ambien and depression

[<Elizabeth>]

Has anyone found that ambien worsens depression. Increased my dosage from 10 to 215 mg and found that my depression increased. Also, has anyone had succes in using trazadone to get off ambien.
Thanks
Elizabeth
eesiegel@aol.com

[<tired grandma>]

I take Ambien, but I don't think I have ever heard of anyone taking 215mg. I mostly take about 15mg at bed time and get about 4 hours sleep from it. I have taken traznodone, 150mg and it would make me so goofy and hung over next day. I have even stumbled and fallen while taking it. With Ambien I don't have any hang over or added depression...I take Lexapro for depression and anxiety (mostly anxiety). I think someone should monitor how much Ambien you are taking, no wonder your depression is worse, is that dose considered safe?
Hope things get better for you soon, there is a new sleeping medication that is to come out in Jan or Feb 2005 that is like Ambien, but is time released, I certainly am looking forward to it, maybe it would help you also.
By the way, with Ambien I never have dreams either.
Good Luck!

[<seamsasleep>]

I have taken Ambien and found it made me very depressed. It also only allowed about 4 hours of sleep. For me, Ambien was not a good medication. Trazadone was not good, either. I take Klonopin. I have for 11 years. I've been through so many sleep disorder clinics I have lost count. Mine sleep problems started 30 years ago with the birth of my second child.
Has anyone tried this new drug Estorra?

[<Hunt>]

I have been taking Ambien for over a year, usually only 5 mg, but I take it every night. My doctor said this isn't the end of the world but recommended I try Trazodone. I don't know if this is a good idea or not. My sister in law is starting Estorra so maybe I'll have some feedback from her.

[Consider-This]

Hi Elizabeth,
When I took Ambien it didn't help me much with sleep.

I had a lot of trouble with sleep, pain from not sleeping, and depression.

A year or so after I had the Ambien, I was diagnosed with a B12 malabsorption illness and taught how to give myself B12 shots.

The improvement was significant, if not totally amazing.

I kept a pretty good time line of the improvements.

After some months, the pain in my legs which had been about the worst, went away. With less pain it was much easier to sleep.

Though in the beginning it was the lack of sleep that caused the pain.

Then, when I was sleeping better I was much lest apt to be depressed.

But... I found out that I had some cognitive dysfunction from how long it had been before my low B12 was treated.

So I got really into B12.
It turns out that low B12 is associated with depression a lot of the time.

And, B12 has to do with nerve sheaths, so I'm not surprised that it reduces pain.

Now, because the cognitive dysfunction is basically permanent nerve damage, I can't take sleeping pills anymore (my favorite was Dalmane... probably because I'm a tall woman and it worked really well for me) because my balance is impaired as a part of the brain damage.

I tried melatonin, the tiniest dose available, and with the B12 on a regular basis, I'm generally getting 7 hours a night now.

Not right this minute because I've been sick with something completely different, but still pretty close to 7 hours a night.

I love writing.

Sorry to be so long winded. : )


Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

[ November 24, 2004: Message edited by: Consider-This ]

[ November 29, 2004: Message edited by: tasmichael ]

[ke3]

I take ambien and also wondered if it was making me more depressed. I was on Elavil for many years for depression and sleep, but the constipation finally got so bad that I tried going off Elavil and using Remeron, with occasional Ambien, for sleep. I had a nervous breakdown! Now I'm on elavil and ambien again and am horribly constipated again. At this point, after 20 years of insomnia, I would try anything at all.

[Consider-This]

quote:

---

Originally posted by kathleen:
I take ambien and also wondered if it was making me more depressed. I was on Elavil for many years for depression and sleep, but the constipation finally got so bad that I tried going off Elavil and using Remeron, with occasional Ambien, for sleep. I had a nervous breakdown! Now I'm on elavil and ambien again and am horribly constipated again. At this point, after 20 years of insomnia, I would try anything at all.

---

Hi Kathleen,
Have you tried B12????
or had your B12 level checked at all???
curious --
www.health-boundaries-bite.com/Fingernails.html
Your fingernails reflect your health --
Learn what warning signs to look for --
Karen Kline

[ November 29, 2004: Message edited by: tasmichael ]

[<Sue>]

My doctor started me on Ambien 10mg. at night about 6 months ago. I was still only getting around 3 hours of sleep. I was then put on Xanax 0.5mg twice a day. Still only getting about 3 to 4 hours of sleep. My dr. now has me still on Ambien and Xanax and also Trazodone 50mg a night. I am now getting around 6 hours of sleep and feel very lucky with that. I think that you are on to much Ambien and you should cut your dosage back or get back to your dr. My depression ( I lost 3 family memebers in 4 months) has not gotten any worse since I have been on Ambien nor has it gotten any better.

[LSUjen]

How in the heck are y'all finding doctors willing to prescribe all that stuff?!? My doctor is giving me a majorly hard time about just the Ambien. He & his nurses must have been treated big-time by the drug company of Lunesta, because he was forcing it on me. I spent all day between his office, different pharmacies, and on the cell phone all in between. No pharmacy has Lunesta (even though his office SWORE the've had it since last Monday). No pharmacist could even tell me about the medication. Walmart was ordiring it for me, but when they informed me that my insurance doesn't cover it ($116.00), that was my breaking point. During the doctor's spill on how great this stuff was, he said it would be cheaper -- HA! I finally just went, in person, to my doctor and told him to give me the prescription for Ambien.

Can ANYBODY fill me in on this new Lunesta?!? I KNOW he's going to keep pushing it on me. Man, I hope the drug company took them to Jamaica or somethin.

[guest]

Ambien did cause me depression after sustained use, but as a previous poster suggested, I did find I had b-12 anemia. Being treated for it is not a panacea but it is helpful to energy and concentration levels and can lessen anxiety.