Ambien question

[suzieq70s]

Hi y'all. I'm not really sure where this goes. I've been taking ambien 10 mg pretty much every night for 2 years. I've noticed my memory (which was not great to begin with) getting worse. Remembering to do things is not the problem but trying to remember names of people or movie titles or things like that is getting worse. My doctor and I trying different meds because I want to quit taking ambien. My question is does anybody know if memory eventually goes back to baseline and if so does anybody have any sort of time line

 

[PotatoMan]

homeless ----> BDD

 

[HeadHigh]

Yes, your memory retention will come back once its out of your system for about 5 days. The timeline is very different for everyone though, so it could be 2 days or 7 days or whatever. But it does come back.

Also, if you want a little boost, you could always try something like aniracetam for a good memory booster.

 

[《Plasticity》]

If you're physically dependent on ambien you will likely need to get through the withdrawal process before seeing major improvements. Cognitive issues such as poor memory are not only common side-effects on GABAergic drugs, but also during withdrawal.

Although ambien is not a benzo, it has a similar MOA and I have read posts from people on benzos for long periods of time who feel that their memory was never fully restored after quitting. These are usually very long term users, some who abused their medication.

It doesn't appear to be permanent in most cases though and it's also possible that some of these people would have naturally diminished memory from the ageing process, during the many years they were on benzos.

Ps. I also recommend nootropics and choline supplementation.

 

[suzieq70s]

Thank you so much to the both of you. Where my memory is at right now (tonight is my first night without ambien) is not too outrageous but it is enough that it concerns me and I want off ambien.

I understand that ambien is not a benzo but from what I understand you saying it acts in some simuler (can't spell tonight) with me taking it for 2 years every night at 10 mg do you think I should expect any withdrawal and if so do you think it will it be bad

 

[Cotcha Yankinov]

I would expect insomnia on the withdrawal but non extended release ambien isn't as anything like a benzo.

If it is with your means I really recommend cardio/exercise after you get over whatever initial withdrawal/insomnia phase that you may encounter.

 

[Pilll_head]

I have taken the ER Ambien (12.5 mg) every night for about 5 years and had to go without one night because I forgot to get my script refilled. It was pretty miserable - very little sleep, when I did nod off I had frantic dreams and could feel myself tossing and turning. Woke up the next day feeling like I had run a marathon. I had a conversation with my doctor about the fact that I basically had to take it to sleep properly and asked if I should be concerned about this and he said not getting proper sleep was definitely of more concern then the dependency. However, if you are having memory problems during the day then I think you would definitely be justified trying to get off the Ambien.

Don't be afraid to do a taper. If your regular dose was 10 mg / night I would try 5 mg for a couple of weeks. Z-drugs are similar to benzos, they are both GABA-A agonists but bind to the receptor in slightly different ways.