Ambien Side Effects

I have insomnia and occasionally I take Ambien. Sometimes I take 1/2 a tablet when I wake up around three or four o'clock. I go right to sleep, but the following night I always have terrible nightmares. I am a 75 year old female.

1. Posted by ann on September 30, 2006

At this time, I rarely use Ambien. This drug could be very addictive to those with no self-control. I'm the type that can hold off alcohol, cigs, drugs, too much caffeine. Any less than such a person, is in danger of being addicted to this powerful substance. Excellent for sleep, but those that are not disciplined may continue use for as long as they are supplied, when this may not have been necessary. I would advise temporary intermittent use under extreme stress of need for sleep and not for the effect or dependency of the drug.

-Ambros

2. Posted by Ambros on September 30, 2006

First time I took it for insomnia I saw little green men and unless you plan to be in bed in 15 min when you take it for the first time you will black out . Does the job, but please use caution.

3. Posted by Anonymous on September 30, 2006

I am a terrible insomniac and have never slept better than with Ambien. I had to stop taking it though because the side affects were life threatening. In the beginning, all I did was hallucinate with the lights on the cable box, but over the past few weeks my entire personality has changed. Last night I tried to hang myself from a 2nd floor window twice in the same night. When the life saving crew arrived, I had become rational so they did not take me. My bp was 180/100. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS DRUG TO ANYONE. We are all better off not sleeping. My family was extremely frightened. I am a 65 year old female.

4. Posted by Marie Bennett on September 30, 2006

I've been using Ambien for about 3 years, up to 10mg now. I rarely ever took it, maybe once a week. Weekends only...it made me drowsy the next day and going into work was difficult. I now take it once every couple of weeks, only when I can sense the insomnia will be worse that night. I'm going to ask my doc for something else, Ambien doesn't help as much as it used to. I wake up with an awful headache each time I use it, no matter how much sleep I got. I am a 28 year old female.

5. Posted by Jacklyn on September 30, 2006

I occasionally take 2.5 mg of Ambien combined with Trazadone to help sleep when I'm feeling sleep deprived.

I recently went overseas and was taking Ambien nightly so I would get a good night's sleep in strange places. I continued taking it when I got home.

I didn't take it one night and realized when I woke up the next morning that I didn't have a headache. I'd been having headaches for a couple months - the same length of time I'd been taking Ambien each night!

I haven't felt like I needed to take it since I realized I was experiencing a side effect. That doesn't mean I won't take it in the future, but will just be aware of what might happen.

I'm a 55 year old female

6. Posted by Zizi on October 2, 2006

I've been taking the eruopean zolpidem (Stilnox)for 5 years. At first, I tokk one pill and got a pleasant nightsleep but then I started to encrese the dose and now I take a minimum of three pills per night and even 4, 5 or 6. It's a very strong addiction. I have to do the imposible to get prescriptions from several doctors avery week. I am desperate. The side effects are very strong and serious: blackouts, sleepwalking, euphoria, amnesia. I call my relatives and friends late at nght and tell them strange things that i forget the next morning and so on. I don't know what to do. I can't start any treatmet that would reduce the dose... ¿would anybody hel me?

7. Posted by Anna on October 5, 2006

I have taken ambien once, and its the only time i will take it again. It shut down most parts of my brain, but no sleep. couldnt see straight etc. ANXIETY attack.

8. Posted by angela on October 5, 2006

I took Ambien a few times. I did not sleep well, did not fell rested, got some anxiety, and had a horrible taste in my mouth that made everything taste bitter. I've grown quite fond of restoril which for me has no side effects...

9. Posted by Rob on October 6, 2006

I've had really good luck with Trazadone for sleep issues. 15 years. Went off recently, but I have the same sleep issues. I am back on it.
There is an adjsutment period, and you must go on it slowly.

10. Posted by McTwirly on October 7, 2006

Hi there, I was asked to post a comment about Effexor XR. This drug has really helped me as I suffered from a trauma a little while back and had difficulty getting back on my feet. I take 75 mg daily and have been on it now for about 3/half mnths. I am also 21 weeks pregnant, & am planning to stay on effexor throughout the pregnancy. I guess the only downside that i have had has been dry mouth & loss of labido but on the plus side a dry mouth makes me drink loads of water (which is a great thing) and the loss of labido isnt doing me harm as i'ts been too uncomfortable to have sex because of the pregnancy anyways. I'm lucky as i have a patient partner and besides we can connect in other ways. I've heard that it isnt good to be on effexor till the end of pregnancy as the baby can have withdrawls, but i have to say the amount of people i have spoken to say this is nonsense and that they have had really healthly normal babies. I'll let you know how it turns out for me though. Anyways, at the end of the day i'm functioning, and the Dr says so far so good with the baby, so i would recommend this drug as well as counselling and a healthy lifestyle in a heartbeat for the time it takes for one to slowly recover. If anyone is or knows of anyone who has given birth with defects due to this drug i'd be interested in chatting with you or them so drop me a line. Thanx....Exfoliator.

11. Posted by Exfoliator on October 8, 2006

Regarding Exfoliator and pregnancy; I WOULD NOT TAKE A CHANCE!! Regardless of what other people have said regarding their results, people who are on illegal drugs and alcohol also have had normal babies. Do you want to be one of the stats? Are you willing to risk your baby's chances of not being normal? What if your baby is born with dependency, brain damage or physical problems? How would you feel then? Would you think it was OKAY TO TAKE A CHANCE on someone else's life? That's like driving while impaired and taking a chance on not killing someone else. There are millions of people who never kill someone else while driving drunk, but it only takes one time, and that time could be YOU. Would you like it if someone else took YOUR life in their hands?

12. Posted by Marie on October 8, 2006

Gee Wizz,
Thank you for your concern but at the end of the day it is my decision and i am going into this with eyes wide open and the best medical care and communication. I also have to make you aware that i experienced a really horrible trauma and couldnt function, so knowing that i was pregnant i had to weigh it up (either i remain very unwell and pass on servere stresses and all kinds of nasties to the baby or I get help so i can function and research what medications are safe enough to take so both of us have a decent chance at life). You do not know my situation and I am not looking for conflict on this site, I was merely asked to post what i was going through on Efexor xr by the creator of this site. Nothing more, nothing less.

Thank you for your time.
Exfoliator

13. Posted by Exfoliator on October 9, 2006

I have taken ambien for years now. Started off with 1/3 of a 10 mg. then went up to 5mg and finally to 10 mg. I became totally dependent on it and still am. I have recently been doing acupuncture treatments for insomnia and it seems to be helping. I am now down to 1/3 of a 10mg. I want to be off this drug and have tried to not take it at all, but realize that I have a mental addiction to it too. Knowing I didn't take any part of it subconsciously doesn't let me slip into a sleep zone. Hopefully I can kick the habit

14. Posted by joeanne on October 9, 2006

Cymbalta side effects. For me they are some weight loss (appetite loss) (good thing!), bad side effect for me is heat/sweating. Also, recently more nightmares ie; death, etc., don't like that. I will hang in there because I think it can help.

15. Posted by Dorothy M on October 12, 2006

Anna, I am sorry you are going through what you are going though. I, too went through the exact same thing. I was taking 6-8 Ambiens a night. Unless you have been through it, you dont realize how difficult this addiction is. I will be happy to tell you how I finally got over it. I havent taken a sleeping pill in several months. Feel free to email me at nadkal@yahoo.com.

