Advice re moving on from Ambien

[Z-girl]

Firstly, I hope this is posted in the correct forum! If not, feel free to move it.

I'll try to keep this as quick as possible, so thanks for reading

I've been taking zolpidem (first prescribed, then recreationally once I figured that out) for about 6 years. Most night of the week. For me, they work very well to send me to sleep. Until recently, they were working very well for me as a recreational drug also (still getting all the weirdness that comes with zolpidem/ambien, but I was okay with that).

The last couple of weeks, the total zolpidem blackouts and social carnage that I'm causing is sort of killing any small enjoyment I'm still getting from them. I think it's time to say thank you Ambien, and maybe find the new pill that does it for me.

Any ideas from anyone what that could be? Benzos might be the obvious choice, but they tend to knock me out completely, and sure I'll get nothing done if I'm just a zombie.
I guess the other obvious choice might be an opiate - I don't know enough yet about opiate specifics (and I have to hold down a high pressure and high responsibility job during the daytime) to make a choice on what opiate might suit me best.

Ambien makes me a little dozy, and a lot trippy and a lot creative and super friendly - is there anything (not just limited to benzos or opiates) that might have a similar effect on me?

Any suggests at all here are so appreciated, let me tell you

Oh, and weed is cool, but I'm more of a pill/powder girl! X


Edit: just to add that I'm currently on about 100mg zolpidem a night (and sometimes 10-20mg during the day too, plus I'm a small thin woman and 5'1, so am taking big doses and need to cut down for many reasons!

 

[Relapz]

I'm not positive about withdrawals or side effects of stopping ambien, but I know benzos work very similarly to it.

As an opiate addict, I would not suggest starting any opiate if you are not already dependent on them, for a majority it causes a slew of problems and I just wouldn't recommend it.

I hate to be a buzz kill but benzos have the same blackout effect when abused so you may want to try to move on from pills, I was surprised but after a while of sobriety I was able to sleep naturally despite believing I was an insomniac all my life, best of luck

 

[theGirlWithBlueHair]

The most similar thing would be another long acting z drug like eszopiclone. I would recommend that instead of benzodiazepines simply because it would work better. But benzos would work just as well probably and be easier to get.

But if you don't mind me asking - I'm just curious - how do you have access to that amount of zolpidem? to be taking 10 pills a night and 1 - 2 during the day? I'd love to be able to have that much!

I would definitely not recommend an opiate either. A benzo or a z-drug to help you get off the ambien. I would recommend 3mg tid for a week and then tirating down to 2mg and then to 1mg and eventually down to 1 and then .5. Yet, once again, escopiclone might be hard to get to help you wean off the ambien so you might need to use a benzo, in that case I would recommend flurazepam if you can get your hands on it. But what about pregablin to take during the day? A high dosage (200 - 300mg three times a day) and I think you would do alright and like it. It would be a better choice than and opiate.

Moving on from pills is good. But some people need them too...

 

[Burnt Offerings]

100 mgs a night?! What the fuck?! That's a huge amount of zolpidem to be taking every day!

I've taken the drug for several years (as prescribed), and if I take 20 mgs of the drug I get dangerously close to a black out. 100+ mgs is insane.

 

[Z-girl]

Yeah, it's averaging out at about 100mg a night now. And sometimes I take it during the day; it helps with my anxiety (if I'm particularly bad), or sometimes I just take it to put myself to sleep during the day (because I just can't handle things).

So it has gradually turned into a huge psychological crutch, and is emotionally and financially costing me a a lot.

A few people know that I take sleeping pills, because my behaviour makes it impossible to hide. But almost no one knows that I am addicted to them, and certainly nobody knows that I am taking so much.

I'm really starting to get desperate to find a way out of my situation...I've been sabotaging a lot of things for myself for quite a while now, but I'm starting to wake up to notes to myself about suicide, etc. I have little to no memory of writing them, so I'm afraid I might make some irreversible decisions while I'm under the influence.

Obviously, I should come off the completely. But, right now, I'm just aiming for some kind of harm reduction - I don't have the psychological stability to envisage a complete taper, yet.

 

[manboychef]

z- drugs never worked on me. 100 mg is a dangerous dose to be taking regularly. Cessation may cause you to have significant withdrawals.

Have you tried temazepam?