i had to cancel...at 3am..(exam at 8:30.)...i still couldnt fall asleep

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damn..i cant believe this happened......i didnt mind the anxiety..thats fine...actually helps me concentrate more...but to go into an 8hr exam..without any sleep for 24hrs +.....i just could not take that risk...i worked to damn hard.......newyz...Guys...

I need drugs......which would u suggest, from ur personal experience..im thinking some nice short acting benzos....im going to see my doc tomorrow...
God i cant believe this happened to me... 😡 😡 ..
i have never felt this horrible before....
well since i m in NYC...i should get another date by friday....have to wait 48 hours to re-schedule...this is definitely a very humbling experience
Thanks
 
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Very simple, if you need to sleep: take Ambien 10mg. It's absolutely the best sleep aid out there. Plus, there's very little hangover. If you're having a problem with acute anxiety, benzos are okay, though they really do nothing for me (though everyone is different - and each benzo is different). But, simply for sleep, Ambien is your best bet! Good luck!

Note: I'm not actually taking Step 1, I just like browsing this forum!

😀
 
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thanks to both of u..
so i re-scheduled for thursday...prometric charged $90.......made appt with doc @ 12 today.....so ill talk to him and see what he suggests....


i think its a good decisison i made...because, you only get one chance for this...and i dont want to spend the rest of my life thinking "what if....".
 
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The night before my step 1 last year I got at most 1 hour of sleep. But it didn't seem to affect me, I had the adrenaline going during the exam. So, my advice would be not to necessarily cancel it just b/c of lack of sleep next time it happens (and it may very well happen again). Just take the exam and worse case scenario if you notice at any time during the exam (e.g. block 5) that you are totally exhausted and not able to focus, at that point why not void the exam and retake?

On one hour of sleep I did very well and am happy with my score.
 
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For sleep = Ambien

For test anxiety = alprazolam 0.25 mg

Hope this helps.
 
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From my experience, you will do fine even if you go straight more than 24 hours without sleeping. I did not sleep the night before MCAT (my only sleepless night in my life) and I did not feel a little bit tiredness during the actual test.

Of course, if you had crammed all day before the test, you might not be able to concentrate for another 12 hours. That is why I will take the full day off before my test date (this thursday).

I suggest you take the wedn. off and be relaxed.
 
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tega said:
damn..i cant believe this happened......i didnt mind the anxiety..thats fine...actually helps me concentrate more...but to go into an 8hr exam..without any sleep for 24hrs +.....i just could not take that risk...i worked to damn hard.......newyz...Guys...

I need drugs......which would u suggest, from ur personal experience..im thinking some nice short acting benzos....im going to see my doc tomorrow...
God i cant believe this happened to me... 😡 😡 ..
i have never felt this horrible before....
well since i m in NYC...i should get another date by friday....have to wait 48 hours to re-schedule...this is definitely a very humbling experience
Thanks
Click to expand...

Im taking ambien now. It works in about 15 minutes or so, (you start feeling like youre drunk). I basically take it at 10pm and its lights out by 1030. Then I wake up a 630, not feeling groggy at all. I feel well rested. I would urge you to consider ambien AND get into a good pattern of sleep. Try and get this consistent pattern for about 3 days before your re-secheduled exam. Ambien works.

Legion.
 
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yeah..my old man suggested ambien is the way to go...i ll see my doc in a couple of hours....il start going to bed at 9pm...from now till thursday...

funny im still awake now...but i m here watching "chasing papi"....lol..and i doubt u can equate the amount of braincells needed to process this movie to that needed for the st 1. **** i would have been on question 94 right now.

thanks for the suggestions......
 
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pxz said:
From my experience, you will do fine even if you go straight more than 24 hours without sleeping. I did not sleep the night before MCAT (my only sleepless night in my life) and I did not feel a little bit tiredness during the actual test.

Of course, if you had crammed all day before the test, you might not be able to concentrate for another 12 hours. That is why I will take the full day off before my test date (this thursday).

I suggest you take the wedn. off and be relaxed.
Click to expand...

that?s the thing. I studied till like 4 pm.......... i know i m definitely not studying anymore......i know i am definitely not studying anymore....maybe i should say that 4 more times.........loool.....ambition killed sleep yesterday......bu ill be sure to take today and wednesday off.
 