16. Posted by Nadia on October 15, 2006

I was on pharmaceutical anti depressants for 10-12 years, possibly longer. They all worked for awhile then stopped working. The last one I tried was Effexor. It worked at 60 mg, I think, for a few months, then I began gaining weight, experiencing more insomnia, irritibility and my period stopped. My HMO prescribed birth control pills (I was not sexually active then) and told me it was pre-menopause syndrome (I am 48). The same OBGYN said my cervix was pink, which is an indication there is "plenty of estrogen" left. This March I decided to stop taking all pharmaceutical drugs (the only thing I have used in the past 8 months is asthma inhalers and very small amounts of Ambien). Shortly after I stopped the Effexor I had severe allergies, severe burning back pain, increased irritibility and insomnia but my period returned, and the hot flashes went away. Gradually the allergies and back pain mostly went away. I went to a naturopath who prescribed Prolent, a food supplement that has a similar effect as Effexor--the result is more Seratonin. When I stopped taking Prolent I also had an increase in back pain, but my period has been normal for several months. I was not prepared emotionally for menopause and I am happy to have my period back, for however long I have it, regardless of whether I conceive any more children (now a possibility). To my knowledge, this side effect is not publicized, none of the HMO doctors seemed to have any knowledge of it at all.

17. Posted by Abby Ovitsky on November 8, 2006

I was given one Ambien for getting some sleep immediately after Lasik. I had terrible side effects (and it did NOT make me the least bit sleepy); agitation, agressive and almost violent demeanor. I wanted to punch holes in the walls and kick doors down. I started to take a walk throught he neighborhood to burn off the excess energy, and ended up running and sprinting through the neighborhood in the dark to purge the Ambien from my system, still with the post-Lasik goggles taped to my face... then in a couple of hours I was OK again. Just a nasty experience.

18. Posted by Mark J on January 24, 2007

I have taken 5 mg. Ambien almost every night for 2-3 months with some success, but not as I had hoped. I have decided to stop taking it because of the addiction issue. Also, I developed a bad mouth taste three days ago. If anyone knows about this regarding the use of Ambien, please email me. Do you know how long it takes the "awful" taste to go away? Thanks.
Camille

19. Posted by Camille on February 6, 2007

Hi - took cymbalta for 3 weeks (60 mg). Started heavy colon bleeding at 3 AM - went to emergency room. bleeding increased. admitted me with very low BP, passing out if I lifted my head off the pillow, etc. Six units of blood later I thought it might be cymbalta so discontinued it immediately. bleeding dropped off in a few hours and was gone by morning. After one week and many tests doctors are relunctant to acknowledge that it might be the cymbalta. after cold turkey, withdrawal symptoms were AWFUL for the next 2 weeks. has anyone else had life-threatening bleeding from cymbalta use? i would like to hear your story. please folks, be careful with this new drug...BTW,,,the ambien I took for insomnia has suddenly stopped working. any ideas?

20. Posted by Peg on March 10, 2007

I am currently taking ambien, and have been for about a year. when I first started taking it, I would stay up all night doing crazy things (like cheating on my boyfriend and going out with people met over the i-net the same night). I would wake up the next morning without an memory of any of it. It was like I was living 2 lives completely different, and really had no clue. My sister saw the problem and stopped me, thankfully! so I stopped taking it for a few monthes until I got to a point where I couldn't stand not sleeping anymore. so I started taking it again and have learned now to go straight to sleep after taking it. since I have realized that you have to stay in bed no matter what after taking this pill I have been very happy with it. only problem is about once a month I'll get up in the middle of the night and eat A LOT. it happens rarely so I don't worry too mujch about it. ambien isn't really the safest medicine out there, but it's better than not sleeping.
I am 19 years old.

21. Posted by sally on March 17, 2007

I have been taking Ambien for about 5 years now. I've done some really stupid things, driven, taken my dogs out for walks, amongst many others, while on this drug. I don't remember half of the things i do, i have to be reminded the next day by my roommate, and it just makes you feel so stupid. I always get on my friends for driving when they've had a little to drink, but yet i go out and drive on this drug... I've gotten lucky that I have not harmed myself or especially anyone else... I just can't seem to get off this drug though... i think it has a mental hold over me... atleast that's what it feels like... I know the things i've done are wrong, I'd like to say i'm sorry and i'll never do them again, but half the time, i dont know what i'm doing nor do i remember it in the morning... I need to get off of this harmful drug before there's no tomorrow for me

22. Posted by Rhiannon 26 yrs old on April 18, 2007

I have taken Ambien for the past year and it seems that the longer I'm on it, the longer it takes to work (now up to an hour after I take it). In the past two weeks 2 cartons of ice cream have "mysteriously disappeared" from our freezer! Evidently, I ate it during the night. It wasn't discovered until days later, after the trash was long gone. We thought an overnight guest had eaten the rest of the first carton. Then a week later the second carton was gone! I am convinced now after hearing about nocturnal eating caused by Ambien that this is the case with me! I need to get back into my doctor but am afraid until I can make an appointment after the weekend that stopping the drug cold turkey would not be good. On the other hand, I'm afraid to take it! Any suggestions??? Thanks!

23. Posted by Georgia on April 27, 2007

I use it about twice a month and haven’t had any side effects. It just makes me a little sleepy so it is easier to go to bed. My husband is a completely different story.
He tried Ambien twice and had crazy side effects. He behaved like he was really, really drunk. After taking it the first night, he was going to walk to his nephew’s house a couple of blocks away and went the wrong way, then argued that he was correct. He kept stumbling and slurring his words like he was completely wasted. On the way home he tried to go into our next door neighbor’s house and kept arguing that it was our home. He kept asking to go for a drive. He had no recollection of this the next day. The next night he tried it again and had the same problems. He was a completely different person. He couldn't comprehend anything I was saying to him and I could hardly understand what he was saying. Also, after I wouldn't let him leave the house, he kept trying to lie down on the floor and sleep when he wasn't telling me over and over how much he loves me. Of course, he had no recollection of the second night either. Since then, he found an article in a magazine that told stories of people doing similar things like gaining tons of weight because they get up at night to eat and getting in car accidents because they get behind the wheel in this EXTREMELY drugged state of mind. None of them had any memory of these events either.

24. Posted by Heather on May 14, 2007

Hi I have been taking stilnox (Ambien) for almost 2 years now, 10mg and 12mg CR I know I have a problem as I cant sleep now with out them, not to mention all the side affects I have the dizzyness during the day is the worst I take normally atleast 3 tabs a night, dont know what to do Im a bit scared to be honest but know I need help its destroying me slowly, I live in Brisbane Australia, will try anything if you can help thanks M

25. Posted by Mat on May 15, 2007

I have been taking 5 mg. Ambien for over 7 years - I just recently went to 10mg. I fall asleep immediately and stay that way all night. The only problem is if you talk to me at all while I'm sleeping, there is NO telling what I'll say or do. And, believe me... it's not like me and I have NO memory at all of it the next day. Now, I wake with a feeling of dread each morning wondering what stupid thing I did and if I made my husband mad again. So, now I'm so anxious I'm taking Cymbalta for over-anxiety. Sounds messed up to me. The other night I got up to go to the bathroom and almost fell - I have a really nasty bruise to show for it, but other than that, nothing! If (and I try really hard for this never to happen) I ever miss a dose of Ambien, I feel like I have the flu the next day - dizzy, muscle aches... can't funtion. Has anyone tried any of the other newer sleep aids with better results?

26. Posted by Susan on June 14, 2007

Holy cow. What a generation of cry babies. The truly effective sleep medication are actually harmless (ie reds, rainbows, and others). Ambiem is a joke compared to effective sleeping pills. Has everybody in the country drank of the DEA scare "kool aid"?

