2nd night ahead of stopping taking Zolpidem - gulp

[WillLatch]

Hello there.. anyone gone through coming off Zolpidem Tartrate? Like many other self employed people it's been an anxious 6 months with lousy sleep patterns.. woke constantly and looked at the clock! So six weeks ago I asked for a prescription and was given Zolpidem 10mgs. Taken it nightly for six weeks now.. but I am also coping with a case of bad piles (6 weeks too) and one of them has "blocked/coagulated"... and I've been getting very anxious about everything.. and the rather strange sensation of a tightening across my chest and abdomen.. like an adrenalin thing that won't disappear very quickly. Yesterday I decided that this panicy feeling and stress worry was possibly NOT nerve pressure from internal piles but possibly down to the sleeping tablets. So last night I didn't take one.. yuuuch; what a night. slept for 1.5 hours till 2.30.. 2 hours of weird body chemistry while awake and then seemed to nod off again. Woke at 5am and that was it. But all day now I'm getting stranger physiological stuff... this chest/abdomen sensation is there all the time.. and I'm battling to not take another tablet tonight and see it thru somehow. Sadly on my own tonight.. so down to me... Anyone with experience of withdrawal from this particular sleeping tablet? Sorry to drone on above.. but I'm hoping someone here might recognise this situ and suggest I should cut a tablet in half, or take one tonight... or just ride it through... Comments appreciated! Thank you.. WillLatchen.

[WillLatch]

Ok.. no-one saying "Ahhh.. I've been through that!".. So.. 11 hours later the sensation in the chest and abdomen is fading a chunk... is this chemical or has the fact that I've ironed 6 quilt covers and everything else I can find, to a pretty reasonable standard over the last 3 hours the key? :-). Tonight I will not take another sleeper.. and hope for the best.. I've been reading you're supposed to take Diazapam to wean yourself off these things.. I hope I don't regret the "cold turkey" approach... however I've just been told to be glad of ANY sleep I get.. and try not to get anxious about thinking I'm not getting enough. Not a bad thought.. I'm old enough to remember "Poldark" and there's 16 hours of it in a DVD set here.. so there's a contingency viewing plan if needed. Further posts ongoing if there's anyone on this forum dealing with a similar anxiety. Have a good Sunday everyone.

[suzy-sue]

Hi ! you can also taper to come off these,but its not recommended to completely stop them.Its recommended to cut down by a quarter for 2-3 weeks then repeat until your off of them. Either way i wish you all the best luv sue

[kittykat]

Hi there and to the site, a lot of good advice and support on here, the chatroom is also very good , take care xx

[sunshine-lady]

Hi and welcome to NMP

So pleased that you have found us. I am sure you will like it here as there is so much help, information and support. There is a chat room which is a great place to make new friends

Take care xxx

[sunshine0]

Hi,

That's weird I'm also self-employed and have just stopped taking Zolpidem after about 6 weeks. I don't have piles though thankfully! I am also feeling huge adrenaline rush all the time and tightness in my chest. Everytime I drifted off to sleep last night I woke up with a jolt having some kind of panic attack, and my dreams are epic at the moment. I cut down to 5mg for about a week before quitting. I'm just going to ride it out now. The only thing I can advise is try not to think about it, if you focus on the unpleasant sensations it can make it worse. I have been doing some relaxation exercises too which seem to help.

The advantage of being self employed is I can catch up on missed sleep during the day and work later instead, so maybe this applies to you to. The doctor told me these pills are not addictive but I'm finding the withdrawal pretty intense.