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.

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.

Sueb20 - I hear ya girlfriend! This hormonal rollercoaster is not for sissies. On a good night I was sleeping maybe 4 broken up hours. I never nap during the day. I have always been an insomniac, but could sleep five hours straight before, now since menopause (5 years) I am plagued by hot flashes that give me sweats then chills. I use BI hormones and these help to a degree but do not completely alleviate. I don't know if my flashes and chills are worse than others but I do know, if I don't use BI, I literally cannot go out in public. Sweat pours off my face and I actually passed out at the office once. So... Then before the holidays I started to have a real problem period sleeping and tried all the OTC remedies and my usual melatonin/valerian cocktail and was getting no where. I cannot take script meds. Then I decided to move to the guestroom because I was waking my DH with my tossing/turning, up to BR etc. For a month I guess I went through a sort of sleep detox and reset my patterns- I've had to do this before. Went a couple nights where I got may be two hours sleep but now am where I can sleep maybe four hours, then wake for a flash but don't need to get up for a BR visit, then can go back to sleep for a couple more hours. This is revolutionary for me. I believe my DH was keeping me (he snores) from actually getting into a sound REM and I would get up, wake completely read and have to restart the process and never get more than 3-4 broken hours. We talked about it yesterday and he thinks he is sleeping better too without me there. So he's getting 9 hours of undisturbed sleep instead of 8...I hate him ;) So my recommendation get an hormonal evaluation have them check your cortisol levels (saliva test) too. Get on some hormones. Lack of sleep is worse for your health than taking hormones. The devise that helps me the most for cooling during sleep is a small vinyl covered pad I bought in a heating pad combo that is used for icing an injury. I just keep it next to my pillow and when I have a flash I pull it over to lay my face and neck on. It is cool enough without refrigeration to do the trick. I turn it over a time or two to a cool spot till the flash passes. I have cooling pillows and jammies etc but this one little thing has helped me the most. That and moving out of the bedroom... Also Arianna Huffington has a sleep book out - has any one checked to see what she's come up with?