27. Posted by larry hardin on July 3, 2007

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28. Posted by Les on July 17, 2007

I had been taking Ambien for about two years. During that time I have had several occasions where I did things I canot remember. Once I went to work and was driving crazy not like me at all and I was having black periods. I went home thinking I might have had a stroke. Many people told me that my personality changed or that I would become zombie like. My wife even told me once that I had had rough sex with her and that I became someone she never even knew, again she thought I had had a small stroke as I was acting very odd.
Since I have stopped taking Ambien my life has gone back to normal again. I wouldn't recommend this drug to anyone.
We even had a case in our town where a teenage girl accused two young men of rapng her while she was on Ambien and with that story and the breaking news about the side effects people were having made me stop taking this drug.
My life s so much better now that I have.

29. Posted by Jerry Evans on August 8, 2007

I've taken Ambien on maybe 12 different evenings (when needed) and it's worked great for me. I never awake during the night. Make sure to go to bed within 15 min. of taking it since it hits you hard. I've heard bad stories from others, but I haven't had any problems myself. Everyone is different. Some nights I take Melatonin or Rest Ez instead (natural sleep aids).

30. Posted by julie on August 21, 2007

Be very cautious with Ambien. I found that the potential for wicked interactions with common SSRIs like Effexor, and really weird interactions with even a little alcohol, can make this drug very dangerous. I experienced some really abberational behavior (vandalism, believe it or not) of which I have no real memory. I was arrested, which was the first real indication I had that something was going on and I haven't touched Ambien since! It may work for some people but the risk of very strange side effects is real!

31. Posted by Turtle on August 28, 2007

I have had abnormal feelings of violence this week after having taken two ambien...BUT I need to add that I am very stressed by my job and this may account for some or all of it, but it has ruined my anniversary weekend (not feeling violent toward spouse or family, just the rest of the f#^#$%king world). Anyway I've only found one other comment that showed these symptoms so I can't say for sure that its the ambien.

32. Posted by D on September 1, 2007

Hello: My dad (75 yrs. old) has been taking Ambien for several years now. Recently, when I was staying with him during the summer (in a summer cottage -- not his own home), he had several episodes of walking around in the night, would cry loudly and be generally upset and agitated and despairing. One night I found him with his night shorts down and he had urinated on himself. He remembered none of these episodes the next day. Needless to say, this was scary for me, and for him too. He decided to discontinue use of Ambien and any sleep aids and has not had a single episode since. In addition, he had been having alot of difficulty with balance and steadiness in his walk. He saw a neurologist for this because he was so concerned. The doctor felt it was probably related to his Type 2 diabetes. But since he discontinued the Ambien, he has been so much steadier on his feet! Has anyone else had this type of neurological issue with Ambien?

33. Posted by Beth on September 3, 2007

this shit sucks.

34. Posted by fuckkkkk on September 5, 2007

made me weepy, crying over nothing.

35. Posted by Anonymous on September 10, 2007

Ambien is awesome when used as directed. My experience is you truly have to go to bed right away, because if you remain conscious when it kicks in, watch out! You will buy a ton of crap off ebay you dont need, have a deep meaningful conversation with the sofa and then quite possibly wear the cat on your head. Really weird sh*t, but when used properly, it works for me, with little to know effect the next day.

36. Posted by Andy J on September 10, 2007

I took Ambien daily for two months then tapered off in two days. I was able to fall asleep without a problem since the stress related situation in my life resolved. Now, I have suffered with high-pitched shrill ringing in my head on one side ever since.
Has anyone developed tinnitus upon d/c Ambien ?

37. Posted by gail on September 13, 2007

That Ambien has me feeling dizzy, every thing spins arounf. My body aches, I feel sick in the stomach. I an just a mess. I have never felt so awful.

38. Posted by Anonymous on September 17, 2007

I've been taking Ambien for 2 years now. I take it around 6pm, by 7pm I have a stronge urge to go shopping. I go to walmart and buy things I don't need. I've been told by friends that see me there, that i don't recognize them. I walk around the store in a trance, grabbing things from shelves and throwing them into my cart. When i arrive home, I start eating everything in my refrigerator and cabinets with out knowing that I have eaten until the next morning. I have gained so much weight and I am broke now from these pills. When I wake up in the morning, my apartment is filled with laundry fabric softner and my garbage is filled with all the empty food containers. The other day, before I took the pill, I went to my freezer to eat some ice cream, that I had bought the day before, and it was empty. These are the only side effects that I have noticed. I am a 29 year old female. I do wish there was a Target store closer by, I like them better than Walmart :).

P.S. I also have the urge to crochet while I'm in this Ambien coma. Maybe I can start selling these items for my addiction.

Thanks for listening.

39. Posted by Ambien Taker on September 19, 2007

The Dr. gave Ambien to my husband after his surgery. He hasn't slept in 3 days. The first night he took it wasn't too bad. He growled a lot. Second night he would wake up screaming, having aweful dreams. He skipped a night and took it again. The same thing happened, really bad dreams, waking up screaming. I'm tossing out the rest of this medication, not sleeping will be better....

40. Posted by Pam on September 22, 2007

monthly pill 150mg, In 12 hrs nausea,abdominal pain. In 18 hrs severe spine, muscle, and head pain, influenza-like illness, fever, insomnia, arm, leg and hip pain. Chest pain around heart. Liver, panceriacus, spleen sore. (Diabetic) glucose points up 50 points higher. BLood pressure was up (152/92-pulse 91) Taking Aleve to relieve pain (4) days later I'm still in muscle pain. . Will talk to Dr. Tomorrow (5-21-07) about not taking this again and will scold him for giving it to me and for not answering my call for help on the Friday the day after it

41. Posted by Joan. S Newton on September 28, 2007

When i take ambien, i become really paranoid. I was talking to my girlfriend and, in a very drowsy state, flipped out on her like i thought she was seeing someone else. Also, i hallucinate about anything and everything. I once thought i was at a county fair.

42. Posted by matt on October 1, 2007

Ambien helped me sleep, for sure. It was wonderful. A good night's sleep without waking up all hours and watching the clock. Even got rid of 95% of those debilitating nightmares I've had for years and years where I'd wake up crying or screaming or depressed -- well, most of that stopped with Ambien! I was thrilled about that. However, the itchiness, burning, pins and needles everywhere on my body is intense and driving me insane. The muscle pains aren't fun either. I'm stopping Ambiem cold turkey now that I know that's what's causing it! I'll almost welcome the nightmares!

43. Posted by Lynne on October 8, 2007

I've taken Ambien to help fall asleep with post-surgery pain. It works like a champ if you can dedicate a full 8-hours to sleeping. No side-effects to report. I'm a 37 year old male.

44. Posted by Todd on October 10, 2007

I took Ambien CR to try to recover for a long trip from Africa and adjust for the time zone change. Next day my wife told me that she woke up and found me trying to open the house's door, when she asked me what I was doing she said that I replied "I need to go to the bathroom", then she had to show me how to get there. I still cannot remember anything about this bizarre episode.

45. Posted by Bruno on October 12, 2007

I do not recommend this drug. I've taken it for the past 2 nights for sleepnessness and my family says I've acted very strangly. I was talking nonsense and I grabbed my son's arm and wouldn't let go. I was laughing and calling him "weak". I do not remember any of this. This frightens me and I'll NEVER take this again!

46. Posted by mcain on October 12, 2007

Ambien CR 12.5 mg puts me to sleep and keeps me asleep. I wake without any hangover or ill effects.
Generic Ambien, however, makes me feel like crap the following day.

