Has anyone used Ambien to help nerve pain? I use it and it helps for several hours?

I have used Ambien 5 mg for arthritis in my foot due to a broken ankle, and it works great and it lasts for hours. It also works for lower back pain/spasms due to arthritis. eliminating the need for dangerous NSAID's and narcotics. The problem is that Ambien in a Schedule 4 controlled substance subject to Rx and dosage limitations, especially by insurance companies. So it's hard to use for sleep and pain(a pill cutter is very useful). Doctors don't believe that it works, but there are some research studies on the web showing the effectiveness of this "hypnotic" on after surgery pain control. Check it out.

Yes I have and am currently using it for my Fibromyalgia pain. I need to find a doctor who understands this phenomenon as it is the only thing that brings relieve other than a narcotic

Yes, I find ambien relieves my fibromyalgia pain

Just read this thread and almost cried in jubilation.
I have had lower sacral pain along with GI colon pain for over 10 years. I noticed then when I got my first prescription of Ambien that my pain would go away just prior to going to sleep. That 10 min of time became my only thing to look forward to since.
My pain hads slowly gotten better off and on over the years. Right now its terrible again. Lifting something heavy always does it.

I was to concur with all others. Zolpidem/Ambien is a miracle for my pain when nothing else works.

Thx

I was so relieved to come across these responses. For the last couple years I have been living with chronic migraines and chronic vertigo. It's been a nightmare and I've been to every doctor and had every test done. I've tried pain medicine, antidepressant and then one day I took a 10mg Ambien and my vertigo disappeared for a few hours. I told my pain doctor and they dismiss it. I live in such awful pain every day and if 10mg of Ambien a day gives me a few hours without pain then it's worth it. Only people that live with chronic pain would understand. Thank you all for your comments. It's nice to know I'm not alone.

I have had occipital neuralgia for years. As I get older the pain seems more intense and last longer. Recently, bc of another bout of neuralgia that has gone on for days I desperately needed sleep. Someone gave me a 1/2 tablet of Ambien and I not only got a restful sleep but woke up pain-free. Not sure if this is a cure-all but so far it’s worked for me.

Has anyone successfully found another drug that works as well? Lorazepam worked to take the pain away for my boyfriend before the effects wore off and he went to rehab to get off of it. Now he is trying the Ambien, gets 3-5 hours of normal living including eating, bikeriding, swimming, driving. Without it he is huddling in bed, not able to eat, terrible stomach pain. I think its something to do with GABA receptors in the brain, the Zolpidem binds to the receptors allowing more GABA into the brain (and making most people fall asleep). Any new ideas or meds?

I am so happy to find this forum. My husband has had stomach pain for 25 years, always diagnose as gastritis, then gastroparesis which was later taken off as a diagnosis. Last year it became much worse and he went for many tests, had his gall bladder out, tried many pain meds including Lyrica and oxycodone, nothing worked. He has the nerve from his splancnic nerve complex paralyzed to no avail. lorazepam and Valium used to work, until he developed a resistance to them, and he also became horribly addicted to them and had to go to rehab to get off. Anyway, 20 mg of Ambien takes his pain away completely for about 5 hours and wakes him up, no sleepiness. So now the problem is to get a doctor to prescribe more that 10 mg a day. Glad there are so many people pressuring their doctors to prescribe.

"The analgesic properties of zolpidem are unknown, but there are several hypotheses to explain their existence. One hypothesis focuses on the correlation between sleep and pain. If sleep is improved, either pain processing is improved or the pain threshold is increased, resulting in decreased pain."

Yes Peripheral neuropathy pain in feet all but goes away . I take it at night but wish i could take it during the day when I'm at work , but ...

I have terrible nerve pain in my legs from a failed lumbar fusion surgery. I noticed when I would take an Ambien and get in bed and play with my phone that the nerve pain would gradually go away. Then I would fall asleep. Now if I’m having a particularly bad nerve pain day I cut an Ambien in half and take it. I feel great for hours and can do chores and other activities and not fall asleep. I take Lyrica but it doesn’t seem to help. I wish more research could be done on this.

It helps with my chronic intractable migraine!!! From a 8 to a 0 in 10 mins. Unfortunately, I take it as prescribed but it’s nice to have some relief from all my pain (fibro, nerve pain, chronic vertigo, gastroparesis) when I go to sleep. The only thing is the pain starts right back up again when I wake up.. it’s very odd how it works. It does help me get sleepy too as it’s intended use :)

I have had chronic pelvic pain for over 8 years. I’ve tried many different drugs and nothing seems to work as well as ambien. I take 2.5mg around noon and another 2.5 around 5/6. It works very well to relieve the pain. My doctors don’t understand why it works but it does. For anyone who is in constant chronic pain, I suggest doing whatever works granted you talk to your doctor about it. Good luck.

I usually only take 5 mg of Ambien when I travel and change time zones. I have noticed that on the day after I am remarkably pain free. I suffer from carpel tunnel and have had 4 knee surgeries with some related nerve damage and am used to living with pain. I wish I could use it every night, but am concerned about addiction and side effects.