The FDA, however, later released updated advice allowing some room for tailoring the dosage to the individual. So the dose can be increased if necessary. The FDA website currently states the following advice: The recommended initial dose of zolpidem extended-release Ambien CR is 6. If the lower doses 5 mg for immediate-release, 6.

Do not swallow the tablet or take it with water. Zolpidem oral spray Zolpimist is available as a cherry-flavored spray solution in a container. Each spray delivers 5 mg of zolpidem. Zolpidem rapid-acting sublingual tablets Intermezzo are available in strengths of 1. Do not take a dose of this drug unless you have time for a full night's sleep of at least 7 to 8 hours.

If you have to wake up before that, you may have some memory loss and may have trouble safely doing any activity that requires alertness, such as driving or operating machinery. See also Precautions section. Dosage is based on your gender, age, medical condition, other medications you may be taking, and response to treatment. Do not increase your dose, take it more often, or use it for longer than prescribed. Light dose of clonazepam during the day. Actually, my medications have been greatly decreased.

Anybody out there stop Ambien cold turkey but covered with other medications? Reply Link Tammy March 1, , 7: How has it been going, are you still using ambien? Reply Link Bonnie December 31, , 8: Started taking the 10 mg. I always went to sleep quickly and no matter how many times I woke up I fell back to sleep with ease. Ambien, I love you.

However, slowly but surely I had to find ways of getting the same effect. I started by adding an OTC sleep aid. That worked great for a time. Then, I added even more of the sleep aid to my nightly ambien cocktail. Fast forward about four years and there was trouble brewing in paradise. I found myself not being able to fall back to sleep after I woke up.

The solution was easy, just take another 5 mg. After a period of this, I really started to dig a hole for myself. I sometimes needed 10 to 20 to 30 mg, at night to fall asleep. About two weeks ago, I woke up and my husband asked me if I remembered what I did the night before. I do remember taking 30 mg. Apparently I put an empty plate and cooked it in the microwave.

I took out a peanut butter jar and spread some of it on a plate with my finger. I took the soap dispenser pump from the sink and laid it on the counter. I threw up on the counter and in the sink. I scared one of my dogs and she cowered behind my husband for protection.

The real fear is that I would let our dogs out for a bathroom break and then forget about them. Being in Minnesota in December would only lead to a death sentence. Now ambien is my enemy. I am in my fifth day of not taking it and I feel exhausted. I only slept about 3 hours last night.

It is ok but I am very, very concerned about when I go back to work next week. I absolutely hate this feeling of dependence. So the honeymoon and the good times with ambien are over. Reply Link Chris December 28, , Previously, I had failed with all the well-known OTCs, like benadryl, or even zopiclone 3.

My GP recently decided it was time to withdraw and it has been hell. I decided to stop cold turkey and had a sort of mini-seizure during the first night of not taking it! It felt like my brain was on fire and shaking uncontrollably. Decided to go back to 7. Will probably switch over to valium and do a slow taper from there. Thanks for all your help and comments! Reply Link Robert December 17, , 3: I started taking the drug as the normal 10mg prescribed Dose and kept at that for about a year.

My problem became that I liked the feeling ambien gave me and I eventually became addicted to it mentally and physically. By that point addiction took over my brain and drug seeking behavior kicked in.

I went to multiPle doctors to get it, bought it from friends and relatives, and eventually committed forgery to get it. After they first year of taking it normal I started increasing my dose slowly and more slowly.

And finally after about 9 years of increased tolerance I could take 18 tablets. Yes mg at one time at night. Also by this point I was so addicted that the withdrawals would start during the day before nighttime. To feel right I stared taking a tablet here and there throughout the day. By the end of my using I was using about mg in a 24 hour period. As the ambien addiction took over I also started adding in benzos and then opiates, but the thing I always had to have was the ambien.

I had to go to an inpatient detox program. The withdrawals were too intense for me. The intense acute withdrawals where my mind felt like it would never be the same lasted about a week for me — 7 days. The residual ones — maybe months.

I think I had tremors in my hands for about 4 months. To this day after being clean for 29 months I still occasionally get cravings form ambien. For some people Ambien may not affect them quite the way it did me. Not everyone has access to the amount I got accustomed to taking, but I can tell you that MY story is that ambien is no joke. It should be prescribed conservatively by doctors at the lowest dose possible for the shortest duration possible! Reply Link Denise December 15, , 5: I am sleeping, but I have to take naps during the day light to catch up.

When will this stop? Reply Link Denise December 14, , 3: I have been off the Zolpidem now for 7 days and the burning and tingling is still going on. I had this for about 3 weeks from the lyrica withdrawal and now it is back, this sucks. I will never do this again. I hope that in the next week or two I will be back to normal.

Reply Link Chris Dinnan December 1, , 7: I am a year-old man and have taken I have struggled with sleep my whole life and was prescribed Ambien by my doctor when my difficulties became more severe.

As noted in a prior post, the stuff just works too well, so it is an east trap to fall into! I have always stuck to the prescribed dose and when I take it just before bed, I am typically asleep within a half an hour and get a pretty solid 6 — 8 hours of sleep.

I have never had that I know of a sleep-walking-type incident until this past week, when my son reported seeing me do something a few nights ago that I have absolutely no memory of doing. That incident plus reading these posts have convinced me that it is time to move alway from the easy fix that has been Ambien for me for so long. It is frightening to contemplate what I will need to endure to get off this drug, but I hereby pledge to do it!

BTW, I also take. While I hope to get off of that drug as well eventually, if the debilitating symptoms return, I will return to the low dose of Clonazepam to relieve them. The bottom line is that Ambien needs to go first, so I perhaps with medical help will need to develop a plan to wean myself off what has become a clear crutch in my life. Thank you for all the information I gleaned from all of your stories — I am going to do this thing!

Reply Link Ally November 29, , This past month it stopped working slowly then five nights ago had 0 effect. I complained to dr. He wanted me to stop cold turkey and go on a different sleep med… but instead halved my dosage. I took my last Then the next night took the 6. At about 5 AM I had a hellacious panic attack. So I completely quit ambien. You will not sleep for days. I went without food. This drug is pure evil.

I refuse to be controlled by it. I refuse to depend on it. It has affected my memory. I had insane food binges after taking it… I got so scared of my own climbing vitals I almost called an ambulance.

It went away after I drank a lot of water and laid on the floor begging to god to help. No seizures but anxiety…oh yes. You are stronger than this drug. You can quit but be warned days SUCK. After being off just a few days my mind fog is almost completely gone.

Reply Link Jill Deubner November 7, , 3: Almost a month ago I broke my foot playing with the baby at the park, I was put in a cast. Two weeks ago, during the night I got a steak knife and cut my cast off by myself.

I went cold turkey. My esophagus felt like I had eaten ground glass. Tuesday night, I picked up the paper and read in your column about a person who experienced heartburn from zolpidem. The reflux and pain have subsided with each day. Thank you for all you do to show us the problems with medication that we health care professionals so freely give our patients. We have heard from many people who love Ambien zolpidem and swear that it is the only drug that works to put them to sleep.

Others have shared some pretty scary side effects. You confirm the label does NOT say 4 at a time, nor does it say keep taking them until you feel they're working, your opting to do that is abuse, why such a hard time accepting that? It doesn't make you a bad person. I retract all my inappropriate labels that I admit it was wrong to apply to you, or anyone else. But as far as how you justify abusing your meds by overriding and not following your Dr's instructions?

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