# Trying to Kick Ambien **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 11, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875 "2013-01-11T17:46:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/1 "2013-01-11T17:46:07Z")
For many years I have taken Ambien on an occasional basis. It worked pretty well and I had no problem with dependence. I had a rough patch this past summer and started taking it regularly (this is under a doctor’s care). Now that the holidays are over I decided to try and kick the habit (not because of any particular problem with it - just because it is another damn drug). I tapered down the dose I was taking, then spent two sleepless nights without it. On the third night I found some leftover Nyquil in my medicine cabinet and took that (oh boy! a reason to take Nyquil). This got me to sleep, but it wasn’t really a great sleep. I did it again the next night, then switched to a sleep aide product with doxylamine succinate (what Nyquil uses). My reasoning behind this was that this OTC drug might be easier to kick than Ambien, however I don’t really know if this is the case. If you have weaned yourself from Ambien, I would like to know your experiences. Am I better off simply going cold turkey? I fully intend to discuss this with my doctor and I understand that you are not him. ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/2 "2013-01-11T18:41:11Z")
When I decided to be done with it for good I just stopped. Pretty much resigned myself to 3-4 sleepless nights and did it. I did taper down before getting to that point, but it still sucked, I hate not getting enough sleep and that’s exactly what happened. Now its been a couple of years and I sleep much better without any drugs at all. Substituting OTC stuff for ambien sounds a bit iffy to me, you might wanna mention that to your doc if you’re still taking them when you go see him. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/3 "2013-01-11T18:56:48Z")
Doxylamine succinate/Unisom (like diphenhydramine/Benadryl) is not physically addictive, but like anything else it can be habit-forming in the psychological sense. I can’t speak to whether Ambien is physically addictive, having never taken nor researched it. But it’s obviously more potent than other sleep aids, because it’s prescription whereas they’re OTC (and has a much longer list of side effects). Whether it’s Ambien, Nyquil, Unisom or Benadryl, though, they \*\*all \*\*have side effects. Still, if natural sleep is out of reach for you, then Unisom/Benadryl are almost certainly safer and less potent (being OTC) than Ambien. I would avoid Nyquil due to the acetaminophen content (try the new ZZZquil instead). If you’re into personal recommendations, a small dose of melatonin has helped me fall asleep on many occasions. It’s less potent/slower-acting than Benadryl, but Benadryl gives me drowsiness hangovers. Meditation and relaxation videos on youtube have also been highly conducive to restful sleep, in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Rudiger\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rudiger\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rudiger_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/4 "2013-01-11T19:00:30Z")
I went cold turkey-ish. When my prescription ran out, my doctor wrote one for 30 days and told me that was all I was gonna get. I had been taking it nightly and he said someone my age (30) shouldn’t need something to sleep every night. I started taking melatonin the same night I stopped with Ambien. There were about three nights of rough sleep followed by a couple months of weird dreams (which I never got while taking Ambien) and then everything returned to normal. I tend to wake up a few times a night, but it’s rare that I can’t go back to sleep in a few minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/5 "2013-01-11T19:05:06Z")
Ambien is very addictive, it’s usually not recommended for more than short-term use (a few days or weeks at a time). ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/6 "2013-01-11T19:13:28Z")
I use it once every two weeks or so, only for those occasions when I take the overnight Megabus between Chicago and Kansas City. It’s the only thing that makes it possible to sleep on a moving bus. Otherwise, I never use it. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/7 "2013-01-11T22:58:05Z")
[FDA issued a warning yesterday regarding the residual effects on females the morning after ambien use.](http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm334033.htm) ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/8 "2013-01-12T00:03:10Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Ambien is very addictive, it’s usually not recommended for more than short-term use (a few days or weeks at a time). It’s only ‘very addictive’ if you are addicted to sleeping. Otherwise, it’s mildly psychologically addictive, and the withdrawal is basically, as noted by another poster, a few days without sleep. I’ve been using it every day for years now, and occasionally in that time I’ve had my prescription run out, and I can tell you that there is a vast difference between going a week or two without my Ambien fix and, say, going a week or two without alcohol or other ‘very addictive’ things I’ve put in my body in the past. To the OP, you definitely should talk to your doctor, but they are probably going to tell you to just do without it and see what happens. Resign yourself to at least 2 sleepless nights, at least that’s been my experience when my prescription has run out when it’s run out in the past…generally I’m up for around 2-3 days, and then I’m back to my usual, lovely ‘normal’ sleep cycle, which sucks. Myself, OTC stuff doesn’t work for me at all, and if it works for you I’d question why you went on Ambien in the first place…you should do OTC if you can. I’ve tried everything from herbal remedies to basically everything you can get OTC for sleeplessness, and none of it does anything for me (large quantities of alcohol or other, um, controlled substances aside)…which is why I use Ambien. I don’t have any of the seemingly long laundry list of horror side effects I’ve seen in these threads from other posters, so to me taking it every night (and actually getting to sleep 7-8 hours a night) works perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/9 "2013-01-12T00:21:27Z")