47. Posted by Stealth on October 17, 2007

I am upset reading these comments as I realize that I too had a bad reaction to this medication. I was only on it a couple of weeks, but during that time I became emotionally strung out - seriously anxious and paranoid. I had racing thoughts and exhibited compulsive behavior. I was extremely emotional. My best friend wrote me a heart-to-heart email saying she was worried. I needed to slow down and get grip. I was doing things like locking my keys in the car, leaving my wallet at home when I went to the store, getting in the car to go somewhere and not being able to remember where I was going. To make matters worse, I was combining Ambien with SSRIs, and going out and having a few drinks. I had headaches in the morning and felt weird. I started getting up at night and eating at 2 and 3 in the mornng - I was compltely aware of doing so, but that's never been a normal thing for me to do. At one point was feeling sick on my stomach for about three days in a row and I thought i was getting the flu. Now I read that others were experiencing flu-like symptoms.

I am very sad about all this because it affected my persoanl relationships. My best friend was so patient but it must have tested her patience to have me calling her at work three times a day and then at night too. I was out of control emotionally. I was sleeping OK, but never felt rested. In fact, I felt exhausted.

48. Posted by Marcia on October 20, 2007

I have taken Ambien off & on for years; I recently started taking again. I would take 1 15 minutes prior to bed time only to wake up doing odd things and even taking more ambien. One night I counted my pills before going to sleep & I counted 15 - the next day when I woke up there were none! My whole personality changed; I went into a rage w/my roommate, cooking (not remembering) nearly burning our apartment down; calling people; sending non readable text messages & ironing my roommate's uniforms at 2 a.m. & I am so embarrased. What if I had hurt someone? What if I had killed myself? Please, please be careful with this drug.

49. Posted by Tina on October 28, 2007

18 Year-old Female: I have been taking Ambien for about a week now. Last night I ate half a cake and screamed at my mother for a full hour AND I DON'T REMEMBER ANY OF IT! Apparently I sat on the stairs and cried and screamed. I didn't even know about it until she mentioned it at breakfast this morning. I've had horrible nightmares - waking up crying in the middle of the night.

50. Posted by Rachel on October 28, 2007

I developed sleep problems when i was about 16 (im now 21). i started by takeing melatonin at 1/3mg pill a night. it soon turned in to 6 to 10. i still couldn't sleep so i would take some of my moms Ambien and then finally got my own at 10mg. i only took one a night. the thing is i was having hallucinations and never really thought about it untill i almost hit a wall in my car. they thought i was having seizurs so i have done numerous MRI's and EEG's. For me all of a sudden i get vertigo, sick to my stomach, and have visual hallucinations. They have no pattern at all (or so i thought). Saturday night i took an ambien for the first time in a really long time so i could get to sleep because i had to be up early. Sunday night at work and this morning(monday) i had a total of 4 episodes (which i call seizures because i don't have a better way of explaining them). I hadn't had any of these episodes in 6 months and then i took an ambien and had 4. i finally think i figured out what the problem was.

but other than that i have had sex with a girl i hardly knew after taking ambien (she had been trying to get my to sleep with her other times when i hadn't taken it and i always said no) and don't remember almost any of it. I almost failed out of college cause my mood was ALL over the place. I am a very sensible person most of the time and while taking ambien i (6' 200lbs) punched a guy that was 6'5" and 285 in the face without even thinking about it because my aggression was sky high.

feel free to ask me questions.

im not saying ambien is horrible for everyone but be very careful with any drug you take

51. Posted by James on October 29, 2007

Marcia

I can so relate to your comments on ambien. I do all the weird stuff at night that everyone else talks about..What scares me is the constant senior moments during the day. Anyone else feel this way? I walk into rooms and forget why i am there. Open a phone book and forget what i am looking up. Go online and forget why. It's really effecting me at work. Anyone else experiencing problems during the day after taking ambien the night before. I sometimes have trouble finishing a thought because it escapes me half way through a conversation. I am 36.

52. Posted by liz on October 30, 2007

I never realized how common these amnesia and personality change symptoms were until coming to this site. It is quite shocking to me. I am also experiencing these problems if I don't go to bed soon after I take the Ambien. There have been so many nights where I've eaten food that I have no recollection at all of eating. I've been on Ambien almost a year and have never felt worse. I never realized that the Ambien could be the cause of it since I have always been a depressed person. Ambien works great for sleeping, and very quickly too. But I wouldn't recommend using it unless you had plans to go right to bed after taking it.

53. Posted by Jen M on November 1, 2007

I am a 33 year old female who started taking Ambien 3 months ago. It helps me sleep better than anything I have ever taken. I suggest taking it and going straight to bed. I do not remember ANYTHING the next day after taking it. Has anyone else noticed an increase in cystic acne since you have been taking Ambien? My skin was clear unitl I started taking it, but now I have these huge bumps all over my chin.

54. Posted by Alli P on November 9, 2007

I took Ambien CR every night for about a month, when it suddenly stopped working. The next three nights I got about two hours of very broken sleep each night. Now, even though I haven't been taking it for over a week, I'm lucky to get even 6 hours' sleep a night. I think the Ambien backfired on me, but I haven't read any similar experiences.

55. Posted by gail on November 9, 2007

I took ambien for the very first time last night. I stayed at my friends house and I had taken the pill while sitting on her bed. I just sat up and waited for it to hit me. I was reading a text message on my phone and then my friend asked me a question so I looked up and all of a sudden, I just felt severly drunk. It was only 10 minutes after taking the medicine. I was slurring my words, feeling super dizzy and nautious and the worst of all, I started to hallucinate. She had some blankets on the end of her bed and they started to creep upwards toward me. I also started seeing her calender move like the ending credits in a movie. It was so strange. The last thing I remember doing was looking up the side effects of ambien on my sidekick and barely being able to read them off to my friend, let alone look at my phone (just staring at my phone made me feel even worse because the light was making me dizzier). It was one of the weirdest and most horrible expieriences of my life. I felt like a drunk who drank way too much and maybe took a small hit of acid. It was terrible and I had trouble swallowing all night.

56. Posted by krisniko on November 13, 2007

I am a 52 year male and have never had any problem with any medication I've ever been prescribed. I suffer from insomnia and was prescribed ambien two weeks ago. WHAT A NIGHTMARE! Right off, I knew something was wrong. I started getting racing thoughts, and lots of negative thinking. It didn't even work that well for insomnia. Then I made the big mistake of combining ambien with benadryl (anti histamine). The next day, I almost had a complete break down; pounding heart, the shakes, terrible headache, loud ringing in my ears. Then, my right arm went numb and I thought I was having a stroke. I really thought I was dying. My wife took me right to the doctor, who told me he sees lots of bad reactions to ambien, especially when it is combined with anti histamines. Why the hell didn't he tell me that when he first prescribed it? Needless to say, I stopped taking it, and have almost recovered totally. I still feel a little spaced out. I am not one of these "sensitive" types, who has a problem with most medications. Nothing has ever bothered me before, until this stuff. Real horrible stuff.

57. Posted by Jeff on November 14, 2007

I took Ambien for a couple of years in the early 2000's and very early on I noticed memory loss. I talked to my doctor about it and he told me he had not heard that memory loss was a side effect of Ambien. I continued taking Ambien for many months and my memory loss continued to worsen. Again I spoke to my doctor and again he said he had not heard of my side effects from Ambien and recommended I keep taking it. After taking Ambien for such a long time I began to experience long term memory loss and a lack of feeling of guilt plus, I experienced serious depression. All of this led to me doing some crazy things that ruined my career and almost destroyed my family life, most of which I don't remember. I stopped taking Ambien against the advice of my doctor and now, years later, my life is normal again. Ambien is dangerous when used for too long a period and should only be used for short term sleeping problems. My father also took Ambien for a while and he experienced serious problems with sleep walking and memory problems as well.

