ambien...

My OB prescribed me Ambien to take to help me sleep....and I am honestly not sure I want to take it. I've had the RX since Monday and just have not been able to bring myself to take it.

The reason she gave it to me is because I am literally not sleeping at all. It's a mixture of my hips hurting, my legs falling asleep, and having such awful reflux from the pressure from the babies that I'm actually vomiting up stomach acid in my sleep. I'm at the point where it's hard for me to function during the day because of the lack of sleep....but surely there has to be a better way than taking a sleeping pill.

Have any of you ladies taken this? Did it seem to affect your babies? How did it affect you? Did you have a "hang over" the next morning" Did it put you in such a deep sleep that you couldn't be awakened? My DH sleeps like the dead, no kidding. And I'm worried about our 3 year old DS if he needed anything at night.

Thanks ladies!

 

I took it one night when I was in the hospital at 29 weeks with threatened PTL. I did sleep better that night than I had been, though I still woke up at least once or twice. I felt fine (well, fine considering I was still 29w pregnant) the next day.

I take it occasionally now, but just a half dose (5mg). It's still possible to wake me up, but I would never take it when DH isn't home, just in case something happened and I didn't wake up. He's a pretty sound sleeper, but does wake up if the kids need something. I always feel fine the next day, though if I take the full 10mg, I feel a little fuzzy-headed. (Not sleepy -- more like easily distracted and spacey.)

I wouldn't want to take it regularly when pregnant. I'm actually surprised that so many doctors and nurses think it's fine -- there is so little long-term research on this thing. But I would feel comfortable taking it once in a while. And if you're really hardly sleeping at all, that isn't great for the babies either, so I think the benefits outweigh the risks. Could you maybe take it every 3-4 days, just so you can get some sleep? :hug:

You could also try the 5mg dose, if you're worried about not being able to wake up if you need to. HTH.

 

I was also prescribed it in the hospital while on bedrest (from 24-35 weeks). I was basically only "allowed" 6 hours of sleep (between NSTs, medicines, etc.) so I had to maximize my sleep as much as possible. I was very hesitant to try it at first, but after several weeks of getting almost no sleep, I was desperate to the point of tears every day, so I started taking it each night and did so from about 30 weeks until the night before the boys were born. It helped me fall asleep right away, I still woke in the middle of the night to pee, and I had no grogginess in the morning.

I was also afraid of becoming dependent on it, but I stopped cold turkey the night the boys were born and haven't taken it since, and don't have any problems falling asleep.

My boys are healthy and happy; Jack had IUGR, but that presented itself well before I started taking the Ambien, and he's now taller and heavier than his brother! My guys always passed their NSTs and BPPs, and had no issues whatsoever when I was taking Ambien.

You need to do what you feel is right for you and the babies, but this was my experience.

 

My doctor prescribed me ambien as well. I don't sleep at all at night due to all the aches and pains and just plain worrying. I went into preterm labor at night about a week ago and now I go to bed scared and find myself counting contractions and wondering if my water broke without my knowledge all night. I'm a little neurotic right now, I think its the modified bedrest, being cooped up in the house. I did a little research and ambien appears to cause issues in animals but only when given at toxic levels, they can't really distinguish the effects of the ambien from the effects of toxicity. As another poster noted, if you are not sleeping at all and stressed out, that is no good for the babies either. Therefore I have been taking it about every four days just to ensure one good night of rest. It works great and I have no hangover but I do feel like the babies don't move as much in the morning after. I don't know if I am just being paranoid or not. Has anyone else experienced this? Good luck!

 

I did read in the info that came with the meds that in pregnant women it can cause an increase in fetal sleep. So basically, yeah it could be that the following morning they are still sleeping off the drug.


I am still at a cross roads. I may do what the PP suggested and try taking half the dose to see if that helps enough. I know I need the sleep....At my OB appointment on Monday she walked into the room and said "well how are you feeling?" and I just burst into tears before I could say anything.

 

yes, I took it with my DS and my girls now. It was necessary for me when I was pregnant. My girls are 9 months and I stopped taking it when they were born.

 

I took it for almost 3 months, every night, until the day I delivered the girls. DH said I was addicted to it, and in a way I was. I really couldn't sleep without it, whether that was the cause of a placebo effect or not, I don't know.

I have never needed it since and I still have a bottle with the leftovers. Sometimes I took half the dose, sometimes I took an additional half a dose. It did make me a little loopy (honestly, occasionally it hit me a little harder than others and it was actually a little fun since DH was always home and I didn't have to worry about the other kids ), but I always felt fine the next day, and I was able to awaken when and if the older kids got up at night. I still would not have taken it if I had been the only one home, though.

 

Hi, I took ambien during my 12 weeks of bedrest. I was worried about it at first, but I was desperate for sleep. Once I started taking it, I thought it was great. You can break the pill in half and try a lower dose. Half a pill worked fine for me. I didn't feel out of it the next day (but I was just hanging out on the couch with strict bedrest).

 

I took it as well when I was in the hospital on bedrest since I was not sleeping well. I didn't have any side effects to it. It really helped. :good:

 

Just wanted to add, since Danielle mentioned it, that it does make me loopy too -- not the next day (I feel totally normal then), but starting about 10 minutes after I take it until whenever I go to sleep. It's actually sort of a pleasant buzz (I hope that doesn't make me sound like an Ambien abuser), but if it freaks you out, you just take it and go straight to bed and you won't notice it at all.

 

My doctor told me to take benadryl for the contractions and sleep, So I have been taking it for about a month now and it helps me sleep just fine, also helps with itching you get while pregnant.

 

I, too, took Ambien when I was pregnant with my twins - thank goodness for Ambien! I took it probably beginning at 16 weeks or so? Every night. A long time. Also just took a half of a pill. And also quit cold turkey without a problem as soon as they were born. I never felt funny the next day, nor do I feel like my babies act any differently than my singleton, non-Ambien babies - either in-utero or out!

Good luck with your decision!

 

I took it several times just prior to babies being born when I was on hospital bedrest. I agonized over the decision too but after one night of taking it, I didn't look back. It really helped me get some much needed sleep and I did not have a "hang over" at all. It helped me gain strength that I needed to go through labor and delivery ! Good luck. HOpe you can sleep soon

 

Thank you so much ladies! I really appreciate all the input and advice. I think I'm going to wait until this weekend to try taking it so I don't have to get up early because DH will be home in the mornings to handle DS. I also think I'm going to try taking half the dose (5 mg) and see if that helps enough or if I'll wind up needing the full dose.

 

I took Ambien once when I was admitted with pre-term contractions with my 1st and HATED it. It was the closest thing to feeling drunk while pregnant but it never really helped me fall asleep. Have you tried Unisom? I take it occasionally, even just a 1/2 pill, and it really helps for me. Docs prescribe it all the time at the start of pregnancies to help with morning sickness. I also have the reflux problem you have, it scared the crap out of me the first time it happened and since then do not miss a dose of my Prilosec. I honestly don't think I could function without Prilosec, if you aren't already on it, I would definitely recommend talking to your Dr as it is class B. Good luck and I hope you get some sleep!!