About Ambien

Discussion forum about the side effects of Ambien. Share your experience and opinion about Ambien. What would you tell your best friend about this product? Please remember that we do not give medical advice. That is for your local health care provider, who is familiar with your medical history.

Ambien story
Date: 3/30/2006
Here is a terrible, frightening and BIZARRE incident that happened to my husband at the time. He was getting ready for bed and apparently (which I didn’t know until the next day) took more than the recommended dose of Ambien. I thought he went to bed and then he came out of the room naked and acting strange. He went to the garage and sat in the car with the radio blearing, completely naked. He wouldn’t talk to me or turn the radio down so I went back in the house. He always listened to music loud and of course I found it strange he was naked but was just frustrated because he wouldn’t talk to me or lower the radio because our son was sleeping. Minutes later the garage door opened and he drove off. Frantically I was calling his cell phone (which he left in the house) along with his wallet. I assumed he pulled some clothes out of the dryer in the garage and went for a ride.

Three hours later the cops took him home asking if I knew him. The owners of a local bar called them to take him home. He got out of the cruiser with my clothes on! He was my wearing short, white and tight gym shorts (I’m a size 5, he was about 38-40″ waist!)with no underwear, a tank top of mine that looked like a half shirt with his big belly hanging out, sunglasses and no shoes! He came in the house to crack eggs over bread and eat with ketchup.

I woke him up the next morning to get his ass out of bed and find the car, still not understanding what happened. He woke up in tears not knowing what happened or where he was. He had to call the police to find out where they picked him up. Apparently he was at a local bar for a few hours hanging out and the owners knew something was wrong with him (Ya think, he was wearing women’s clothes, no shoes and sunglasses!). He found the car which also had my heels in it! Scary and BIZZARE! I wouldn’t use it or recommend it to anyone! The sad thing is I think he still uses it to this day. Some people never learn!

K

Ambien nightmare
Date: 3/31/2006
do not use this drug – side effects from withdrawal is awful. It caused me to have a very rapid pulse and heart palpitations, also insomnia and severe headaches. My doctor had to put me on a beta-blocker for my heart. Even tapering off of this drug is a nightmare. It really messes with your body.

Vicky

Quitting Ambien
Date: 4/3/2006
I used ambien for a while, now I stopped cold turkey cause I was feeling so weird at night and having conversations with people and not remembering and sometimes, actually doing things around my house and get up in the morning and not known that I had done anything. Now I can’t sleep at all, my muscles jump like a seizure, and I feel horrible. I guess stopping cold turkey doesn’t work? So how do you stop this drug once you start. It’s like my brain doesn’t remember how to put me in sleep mode now and I have been awake for a couple of days now. I am really scared.

Kathy

AskDocWeb: Don’t be frightened, be patient, the drug will be out of your system soon.

Ambien is a serious med
Date: 4/4/2006
I incurred a traumatic head injury while in the Army. Total loss of hearing in one ear among other things. I have really bad Tinitus (ringing, whooshing sounds) 24/7. I have been taking Ambien 10mg for about 30 days. Prior to this medication I could not sleep until I was literally exhausted from sleep deprivation and then for only a few hours at a time. Ambien has given me some of my life back. This is a serious med and one should be very careful to not drive, consume alcohol, etc. while taking it. However, if you suffer at all like me I would definitely consider it under your doctor’s care.

JS

Problems with short-term memory
Date: 4/10/2006
I have been using ambien and valerian root for over a year now. 1 a night. I am a network engineer and a pretty sharp individual. As of a couple of months ago I started seeing problems with my short term memory with daily life. My friends / coworkers have caught me in moments where I can remember to spell something correctly or remember a name. My comprehension has gone down. I can honestly say I am quite addicted to it. I have just started really reading about peoples side affects to this drug. The possibility of permanent memory problems is quite disturbing to me. So now I have to get myself off of this stuff. This is going to be a bitch.

David

AskDocWeb: Please note that there are a few health concerns with using valerian.

Reformulated or counterfeit dosage
Date: 4/26/2006
I believe Ambien has either been “reformulated” or I have a counterfeit dosage. When I first started Ambient a few years ago, it knocked me out like a Mickey Finn. My wife recounted that I would hallucinate, say strange things. I went off Ambien and recently started using it again. The pills are shaped differently now and they do nothing. In fact, I’m writing this account having taking a 10mg Ambien over an hour ago. Obviously I’m certainly not asleep. The alarm will go off in 5 hours, I’ll be dead tired all day tomorrow. So much for Ambien.