58. Posted by David on November 23, 2007

After reading several of the postings, I now realize that I have not been going out of my mind all this time. I have been taking Ambien off and on now for about 4 1/2 yrs for a variety of reasons. Sometimes in order to get a good nights rest while traveling, other times it was to get a good nights rest after a several restless nights. Under these conditions, Ambien couldn't have worked better for me! Rewind to seven months ago. I had a traumatic experience that left me feeling extremely anxious, especially at night when I was trying to go to sleep. So I did what came naturally to me and turned to my trusty little Ambien (5mg) pill to help me sleep. This would eventually lead to my continued (almost nightly) use of Ambien over the last several months. In the beginning it worked fine for me. However, after continued nightly use I started to notice that my thoughts would go blank during the day, sometimes it seemed like I couldn't finish a thought in the middle of a sentence. I can relate to the posting about walking into a room and forgetting what I was going in there for or losing my keys. My boyfriend and I live together and he noticed a change in my personality as well. If I didn't go to bed right away after taking Ambien, I found myself resisting sleep and it was those nights that the side effects were the worse. I would become very emotional and begin to babble about nothing. Sometimes I would hallucinate. The shadows in the room would begin to move and that would cause me to have anxiety, which kept me from falling asleep. There have been nights when I have called people in the middle of the night, again, babbeling about nothing. In the beginning, I thought that I was losing it. That I didn't have the resources to deal with life's sometimes traumatic experiences. About two weeks ago, I had an episode with Ambien that has left me very reluctant to take the drug again. My boyfriend and I were getting ready to go to bed so I took an Ambien like I had on so many previous night. In bed, I didn't fall asleep right away. I begain to babble and became unresonable in my thoughts. He was trying to sleep, so he told me relax so I could fall asleep. I begain arguing with him and became so annoying that he went downstairs to sleep on the couch. It wasn't enough that I kept him from sleeping, I had to call my sister-in-law and tell her about how I couldn't sleep and got overly emotional about things that had happened in the past. Then it was my best friends turn, my brother, and finally a work collegue. I didn't remember speaking to anyone that night. It has startled me enough that I have decided to stop taking Ambien for the time being. I haven't been sleeping very well over the past two weeks, but I'm determined to let my body adjust to not having a sleep aid on board. For me, long term use of this drug resulted in a poor side effect profile. That's not to say, however, that I will never use Ambien again for short term use. (ie. traveling) It has worked well for me in the past and I'm sure it will again, just not every night for seven months straight.

59. Posted by T.K. on November 25, 2007

I am convinced that Ambien caused me to become a compulsive gambler. I just saw the 60 Minutes piece tonight about Ambien being used on patients in a vegetative state who have mysteriously had "awakenings" when given Ambien. Anderson Cooper said that Ambien works by effecting areas in the frontal lobe of the brain, which is also the area that is responsible for rational decision making. The warnings on the Ambien label say that it can cause hallucinations and irrational thinking. Any others with a gambling problem that they think was exaccerbated by Ambien?

60. Posted by Bazz on November 25, 2007

Personally, I liked Ambien... but, then again my husband would tell me that I tossed and turned all night and sleepwalked... I think it might cause a temporary amnesia so a person believes they slept well when they didn't. SleepWalking, Driving, etc seems to be more related to having an alcoholic beverage and then taking ambien.

61. Posted by Anonymous on December 1, 2007

Personally, I liked Ambien... but, then again my husband would tell me that I tossed and turned all night and sleepwalked... I think it might cause a temporary amnesia so a person believes they slept well when they didn't. SleepWalking, Driving, etc seems to be more related to having an alcoholic beverage and then taking ambien.

62. Posted by Doris A. Shaner on December 1, 2007

I'm 20 years old and a couple of months ago my roommate had a prescription for Ambien 10mg. He decided not to take them any longer so I asked him for them, because I couldn't sleep. They work well if you take just 1... but I had the wise idea of taking them recreationally. Every night for 3 weeks I took Ambien, quickly grew a tolerance. I built such a tolerance that 50mg wouldn't affect me. I was finally up to 7 pills a night before I finally told myself I needed to quit. I would have entire conversations with friends and not remember it. One morning I woke up and noticed I had messed my pants. I would have auditory and visual hallucinations, one night I was convinced I was in a bar and sat in the middle of the living room trying to order drinks. I only know this because I was babbling in IMs to my friend about it while I was doing it, and saw the log the next morning. I would draw pictures on the computer and have no recollection of doing it. One night I decided to destroy a CD tower for no apparent reason.. that I had bought at Walmart a couple of days before. One night I recall just totally falling out of my chair onto the floor. Some days I would sleep entirely through. I am now suffering from major panic attacks, my sleep is suffering greatly. Part of the reason why I'm writing this at 12am. I'm constipated, my depression is much worse, I have suicidal thoughts and horrible nightmares. I have muscle spasms as well. I was a total idiot to have ever decided to abuse Ambien. Hopefully my story will prevent anyone from doing it.

63. Posted by Justin on December 4, 2007

hi! i am a producer at the mike and juliet show. we are doing a story about ambien and would love to hear about your experience with it. please email me asap at morning_show@hotmail.com to tell me your story! we are taping this Fri 12/7 in NYC and will provide all transportation. Thank you!

64. Posted by morningshow on December 5, 2007

hi! i am a producer at the mike and juliet show. we are doing a story about ambien and would love to hear about your experience with it. please email me asap at morning_show@hotmail.com to tell me your story! we are taping this Fri 12/7 in NYC and will provide all transportation. Thank you!

65. Posted by morningshow on December 5, 2007

I used ambien for a couple of weeks a few years ago. According to my family, one of the many things I did was low crawl through the house like a SWAT member clearing each room. I pretended I was firing a make believe handgun in each of the rooms and said I was kiling the bad guys. The scary thing is that I don't remember a thing. I have several handguns in the house, I could have killed someone and would not have known it. I will never take it again! If you do try the medication, make sure you are not alone until you know what effect it will have on you. I did sleep like a baby.

66. Posted by Kim on December 5, 2007

We spent the night in the ER yesterday with my daughter after she took Ambien. She was behaving as though she was extremely drunk, slurring her words, combative, falling down, doing and saying bizarre things. The drug screen showed the presence of Ambien and Lortab (prescribed for a chronic orthopedic injury). He said the amounts were not high consistent with her memory of taking them the night before. She had been acting like this on and off for about a year. Looking back, it corresponds to when she was having more trouble sleeping and took the Ambien. She is now feeling so guilty and so ashamed for her aberrant behavior. She doesn't remember her actions and was angry when we would tell her that she was acting "wierd". She would always say that she was just tired . Well, after this ER trip this Rx of Ambien was sent down the kitchen disposal in a hurry. It helps to know that she is not alone and that her actions are consistent with others who apparently have a sensitivity to it. My oldest daughter also suffers from insomnia and takes Ambien but has not experienced the same problems. Thanks to all who have shared their experiences. It gives some comfort.

67. Posted by Dee on December 7, 2007

Ambien is a dangerous drug and I believe should be taken off the market. My husband took Ambien CR for six months almost every nite. After four months - he became very depressed and was diagnosed with major depression. He also became suicidal. He had a significant personality change - he was not like himself at all. Unable to make decisions and very withdrawn. At the same time his sister was also taking Ambien for restless leg syndrome. After two months of taking it every nite she also became very depressed and suffered amnesia, weird behavior episodes and not remembering eating large amounts of food. She also is a nurse and was hearing similar stories from patients that had been on Ambien at the clinic she worked at. After hearing all of this and reading this website,both my husband and sister immediately stopped the Ambien and within a week have felt much better and have not felt depressed. I do not believe this is a coincidence. The FDA needs to get involved in studying the effects of this drug. I would caution anyone against using this drug - there are many other prescriptions for sleep that dont have these side effects.