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I wish I had done the same thing you had done in all honesty. I had the same thing happen to me the night before my August MCAT. It was 3 am and I was still wide awake in bed. So I took some melatonin to help me sleep. the testing center was on the other side of Dallas so I had to get up early too, drive there, etc.

I pretty much fell asleep while I was doing the verbal section 😱 . I chugged 2 red bulls at lunch time and it helped wake me up for the afternoon stuff. But it hurt my score overall. As the 2 morning sections were my lowest sections by far.

Had there been an opportunity to take the test again soon, I would have canceled. But I had my apps out already, etc. Didn't want to wait half a year to retake and then go into the next app cycle.

I think you did the right thing cancelling.
 
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Hi tega, I hope that you're feeling better - and certainly well-rested! Hang in there...

I sent you a PM, for when you have a minute.

Thanks! 🙂
 
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I had the same thing happen to me the night of the MCAT. I am REALLY concerned that its going to happen Sunday night, the 20th. Its already happened for a few exams this yr.

How receptive are physicians to you saying "Hey, can I get 10mgs of Ambien?"

Sounds like a BehSci question if I ever heard one.
 
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This come from someone who has prescribed and had to take all the various sleep aids as well at one point in time or another.

Ambien 10mg.

DO NOT USE A BENZO FOR TEST ANXIETY AS YOU WILL BE TOO GROGGY.
DO NOT USE SONATA BECAUSE IT IS TOO SHORT ACTING AND YOU WILL BE AWAKE IN 2 HOURS!!
 
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PACtoDOC said:
This come from someone who has prescribed and had to take all the various sleep aids as well at one point in time or another.

Ambien 10mg.

DO NOT USE A BENZO FOR TEST ANXIETY AS YOU WILL BE TOO GROGGY.
DO NOT USE SONATA BECAUSE IT IS TOO SHORT ACTING AND YOU WILL BE AWAKE IN 2 HOURS!!
Click to expand...

I speak from experience with the alprazolam for test anxiety. I think it's magic. However, since you and I don't seem to agree on anything, this is to be expected.
 
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And when you have a DEA number and have written several thousand prescriptions, come hang out and we will have a chat. I am just warning the OP that any benzo could potentially make them drowsy to the point of not being able to think. Someone who has pure test anxiety should learn to get over it in medical school, since 50% of your life is exams. Beta blockers are even more effective and actually indicated for short term anxiety provoking situations. But since we don't agree on anything, and due to your valuable experience, I kindly bow down to your thick cortex!!
 
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I wasn't trying to act like I'm a physician nor discredit your advice.

I was simply giving my advice based on personal experience.

Obviously a physician, PA, or a nurse is going to know a lot more about this than a 2nd-year med student.

I realize that you are a former PA, supersmart, and smoked the boards - but your arrogance gets old.



P.S. not everyone is able to conquer test anxiety, even in med school. So don't act like it's any easy thing to do.

I am fortunate in the fact that I only had a brief spell of it in undergrad. I only had one incident in the first two years of med school. However, I did get a script for boards just in case.
 
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Listen Direwolf,

Its not my arrogance but instead your insecurity that started this discussion. You gave advice, and I gave contrary advice to the OP. It was not bashing your advice, and it did not mention you. It as my opinion and one that I was free to make. You turned into a personal debate by stating "since we never seem to agree". That made it personal. When you make it personal, I am going to use my credentials and experience to back up my position. You should have shut your freaking mouth when I gave my advice because everyone on this thread was making recommendations. Mine just happen to be contrary to your opinion. But it was nothing about your statement in general. It as more about the broad topic, so get over it please. Feel free to point out my attributes all you want. You seem to be hung up on them...not me.
 
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I was having the same problems sleeping a few days before the boards. I ended up getting a script for Zolpidem (Ambien) 10 mg. Three days before the boards I tried the script out and took one tablet and two melatonin tablets at 10 PM to help get me back on schedule. It had to have been the weirdest experience of my life. I ended up feeling like I was swimming in jello for about a minute. Then I felt totally paralyzed along with the urge to vomit. Those feelings do not go well with each other as you might imagine, as I ended vomitting all over my chest and lap on account of not be able to move over to the trash can. After about five minutes I was barely able to make it to my bed and then I crashed out hard, and even slept through my alarm. When I woke up I felt less that refreshed. Mostly, I felt like I had been dazed for a long period of time, with very little REM.

