Ambien
Sep 29, 2004 | 7:16 am
#31
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: New York
Programs: Ex Marriot Platinum, CO Gold
Posts: 342
Originally Posted by platbrownguy
Ambien? Nah, prescriptions are a pain.
Xanax? No thanks.
My preferred method is this: take four glasses and line them up on the counter of the self-service bar. Put ice in the last one. Into the first one, pour 3 ounces of your favorite vodka. Into the second one, pour 3 ounces of your favorite gin. And into the third one, pour 3 ounces of Southern Comfort. Water to fill the last one, which has ice.
Xanax? No thanks.
My preferred method is this: take four glasses and line them up on the counter of the self-service bar. Put ice in the last one. Into the first one, pour 3 ounces of your favorite vodka. Into the second one, pour 3 ounces of your favorite gin. And into the third one, pour 3 ounces of Southern Comfort. Water to fill the last one, which has ice.
Sep 29, 2004 | 2:24 pm
#33
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 50
Originally Posted by Doppy
Xanax?
Is this just supposed to make you high? Similar to Valium?
And how do you get a perscription for that? "Yeah, doc, I'd like to get high and have my insurance company foot the bill."
Is this just supposed to make you high? Similar to Valium?
And how do you get a perscription for that? "Yeah, doc, I'd like to get high and have my insurance company foot the bill."
As far as the medications go:
Ambien: I took it for several years, on and off (but never more than maybe 1 a month). Great sleep, but it has a very powerful effect. Do not try to stay awake after you take it, as your mind will really wander and you can't tell if you are awake or asleep. Supposed to last for 4-6 hours, but I never woke up during the night and had a bit of the amnesia effect the next morning. No recollection of what happened between the time I took it and when I woke up. I eventually switched off of it as I did not need something this strong to sleep, and it kind of scared me.
Sonata: very good drug for flying. Not too powerful, but makes you sleepy and you wake up feeling fine, no "hangover" in my experience. Highly preferable to Ambien, IMO.
Xanax- Good if you just need something to make you sleepy. Has the added benefit of calming fears about flying (though I doubt many here are). Would recommend it if you don't want a sleeping pill but can't fall asleep on your own in coach, which is hard to do.
Sep 29, 2004 | 5:06 pm
#34
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Arizona, USA
Posts: 2,424
I don't like Ambien or Sonata. Here's why:
I usually prescribe trazodone. Trazodone (Desyrel) was originally an antidepressant but it's much more effective as a sleep aid than as an antidepressant. I think that 50 mg of trazodone is just as good as Ambien. It's not habit-forming and it's dirt cheap. Thirty Ambien costs $82, thirty trazodone cost $8.00.
If you're interested, ask your primary care provider to prescribe you some trazodone. It's safe, cheap, and quite effective.
Melatonin is another story entirely. Since it's not regulated, there's no way to know if what's on the label is what's in the bottle. There were tragic problems with the herbal supplement sleep aid tryptophan, so I do not endorse melatonin and advise my patients not to take it.
- They're both controlled substances
- They're both habit-forming
- They're both expensive
I usually prescribe trazodone. Trazodone (Desyrel) was originally an antidepressant but it's much more effective as a sleep aid than as an antidepressant. I think that 50 mg of trazodone is just as good as Ambien. It's not habit-forming and it's dirt cheap. Thirty Ambien costs $82, thirty trazodone cost $8.00.
If you're interested, ask your primary care provider to prescribe you some trazodone. It's safe, cheap, and quite effective.
Melatonin is another story entirely. Since it's not regulated, there's no way to know if what's on the label is what's in the bottle. There were tragic problems with the herbal supplement sleep aid tryptophan, so I do not endorse melatonin and advise my patients not to take it.