68. Posted by Amy on December 8, 2007

I am an 51 year-old male who started taking Ambien occasionally for insomnia which began about a year ago. I have used fewer than 50 10mg tabs over that time. When I need them now, typically about once a week, I usually break them in half. Normally I am out within 15 minutes and sleep soundly for at least six hours. Thankfully, I have had none of the somnambulant or other weird episodes reported by others.

However, on two occasions now I have awakened within an hour or two of taking Ambien, feeling hot and anxious. When this happens, I can barely move my body but I am wide awake. On both occasions I was able to struggle out of bed and take the other half of the pill. The first time I fell asleep quickly after, but the second time I lay awake for a half hour afterwards becoming increasingly anxious, sweaty, almost frantic.

Eventually I did fall asleep, but this last incident particularly was very disturbing, and I don't know whether to blame the Ambien or the underlying anxieties which are probably the root cause of the insomnia. Waking after a couple of hours feeling hot and anxious is not one of the Ambien side-effects I've ever heard described, so I am wondering if anyone has experienced anything like it.

69. Posted by Joel on December 18, 2007

Please be very careful when you take ambien cr. I have had 2 trips to the emergency room thinking I was having a stroke or heart attack. Symptoms were bad headache, chest pain, neck pain, back pain, tingling and pain in arm, chills and dizziness. I was told I was ok after many heart tests. Each time I asked them if the sleeping pills could have caused this and was told no even by my regular doctor who tried to put me on lexapro saying it was anxiety. I refused to take it and did some research on my own at the Mayo Clinic website where there were many of my symptoms listed under less common side affects or rare side affects. You must look out for yourself and do research for your own good.

70. Posted by Darlene on December 19, 2007

in my earlier post I forgot to mention a racing heartbeat which I was told was a heart murmur that I never had before taking ambien cr. My blood pressure went sky high during what I call attacks that would come out of nowhere. Also I was tired and so out of it most of the time with bad headaches. I also had chills and lost my balance a lot.

71. Posted by Darlene on December 19, 2007

in my earlier post I forgot to mention a racing heartbeat which I was told was a heart murmur that I never had before taking ambien cr. My blood pressure went sky high during what I call attacks that would come out of nowhere. Also I was tired and so out of it most of the time with bad headaches. I also had chills and lost my balance a lot.

72. Posted by Darlene on December 19, 2007

I also forgot to mention the ringing in my ears was loud and so annoying. I really think people should go to the Mayo Clinic web-site and type in Ambien CR and you will be surprised at all the side affects

73. Posted by Darlene on December 19, 2007

You need to be careful when you take any drug, and aware of the potential side-effects. Every drug has a scary list of potential side-effects as long as your arm. If a drug does not work for you, you certainly should not be taking it. Ambien has worked for me 99% of the time without issues. I'm not wild about this or any drug really, and take it as little as possible. But it sure beats laying awake all night. What concerns me is the very occasional and seemingly random occurrence of a side-effect which is not in that long list. I'd like to know whether it can be attributed to the Ambien or something else.

74. Posted by Joel on December 20, 2007

Have been on Ambien 12.5mg then Zolpedin 10mg for about 8 months. I'm experiencing the anxiety side effect as described in some of the posts here. I have a week off coming up when I would like to get off of it.

Can anyone estimate the amount of time I might expect to withdraw?

Also, I would be interested in any natural supplement options that people have had success with after getting off of Ambien.

Thank you.

75. Posted by Dan on December 27, 2007

I'm a 65 yr old male. I have had at least three separate incidents of amnesia from Ambien. The worst incident occurred about an hour after I took it. I woke my wife talking and laughing and speaking Thai. After some time spent trying to get me to make sense, she called EMS. I was giving bizarre answers to questions, not providing my wife's name or my children's names correctly and answering many questions with nonsense, singing or breaking into Thai, a language I understand but noone else did. In the ER, the ER MD was baffled. They did a lumbar puncture, CT Scan, blood tests, x-rays... thinking I might have had a stroke or meningitis. Neither EMS nor ER figured it out even though being told I had taken Ambien. So don't assume that medical personnel will recognize the symptoms. About 6 hours later while in ER, I suddenly came out of the amnestic state, asked where I was, provided correct answers to all questions, and was released. I remember none of the period between going to bed and 7 hours later in the ER, and there was much activity that I missed. I had two lesser incidents, one of which made it clear to me that Ambien was the culprit. I am a psychotherapist in private practice. Since then, I have discovered several of my patients reporting similar incidents. After a little research, it turns out that Ambien is similar to Halcion which had a similar fate in the marketplace. Do not take Ambien without supervision. Amnesia is not uncommon and judgement is severly impaired. The amnesia may happen days, weeks, or months after starting the drug.

76. Posted by Byron on December 28, 2007

Dan: I've had some success with Melatonin. I take it two or more hours before bedtime. I've read that half the dose normally found in a tablet is enough, which seems to be the case. It often helps me get to sleep, but doesn't do anything for wakefulness in the middle of the night, which is at least as much of a problem for me as falling asleep.

Byron: That is one scary story.

77. Posted by Joel on December 31, 2007

That's not my real email address. I wasn't going to comment here, but feel it is my duty to my fellow insomniacs. Ambien is SHIT. It quit working for me after a few weeks. Actually, the first night I used it KEPT me awake for 3 hours. Before I quit using it a few days ago it was helping me get to sleep, but then I would wake up 4 hours later and couldn't get back to sleep. But MORE importantly, even if I got 6 or 7 hours of sleep, the next day was hell. I got headaches, dizziness, a few chills, and an upset stomach. The "side effect" percentages they post on the medical sites are lies as far as I am concerned. They should put the people who fabricated those percentages in prison. It says only ONE or TWO percent of the people who take it get dizzy. My pharamacist laughed at that number; it is much higher!! I'm back to taking Benedryl or Unisom (both quite safe). They don't work real well, but it beats taking nothing. The other perscription drugs I took left me with a bad hangover (extreme tiredness). But Ambien is the most overrated drug I have ever used. TOTAL SHIT!

78. Posted by Jim on January 5, 2008

I've been on ambien for bout 5 or 6 yrs now, its addicting but I've never taken it and done weird things(id rather not take the chance) .. I take it around 9 or 10 , takes about 30 minutes to kick in.. Keeps me asleep for about 3 hrs then im back up ,wide eyed mad cuz I can't sleep.. Usually ill take an other half and fall asleep for 2 hours, wake up with a horrible horrible headache, usually wear the excedrin migraines come in.. That's my everyday since I've taken ambien..sometimes ill run out of ambien and jus do benedryl and it helps me sleep ur body jus has to get used of u not givin it ambien, after a few nites it works...I've noticed on my benedryl nites I may wake up a lil goggy but never with a migraine..

79. Posted by luvgoddess on January 6, 2008

I've been on ambien for bout 5 or 6 yrs now, its addicting but I've never taken it and done weird things(id rather not take the chance) .. I take it around 9 or 10 , takes about 30 minutes to kick in.. Keeps me asleep for about 3 hrs then im back up ,wide eyed mad cuz I can't sleep.. Usually ill take an other half and fall asleep for 2 hours, wake up with a horrible horrible headache, usually wear the excedrin migraines come in.. That's my everyday since I've taken ambien..sometimes ill run out of ambien and jus do benedryl and it helps me sleep ur body jus has to get used of u not givin it ambien, after a few nites it works...I've noticed on my benedryl nites I may wake up a lil goggy but never with a migraine..

