I am a diagnosed insomniac - have been to a sleep disorder clinic. I can't take over the counter sleep aids because they all seem to contain the same ingredient that is used in anti-histamines and decongestants - and I am allergic to said cold meds. I can't take codeine either. The "happy" shot before surgery doesn't take and a local that should keep an area numb for a couple of hours will burn off in 5 minutes - so procedures don't scare me, it is the knowing that I will feel the pain that does it. So I count to 3 and wait for it. I woke up still in the operating room after the surgeons yanked out a kidney stone and remembered the names of all of the nurses and doctors. I tried the Cdn. equivalent of Ambien - 5 days later I was still up. When I wake up - usually after 3 or 4 hours sleep I am instantly alert - should have been a brain surgeon. My husband has witnessed it - he wakes up and then goes back to sleep - but not me. And I have tried everything. The tapes knocked my husband and aunt out - all they did was irritate the heck out of me. I am in quite in good health for a 63 year old but as my doctor said I have these issues that make life miserable. I don't take pain killers either. Re Vioxx - I get migraines and zip worked - except Vioxx had the side effect of working on migraines. I only took one when desperate - so if I had 30 pills I would have 26 three years later. I was about to pop one when the recall notice came on the news so I didn't. I don't have a condition that would be aggravated by Vioxx, but no point in risking it. Good thing that I have perfect blood pressure even when I appear to be bouncing off the walls - the gold standard. It makes life hard though because it was hard enough when I was younger when people were constantly telling me how tired I looked - and at 63 well I do look older and tired. It is really hard to make plans not knowing how I will feel. I eat nothing from a can/box or anything that has been preserved to the best of my ability. I only eat anti-biotic free meat - which in Canada means our food bills are high.

I have a sleep disorder called CENTRAL apnea, the one that everyone is familiar with is obstructive apnea. The brain doesn't get enough oxygen, just slightly less than normal, when I sleep. I get periods of insomnia also and then sleep more than normal. It's balanced out some now that I take meds at night to be asleep and something in the day to keep me awake. When I tried to fight it and wasn't treated after the insomnia nights or night when I just didn't get enough Oxygen I would be so sleepy I would fall asleep ANYWHERE, if I was standing up. It's not narcolepsy but the results are the same. The reason I am telling you this is I know A LOT about sleep. First thing I would do if I were you is make sure you get up at the SAME time each day even if you have a night that you stay up late or don't sleep well. It is also best to go to sleep at the same too, eventually maybe you will. You can take a SHORT nap in the early afternoon, but not more than an hour. This will be very hard to do but if you stick with it for a week you should start to see a difference. Also NO ALCOHOL, it just makes you fall asleep quick but when your blood sugar crashes a few hours later your awake again. No caffeine, chocolate etc, after 2pm. Exercise is important because it increase the "good" chemicals in our brains. Don't do it in the evening though. NO WATCHING TV in bed, it is for sleeping. If you wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep within an hour then don't stay in bed, get up and read something BORING, not your favorite book. Also the old warm cup of milk can really help because of the chemicals in it that help relax us. Another trick I learned is turn the clock so you can't see it all the time, I found myself clock watching and thinking about how I had to get up in the morning. This is common with insomnia patients. Try to deep breathing and relaxing exercise EVERY NIGHT before you go to bed, there are lots of tapes and books out about these. You need to clear your mind so you don't keep thinking about things. All else fails, Ambien CR is my friend! It doesn't work for me all of the time, but that may be because I suffer from chronic pain also. Of course you may need to see a sleep specialist and have a sleep study done to see whats really going on. I don't snore, but the oxygen isn't processed right, your spouse could never tell you this.Plus some apneas are mild, or you may not stay in REM long enough. Sorry to go on so long, I just feel for you. Good luck to all the sleepless out there, Hope these ideas help.

Long Term Effects During longer-term treatment (28 to 35 nights) in controlled clinical trials at doses less than 10 mg, the most commonly observed adverse events associated with the use of Ambien and seen at statistically significant differences from placebo-treated patients were dizziness (5%) and drugged feelings (3%). Does Ambien increase total sleep time? Yes it does. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study, subjective measurements showed Ambien significantly increased total sleep time compared to a placebo for all 4 weeks. Switching to Ambien? There are no definitive clinical trials that address switching from other sleep medications to Ambien. Therefore, it is advisable to allow for an adequate washout period when switching from other sleeping pills, particularly long half-life products like benzodiazepines. Discontinuing Ambien As a general precautionary measure, gradual tapering off of the sleeping medication rather than abrupt discontinuation may be needed. This helps to minimize the potential for withdrawal reactions. Storing Ambien Store Ambien at room temperature away from moisture, heat and children, but not in the bathroom.

Hi Vesters. So many things you wrote struck a chord with me as we experienced the same issues with my SD, who is now 14. We've had custody of her since she was 5, after gaining emergency and then full custody though a very nasty battle. After DH and his ex divorced SM moved SD hours away. SD began sleeping in her bed, showering with her, being completely dependent on her mom. BM thrived on this - it made her feel needed and important. SD couldn't (or wouldn't) do or try anything on her own. SD became BM's 'bff' and confidant - all at the mature age of 3. This continued until BM found a boyfriend, and then SD was kicked into her own bed in her own room on a different floor and told to go to sleep. Once that relationship ended SD was needed again and back in BM's bed, all the while hearing about BM's relationship woes. Fast forward a few years. We have custody, SD sees her mom EOW. She's still trying to have SD sleep with her (between boyfriends) and be dependent on her. The 'bff' behavior is worsening and we're hearing all about BM's love life from SD. SD is getting stomach aches right before visitations and worrying about how to take care of her mom. All so appropriate for a mother/daughter relationship. And then there was. . . "BM also used to say things to SD (right after I came on the scene) like, "I'd never let a man come between us" and "You're the only one I need" which sounds innocent enough, but it was very much meant as a "look at your father, moving on with his life, I'll never let that happen to us." I could have written that. BM is always saying this. . . in between the men in her life. But what SD figured out about 2 years ago is that her mom is full of sh@t. She started to see all these behaviors factored around her mom and what her mom needed on her mom's schedule. She was blinded by the 'my mom needs me' and 'my mom loves me best' until then, but with the help of her counselor and a little maturity she started to figure it out. I won't say she doesn't fall back into buying her mom's crud every now and again, but for the main part she can she the behavior for who it is really about - mom, not SD. I tell you all this so you know you are not alone, and also to give you hope. Your SD needs help, and she needs her dad to help her receive it, but she can recover from this. I will tell you one thing SD's counselor shared with us that was helpful for SD and for our tongues as we weren't biting them so hard. When you say "I'm always a little uncomfortable when she talks so openly about her BM with me (because I know the "real deal"), yet I'm always very careful to make sure I speak loving and positively about her ." you need to stop. This doesn't mean speak negatively, but you don't have to put a good spin on bad actions. Don't try to make mom's bad action ok. Don't make excuses for her. Listen to SD, let her know you understand why she would be upset, help her with generalized, non leading questions discover why she's upset, but don't then tell her it's all ok and mommy knows best. Later, when she figures out mommy doesn't, you will be seen as a liar. It's ok to say sometimes mommy's get confused, or mommy's make mistakes. This is likely better pronounced by DH at first, but you need to know that you don't have to be positive. Just don't be negative, if you get what I mean. :-) Good luck. Keep us updated, and keep your chin up. You are doing the right thing.