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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by christophrejmc on September 23, 2004, at 12:24:45
I apologize if this has already come up, I haven't followed the board for a few years and I wasn't able to find any information using the Google(tm) search function (which, if anyone cares, I find quite inferior to the old babble search script).
I've been prescribed Ambien for quite a few years, taking it as needed about once a week or so. It doesn't seem to have any effect unless I've taken a Xanax the same day (also prescribed prn). Otherwise, it seems to have a paradoxical effect, actually keeping me awake for most of the night. I've noticed that when I don't fall asleep while on it, I fell really good. It also helps dramatically with social anxiety. It almost feels like being drunk without any of the ataxia or other unfavorable side-effects of alcohol.
I've since started taking a low dose (which, for me, is 5mg) during the day. I've never had a response like this to any other pharm. It has a marked antianxiety and antidepressant effect on me.
The only side-effects I've noticed from it have been slight nausea and loss of inhibitions at larger doses.
I wonder if anyone else has noticed this effect from Ambien and also if anyone has used it successfully during the day. Are there any issues with tolerance or dependence?
I'm also curious to know if either pagoclone or ocinaplon might have a similar effect. Both are in Phase III for anxiety and appear to be GABA-A modulators similar to Ambien (they seem to be analogs of zopiclone and zaleplon, respectively). I wonder what make these better candidates for anxiety than the already approved sleep meds.
Any thoughts?
-christophre
Posted by christophrejmc on September 23, 2004, at 12:30:21
In reply to Ambien as an anxiolytic, posted by christophrejmc on September 23, 2004, at 12:24:45
> Both are in Phase III for anxiety and appear to be GABA-A modulators similar to Ambien (they seem to be analogs of zopiclone and zaleplon, respectively).
err, I meant they're all omega-1 agonists(?)
sorry, just being characteristically anal.
Posted by Hattree on September 23, 2004, at 14:48:54
In reply to Re: Ambien as an anxiolytic (slight correction), posted by christophrejmc on September 23, 2004, at 12:30:21
Watch out for weird memory lapses, too. My sister was fond of daylight Ambien for awhile, and I started seeing that in her. She once failed to remember a newspaper article she'd read me an hour earlier.
Posted by King Vultan on September 23, 2004, at 15:32:02
In reply to Ambien as an anxiolytic, posted by christophrejmc on September 23, 2004, at 12:24:45
>
> I wonder if anyone else has noticed this effect from Ambien and also if anyone has used it successfully during the day. Are there any issues with tolerance or dependence?
>There was a person here who said she was taking 60-90 Ambien a day at one point, I believe, so I guess situations like that are the reason it's a controlled substance. I've only used it for sleep myself. I would tend to look a bit askance at using it as an AD and anxiolytic, but I only use benzo-type meds for sleep.
Todd
This is the end of the thread.
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