80. Posted by luvgoddess on January 6, 2008

I have been taking Ambien for about three years now. I take one every night. I liked Ambien at first because it seemed to put me right to sleep, and then I would wake up bright eyed and ready to go. The problem I have with it, aside from the fact that it usually wears off mid-night, is the fact that I am pretty sure I can't sleep with out it. Well, I am sure, I am definatley sure because I have tried but have been unsuccessful. I have read many of these posts and most seem to talk about the fact that weird stuff has happened when they were under the influence of the drug. The issue I have with this complaint is that, it's a drug, an unnatural substance, and it is going to obvioulsy affect people differently. It's a sleep aid. I mean Ambien is going to make you feel like you have amnesia, or say dumb things that you may not usually say, because it is a drug that is intended to put you to sleep. If you decide to stay up, and chat w/ your wife or hang out with your kids, or drive a car, after taking ambien, then you are not going to be your normal self. Anyways, that is really the only thing I wanted to say about some of the previous posts. I am in no way defending Ambien because I have actually started to loathe it. I have developed an dependancy on it and I honestly feel as though I have forgotten (no pun intended) how to fall asleep on my own. I fall asleep each night when I feel the ambien hit me. Anyways... I have tried melatonin and it just doesn't work. Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to keep taking the ambien because I am a healthy 26 year old and really should be able to fall asleep with out the aid of a pill.

Thanks

81. Posted by lucy on January 8, 2008

I have been taking Ambien for about three years now. I take one every night. I liked Ambien at first because it seemed to put me right to sleep, and then I would wake up bright eyed and ready to go. The problem I have with it, aside from the fact that it usually wears off mid-night, is the fact that I am pretty sure I can't sleep with out it. Well, I am sure, I am definatley sure because I have tried but have been unsuccessful. I have read many of these posts and most seem to talk about the fact that weird stuff has happened when they were under the influence of the drug. The issue I have with this complaint is that, it's a drug, an unnatural substance, and it is going to obvioulsy affect people differently. It's a sleep aid. I mean Ambien is going to make you feel like you have amnesia, or say dumb things that you may not usually say, because it is a drug that is intended to put you to sleep. If you decide to stay up, and chat w/ your wife or hang out with your kids, or drive a car, after taking ambien, then you are not going to be your normal self. Anyways, that is really the only thing I wanted to say about some of the previous posts. I am in no way defending Ambien because I have actually started to loathe it. I have developed an dependancy on it and I honestly feel as though I have forgotten (no pun intended) how to fall asleep on my own. I fall asleep each night when I feel the ambien hit me. Anyways... I have tried melatonin and it just doesn't work. Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to keep taking the ambien because I am a healthy 26 year old and really should be able to fall asleep with out the aid of a pill.

Thanks

82. Posted by lucy on January 8, 2008

Woke up this moring with a plate on my bed and crumbs of fried meat stuck to my face. Walked into the kitchen to discover an empty pack of bacon and a grease filled frying pan with a spatula melted on it. I was later informed by my gf, I had hosted a slumber party that night attended by Will, Carlton, and Uncle Phil. 1 Ambien was missing from my drawer.

83. Posted by D. James III on January 8, 2008

I have taken Ambien for several years without too much trouble. Mostly just when needed for travel or after a couple of nights of not sleeping. It works for me.

My 15 year old daughter started taking it a few weeks ago to help her get through insomnia related to depression. She has episodes when she takes it. She gets really silly, can't walk, posts blogs online that she gets in trouble for and doesn't remember, walks around the house and wakes up her younger sister to talk.

A couple of nights ago, she went outside to a company truck and used the cell phone to text somebody who has been harrassing her. I saw the texts later, and they were very explicit. When I told her about them, she was horrified. She doesn't remember any of it. Now I hear about teenagers being more susceptible to Ambien side effects. Needless to say, she will never get another Ambien.

84. Posted by allthesma11things on January 11, 2008

I work 12 hour night shifts so i have trouble sleeping in the morning and since my sleep is very limited before i have to go to work i take 12.5mg of ambien and it works great i fall to sllep fast and when i wake up i feel like a brand new person i too have always had trouble slleping even before my midnight shift work but i have heard it is addictive so i only take it when i work if i am off i will just be up suffering all night i tried trazadone my mouth got so dry i had to wake up every half hour to drink a glass of water sometimes it would get so bad i would cough to the point i would spit up had to stop taking and cymbalta has the worst side effects ever

85. Posted by dsexy on January 12, 2008

Hi, My mother took Ambien for several years. The Dr. even increased her dosage. She had depression and crying episodes for the last year she was taking them. My sisters and I all tried to get her to quite taking them. She than started having serious memory problems. Finally after several years of taking them under a Doctor's prescription/they would say Sally is confused and disorganized when she came in but they never associated it with the ambien/ she threw the pills away. Too late....she now has dementia/alzhiemers? Our family history has absolutely no memory loss on any side going way back. I think it all came on due to ambien and someday it will come out that it can cause permanent memory loss. We love our mother and wish she had never taken this dangerous drug.

86. Posted by Mary N. on January 12, 2008

Have any of the chronic insomniacs who've posted here ever tried going to a sleep therapist? If you've been taking sedatives to sleep every night for years, as some report, then I can't imagine that your family doctor has never recommended therapy of some kind. Long term chronic insomnia is often a sign of other underlying health issues, physiological or psychological.

FWIW, I've found that the best long-term remedy for sleep issues (aside from dealing with the underlying causes) is good sleep habits. I read that people with insomnia should SLEEP ALONE in the darkest, quietest room in the house, and go to bed every night at the same time, religiously. It's true. For me, this regimen improves my results, gradually over a period of several days, if I'm coming off a bad night. I don't get a perfect night's sleep every night, but I haven't taken an Ambien in a couple of weeks and I feel much better for that alone. And when I feel better, I sleep better. It's a cycle which you cannot break if you're drugged all the time.

87. Posted by Joel on January 15, 2008

I took this stuff for approximately a month. After a couple weeks I became severely depressed and cried every day. I began to have severe anxiety with panic attacks in the morning which would subside around noon but then I felt as though I drank to much coffee the rest of the day. At night I would try to sleep and had these intense feelings of doom or terror which would go away after taking the Ambien. I realized I was suffering withdrawal symptoms as soon as the Ambien wore off. This stuff is toxic for me.

88. Posted by ken on January 20, 2008

I took Ambien for 3 days. First night I felt extremely confused and agitated. Although I immedieatly laid down to go to sleep after taking it I ended up getting back up because of how agitated my body felt. The confusion increased, I started hallucinating people in my room, I couldn't stop walking around and definitely didn't sleep that night. By morning the effects had worn off and I was exhausted. The next night I took it again thinking it was just a one time thing. The effects were the same. It was horrible, almost painful. The next night I took a decreased dose after speaking with my doctor. There wasn't any change and the effects were just as bad. That was the last time I took this medication. I was only 19 years old at the time. I am now 23 years old. At the hospital after my daughter was born 3 years ago I was offered Ambien to help me sleep, I obviously said no way! It's horrible and although the effects I had were likely uncommon it was miserable and scary.

89. Posted by anonymous on January 22, 2008

I took Ambien for about a year and sometimes would find out the next morning that I made purchases on the internet or ate something I didn't remember. The final straw with Ambien was when I took it, went to sleep, woke up 2 hours later and was found by the police in my car, still in my pajamas, with a wrecked front end. Luckily it was a curb I hit and not a person. But I did end up with a DWI conviction. The law doesn't care if you have a reaction to a drug. They care if you are under the influence of anything behind the wheel. I almost lost my nursing license because of this. I spent 36 hours in a jail cell. It's cost me a fortune. Nothing is worth this and I'd rather suffer from the insomnia.