> [@XT](#): > > It’s only ‘very addictive’ if you are addicted to sleeping. Otherwise, it’s mildly psychologically addictive, and the withdrawal is basically, as noted by another poster, a few days without sleep. I’ve been using it every day for years now, and occasionally in that time I’ve had my prescription run out, and I can tell you that there is a vast difference between going a week or two without my Ambien fix and, say, going a week or two without alcohol or other ‘very addictive’ things I’ve put in my body in the past. > **[Zolpidem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zolpidem#Abuse)** > > Zolpidem, sold under the brand name Ambien among others, is a medication primarily used for the short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Guidelines recommend that it be used only after cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and after behavioral changes, such as sleep hygiene, have been tried. It decreases the time to sleep onset by about fifteen minutes and at larger doses helps people stay asleep longer. It is taken by mouth and is available as conventional tablets, e Common side effects... (quoted from the abuse section): tolerance and drug dependence can still sometimes occur in those without a history of drug dependence. Chronic users of high doses are more likely to develop physical dependence on the drug, which may cause severe withdrawal symptoms, including seizures, if abrupt withdrawal from zolpidem occurs.[58] ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/10 "2013-01-12T00:26:20Z")
So, what you are saying is that, if you abuse the drug and mis-use it, it can have detrimental effects, and that if you do that it could cause severe withdrawal symptoms, right? There is a shock. That doesn’t make it ‘highly addictive’, it means that it, like many things (even OTC stuff) can be abused by folks who want to abuse it, and if they do abuse it, they can then have more severe withdrawal symptoms. My assumption is that this thread and the OP are using the drug as it was prescribed to them, not taking it at very high doses for recreational use, perhaps freebasing it and shooting it up with heroin chasers or something. If that is in error then I agree, could have some more wide ranging withdrawal symptoms than I’ve had in my many years of using it as the little label on the bottle says to use it. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/11 "2013-01-12T00:27:34Z")
> [@XT](#): > > So, what you are saying is that, if you abuse the drug and mis-use it, it can have detrimental effects, right? There is a shock. That doesn’t make it ‘highly addictive’, it means that it, like many things (even OTC stuff) can be abused by folks who want to abuse it. No, it says even those who DON"T abuse it can develop problems. READ man. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/12 "2013-01-12T00:34:48Z")
When I click on your link, here is the section it goes too: > [@](#): > > Recreational use > > Zolpidem has a potential for either medical misuse when the drug is continued long term without or against medical advice, or recreational use when the drug is taken to achieve a “high”.[57] The transition from medical use of zolpidem to high-dose addiction or drug dependence can occur when used without a doctor’s recommendation to continue using it, when physiological drug tolerance leads to higher doses than the usual 5 mg or 10 mg, when consumed through inhalation or injection, or when taken for purposes other than as a sleep aid. Misuse is more prevalent in those who have been dependent on other drugs in the past, but tolerance and drug dependence can still sometimes occur in those without a history of drug dependence. Chronic users of high doses are more likely to develop physical dependence on the drug, which may cause severe withdrawal symptoms, including seizures, if abrupt withdrawal from zolpidem occurs.[58] > > As is the case with many prescription sedative/hypnotic drugs, it is sometimes used by stimulant users to “come down” after the use of stimulants such as amphetamines, methamphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA (ecstasy).[59][not in citation given] > > One case history reported a woman detoxifying from a high dose of zolpidem experiencing a generalized seizure, with clinical withdrawal and dependence effects reported to be similar to the benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome.[60] > > Nonmedical use of zolpidem is increasingly common in U.S.A, Canada, and the UK. Recreational users report that resisting the drug’s hypnotic effects can in some cases elicit vivid visuals and a body high.[61] Some users have reported decreased anxiety, mild euphoria, perceptual changes, visual distortions, and hallucinations.[62] > > Other drugs, including the benzodiazepines and zopiclone, are also found in high numbers of suspected drugged drivers. Many drivers have blood levels far exceeding the therapeutic dose range suggesting a high degree of excessive-use potential for benzodiazepines, zolpidem and zopiclone.[63] U.S. Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy says that he was using Zolpidem (Ambien) and Phenergan when caught driving erratically at 3AM.[64] “I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited for three driving infractions,” Kennedy said. > > Zolpidem, along with the other benzodiazepine-like Z-drugs, is a Schedule IV controlled substance in the USA, according to the Controlled Substances Act, given its potential for abuse and dependence. Which is all about abuse of the drug. If you wanted me to read something else, you should have quoted it. I have no doubt that some percentage of people who use the drug even as directed have issues, even perhaps withdrawal symptoms…but you claimed it was ‘highly addictive’. Could you quote the part in the Wiki page you linked too that says that? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-kick-ambien/646875/13 "2013-01-12T00:41:42Z")
Reading through the whole thing, I assume you actually meant this part: > [@](#): > > Alcohol has cross tolerance with GABAA receptor positive modulators such as the benzodiazepines and the nonbenzodiazepine drugs. For this reason, alcoholics or recovering alcoholics may be at increased risk of physical dependency on zolpidem. Also, alcoholics and drug abusers may be at increased risk of abusing and or becoming psychologically dependent on zolpidem. It should be avoided in those with a history of alcoholism, drug misuse, physical dependency, or psychological dependency on sedative-hypnotic drugs. Zolpidem has rarely been associated with drug-seeking behavior, the risk of which is amplified in patients with a history of drug or alcohol abuse. Which is interesting. I didn’t know that, and I’ll have to talk to my doctor about it, though as I said I’ve been using the drug for years now with no adverse effects.