[Lindsay_Morrow]

Hello all!

I have been a long time Ambien user (10mg) per night for 6 years. I have tried to stop so many times but the anxiety of not sleeping causes me so much panic I give up after a few days. I want so badly to elevate my sleep anxiety and lose the pills for good. I found the insomnia coach on YouTube and I am hopeful to start my journey and ends this madness over sleep!

[Scott]

Hey @Lindsay_Morrow,

Welcome to the forum and terribly sorry to hear about your years of struggle with sleep. When you experience anxiety about your sleep issue, what are you specifically thinking about? We don’t have any control over what thoughts come and go, but we can manage our reaction/action towards them. Instead of trying to control, stop or escape our thoughts, have you thought about simply accepting thoughts for what they are – just words in our head? What if you thanked your mind when those unhelpful thoughts arrived by saying, “Thanks for sharing that, mind!” and continuing on with the activity you were engaged in when it arrived?

I’m sure you’ll find the information on this website and on Martin’s YouTube channel helpful but if you have any questions along the way, don’t hesitate to ask!

Hope that helps,
Scott J

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If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Gods_kid]

I have been encouraged by the podcasts- you may be as well. I too am done w Ambien x 15 yrs. began week 2 of sleep restriction. I’ve registered and have been getting daily email insights from Martin . I highly recommend signing up for these.

[Angeli]

Hello Lindsay!

I also used antidepressants, tranquilizers and everything you can think of to sleep. What I have to tell you, none of this works for insomnia. We need to address the cause, which is anxiety and fear. Medicines only work for a short while then we become addicted and stuck with something that just doesn’t work. But you need to be calm to get out of the 6-year addiction. The doctor will guide you with the slow withdrawal, while replacing the drug with CBTi. Having an insomnia coach will be very important. I did it, so you can do it too. Also read about ACT and Dr. Claire Weekes. This all took away all my anxiety and fear. Today I am totally free from all drug addictions. (Sorry for English)

[Gods_kid]

Lindsey
I’m seeing a psychologist (he’s supposed to b an expert on CBT-I) who told me that he first wanted to see a consistent sleep pattern before we began tapering off Ambien. On my own I cut the Ambien in quarters and am now taking 3/4 with no change in sleep pattern. I think tapering off this medication may be best done under the direction of a doctor like angelis says but they’ve got to be learned in CBTi.
Im in the middle of week 3 of sleep restriction, sleeping (it seems less) about 4 broken hours/ night? If w the assistance of this psychologist I don’t get anywhere in another week I will need to fork out some serious cash to Martin.
Best to you on your journey.

[Angeli]

Hello Godskid!

In my case, withdrawing the medicated drugs took a long time. Whenever I took it out, even slowly, in the end there was the insomnia with her eyes open waiting for me. I even got hospitalized for medication withdrawal. What I have to say is that to be successful, this withdrawal must be very slow. The body cannot perceive the withdrawal. There are withdrawal tables. As for Martin’s CBTi program, you could first try the free email course. It Works very well. Along with the videos and the Forum. I’m sure you can do it. In my case, I only started seeing results after 4 weeks. Good luck!

[Gods_kid]

Angeli your bravery is inspiring me and I don’t feel alone in this battle.
I’ve completed the two week program and am inspired by some podcasts.
I will look up withdrawal schedule and will begin to follow it. This is the end of week three and although I have no change in sleep I am no longer afraid of sleepless nights- I don’t welcome them but I no longer obsess about it- yay!! Thank you for your insight and encouragement to me and others,
Marga

[Gods_kid]

I found a very good peer reviewed article on this subject if anyone is interested : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2896266/#S5title

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