in simple circumstances, i would tell you to pop 30mg of ambien and see how things go. but you have already complex circumstances. so i am 100% with you on not taking it.
What you could do, however, since today is monday (well, here it is already monday... i have not slept either lol btw, and i don't wanna take sleep meds during day time now
but i will nap at least.
I would get your pdoc (in person or on phone, but HIM, not staff) and ask him about taking the Ambien. It *could* help:
-- remind him of your other meds (make list of meds & doses before call)
-- inquire as to safety with your other meds (should be ok but always best to check.
-- ask how much to take (taking too little won't help, so ask for a range to try. generally, range is 10-40mg depending on severity, but in excess of 40mg-ish it is discarded by the brain, so no sense using more.
Also REPORT SLEEP PROBLEMS in detail
i suggest writing the stuff down before calling:
---- latency: whether you have trouble FALLING asleep and why (e.g. racing thoughts and/or anxiety, agitation... other.)
---- persistence: whether you have trouble REMAINING asleep (Ambien alne will NOT help with this but he might give you something which can, to combine with the Ambien
---- total average sleep in a 24 hr period. #hours sleep in a single, typical sleep/nap.
---- THE NIGHTMARES. people have had odd experiences with ambien... low quality sleep, anterograde amnesia (can happen with any benzo but ambien (a simil-benzo) has some freaky stories)
---- SLEEP QUALITY - for instance, whether you remember your dreams easily - this is an index into how deeply you sleep, and whether you wake or semi/wake after each cycle whether or not you are aware of waking.
------------------ on dreams....
i had problems with Seroquel at 400mg dose - with sleep - specifically hypnapompic and hypngagogic hallucinations accompanying sleep paralysis. Seroquel could be producing similar problems even at a higher dose. I did not find it a particularly useful drug. I don't know if doses over 600 are ever given - at that dose it worked for me as far as sleep.
Hang in there, take heart. make notes, call pdoc or give notes to tdoc and ask her to mediate. TAKE CARE OF YOU!
((( hugs )))
~ waves ~