Re: Tapering sleep meds

[Guest guest]

Hi Bonnie,

I hear you and really feel for your situation... I myself used for insomnia,

Xanax and could not stop using

it until prescribed Trazodone, then at 300 mg nightly, I wanted to stop it and

could not!

I was fortunate that L-Tryptophan helped me get off of it..

This is the link for TRAP that Bonnie talks about... A definite read for anyone

using

sleeping medications....

http://www.thetrap.org.uk/

There are plenty of natural things we can use to help alleviate insomnia...

Take care,

Jim

>

> I am attempting to come off years of using ambien and recent increase in xanax

for sleep. I have found a site called the trap and they have lots of resources

based on Dr Ashton from england. They are not quick to let one into the fold

but have given some advice. They suggested crossing over to valium and then

tapering down. Problem with that is my doc and I guess most docs in the US dont

want to give you valium. It has a longer 1/2 life and supposedly has less

withdrawal if you taper very slowly. Anyone have any knowledge about this. I

had no idea when I started how " habit forming " and difficult to withdraw from

the benzo's and Z(ambien, zolpidem) drugs were. I also did not know I was so

dependent on them until I tried to quit. What I thought was reaction to not

getting good sleep when I would try to stop them was really a chemical

dependence. It certainly seems a crime to give someone that already has insomnia

a pill with the side effects of increased insomnia. Sure it works for awhile,

with terrible side effects of mental confusion, anxiety, digestive problems,

but if you start taking more, you continually need more and you actually can get

sick from not taking the increased amount.

>

> Bonnie

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Is this the Slumber Ease you are talking about, I did find an online reseller if

this is the same one..

http://www.bayho.com/p/839016.html

Take care,

Jim

> > > > > > > I am attempting to come off years of using ambien and recent

> > > increase in

> > > > > > > xanax for sleep. I have found a site called the trap and they have

> > > lots

> > > > > > of

> > > > > > > resources based on Dr Ashton from england. They are not quick to

> > > let one

> > > > > > > into the fold but have given some advice. They suggested crossing

> > > over to

> > > > > > > valium and then tapering down. Problem with that is my doc and I

> > > guess

> > > > > > most

> > > > > > > docs in the US dont want to give you valium. It has a longer 1/2

> > > life and

> > > > > > > supposedly has less withdrawal if you taper very slowly. Anyone

> > > have any

> > > > > > > knowledge about this. I had no idea when I started how " habit

> > > forming "

> > > > > > and

> > > > > > > difficult to withdraw from the benzo's and Z(ambien, zolpidem)

> > > drugs

> > > > > > were.

> > > > > > > I also did not know I was so dependent on them until I tried to

> > > quit.

> > > > > > What I

> > > > > > > thought was reaction to not getting good sleep when I would try to

> > > stop

> > > > > > them

> > > > > > > was really a chemical dependence. It certainly seems a crime to

> > > give

> > > > > > someone

> > > > > > > that already has insomnia a pill with the side effects of

increased

> > > > > > > insomnia. Sure it works for awhile, with terrible side effects of

> > > mental

> > > > > > > confusion, anxiety, digestive problems, but if you start taking

> > > more, you

> > > > > > > continually need more and you actually can get sick from not

> > > taking the

> > > > > > > increased amount.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > Bonnie

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > >Thanks for the responses. Barbara, I tried to go cold turkey and

> > > that was a big mistake. I had the worst anxiety attacks, agoraphobia,

> > > panic, nausea. Im not sure if it was the xanax or the ambien. What I did

> > > learn on the trap was that because ambien and even xanax has a short 1/2

> > > life and if you try to just use it for sleep meds once a night you can be

> > > experiencing withdrawal effects every day. It really does change your

> > > personality. But like you say, the medical community is in great denial

> > > about these drugs. They shouldnt be prescribed for sleep. Even the Z

drugs,

> > > which are similar to the benzo's, are hypnotics and are not suppose to be

> > > used for years. But many people do use them because they cant sleep. These

> > > drugs are tranquilizers! And all the years I thought it was the lyme

> > > causing the sleep problems, which in part it could be. But when I went off

> > > cold turkey and got as sick as I did, I knew it wasnt just the lyme. It

was

> > > a physiological dependence. If you google and read how these drugs work on

> > > your body and CNS you will understand how much they change your natural

> > > chemistry, ruin your memory, disturb your sleep even more, etc, etc. Im

not

> > > sure if I should taper the ambien or completely switch over to valium,

then

> > > taper. The problem is my MD will only give me 10 mg of valium...so I am

> > > trying to not take another 1/2 ambien when I wake up at 4 am. In fact,

> > > since I am on the valium I am actually sleeping about 6 hours vs my

regular

> > > 4 hours(and woke exhausted). I wonder if the doctors just dont know how

> > > these short acting drugs really affect people, or they dont care, or they

> > > know and what us to keep coming back so they can then put us on SSRI,

> > > antipsychotics, lithium...because now they think we are crazy because we

> > > are attempting to withdraw from " habit forming " drugs that cause terrible,

> > > even life threatening reactions.

> > > > > >

> > > > > >

> > > > > >

> > > > >

> > > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

>