The reason I'm telling you all this is to add my advice that whatever you decide to take, make sure you try it out in advance, well before the night before your test. Every person reacts differently to every drug. While the advice on this thread seems to be pretty solid, there is no way for anyone (including your doctor) to exactly predict how each drug is going to affect you.

Good luck.
 
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You have brought up your "credentials" several times. Please don't try to deny this. If I had time I could bring up many posts where you talk about being a PA, being at the top of your class, smoking the boards, expecting a 250 on USMLE, etc. I am not the one hung up on them.

Secondly, you did put in caps "DO NOT TAKE BENZOS FOR TEST ANXIETY" after I was the only person on this thread to mention using benzos for this purpose. So obviously your post was against me.

Also, my statement about not agreeing on anything was made in jest. Perhaps I should have included a 😀 at the end of the statement to clarify. Obviously it is hard to decipher one's tone on an internet forum.

The statement still holds true though, since we haven't agreed on anything yet. 😀


Lastly, I only shut my mouth when someone makes me, which has never happened.
 
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There's some good advice going on here. Thanks! One thing to consider, which another poster has already said, is to try things out before test day.

Which leads to the other thing - that everyone has different reactions to meds. So blanket statements are useful to a point, but may not apply to the individual.

The bickering in this thread, though, one could do without ...
 
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what ever happened to good old benadryl? its otc, granted you have to take it for a week or so to get used to the effects, but it's helped me out a bunch. cheap, no script, but apparently, according to an nbme practice ?, it causes urinary retention (so that's why i haven't peed in a week 😉 )
 
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lindyloohoo said:
what ever happened to good old benadryl? its otc, granted you have to take it for a week or so to get used to the effects, but it's helped me out a bunch. cheap, no script, but apparently, according to an nbme practice ?, it causes urinary retention (so that's why i haven't peed in a week 😉 )
Click to expand...

Well it didint work for me for the MCAT :/ I tried it. That and it makes me feel esp. groggy in the morning.

Thats no good.
 
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Not trying to start a fight with direwolf, but definately have to agree with PACtoDOC on this one.

i would never recommend benzo's for test day. Many friends that I have use xanex (alprazolam) to fall asleep at night. My dad uses it when he flies so he can SLEEP! not exactly something you'd want on test morning.

benzo's are often used as sleep aids and i wouldn't think of taking them on test morning.

benadryl works great for me. I never take it for more than a day or two. i sleep all night and feel great in the morning and have never had the supposed anticholinergic side effects ever.

later
 
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smoke a bowl, drink a 40, and you'll be set before the exam.

as an alternative, pop a couple of vics, then a couple of beers, and i promise you the best sleep eva.
 
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12R34Y said:
Not trying to start a fight with direwolf, but definately have to agree with PACtoDOC on this one.

i would never recommend benzo's for test day. Many friends that I have use xanex (alprazolam) to fall asleep at night. My dad uses it when he flies so he can SLEEP! not exactly something you'd want on test morning.

benzo's are often used as sleep aids and i wouldn't think of taking them on test morning.

benadryl works great for me. I never take it for more than a day or two. i sleep all night and feel great in the morning and have never had the supposed anticholinergic side effects ever.

later
Click to expand...

Don't sweat it man. This board is for discussions. And like I said, I'm not a physician.

I do know that benzos are the DOC for the immediate treatment of panic attacks, which is why I was prescribed them for undergrad exams.
 
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Plinko said:
I was having the same problems sleeping a few days before the boards. I ended up getting a script for Zolpidem (Ambien) 10 mg. Three days before the boards I tried the script out and took one tablet and two melatonin tablets at 10 PM to help get me back on schedule. It had to have been the weirdest experience of my life. I ended up feeling like I was swimming in jello for about a minute. Then I felt totally paralyzed along with the urge to vomit. Those feelings do not go well with each other as you might imagine, as I ended vomitting all over my chest and lap on account of not be able to move over to the trash can. After about five minutes I was barely able to make it to my bed and then I crashed out hard, and even slept through my alarm. When I woke up I felt less that refreshed. Mostly, I felt like I had been dazed for a long period of time, with very little REM.

The reason I'm telling you all this is to add my advice that whatever you decide to take, make sure you try it out in advance, well before the night before your test. Every person reacts differently to every drug. While the advice on this thread seems to be pretty solid, there is no way for anyone (including your doctor) to exactly predict how each drug is going to affect you.

