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 loss of memory
Date: 11/28/2006
I have been taking Ambien for 2 months now. I have had several incidences of waking and loss of memory. I thought maybe my adult sleepwalking (which has been dormant for nearly 2 years) had started again. However, last night, my husband said that I woke him for intercourse. I have no memory of what took place. This morning, I found a broken glass in the bathroom. Apparently I had broken it during the night. Could this be a result of the Ambien? I feel like if I had been sleepwalking, I would have woke to sex or the glass breaking.

Cassandra

AskDocWeb: Not necessarily, people have reported getting into car accidents while on Ambien and not remembering it later.

Impressed with Ambien CR
Date: 12/1/2006
I have been super impressed with Ambien CR–I have tried regular Ambien, I have tried Lunsenta, and I have tried the new Rozerium (SP?) nothing worked until I used the Ambien CR– thanks for saving my sleep!

MMD in WV

Can’t sleep without Ambien
Date: 12/3/2006
I’ve taken 5mg of ambien every night for over 6 years. I can’t sleep without it; I’ve tried every other natural and drug remedy without success. But for the last 3 months I’ve had terrible joint and muscle pain and wonder if ambien is the cause. There’s been occasional hallucinations, and vivid strange dreams every night, also problems focusing on reading and listening. I’d stop, but I can’t function during, and can’t sleep without it. I’ve also built up a tolerance, and the 5mg doesn’t work as well anymore. I’m afraid to up the dosage.

Patricia

AskDocWeb: It sounds like you are in a difficult situation. Please consult with your physician about this as soon as possible.

Ambien nightmares
Date: 12/3/2006
I’ve been taking ambien for about 4 months now. It works terrific to get me to sleep. Unfortunately, when I don’t take it, I can’t sleep and I have horrible frightening nightmares. I did not have nightmares often “back in the day” before ambien. I try on weekends to not take it, but the nightmares make me afraid to go to bed! So I’m taking it. Every day….One night I was up and couldn’t remember being up…but now I take it and go to bed, like you’re supposed to lol, and I haven’t experienced any other side effects.

Jennifer

Half a pill?
Date: 12/5/2006
Is it ok to take a half of a pill?

Kristal

AskDocWeb: If the pill has a indented line on it then it is designed to be broken in half, otherwise no.

Shocked to read my exact problem
Date: 12/9/2006
I have been taking ambien for about 2 1/2 years now to help me sleep through the night and avoid severe migraines. It helps me sleep through most nights but the last six months have been h*ll!! I thought I was just having symptoms associated with getting older (I’m 52) but then I found this wonderful forum and read the post from Lisa (8/4/06). I was shocked to read my exact problem – her description (and mine) “I kept thinking that I have the flu or something. My back is killing me, my knee and hip hurt, my stomach is very upset, sometimes I get really shaky, I have a bad taste in my mouth.” Wow, this has got to be a side effect – interesting though, I have not read about this anywhere else. I am going to start to cut my pills down in size (I’m on 10mg) and wean myself off an every night usage. I also have mild memory loss, some odd behavior (but my family says it is funny, nothing harmful or scary), and the diarrhea. Thank you for this great way to share our experiences and give us some peace of mind.

Cherrie

Took 2 Ambien
Date: 12/9/2006
Hi, I took two 10 mg ambien for the first time I wasn’t aware how it worked. I thought my sons Thomas the train was talking to me, does this mean I can’t take it anymore. I want to try one. I have difficulty sleeping, I’m very uptight and I just can’t sleep. Thank you,

Lisa

AskDocWeb: You should of not have taken two 10 mgs at one time. Please talk to your doctor before taking any more.

Horrendously dangerous and painfully addictive
Date: 12/9/2006
I have been very heavily addicted to Ambien since it was prescribed to me four years ago when I was only 15. It effects me very strongly, I have intense hallucinations and incredible energy, along with an intense euphoria. My muscles would relax within 10 minutes. I have been in terrible fights with people that I only half recall while under the influence, and have made many bad decisions regarding sexual encounters when mixing the pill(s) with alcohol and marijuana, which makes the high twice as amazing but much more dangerous. Naturally this feeling became very addictive, and it was all I would look forward to during school. I began eating everything in the fridge, even doing things such as putting the phone in the microwave. Ambien has proven in my case to be horrendously dangerous and most painfully addictive. Please avoid!

