When my Mom was here at Thanksgiving, I let her know that I was having issues sleeping. And she was too. Her Dr. had prescribed for her Ambien and assured her that it was non-addictive. My Mom does not care for drugs. Anymore.
So, she suggested I try it too. I was leery, I was scared. I pictured myself standing outside of walmart in a few months asking for a 'little help' from strangers. And I don't even like walmart.
Anyhoo...I took them a few times. Mind you, I never took and ENTIRE pill, I always cut stuff in half, cause I am scared I tell ya!
On the few nights that I did take a HALF, I had glorious sleep. Fabulous...I woke up in the morning happy, practically bouncing out of bed.
Ok, take back the bouncing part.
Cut to Monday night of this week, some of you know I was wearing a heart monitor to check on my recent heart palpitations.
This was not pleasant and I knew sleep would allude me. So, I took my 1/2 drug dose.
And then, for some reason, I decided to NOT go right to bed.
What did I do?
I wandered around the house doing weird things.
Laundry, and swaying.
Talking to my family, and swaying.
Trying to play words with friends, and swaying.
Repeating things to my family, and swaying.
Repeating the same exact sentence after 4.5 minutes, and swaying.
They all thought I was crazy...but of course, I was oblivious to it all...cause I must have been high as a kite.
I have only a vague recollection of a sentence that I repeated and the Coach said: "You just told me that."
I hate it when people repeat themselves!!!
After the entertainment wore off, they sent me to bed, I slept...even with this apparatus with all the flipping cords attached to me...I slept.
The coach said, if I ever decide to take this sleeping pill again, that I should do so WHILE in bed and ready for sleep!
This is a very strong drug....and scary. I don't know if I will ever take them again!
BTW: I have no test results, but I really don't think anything is wrong with my heart. My head? Yeah, but not my heart!
Remind me to tell you about the time two of my aunts and my cousin all took Ambien. That night there was a tornado in their vicinity. A younger (and apparently smarter) cousin did not take Ambien and tried to haul all of them (and their dogs!) to another anut's house to get in the tornado shelter. Hilarity ensued!
ReplyDeletePS - Hoping you get some answers. And soon!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're right that it's nothing to be concerned about! I sure would have loved to see you sway and talk!
ReplyDeleteIs this an Ad for Ambien or for Midmark medcial supplies? Because you know how I feel about ads.
ReplyDeleteAnd you think you're so smart sneaking them into your post like that. Now I know where you got the cash for that tiki hut of yours.
m.
p.s. Oh yeah, I'm glad you're not dying or anything. But I'm wondering if we're getting to that age where we only talk about our health and what pills we're popping. m.
oh you. i can't even take benadryl if i am not IN bed! {of course, eric has no problem... he can just keep drinking!}
ReplyDeleteplease let me know what your heart results are, no matter what. ok. not if they are bad. i don't like bad news. no, tell me... i will need to know if you will miss fiesta prep :)
xoxo
I've taken ambien on trans-atlantic flights, and it worked well, helping me to sleep through most of the ride. Here at home, menopause has caused some disruption of sleep, so I just started taking melatonin. It is awesome! Just one tab at night, and I am sleeping better than I've done in years. BUT PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR before trying it - I don't know what it does with funky heart rhythms!
ReplyDeleteI hope that your heart questions are answered simply, and soon. Your heart is so big, welcoming and open that it is probably just breaking into song and dance occasionally. xoxox
Like many others, I have a funny Ambien story. When mama first was given the sleeping pills, we did not know she needed to be IN the bed. You should have seen me trying to hold her until we could get there and all the while, she was talking la-la land!
ReplyDeleteHope everything turns out just fine for you. Keep us posted.
I have had insomnia for years and my doctor told me that the lack of sleep is what was causing me to have heart palpitations! Maybe that is the case for you! When the insomnia flares up I take Ambien every night for a week and it "resets" my schedule.
ReplyDeleteYou've convinced me -- no Ambien. If I have trouble sleeping I'll stick with warm milk and a boring book.
ReplyDeleteMy mom takes the stuff... and you should hear the conversations we have when I accidentally call her after she has taken "the pill"... I should record some of that stuff! ;)
ReplyDeleteWow, that's kinda spooky! I have used melatonin as well and have given it to the girl and we both love it when we need a little extra boost during those times that we just get in a rut of not being able to sleep. Hope you hear back about your crazy monitor dealy soon so you don't have to fret your little self about it. Hugs and love..and jealous that you can wear sandals in DECEMBER. : )
ReplyDeleteYikes, that would make me very leery of that little pill...
ReplyDelete(cute toes :)
ReplyDeleteSleep: do you ever watch a little kid run around like a tornado all day then suddenly, gets in the car, and POOF! Dead asleep. I really envy that way of life, that honest and deep sleep, you know?
I know I should be more concerned, but this made me laugh my ass off. Coach needs to start taking video of these precious little moments, and then share them with us.
ReplyDeleteOh Sweetie, I am sorry that you are struggling.. I know you 'laugh' about it on the outside---but knowing you, I don't think you are laughing on the inside. You need ANSWERS to what is going on... Hope you get them soon.
ReplyDeleteI've never taken Ambien--but did you read the side effects??? Do that --and make sure that some of your racing heart problems are not caused by that --or another medication.. Medications can be so BAD....
Love and PRAYERS for you, little Friend of mine.
Hugs,
Betsy
Well good blogger buddy, I am biting my tongue because it wants to shout "SUZ KNOWS BETTER THAN TO TAKE ANY DRUG PRESCRIBED FOR SOMEONE ELSE". That aside, I am convinced Ambien re-wires the connections in your brain. I don't care how "safe" and "not addicting" the doctors say. Anything that will enable you to sleepwalk, sleep eat, sleep drink, sleep drive and have no memory of doing so is not a good drug.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a story a lady recently told me about a prescription sleeping aid (I think it was Ambien, but don't quote me). She said one of the side effects her doctor told her about was "having sex and not knowing it". She said she hadn't had sex in so long she wanted to make sure she remembered it. So she laid awake all night....waiting.....and waitint....and nothing happened. No sex. No sleep. She was more than a little disappointed.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, that was probably more than you wanted to know. But I thought it might give you a little chuckle. Okay, maybe it only makes me laugh....
Hope you get some answers regarding your heart palpitations.
Oh my! I don't have any trouble sleeping...my sister has it for me I guess! I go to bed at 11 or so and get up at 5 or before....I think the secret is a nice comfy bed and lots of exercise.
ReplyDeleteHope you get results soon :)
The best (and definitely non-addictive) sleeping pill is plain ol' Benadryl (diphenydramine). Take two of those and you'll sleep like a baby for 8 hours and wake up just fine.
ReplyDeleteOh when sleep eludes you it can be very VERY frustrating! Good thing you cut that little baby in half:)
ReplyDeleteNow this heart monitor thing. Ug, been there too. Sending positive healthy thoughts your way. You probably will sleep a lot better when you get healthy test results back!