Good luck.
Click to expand...


Very accurate advice for anyone thinking about trying a sleeping aid for the first time. I think ambien is great, but I'd definitely recommend trying it out in advance and even using it for a few nights before you want to use it "for real." If you've taken it for a while, your body develops some tolerance to it(which is why some escalate dosages or notice it doesn't work as well), but if you are taking zolpidem for the first time, be wary@!

As an aside, on the few occasions I have used ambien and melatonin together, I also felt like jello in the morning. The effect almost seemed more synergistic than additive. Very weird.
 
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Ok Direwolf, I will have to side with you on this one and agree that tone is difficult to decifer on a forum. So I am taking a step back and hoping we can be civilized with each other after this. If and when I use my credentials though, it is because they are hard earned and lend to credibility at times. What you won't find if you decide to pull up old threads is my mentioning of my credentials unnecessarily or condescendingly. But in all truth, my statement about benzo's was not directed at you, but in general. In fact, until your slightly harsh response I didn't even realize it was you who had mentioned taking the XANAX. My only intention was to stop them from trying it for the first time on test day!! But I agree with you that they affect different people different ways. I have used Xanax for a sleep aid when I have had problems rarely, and sometimes it flat out just relaxes me and does not put me to sleep.

But if you want to hear a funny story, on MCAT night I took an Ambien and woke up on the kitchen floor at 6AM with a half-eaten brownie in my hand!! Now that stuff works well, trust me!! And no hangover effect.

Truce Direwolf!!
 
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PACtoDOC said:
But if you want to hear a funny story, on MCAT night I took an Ambien and woke up on the kitchen floor at 6AM with a half-eaten brownie in my hand!! Now that stuff works well, trust me!! And no hangover effect.
Click to expand...

I would've tested the 'brownie' ...
 
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I use melatonin. Bought it @ GNC. Maybe it's placebo effect but it works 4 me.

annnnnnndd i'm going to go take one now b/c I HAVE USMLE TOMORROW 😱 😱 😱

😴
 
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why in god's name did you double up with melatonin? i thought ambien was fine by itself?
 
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Are you kidding me? Don't bow down to this incredulous BS. You and i both know xanax would be a big mistake for test anxiety in a majority of people. by all means use your credentials on this one! remember, DO NO HARM.
 
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tum said:
why in god's name did you double up with melatonin? i thought ambien was fine by itself?
Click to expand...

I think I was the only one who said I took two melatonin tablets, so I guess you were referring to my post. At my school they taught us that melatonin had no real value as a sleep aide. My pharm prof said there was no convincing study out there that proved its efficacy. Mostly, I felt if anything I would get a placebo effect out of it. So I figured why not two instead of one? Based on my weird experience I would have to agree with a previous poster that it is not wise to take it with other sleep aides (especially GABA sleep aides). I have no science to back me up on this, but from what others have said about their experiences with Ambien, I would have to say that there may well be a synergistic, not additive, effect between the two.
 
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PACtoDOC said:
Ok Direwolf, I will have to side with you on this one and agree that tone is difficult to decifer on a forum. So I am taking a step back and hoping we can be civilized with each other after this. If and when I use my credentials though, it is because they are hard earned and lend to credibility at times. What you won't find if you decide to pull up old threads is my mentioning of my credentials unnecessarily or condescendingly. But in all truth, my statement about benzo's was not directed at you, but in general. In fact, until your slightly harsh response I didn't even realize it was you who had mentioned taking the XANAX. My only intention was to stop them from trying it for the first time on test day!! But I agree with you that they affect different people different ways. I have used Xanax for a sleep aid when I have had problems rarely, and sometimes it flat out just relaxes me and does not put me to sleep.

But if you want to hear a funny story, on MCAT night I took an Ambien and woke up on the kitchen floor at 6AM with a half-eaten brownie in my hand!! Now that stuff works well, trust me!! And no hangover effect.

Truce Direwolf!!
Click to expand...

Agreed.

*High five*
 
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the fight is on!!!....heheh....the last 3 dayz were the longest ever...its like training for a boxing fight..and having the fight postponed the last minute.

But .....hopefully all my hard work pays off in about 4 hours.... 😀
 
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and yeah...it took 15mg of ambien and a boring ass movie to knock me out...
 
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