Goodbye Ambien!

Along with Fibromyalgia, I have insomnia. Ambien has been my drug of choice for a very long time–until this week. Maybe that’s why I’m writing this at midnight, when 9:00 used to be my bedtime.

My doctor prescribed Ambien a couple of years ago when I complained to him that I couldn’t get to sleep at night because I couldn’t shut my mind off.  I’d already tried my husband’s Ambien so I knew it worked well for me. After the doctor got done giving me a lecture on how dangerous it is to take other people’s meds, he gave me a prescription of my very own.  Blessed sleep came within twenty minutes–deep, dreamless sleep.

I noticed about a year ago that I was waking up in the morning with my heart pounding and when I mentioned it to my doctor, he increased my Atenelol that I take for rapid heartbeat (after taking Seldane D for too many years).  It didn’t seem to help and it took me almost a year to realize that I was waking up with panic attacks.  I figured it was because of stress, as I am my mother’s caretaker and she is going downhill in her battle with Alzheimers.  Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and made a doctor’s appointment.

I told the doctor what was going on with me and told him that I felt the Ambien was somehow to blame, and he agreed.  I told him I wanted to get off the Ambien train but I knew that I was really dependant (just the thought of trying to sleep without it after the years of being on it was giving me anxiety) on it, both physically and mentally.  After much thought, he put me on Zyprexa for transitioning off the Ambien.

I took a half an Ambien before bed along with the Zyprexa for the first three nights, then stopped the Ambien.  I was so surprised that I was actually able to fall asleep without the Ambien and I have slept like I used to, except for the dreams.  The dreams are awful.  I wake up scared, but it’s not a panic attack; it’s just a nightmare.  I narrowed that down this morning–I was also taking melatonin. Tonight it’s cold turkey, baby. I took only Atenelol and Zyprexa tonight, but after trying to fall asleep and failing after an hour, I got up for awhile. 

It’s so easy to become dependant on sleep medications, and most of them are only meant to be taken for ten days.  Psychologically speaking, I think my mind was telling me that I couldn’t sleep without the Ambien.

I am pleased overall with how the transition is going.  I wake up quickly, instead of being all groggy and foggy for the first hour or so after awakening, which added an hour of free time to my schedule, but the bigger changes are that my mind is so much clearer and that I no longer need a nap to get through the day. I think the Ambien had built up in my system and was making me tired all the time.  Without my nap, I’ve added another two hours to my day!  I have much more energy, although with fibromyalgia I can still only do so much. 

I hope the need for Zyprexa goes away quickly because I am so fed up with taking pills for this and pills for that.  I’m taking a more natural approach and choosing to eat better and exercise and I want to add daily yoga, all of which help fibromyalgia, as well as overall better health.

I hope I never have to go this route again.

Protecting Your Skin From the Sun

Think that suntan looks good? Think again!

Did you know:

 »According to the Cancer Center of the University of Miami, sand and pavement can reflect up to 85% of the sun’s harmful rays beneath and umbrella-providing shade at the beach does not protect your child!

 »Exposure to the sun’s damaging effects as a child may determine the chances of developing skin cancer as an adult?

 »On a cloudy day, a full 40% of the sun’s damaging rays penetrate the clouds?

 »Skin cancer is color-blind?

 »Ultraviolet “A” (UVA) rays penetrate most window glass?

 »There is no such thing as a “safe” tan?

 

 So what steps can you take to reduce the damaging effects of the sun for their child?

 The most important steps you can take are to limit your child’s exposure to the sun from 10am to 3pm, buy high quality broad-spectrum sunscreen with a SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of at least 15 that has the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation on the label (and apply liberally and often). Sunscreens are available as ointments, lotions, gels and sprays and protect against UVA (these ultraviolet rays do the most damage because they deeply penetrate the skin) and UVB (these ultraviolet rays burn the outer layer of the skin causing sunburn). Liberal application of sunscreen means that you should be using at least one ounce per child every two hours; even more if they’re swimming or sweating.

 Infants six months and under should not be exposed to the sun, nor should you apply sunscreen to their skin, according to the American Cancer Society. Remember that keeping them under an umbrella doesn’t protect them from reflected rays. Consider tossing a light blanket over their body and head when transporting them from the house to the car or in the stroller.

 Another way to protect your child is to purchase clothing that has a tight weave and is labeled as sun-blocking.  A plain white DRY t-shirt has a SPF of 3; wet it has virtually none.  You can purchase colorless dyes that you add to the washer that add sun-block properties to clothing-up to a SPF of 30.  It’s a convenient way to protect your toddler, ‘tween or teen.

 Miami-Dade County Public Schools have a sun protection policy to ensure that a student has minimal sun exposure during school hours. Although the school’s policy doesn’t include the use of sunscreens, it does actively promote keeping students and teacher inside between the hours of 10am and 3pm when the sun’s rays are at their strongest.

 Guarding your child from the sun is an important task.  Knowing the facts about sun damage and how to prevent future skin problems is the first step; applying that knowledge (and sunscreen!) is the second. Now get out there and enjoy the numerous activities summer has to offer!