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Healthful Living / Natural Treatments
Getting off of sleep medication
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<blockquote data-quote="Copabanana" data-source="post: 745699" data-attributes="member: 18958"><p>I am happy for you that you found a safe and effective way to sleep.</p><p></p><p>I want to say my own experience. I was taking alternating between either Xanex or Ambien to sleep. I got habituated to the Ambien, and it would not work. So I would go on the Xanex. I was unable to fall or stay asleep without the medication. I was dependent. I began to be hassled by the doctor's office when I tried to refill the medication. While I understood, I resented this.</p><p></p><p>I saw this as a wake up call and began to research the medications' effects on older people. What I read was very startling. I had already stopped taking Benadryl when I read about the dementia risk. Which is when I began the Xanex and Ambien. But the latter drugs have the same dangerous effect for people 65 and older.</p><p></p><p>There is a huge uptick in dementia risk. Like a third higher or something like that.</p><p></p><p>But even worse, the effects of these medications linger for old people. You can be sedated driving. You can forget to turn off the stove. You can leave the iron on. This happened to me! The drugged state, driving, the next day. Forgetting to turn off the stove! I was never told by either the doctor or the pharmacist. Shame on me if I didn't read the warnings. (I don't know if these side-effects are listed, or not.)</p><p></p><p>As soon as I read about this, I tapered off the medication and would not take them again. I asked my physician why he had prescribed them to me, and he says he believe it was the humane thing to do, when people can't sleep. I disagree. I would rather not sleep than kill somebody. I would rather not sleep than have a much greater risk of dementia.</p><p></p><p>It took awhile, but I was able to learn to sleep again. In time, I dropped off to sleep and I stayed asleep.</p><p></p><p>There is a lot going on for me right now and I am not sleeping soundly. But I will never again get started on these medications, I hope. I will either find an herbal remedy, or I will toss and turn. Or read. Or watch TV or knit. Or stay awake to keep the tribe safe.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Copabanana, post: 745699, member: 18958"] I am happy for you that you found a safe and effective way to sleep. I want to say my own experience. I was taking alternating between either Xanex or Ambien to sleep. I got habituated to the Ambien, and it would not work. So I would go on the Xanex. I was unable to fall or stay asleep without the medication. I was dependent. I began to be hassled by the doctor's office when I tried to refill the medication. While I understood, I resented this. I saw this as a wake up call and began to research the medications' effects on older people. What I read was very startling. I had already stopped taking Benadryl when I read about the dementia risk. Which is when I began the Xanex and Ambien. But the latter drugs have the same dangerous effect for people 65 and older. There is a huge uptick in dementia risk. Like a third higher or something like that. But even worse, the effects of these medications linger for old people. You can be sedated driving. You can forget to turn off the stove. You can leave the iron on. This happened to me! The drugged state, driving, the next day. Forgetting to turn off the stove! I was never told by either the doctor or the pharmacist. Shame on me if I didn't read the warnings. (I don't know if these side-effects are listed, or not.) As soon as I read about this, I tapered off the medication and would not take them again. I asked my physician why he had prescribed them to me, and he says he believe it was the humane thing to do, when people can't sleep. I disagree. I would rather not sleep than kill somebody. I would rather not sleep than have a much greater risk of dementia. It took awhile, but I was able to learn to sleep again. In time, I dropped off to sleep and I stayed asleep. There is a lot going on for me right now and I am not sleeping soundly. But I will never again get started on these medications, I hope. I will either find an herbal remedy, or I will toss and turn. Or read. Or watch TV or knit. Or stay awake to keep the tribe safe. [/QUOTE]
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