seventhcandle
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2012
- Messages
- 9
For about three years, I had taken a daily regimen of 100 mg Butterbur (a natural muscle relaxer and antihistamine), 100 mg 5-HTP (a natural precursor to serotonin), feverfew (for migraine), riboflavin, magnesium, coenzyme q10, fish oil, and source naturals wellness formula. I have not taken any prescription or OTC medication other than the occasional tylenol. I am 31 yrs old, was very active, with no major issues other than visual migraines and anxiety, up to this point.
I had a very stressful period in my life this summer and picked up some Unisom (doxylamine succinate) sleep tabs to help with sleep for a few nights. After taking it once, I felt out of it the next day, had some ringing in my ears, and some jerks in my ankles when trying to fall asleep. On the second dose, I remember waking up startled twice during the night (jumping out of bed), but it worked & put me to sleep. The next few nights I noticed I couldn't sleep at all because of some muscle twitching which I would only feel at night in my feet along with the ankle-jerking sleep starts. I took my last dose of Unisom a few days later and had a frightening experience where I woke up with tightness in my chest & shortness of breath for about 15-20 seconds, which went away. The muscle twitching had spread to my arms, shoulders, and upper legs and was a lot stronger. I threw away the Unisom and did not sleep for 7 straight nights. I tried valerian root, melatonin, hops, and other natural remedies, but nothing worked. I just could not fall asleep and the twitching was present during this whole time along with having myoclonic jerks at night in my knees and feet. I did finally manage to get some sleep, which was mostly deep sleep, although I still felt funny in the head and I was still twitching.
Then I hit another bad run of sleepless nights and on July 30, I took one 5mg pill of Zolpidem (Ambien), thinking it would just knock me out and allow me to sleep through the night. Instead, it gave me rapid heartbeat, anxiety, and increased my muscle twitching to my face, chest, and even butt. All existing muscle twitches became intensified.
I also noticed a strange clicking sensation behind my adam's apple in my throat when I move my neck...I can feel something popping there. I also developed severe IBS (have to use the restroom after every meal and sometimes up to 8 times a day), a very sensitive bladder, and severe depression with frequent suicidal thoughts.
My downward spiral began from the ambien. Although I never touched another sleeping pill, I immediately lost my ability to get deep sleep and would (for the 1st time in my life) wake up frequently from intense dreams. I tried supplementing with magnesium citrate and magnesium glycerinate, but they did nothing for me except worsen my IBS. I also developed a repetitive jerk in my neck that happened every night and other random shock-like sensations and jerking in other parts of my body.
I also seemingly became hypersensitive to certain foods, lighting, and environmental triggers. For example, after eating a marshmallow one night I had a nasty round of all-night myoclonic jerking. And this jerking is BAD. It happens every night to some extent, but on the bad nights, I will get these jerks all over my body and in my face (tongue clicks, ear closes by itself) including some tremors. The same thing happened to me after eating a slice of pizza and eating something with soybean oil in it. I can't go into grocery or department stores because of the lighting.
I took a 100 mg l-theanine supplement in August, thinking it might help with the twitching and jerking, but it just made things worse and gave me new, more intense twitches and new myoclonic jerks including another one in my neck where it bobs up and down at night in addition to the left and right. I also discontinued my migraine supplements at that time for fear that I may have had a prolonged version of serotonin syndrome or anticholinergic toxicity.
Ever since then, things have been going downhill rapidly. I twitch everywhere (head to toe, including tongue) all day long and at night the twitching is intense enough to make it difficult to fall asleep. I also get powerful twitching in my fingers and toes. And as if that isn't bad enough, I get those darned myoclonic jerks every night. If I encounter a trigger during the day (weird as they all are...food, lighting, etc.) I will usually not get any sleep for 2 straight nights because of all night jerking and the twitching also permanently intensifies along with that.
My dilemma is all of this got really, really bad after one 5mg zolpidem pill. How is this possible? I feel like I may have some kind of permanent brain damage and I have no idea what to do about it. My sleep quality is terrible. When I do manage to fall asleep, I always wake up 1-4 hours later feeling exhausted. The sleep is very dreamy, almost as if I've lost my ability to get deep sleep. And my legs cramp every morning from all the twitching. The twitching is so severe now that it actually hurts when I twitch and I twitch at least once every few seconds all day and night. I've also started getting intermittent sharp pains (almost headache-like) in my right temple and both sides of my forehead.
I am a married man who has to support his family. My wife cannot work and my son is only 5. I have been prescribed klonopin, mirapex, and neurontin, but I have sweated it out with nothing at all (not even herbal) hoping my symptoms would get better on there own. It's been over 2 months since my one and only ambien and I feel like a walking dead person.
I feel like things aren't getting better and the doctors don't know what to say either. My situation is obviously unique, but shares some similarities with benzo withdrawal in the sense that my really vicious, debilitating symptoms began after one dose of zolpidem.
