Question:
Can a person take Ambien CR long term? Awful trouble sleeping at 3 years out.

Found that Ambien Cr works great. Tried regular Ambien , but woke up after an hour. I am RNY, 100 cm bypassed.    — mamajulie (posted on February 17, 2006)

February 17, 2006
I've been taking Ambien CR for about 4 months. It works great for me. I still have some trouble going to sleep, but if I wake up I can usually go right back to sleep.
   — georgiacarol

February 17, 2006
As I am not a Dr. I would think that Ambien CR would be fine, accept that any drug long-term is not good, You should probably consult someone & find the underlying cause of your sleeplesness. Have you had your vitamin levels checked lately, as being low on some of the vital ones, could caused some of this problem. You should not have to take it every night to able to sleep. See your Dr. about this, before getting addicted to any sleep aid long term. Marilyn, the Bearlady (2 yrs out 140 lbs gone)
   — Marilyn C.

February 18, 2006
I guess it depends on what you mean by taking it longterm. I don't think it would kill you or make you sick. However, the drug company that makes Ambien CR says that use over an extended period of time can cause dependence. Also, you may require higher dosages over time as your body gets used to the medicine. The website also says that if you have been taking it for more than 2 weeks, you should not stop taking it suddenly as you may experience withdrawl. If you need medication to help you sleep every night, you might want to look at something else. But I'd guess that if you are taking Ambien a couple nights a month over several years, it wouldn't hurt you. I take trazadone to help me sleep. It works well, is non-addictive, and has a generic available (so it's pretty cheap). Good luck. Sid
   — mrsidknee

February 20, 2006
I've been taking Lunesta for about 3 months now. It works great. Even if I miss a few nights, its not a big deal. I still get to sleep, although not as deep and as restful as with the Lunesta. Several years ago, after a very traumatic event in my life I was given Xanax to get me through the day and regular Ambien to sleep at night. The Xanax worked so much better. I woke up with the Ambien each time after 2 or 3 hours and was not able to get back to sleep. I just asked for stronger Xanax to get me through the 2 or 3 weeks of the initial shock (my late husband tried to kill me, didn't succeed, then killed our dog and then himself - what a bad time that was - oh and then dealing with HIS children - made life really bad at that time). Anyway, ask for the Lunesta - you may just like it. I am also RNY, 2-1/2 years Post Op.
   — Kathy