Severe brain injury and paralysis temporarily reversed with a sleeping pill • Hacker News Board

Re: Severe brain injury and paralysis temporarily reversed with a sleeping pill

#101

Post by irrational » Sat, Nov 07, 2020, 9:33 AM UTC

bxtt wrote: post #91

grecy wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(Genuinely curious and not trying to downplay the seriousness at all) What would happen if you took a month off work and all your obligations and stayed home and didn't take anything for a whole month? My understanding is the human body can't go more than about 10 days without sleep [1]. So I assume at that point you would fall asleep, and then over the coming ~20 days hopefully you could normalize it and get back to…

I've actually decided to take some time off work because of my addiction issues. It's more so the cycle. I'll stop taking Zolpidem/Zopiclone for several weeks/month (the first several days -- terrible shakes, chills, nightmares, several days without sleeping etc. Zopiclone/Benzo withdrawal is far worse) After a while, I'll eventually adjust but I have insomnia/poor sleep so I'll eventually cave in due to sleep depriv…

I can understand the strange fascination with Ambien. My wife was prescribed it one time. She would take it and then soon after want to have sex. Mind blowing sex (for me) every time. She was insatiable and wanted to do things way outside her norm. But the next day she had absolutely no memory of any of it. That weirded me out and I encouraged her to stop taking them. Though to be honest I wouldn't mind one or two of the ambien fueled sex sessions a year. Absolutely mind blowing, but also exhausting.

Re: Severe brain injury and paralysis temporarily reversed with a sleeping pill

#102

Post by rdevsrex » Sat, Nov 07, 2020, 9:44 AM UTC

irrational wrote: post #101

bxtt wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've actually decided to take some time off work because of my addiction issues. It's more so the cycle. I'll stop taking Zolpidem/Zopiclone for several weeks/month (the first several days -- terrible shakes, chills, nightmares, several days without sleeping etc. Zopiclone/Benzo withdrawal is far worse) After a while, I'll eventually adjust but I have insomnia/poor sleep so I'll eventually cave in due to sleep depriv…

I can understand the strange fascination with Ambien. My wife was prescribed it one time. She would take it and then soon after want to have sex. Mind blowing sex (for me) every time. She was insatiable and wanted to do things way outside her norm. But the next day she had absolutely no memory of any of it. That weirded me out and I encouraged her to stop taking them. Though to be honest I wouldn't mind one or two of…

That really makes you question how much free will we have, if a drug can produce that kind of behavior and affect short term memory.

But more fascinating still is what functionality in the brain even enables that.

Re: Severe brain injury and paralysis temporarily reversed with a sleeping pill

#103

Post by Griffinsauce » Sat, Nov 07, 2020, 9:49 AM UTC

grecy wrote: post #60

bxtt wrote: post #44

I’ve been taking Zolpidem for about 13 years now and suffer from addiction. I’ve sought treatment for this but it doesn’t work as now I cannot sleep without taking something. If you haven’t taken Z-type sleeping aids, I would definitely suggest not to start, as from experience the consequences outweigh the benefits. I’ve lost a considerable amount of friends/reputation/etc. from the abuse. Every experience that you h…

(Genuinely curious and not trying to downplay the seriousness at all) What would happen if you took a month off work and all your obligations and stayed home and didn't take anything for a whole month? My understanding is the human body can't go more than about 10 days without sleep [1]. So I assume at that point you would fall asleep, and then over the coming ~20 days hopefully you could normalize it and get back to…

10 days without sleep is a great recipe for an epileptic seizure. Don't experiment with this kind of stuff without consulting a neurologist / sleep expert.

Re: Severe brain injury and paralysis temporarily reversed with a sleeping pill

#104

Post by odiroot » Sat, Nov 07, 2020, 9:49 AM UTC

domano wrote: post #98

bxtt wrote: post #44

I’ve been taking Zolpidem for about 13 years now and suffer from addiction. I’ve sought treatment for this but it doesn’t work as now I cannot sleep without taking something. If you haven’t taken Z-type sleeping aids, I would definitely suggest not to start, as from experience the consequences outweigh the benefits. I’ve lost a considerable amount of friends/reputation/etc. from the abuse. Every experience that you h…

I got a subscription for 1 package when I had major sleep issues as a young adult and i immediately wanted more. Best 2 weeks of sleep i ever had. Luckily the doctor did not allow another subscription

Same here. Got like 2 weeks' worth once, a few years ago. Never had a better sleep than on the Z-s.

