Can you safely take an ambien 10 mg and a melatonin together ?
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at
11:43 pm
for better sleep? I have been on Ambien for years and now the Dr wants me to get off ambien and take Melatonin. I want to add the melatonion (natural ) to my ambien. What say you?
Tagged with: ambien • google • melatonin • sleep
Filed under: Insomnia
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i think that it should be fine, considering that both of them have different mechanisms for assisting sleep; however, the usage of each is slightly different.
what i mean by this is that because they work differently, they should be taken at different times.
ambien works rather quickly, and will knock out probably within 20 minutes or so of taking it i believe. it`s a hypnotic that makes you really drowsy – it retards motor function and basically helps you relax as well [although this effect is not as pronounced at low-level dosages]
however, metalonin doesn`t knock you out in the same way; melatonin is moreover just the bodily hormone that helps to regulate the circadian cycle – your biological clock so to speak – melatonin is barely present during the day, and as the daylight wanes and your eyes pick up on the dimming light, messages are sent to your hypothalamus to increase melatonin production, making you increasingly drowsy as the night progresses.
you won`t really feel its effects until it hits the bloodstream, which may take up to an hour if it has to be absorbed through the intestines [which i think it will because it seems to be a relatively large molecule]
smaller molecules, like alcohol, can bypass that process and slip directly into the bloodstream from the stomach. but i don`t believe melatonin can do this.
i hope this has been somewhat informative for you -
so all in all:
it should be safe to take the two together, just make sure you time it well.
and know that with these things, i don`t know how long they`ll keep you asleep.
ambien has a half-life of about 3 hours, so its effects should wear off within 4-5 hours.
melatonin on the other hand, the levels would be controlled by your circadian clock and respond to light cues, so i`m not really sure what to tell you about that one. the levels should wane as the day gets lighter tho`.
but quite honestly, mixing things like this, you should probably just give your doctor a phone call to be safe.
I would not do it without asking your doctor first. It seems dangerous to me.
I wouldn’t take any drugs together that you haven’t taken before unless you know for a fact nothing will happen. I would listen to your doctor and get off one before you start the other. Mixing drugs is very dangerous! Be careful!
I agree with the doctor the adverse effect of Ambien can be very serious.
If the ambien is not working adding melatonin may not necessary give you the boost you are looking for. I would just try melatonin itself. Or ask your doctor about Ambien Extended release.
YOU NEED TO ASK A DOCTOR
I occasionally take melatonin for sleep, but Id never suggest taking both of those together.
Why take both. If the ambien does not work, why add to it? No you should not take both together.