It is my understanding too that benzos, like Valium; Ambien (which is actually a hypnotic and in the benzo family); clonazapam; etc. have negligible if any adverse affects on the liver. I've had to take benzos for several years, and I had my first liver biopsy in June. I have 0 fibrosis, and mild inflammation. So, I wouldn't worry unduly about any danger taking Valium to yourliver if you need it for medicinal purposes. The dangerous drug to worry about, of course, is alcohol.
I would not get your hopes with the Ambien I had Ambien and valium I used both for a week and still lost allot of sleep. Sleep deprivation is part of the ride. With time sleep will come bit by bit. I still wake up earlier than I want but my sleep I get is good sleep. Give your body some time to heal it has been through allot with using. I think by this weekend you will feel much better. After day 4 it only gets better.
It seems that every time I stop taking ambien for a few days and I'm feeling side effects. When I wake up my head is killing me, my kidneys are killing me, and I can't stop sudden movement. I have tried to stop several times though my doctors and with therapy but its like nothing works. I try to stick with it but if I have to deal with worst side effects. I can't believe I've been in this mess since '09 and I'm taking too many to even my prescriptions out.
I found OTC melatonin to work very well most nights, and both my hepatologist and my primary care physician approved of it during tx and after as well. Paradoxically, it works better at small doses than large, and the ones I bought at Trader Joes are large at 5mg. I cut them into quarters and take about 1.25mg each night. About 15-20 minutes later I can't keep my eyes open. On those exceptionally bad nights when melatonin doesn't do it, I take Sonata (Rx). Good luck!
I have told people over and over about my experiences with ambien (sleep driving, sleep eating, and hair loss). It made me lose all grips on reality. It also destroyed me physicall and mentally. I wished I would have never heard of the c r a p. I have been clean from it for 6 months and I hope I never experience anything like it again. It was my fault because I wasn't taking it as prescribed. Whatever you do, only take one at bedtime.
Hello,
I have finally realized after 40 years of "sleeping aids" that I would like to restore my natural sleep, if possible.
I was taking 4 mg of ativan (way too high), as well as 10 mg ambien for insomnia. I managed to taper off the ativan using valium when I got to the smaller doses of ativan.
Now I am done with the valium (as of August 1) but am still having rebound insomnia and jittery feelings. I still take 10 mg of ambien at night to sleep, but it isn't really working.
please help if you can.....i have been on and off valium for several years,,,,,since i took it a few times a week i thought i wasnt addicted....i would take 30 mg to sleep 3 or 4 times a week.....i needed 30 mg as i was used to 1.5 of zanex and that was the egual dose.......i also took ambien a few times a week.
now after a week of stopping both drugs....yesterday and today i feel awful....run over by a truck.....exhausted can barely leave the house....anxiety.....brain fog.....hard to think.
to take it to get to sleep, but ambien can actaully cause a real addiction which includes mentally and physically addictive. i took it everynight for almost two years along with xanax or any other benzo i could find, along with my DOC's oxycontin or heroin, but the ambien addiction is real and you catn just shake it off, it is simliar to benzo withdrawal whcih can be deadly, but a little miler, but when i say a little, i really mean a little.
Just eat a lot (force yourself) and drink a lot of fluids and take as many warm baths (baths help a LOT) as you can. If you can, take a few Valium or Ambien here and there for withdrawals, but only for 5-7 days. That way you don't get addicted to those. But sleeping through as much of the withdrawals as you can is never a bad idea. Just don't touch that Valium or Ambien after 1 week any more. Probably won't even need it a week. Maybe first 5 days and that's it.
and I do know someone who abuses ambien and will stay up and do stuff she does not remember..i have taken it for years off and on without a problem...it is non-narcotic nor is it a benzo..i have never developed a tolerence to it and i just fall asleep 20 minutes after i take it...but it can be abused and there are people who have an addiction to nyquil and benadryl too...be careful with any drug you use..even OTC drugs...
ve been taking clonazepam 1mg for about 18 months now, almost everyday (well every now and then for a couple months, but usually everyday) - and I also took ambien 20mg for about 3 years.
I stopped the ambien 2-3 weeks ago and didn't notice any changes really, except I felt a little better and I've been a lot more entertaining/funny around my friends.
I stopped taking the Valium and relied on 1 or half of 1 Perc to help me sleep. Ambien does nothing for me. Xanax seemed to help a little but nothing like the small dose of Perc. I started having nausea, no ambition, extremely tired for no reason, constipation and the general feeling of not wanting to do anything. So I stopped taking the Perc 9 days ago.
I did this last night but with more time between the ambien and valium and it worked perfectly and actually allowed me to sleep like a baby (albeit with some terrible night sweats).
Anyway. I am so happy that I am doing this. Being so dependent on those drugs was terrible. It was literally ALL I would really think about. It was part of my routine. Wake up, shower, shave, brush teeth, SNORT 40MG OC and that was the start of the usual 200-240MG that I would end up having done by about 8 or 9PM.
Ambien addiction is a serious problem requiring treatment. The signs of ambien withdrawal are insomnia, fatigue, sweating, stomach cramps, and panic attacks.
You should consult your doctor to seek appropriate professional treatment if you want to discontinue Ambien. You should not attempt to stop taking them on your own.
lunesta or ambien are both less habit forming than valium but valium is a good choice tho out of the benzo family with xanax, klonopin and ativan being much stronger...do what u need to do to get thru the next few days and stay comfortable..after that if the sleep probs persist, talk to ur dr about a safer rx med or try otc meds like valerian root...good luck and congrats on every second of ur clean time!
The obvious worry is that you take valium and ambien too long and you will become dependent upon them, but to use them for a short period 1-4wks, stick to your doc's script and take this time to get clean from opiates. You know yourself better than any of us, so if you think its going to be a problem then by all means dont take them.
I am on Prozac 20mg and have 10 x 15 mg tabs left as well as Valium, Ambien and Xanax and Codiene. Could someone with a bit more knowledge let me know how I can make this less difficult - I cut down to 5 tabs yesterday and got diarreahea and felt awful...Should I just go off them completely and throw myself into withdrawal?
Any advice would be really, really appreciated. PS: I cant go for treatment here as they are very tough on usage of narcotics unprescribed.
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