Re: Severe brain injury and paralysis temporarily reversed with a sleeping pill

#105

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Nov 07, 2020, 9:55 AM UTC

bxtt wrote: post #91

grecy wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(Genuinely curious and not trying to downplay the seriousness at all) What would happen if you took a month off work and all your obligations and stayed home and didn't take anything for a whole month? My understanding is the human body can't go more than about 10 days without sleep [1]. So I assume at that point you would fall asleep, and then over the coming ~20 days hopefully you could normalize it and get back to…

I've actually decided to take some time off work because of my addiction issues. It's more so the cycle. I'll stop taking Zolpidem/Zopiclone for several weeks/month (the first several days -- terrible shakes, chills, nightmares, several days without sleeping etc. Zopiclone/Benzo withdrawal is far worse) After a while, I'll eventually adjust but I have insomnia/poor sleep so I'll eventually cave in due to sleep depriv…

[deleted]

Re: Severe brain injury and paralysis temporarily reversed with a sleeping pill

#106

Post by layoutIfNeeded » Sat, Nov 07, 2020, 9:58 AM UTC

So at least some people who have been declared “brain-dead” and had their organs harvested could have been brought back (albeit temporarily) with a shot of Ambien? That’s... disturbing.

Re: Severe brain injury and paralysis temporarily reversed with a sleeping pill

#107

Post by raducu » Sat, Nov 07, 2020, 10:15 AM UTC

domano wrote: post #98

bxtt wrote: post #44

I’ve been taking Zolpidem for about 13 years now and suffer from addiction. I’ve sought treatment for this but it doesn’t work as now I cannot sleep without taking something. If you haven’t taken Z-type sleeping aids, I would definitely suggest not to start, as from experience the consequences outweigh the benefits. I’ve lost a considerable amount of friends/reputation/etc. from the abuse. Every experience that you h…

I got a subscription for 1 package when I had major sleep issues as a young adult and i immediately wanted more. Best 2 weeks of sleep i ever had. Luckily the doctor did not allow another subscription

I really like zolpidem and other substances. I almost never took them for more than 3 consecutive days. I still have a lot of zolpidem laying around and don't take it, because I know the brain gets uses to them and the magic is gone. Amazing how people react differently to addicting substances.

Back when I used zolpidem, I found that it is best to use it as a reset button, not as a daily crutch.

I do take 300mcg melatonin but I found it has no diminishing returns and in fact it has a negative feedback -- after 3 days of melatonin, I don't need it for at least another week. I keep the zolpidem for "recreational" usage, but I don't want to use it with my wife and daughter in the house in the remote possibility I get sleepwalking(never actually happened, I just get amazing auditory hallucinations before I fall asleep).

Re: Severe brain injury and paralysis temporarily reversed with a sleeping pill

#108

Post by mattlondon » Sat, Nov 07, 2020, 10:18 AM UTC

Nextgrid wrote: post #80

casefields wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad you pointed that out. It was great to see video of him.

I wonder how does he feel when he's not under zolpidem. We can clearly see him being slow and mostly non-responsive, but I wonder what the experience for him is like - is it like sleep where he doesn't feel/remember anything about it (notice how once under zolpidem he does not think he has health problems), does he feel normal, and if so what is he thinking about, etc?

Totally agreed. I wonder what the ethical side of this is... Give someone a pill and they suddenly "unlocked" from locked-in syndrome. How can you not want to give these people these drugs all the time and let them have at least a partially normal existence.

Re: Severe brain injury and paralysis temporarily reversed with a sleeping pill

#109

Post by skissane » Sat, Nov 07, 2020, 10:21 AM UTC

smabie wrote: post #74

mariopt wrote: post #11

Zolpidem, I use this pill to sleep and works fantastic for me. My MD told me that regular use could lead to dementia and the risk for addiction is considerable. I've tried antidepressants to sleep but always wake up with a headache, the feeling of it it's not great either. But with this one, never had an issue.

Take seroquel instead. Less risky, at least mentally. Also more powerful and effective.

I would be very hesitant about taking antipsychotics (of which Seroquel, quetiapine is one). There is research suggesting they may cause brain atrophy (reduction in brain volumes over time).

Now, if one is dealing with something really serious like psychosis or acute mania, maybe it is a preventing a short-term harm which outweighs the risk of this long-term harm. But if it is just trouble sleeping, considering this risk, I think one should explore other options first.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3476840/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09249...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30191724/

(I used to take Seroquel for insomnia and anxiety myself. I stopped when I discovered this research. It also contributed to our decision to get our son off risperidone.)

Re: Severe brain injury and paralysis temporarily reversed with a sleeping pill

#110

Post by Nextgrid » Sat, Nov 07, 2020, 10:22 AM UTC

mattlondon wrote: post #108

Nextgrid wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder how does he feel when he's not under zolpidem. We can clearly see him being slow and mostly non-responsive, but I wonder what the experience for him is like - is it like sleep where he doesn't feel/remember anything about it (notice how once under zolpidem he does not think he has health problems), does he feel normal, and if so what is he thinking about, etc?

Totally agreed. I wonder what the ethical side of this is... Give someone a pill and they suddenly "unlocked" from locked-in syndrome. How can you not want to give these people these drugs all the time and let them have at least a partially normal existence.

The problem seems to be that their body builds tolerance to it so that even if you give them this medication constantly it gradually stops being effective. However I do agree that these drugs should be available and it's up to the carers to work out a dose that maximizes the amount of time the person is "unlocked".