Rachel

Ambien story
Date: 12/10/2006
I would to tell my story about ambien. I am 44 years old. I have trouble going two and staying asleep all my life. I started ambien 4 years ago, 10 mg. They worked good for a year or so then I had too take more and more, 2, then 3, then 4, then 5 at a time too get to sleep. I would use 4 different doctors, that way I could get 4 prescriptions a month. I would take them during the day. I lost two good jobs almost lost my wife and kids. Before I quit I was taking 13 at a time, days went bye I could not remember. My boss would tell me what he wanted me too do and I could not remember. I have gone too work taking ambien and did not know what was going on that’s how I lost my jobs. I would also get up in my sleep and take ambien and not know I had taking it. I have not taken any ambien now for two months. I know that I can not control it. It was controlling me. I hope that this can help someone, you have to be careful, if one 10mg will not work do not take two, call your doc. Do not self med.

David

Acting very strange on Ambien
Date: 12/10/2006
I would be very interested in any info regarding a class action suit against AmbienCR. I was on regular Ambien and never had a problem I started using Ambien CR and things started getting strange. First, the nightly eating binges. I would wake up the next morning and find food smeared on my kitchen counters(I live alone). One Sunday night, I couldn’t sleep so I took Ambien CR. I was still up at 7:00AM so I took another. That was the last thing I remember until I woke up Tuesday morning in the emergency room. I was told that I was walking around, talking to people, e-mailing people but acting very strangely. Especially when my housekeeper found me stained with watermelon from head to toe. After putting me in the shower, I came out naked from my room about to leave the house. She put me to bed and called friends to stay with me. The next thing I know, it’s Wednesday morning and I’m in the emergency room of the hospital. I was being Baker Acted! Since I have lousy insurance (the result of having breast cancer) I was locked up in a county lock up facility for the criminally insane. Thank G-d, the psychiatrist realized I didn’t belong there and released me the following day. That incident still haunts me. This is a very serious drug and people should be made aware of the risks!

Susie

Tried AmbienCR
Date: 12/12/2006
I am 30 years old, never thought I had a real problem getting to sleep….UNTIL I TRIED AMBIENCR. After trying it, I badly DESIRED (not necessarily NEEDED) AmbienCR. I WAS a very friendly, outgoing sweetheart, before I met this drug. Two months later, I am a short tempered, arrogant, self centered nasty bitch, who just walked out on my boyfriend of a year, for no real reason, while he cried, haven’t hugged my mother or sister in over a month whom I am very close to, and have absolutely no sex drive, which is very unusual for me. I know its the Ambien CR (ironically, their commercial is currently airing on MSNBC)and I haven’t taken it (12.5mg) in 3 days. I have had serious diarrhea (never had the problem before, so I don’t even know how to spell it) so severe I have had accidents in the past 3 days. I haven’t gone to work in over a week, nor I have I mailed my car payment. People, there is NO EXCUSE for me to act like this. But the Ambien CR effects me not just while sleeping, and the pills seem to be cumulative in the body. Won’t take it again. Back to Benadryl. Plus, the memory loss is unacceptable. I haven’t worked as a flight attendant in over 4yrs, but after eating an Ambien CR, I apparently called my old company, saying I would be willing to start working again on their flights to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kabul, Afghanistan, which I would NEVER agree to… add to that, me being emotionally cold as stone towards people I love.

SK

Could not fall asleep
Date: 12/20/2006
I have been on Ambien for about a year. I am a college student so my hours are pretty random and spread out. However, when I do take Ambien, sometimes I do feel dizzy and forget some of the night, but usually it doesn’t work. I take 12.5 mg pills and the other night I worked up to 4 pills, which I know is dangerous and not recommended, for an extremely important event that I needed sleep for. Even with the 4 pills, I could not fall asleep…is there something else I should be looking into…thanks for the respond.

John

AskDocWeb: If it usually doesn’t work, overdosing is not the answer. It sounds like you need to talk with your doctor about an alternative to Ambien to help you sleep. Overdosing only impairs your ability to think straight and could result in a coma or worse. Read more Ambien Feedback. Ambien – 19 – 20 – 21 – 22 – Page 23 – 24 – 25 – 26 – 27 – Last Page 120

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