Ambien and Lupus?

[momof15]

Does anyone take Ambien at night for sleep? Does it work for you?

[lupus-support1 Administrator]

Ambien is used to treat insomnia (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep). Zolpidem belongs to a class of medications called sedative-hypnotics. It works by slowing activity in the brain to allow sleep. Zolpidem should normally be taken for short periods of time. If you take zolpidem for 2 weeks or longer, zolpidem may not help you sleep as well as it did when you first began to take the medication. Talk to your doctor about the risks of taking zolpidem for 2 weeks or longer.

To make sure Ambien is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:

kidney disease;

liver disease;

lung disease such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);

sleep apnea (breathing stops during sleep);

myasthenia gravis;

a history of depression, mental illness, or suicidal thoughts; or

AMBIEN may cause serious side effects,

including:

 After taking AMBIEN, you may get up out of

bed while not being fully awake and do an

activity that you do not know you are doing.

The next morning, you may not remember

that you did anything during the night. You

have a higher chance for doing these activities if

you drink alcohol or take other medicines that

make you sleepy with AMBIEN. Reported

activities include:

* driving a car ("sleep-driving")

* making and eating food

* talking on the phone

* having sex

* sleep-walking

If you are having difficulty in sleeping, it is worth trying to find out why and to try to address those reasons.

With good wishes,

Ros

[determinedandstrong]

I take 3 mg of melatonin, i buy over the counter, vitamin. It works great without the side effects, ask your doctor before trying it of course.

Amy

[SecretlyDisabled7]

Yes. It works. But be careful mixing with other medications.

With Fentanyl there may be a breathing problem.

[SecretlyDisabled7]

Addition: I have pain at night and if I move or wake up, it is most painful so Ambien is important for me.