Detox Treatment for Ambien Addiction

Ambien is a sedative in the benzodiazepine family. Although it is less habit-forming than other sedatives in that pharmaceutical family, Ambien in nonetheless addictive and individuals who stop using Ambien after a long period of continued use will experience withdrawal symptoms that are typical of withdrawal from other abused drugs. Those symptoms can include agitation, panic attacks and restlessness, elevated blood pressure, fevers and excessive perspiration, nausea, and convulsions or seizures. In view of these potential symptoms, medical professional will always recommend a taper period to wean an individual from regular Ambien use.

How to Detox from Ambien

A common taper formula is to reduce Ambien use by 10% every two weeks. If you have been taking 10 mg of Ambien per day, which is a typical dose, this taper schedule will have you reduce your Ambien usage in the first two weeks from an aggregate of 140 mg (i.e. 10 mg per day for 14 days) to roughly 125mg during the next two weeks, and roughly 110 MG during the two weeks after that. Some individuals will be able to do a more aggressive taper, for example, at double this rate. In all cases, individuals are cautioned to manage an Ambien detoxification with medical supervision to avoid problems.

Ambien Withdrawal Symptoms

Ambien is generally prescribed to treat sleep disorders, such as insomnia. An individual who is in an Ambien detox cycle might experience renewed sleep problems, and those problems will almost always interfere with the detox program. Medical personnel can address these problems and prescribe other sedatives to help an individual through Ambien detox. Because Ambien can be addictive, detox is only one of a few steps that an individual will need to take to get past the addiction. Addiction implies that the individual has developed a psychological connection to a drug and its effects. Ongoing behavioral and cognitive therapy may be needed after detox to prevent and Ambien user from redeveloping a connection to the drug. If an individual’s Ambien addiction is severe, he may best benefit from detox and behavioral therapy in an inpatient rehabilitation program. Therapy that is offered in these programs can address any sleep disorders that first catalyzed his Ambien uses, and can focus on any underlying psychological or physical problems that might have created the sleep disorder.

Individuals who have used Ambien for months or years are also likely to be using other prescription or illegal pharmaceuticals. Use of multiple different drugs can complicate an Ambien detox program. Medical personnel need to be aware of all substances that an individual might be using when they recommend a detox regimen for that person. Anecdotal stories suggest, for example, that some sleep disorders are caused by different drugs, and an individual who complains of insomnia to his doctor is only looking for another drug to counteract the effects of the first drug that is keeping him awake. In this type of situation, an individual who attempts to detox only from Ambien will be dealing with the heightened effects of those other drugs. Attempting to detox from all drugs at once will inevitably cause greater problems, particularly if a supervising physician is not aware of the entire range and scope of drugs that an individual is using.

Please call the Last Resort Recovery Center near Austin, Texas if you have questions or you would like more information about Ambien detox treatment. We can provide detox supervision, and can recommend other options to help you with an Ambien problem.