God, if there is anyone out there who can relate or provide some insight into what's going on, I would be very grateful. I am depressed, lonely, and feel like I'm dying. Nobody around me understands the daily hell living has become. Thank you.
I had a very stressful period in my life this summer and picked up some Unisom (doxylamine succinate) sleep tabs to help with sleep for a few nights. After taking it once, I felt out of it the next day, had some ringing in my ears, and some jerks in my ankles when trying to fall asleep. On the second dose, I remember waking up startled twice during the night (jumping out of bed), but it worked & put me to sleep. The next few nights I noticed I couldn't sleep at all because of some muscle twitching which I would only feel at night in my feet along with the ankle-jerking sleep starts. I took my last dose of Unisom a few days later and had a frightening experience where I woke up with tightness in my chest & shortness of breath for about 15-20 seconds, which went away. The muscle twitching had spread to my arms, shoulders, and upper legs and was a lot stronger. I threw away the Unisom and did not sleep for 7 straight nights. I tried valerian root, melatonin, hops, and other natural remedies, but nothing worked. I just could not fall asleep and the twitching was present during this whole time along with having myoclonic jerks at night in my knees and feet. I did finally manage to get some sleep, which was mostly deep sleep, although I still felt funny in the head and I was still twitching.
Then I hit another bad run of sleepless nights and on July 30, I took one 5mg pill of Zolpidem (Ambien), thinking it would just knock me out and allow me to sleep through the night. Instead, it gave me rapid heartbeat, anxiety, and increased my muscle twitching to my face, chest, and even butt. All existing muscle twitches became intensified.
I also noticed a strange clicking sensation behind my adam's apple in my throat when I move my neck...I can feel something popping there. I also developed severe IBS (have to use the restroom after every meal and sometimes up to 8 times a day), a very sensitive bladder, and severe depression with frequent suicidal thoughts.
My downward spiral began from the ambien. Although I never touched another sleeping pill, I immediately lost my ability to get deep sleep and would (for the 1st time in my life) wake up frequently from intense dreams. I tried supplementing with magnesium citrate and magnesium glycerinate, but they did nothing for me except worsen my IBS. I also developed a repetitive jerk in my neck that happened every night and other random shock-like sensations and jerking in other parts of my body.
I also seemingly became hypersensitive to certain foods, lighting, and environmental triggers. For example, after eating a marshmallow one night I had a nasty round of all-night myoclonic jerking. And this jerking is BAD. It happens every night to some extent, but on the bad nights, I will get these jerks all over my body and in my face (tongue clicks, ear closes by itself) including some tremors. The same thing happened to me after eating a slice of pizza and eating something with soybean oil in it. I can't go into grocery or department stores because of the lighting.
I took a 100 mg l-theanine supplement in August, thinking it might help with the twitching and jerking, but it just made things worse and gave me new, more intense twitches and new myoclonic jerks including another one in my neck where it bobs up and down at night in addition to the left and right. I also discontinued my migraine supplements at that time for fear that I may have had a prolonged version of serotonin syndrome or anticholinergic toxicity.
Ever since then, things have been going downhill rapidly. I twitch everywhere (head to toe, including tongue) all day long and at night the twitching is intense enough to make it difficult to fall asleep. I also get powerful twitching in my fingers and toes. And as if that isn't bad enough, I get those darned myoclonic jerks every night. If I encounter a trigger during the day (weird as they all are...food, lighting, etc.) I will usually not get any sleep for 2 straight nights because of all night jerking and the twitching also permanently intensifies along with that.
My dilemma is all of this got really, really bad after one 5mg zolpidem pill. How is this possible? I feel like I may have some kind of permanent brain damage and I have no idea what to do about it. My sleep quality is terrible. When I do manage to fall asleep, I always wake up 1-4 hours later feeling exhausted. The sleep is very dreamy, almost as if I've lost my ability to get deep sleep. And my legs cramp every morning from all the twitching. The twitching is so severe now that it actually hurts when I twitch and I twitch at least once every few seconds all day and night. I've also started getting intermittent sharp pains (almost headache-like) in my right temple and both sides of my forehead.
I am a married man who has to support his family. My wife cannot work and my son is only 5. I have been prescribed klonopin, mirapex, and neurontin, but I have sweated it out with nothing at all (not even herbal) hoping my symptoms would get better on there own. It's been over 2 months since my one and only ambien and I feel like a walking dead person.
I feel like things aren't getting better and the doctors don't know what to say either. My situation is obviously unique, but shares some similarities with benzo withdrawal in the sense that my really vicious, debilitating symptoms began after one dose of zolpidem.
God, if there is anyone out there who can relate or provide some insight into what's going on, I would be very grateful. I am depressed, lonely, and feel like I'm dying. Nobody around me understands the daily hell living has become. Thank you.
