors in a way. Here

I was in a field where there are almost no right answers. Everything in a pc

depends on many parts made by many different people, different software run

differently by everyone. All of a sudden you realize that " the " answer to a

problem can have hundreds of definitions. In the same way, we respond to

drugs. I don't think I'd like to be the one to prescribe anything to be

honest. The consequences can be quite serious.

Unlike you, I have an addictive personality, a double type A personality (I

made that up, simply Type A didn't seem like enough!)and I can't remember

the last time I admitted I couldn't do something. I went around for the

longest time claiming that the only thing I couldn't do was give birth but

that I accepted that because it was a matter of gender, not of choice. I

made a lot of friends...of the same type. We all burned out about the same

time and now we can't stand each other! Hell on earth would probably be to

find them all in the same old folks home my kids threaten to put me in in 10

years!

My personality has made me the perfect guinea pig for all kinds of

experimentation. When I was younger, for a few years it was alcohol, later

prescribed medication. Never did the exotic stuff nor had a yearning for it.

I struck it lucky with that twice. Once when I was slipped a cigarette with

hash in it which left me in a stupor for what seemed like hours but turned

out to be only minutes but scared me to death; the other when I was coaxed

into having a beer by a " good buddy " shortly after having taken a dose of

Percocet which I'd forgotten I'd taken (your memory goes fast with these

drugs when you're on a high dosage). I knew that night that I was going to

die. I follow no particular religious faith but you'd be amazed how many

different names I found for God that night! Scared me away from mixing

pills and alcohol. That's what allows me to say that I've been " dry " for

over 20 years. I don't consider it a great achievement. Fear is a powerful

incentive ! Like you, half a glass of wine is usually the most I take if

it's the good stuff (more than $2.00 a gallon is good stuff I think)

I have a short list of internet sites that I use to check out medication if

any on the list are interested. If you take a cruise to the Searle

http://www.searlehealthnet.com/searle/ net site, they have a lot of stuff on

Ambien (keeping in mind of course that they manufacture the stuff),

including a note on overdose which states that they have known of a few

taking as much as 40 times the prescribed amount and lived to tell about it

after a short coma. They don't mention however what vegetable or mineral

lifeform these people are now classed as !

I hope to make a lot of friends here and hopefully lend a helping hand at

times. I do have a background in computer hardware and software so if I can

help anyone just ask. We'll take it off the list and see what we can do.

Mike

> Re: Sleep Medications

>

>

>

>

> Mike,

> Nice to " meet " you and learn your personal history regarding chronic pain,

> etc.

> Thanks also for the perspective on addiction and misuse of medications.

>

> I knew that Ambien was a scheduled drug. It has the potential

> for abuse, as

> does any scheduled drug. From those I know who take Ambien, I have not

> heard of any problems with taking more than prescribed, but that doesn't

> mean that it couldn't happen. When I was taking it, my doc was

> very careful

> to only give me one a day for no more than 30 days at a time. Guess that

> should tell me something about how he felt about it.

>

> I have never had any trouble leaving a medication (or illegal drugs) or

> alcoholic beverages alone. I guess you could say that I don't have an

> addictive personality, whatever that is. Personally I do not like feeling

> like I have lost control of my body or my brain and refuse even

> Tylenol with

> codeine. I also seldom even finish a small glass of wine with a dinner if

> it is served. I do have friends who have had trouble by taking more than

> prescribed by their doc a day. I have relatives who have become addictive

> to pain medications following heart and orthopedic surgeries. So

> I do know

> that addiction/misuse of a drug is a potential problem. I regret saying

> that Ambien was not addictive...it can be.

>

> You have a remarkable story and seem to be quite a character...someone I

> look forward to getting to know better. I hope we will see more of your

> posts on the list...soon!

>

> Thanks again,

> Ray in Virginia

>

>

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>