90. Posted by Tami on January 23, 2008

I took Ambien for about a year and sometimes would find out the next morning that I made purchases on the internet or ate something I didn't remember. The final straw with Ambien was when I took it, went to sleep, woke up 2 hours later and was found by the police in my car, still in my pajamas, with a wrecked front end. Luckily it was a curb I hit and not a person. But I did end up with a DWI conviction. The law doesn't care if you have a reaction to a drug. They care if you are under the influence of anything behind the wheel. I almost lost my nursing license because of this. I spent 36 hours in a jail cell. It's cost me a fortune. Nothing is worth this and I'd rather suffer from the insomnia.

91. Posted by Tami on January 23, 2008

Isn't the whole point of taking this is help you fall alseep? Why would you be behind the wheel of a car? You should take it while laying in bed and close your eyes to rest. You should not be taking this every night. I found that when I actually shut off the TV, put a mask on my face and lay down, I get a full 8hrs of sleep and feel rested the next day. The only side effect I experice is if I have to wake up for work before I get the full 8hrs of sleep. In that case, I am drowsy until it wears off. So if you plan on getting up at 8am, make sure you take it at 11pm. 20 mins to set in and a 1/2 leadtime. :)

92. Posted by Maria on January 31, 2008

Isn't the whole point of taking this is help you fall alseep? Why would you be behind the wheel of a car? You should take it while laying in bed and close your eyes to rest. You should not be taking this every night. I found that when I actually shut off the TV, put a mask on my face and lay down, I get a full 8hrs of sleep and feel rested the next day. The only side effect I experice is if I have to wake up for work before I get the full 8hrs of sleep. In that case, I am drowsy until it wears off. So if you plan on getting up at 8am, make sure you take it at 11pm. 20 mins to set in and a 1/2 leadtime. :)

93. Posted by Maria on January 31, 2008

I have been taking Ambien for 7 years now. I am 24 years old. I love the drug. I can't sleep and sleep is very important to me so I take ambien. It has recenly stop working and I have to take 20mg. What reason do you all have for taking ambien? Just insomnia or other problems. My dr. want me treat me for depression but i am not going for it.

94. Posted by Crystal on February 2, 2008

when taken properly (as in taking it like 5 minutes b4 getting into bed) it works wonderfully, aside from the occassional vivid violent nightemares. however if you take it n dont go to sleep rite away, in my case i end up saying incoherant things n acting like a lunatic. one nite i forgot i had taken my pill around 9 and took another around 10, i ended up hallucinating (seeing people in my room and thinking i had participated in a gang bang) when really i was alone with my bf. iknew the people werent really in my room mentally, but i kept seeing them. its some strange shit

95. Posted by Anonymous on February 2, 2008

I am 65 yr old female and taking 5 mg Ambien daily for the last 3 years. I also take trazadone which I have been taking for over 20 years. The trazadone was a life saver for me. I had very early wakening and could not go back to sleep and thought about ending it all before it was prescribed to me. But in the last few years my cognitive thinking and memory has really become awful. It has effected my functioning at work. I went to a neurologist 1 week ago to see if this was normal ageing or something more insidious. But since then I have been reading about the effects of ambien. I'm going to try and phase off (very slowly) and see if my mind comes back. If so, I will cancel my appointment for an MRI of my brain. If anyone is interested in my results, email me at eestes2@gte.net.

96. Posted by Elaine on February 3, 2008

I took Ambien for 4 nights and was very anxious, had a racing heart, high blood pressure, and did not sleep well which was the reason I took it in the first place. Once I went off of it, I felt fine the next day.

97. Posted by Marcy on February 5, 2008

I took Ambien for 4 nights and was very anxious, had a racing heart, high blood pressure, and did not sleep well which was the reason I took it in the first place. Once I went off of it, I felt fine the next day.

98. Posted by Marcy on February 5, 2008

I've been taking Ambien for approximately 3 years now. I had and have chronic insomnia after a bought with depression. Although the depression ceased, the insomnia did not and my Dr. thought it was safe to continute taking it. Although there is a risk if dependency, I believe I pose a greater risk to my family, my communiy and myslef by going without sleep. One can only fuction for so long witout getting rest. This medication treats my symptoms of sleeplessness and allows me to wake up feeling refreshed. I have no halucinations and I can function just fine the next day. It is a great option to discuss with your Dr. if you have chronic trouble sleeping.

99. Posted by LM of arizona on February 6, 2008

I have had the same experience as others with Ambien - anxiety, racing thoughts, and hallucinations. It's always been advertised as the miracle drug for insomnia, but I'm convinced it is a dangerous drug from the research I've done, and what I've seen in my work (I work in the ER).
Trazadone has always been a much better choice for me personally, and not addictive, as well.

100. Posted by holly on February 7, 2008

This shit WILL make you crazy! Last night I took a pill then starting reading a article online while waiting for it to kick in. Next thing I know I'm talking to my fucking pillow which looked like some baby worm thing. Sat and watched the palm tree in a painting blow in high winds...5 feet from the damn wall in 3D!
I knew I should have went right to sleep but I kept reading and reading... No clue what I read but I think I covered half of wikipedia! I also felt shadowy "people" or "things" standing over my shoulders... speaking in tongue to me. Seriously, what the hell is in this shit! I haven't "tripped" like that since I was a teenager on 4 hits of Acid!
Anyway, after about an hour I was back to normal but left with that "what in the fuck?" feeling. Now today I feel like breaking somethings neck for no good reason. It's changing me, this is NOT me! Christ, I just wanted a good nights sleep! This shit is the devil maaaan! STAY AWAY!

101. Posted by theyspoketome on February 8, 2008

i have taken ambien cr for 2years. I have had some occasions of memory loss, but for the most part i think it is a godsend. Not only can I finally sleep for 8 hours straight, but it changes my personality, in a good way. I don't become violent, hallucinate or aggressive. I am very relaxed, outgoing, funny and my sex drive has shot through the roof.I deal with the memory issues by writing everything down. I also refuse to drive after taking it as well as limiting phone calls after taking it. These things are totally acceptable if that means i will actually sleep. I'm very sorry to those who have had so many problems.

102. Posted by kelly on February 9, 2008

Am I the only person who experienced sexual dysfunction on this medication?

103. Posted by Elizabeth on February 9, 2008

I have been taking ambien for about 2 months now. Taken properly it works very well, I get a good nights sleep and not tired the next day. The problem comes when you take it wrongly. Ambien acts very much like a benzodiazapene. It relieves anxiety and gives me a euphoria much greater than I have ever had from Xanax, valium, etc. Even though I know I should just take it and go to bed, i often take it and go watch tv or get on the internet. Not only do you feel good, but you make some really dumb decisions. I once signed up for a dating site and uploaded a picture of Rob Lowe as myself. I had no idea I had done that and i was so embarassed when I realized it. I also tend to eat a lot. It is honestly a bizarre drug. I have never taken something that completely alters your ability to reason. I don't do things that look drunk or crazy, i do well planned things that are just totally stupid. I am actually writing this post while on Ambien.

104. Posted by Tom on February 10, 2008

I don't understand most of these reactions...are people taking Ambien before they get into bed, i.e. while still up and wondering around..or are they taking it while actually in bed...which seems to me would be the best way to take it and THEN getting up out of bed and doing all these strange things?

105. Posted by sleeplessinTN on February 12, 2008

I don't understand most of these reactions...are people taking Ambien before they get into bed, i.e. while still up and wondering around..or are they taking it while actually in bed...which seems to me would be the best way to take it and THEN getting up out of bed and doing all these strange things?

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