Hi April,
So glad you are finally taking the plunge! I decided to quit cold turkey, but I know many prefer to taper. I had serious withdrawl for about 2 weeks. You may go through a longer process if you taper. The withdrawl was surely partly psychological. It took a while before those thoughts of 'I will not be able to sleep' to dissipate. Be very patient with yourself and this process. And I suggest trying to prepare yourself to not sleep well for a while and just go with it as best you can. The more you can accept that this will be part of the process, the better.
Another thing to try is marijuana. I believe it can be extremely helpful as a sleep aid, even in very small doses. But that is not for everyone, and it might be better to try it after you've been off Ambien for a while.
Good luck! And hang in there, this is not easy stuff.
Rich
Hello Rich,
Since the last my post, I have tried many ways, I want to share some with you.
1. 5 HTP 100mg with grape juice 15min before bed, and 5mg Melatonin in bed, this combination worked for me for one week good sleep and two bad sleep days.
2. 5 HTP 50mg 4 times in day time for every 3 hours, 50mg 5 HTP with 500mg gaba 15min before bed and 5mg Melatonin in bed, this combination worked for me for two weeks good sleep and two bad sleep days.
Then I found that 5 HTP increased my cortisol level. Then I changed to L-tryptophan with Melatonin.
3. L-tryptophan 1500mg 15min before bed, 5mg Melatonin in bed, this combination worked for me for two weeks good sleep and one day bad sleep.
4. Relora 250mg to low cortisol level 45min before bed, L-tryptophan 1500mg 15min before bed, and 5mg Melatonin in bed, this combination worked for me for longer time. I also used Seriphos and Lactium for lowing my cortisol level but not often.
I still have some other combinations to try. I will let you know the results after I try them.
I hope everybody has good luck for their sleep.
Alanshu