The People's Pharmacy® with Joe and Terry Graedon

Since I was "hit" with RA 4 yrs ago and was in 24/7 pain the first three years, any "good" sleep went out the window.
For 4yrs I was desparate for sleep. Tried every natural remedy without success. Tried Ambien and knew after one night, that it made me feel very "wrong". Never took it again.
Restoril works for 3 nights, then I feel wrong/bad again. Took Trazodone once. So I struggled every night for almost 4 yrs.

It wasn't until two months ago when I started with 1 tab Calming and 1 tab Neurexan from Heel, plus 50mg 5-HTP, plus 500mg Mag Citrate, plus New Chapter's (whole food) CalMag 3 tabs,plus 100mg Nattokinase plus a few bites of turkey, plus 1 apple, that I can sleep on my own again. I get 4 hrs of sleep this way, because hip pain is still waking me up. But no bad feelings in the morning anymore, and no waking after two hours thinking something is wrong with my heart.

Valerian, Kava Kava, Gaba, Melatonin make me feel "bad" also. By bad, I mean anxiety, heart palpitation, something-wrong-feeing in the middle of the night.
I am quite sure now that if it weren't for my left hip, I could sleep through.
But I am really happy, I don't need sleeping pills anymore!

BTW, your program on NPR this morning about e-patients was very interesting, because I am one, too. Researched RA on the internet, found RBF, and the rest is history so-to-speak.

Best Regards,
BarbK

I had lost my husband and was needing sleep badly. Dr. gave me Ambien, said it was the best on the market and non-addictive. One night I took one and didn't go right to bed. Noticing it was after midnight, I got up from the puter and collapsed until 5:30am and woke up with a knot on my head the size of Texas, plus a broken arm. Not good stuff for sure.

BTW's symptoms sounded like my experience with sleep apnea. She did not mention snoring at some time in her life or now, but sleep apnea was all I could think about as I read her note.

I too have experienced atypical experiences on Ambien. One occasion I suggested to my husband that he should invite "Ted" home for a chicken dinner. I have never met 'Ted' and I had no chicken in my freezer. Ted is my husbands bridge partner.

That same night I insisted on making my husband an avacado sandwich and when he refused I ignored him and proceeded to prepare both of us a sandwich, includidng using a sharp knife to peel the avacodo from the pit, and sliced an entire loaf of newly baked bread. I found the evidence of this in the refrigerator the next morning. My husband never ate his samdwich.

Then I blithely announded that I was going to seriously look into 'breast reduction surgery'. I remembered none this the next morning. On other occasions I have called long distance for lengthy chats with friends and family and never remembered these event either. I no longer take ambien, but if I do my husband has said he will take all the car keys and hide them. CHM

Several years ago, I was put on Ambien due to lack of ability to sleep. I awoke the first morning after taking it and was to take my car in for repair. My wife was following. I ran a stop sign and hit another car. The officer was very nice, and I told him my brakes failed. I didn't remember driving there at all!!

Upon returning home I discovered several tablets of Ambien missing, although I'd taken only one that I recalled. I found them scattered around the hall and in the bathroom, accounting for all but two. Had I sleeepwalked and taken more?

I gave them to my wife and told her to give me only 1/2 tablet and hide the rest. This worked. I no longer need the medicine and will avoid taking it at all cost.

i took Ambien CR with the doctor's blessing, of course. Don't even recall if I slept but I do know at 1P.M. while out shopping with my daughter:suddenly everything turned the color GRAY I thought I was dying.Daughter, fortunately, was driving and I said " I have to go home NOW. No, you can't stop off for anything". To this day, when I pass that street I get that sickening feeling !

I have taken 2.5 mg of Ambien without any problems except for one instance. Apparently I didn't drink enough liquid to dissolve the tablet and noticed on my drive to work the next morning (about mile 8 out of 17) that I was having a difficult time staying in my lane. I had to exit on a curved ramp at my destination and couldn't control my car enough to keep from scraping the wheels/tires on the curb as I exited the ramp. It cost me a tire, a scraped wheel and a lot of embarrassment.

In recent months I have noticed that I have been sleeping better. I thought that might be a side-benefit of Forteo injections (I have severe osteoporosis). Now I realize it is more likely the result of taking 300mg of magnesium at night. I began taking it for constipation about the same time I started the Forteo injections.The magnesium did not relieve my constipation.