Robert

Father jumped off balcony
Date: 4/27/2006
My 82 year old father just fell (jumped) off his balcony. He was not chronically depressed, and was taking Ambien, usually careful of the dosage. We were not aware of the cautions that I later found on different websites. I would have liked the Veterans Administration where he received his prescriptions (& ANY doctor giving that prescription) to give a copy of the warnings (more detail than in your website) to a family member before a prescription can be released.

MARGO

Ambien with muscle relaxers?
Date: 4/30/2006
Can I take ambien with muscle relaxers? What are the side effects?

Ann

AskDocWeb: This is a medical decision that should be made by your doctor. This website is for product reviews.

Bad stomach ache
Date: 5/1/2006
I am having bad, bad stomach ache like a nervous stomach. Very uncomfortable! Anyone else experience this?

Pam

Worst drug ever
Date: 5/4/2006
I took ambien after being prescribed I took 10mg for 1st dose at 945 by 10 I was out I left my wallet and keys in my uniform for work. I awoke to find my wallet had no money and my keys were in my shorts that I had not even had on previously that day.

I lost almost 500 dollars and don’t know where. My wife said I drove by her friends at 2 in the morn and they seen me there. I have no memory I will not take this again.

EVER worst drug, also I’m still sleepy and I know I woke up several times in the night.

Dave

Miracle drug
Date: 5/7/2006
I have taken Ambien for chronic insomnia now for the past year. I do not take it every day, and a thirty day supply lasts me much longer than that. I have never experienced a negative side effect from this sleep aid. While I still wake up in the middle of the night, the overall quality of sleep is improved, and I wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day. Take it exactly as prescribed and only for the short term, and it is a miracle drug for people like me.

ML

Ambien acts like truth serum
Date: 5/7/2006
I’ve taken 10 mg for about 18 mos., then switched to the 12.5 mg CR. I would suggest never taking it on consecutive nights. It’s so easy to become dependent on it, and you will have trouble sleeping when you discontinue. To me it acted like a “truth serum.” I told my boyfriend MANY things I might not normally have said while awake — conversations I have zero recollection of.

Tricia

Tapering off Ambien
Date: 5/9/2006
How long does it take to get ambian out of your body…I am gradually tapering off…how many days does withdrawal symptoms last…thanks

Alaine

AskDocWeb: It will take about 48 hours for the drug to leave your system but there is no way to tell how long the withdrawal symptoms will last as everyone is different.

Ambien sleeping pill and kidney function
Date: 5/10/2006
I have been taking ambiem at night for almost three years, now something has caused my kidneys to weaken. I want to get off of it but I can’t sleep if I don’t take it. Could ambien have caused my kidneys to weaken?

Henry

AskDocWeb: Kidney function is not a concern for most people taking ambien but in rare cases it is known to cause acute renal failure, dysuria, micturition frequency, nocturia, polyuria, pyelonephritis, renal pain or urinary retention. We suggest you talk to a urologist to help you through this problem.

Stop it!
Date: 5/11/2006
I think that you should stop selling your product because you’re going to wined up killing some one. Your medicine makes people have amnesia and also they can be suicidal, but that’s not on the side effects.

Michele

AskDocWeb: Ambien is not sold here, nor is any other product. This website is for feedback from users so that the public can find out what the drug companies aren’t telling us.

How long
Date: 5/15/2006
How long does it take to withdraw from Ambian once you stop the pill. How long does it stay in your body…thanks,

Alaine

AskDocWeb: The Ambien should be out of your system within a couple of days of discontinuing. It is possible to have withdrawal symptoms even if Ambien is only used for a week or two. Since these withdrawal symptoms can be a combination of physical and psychological there is no way to tell how long they will last, but typically a few days. If the withdrawal from Ambien lasts beyond 14 days, talk to your doctor.

Ambien not working
Date: 6/6/2006
I started Ambien 10mg again three days ago. They do not work. I am still tossing snd turning at 3AM…why isnt it working?

Reed

AskDocWeb: For some people, it just doesn’t work. An alternative like Lunesta may work better for you. Read more Ambien Feedback. Ambien – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – Page 14 – 15 – 16 – 17 – 18 – Last Page 120

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