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 vertigo
Date: 1/6/2007
I used a half a pill on the other night (I realize now, I should not have) and now I have vertigo, or something like it. When I am laying down and rise, I feel as though my head and body torqing to one side or the other… I was thrown back to my bed as though Mike Tyson knocked me out! I will never use again! Any body else experience this strange effect?

ScottT

I am one of them.
Date: 1/10/2007
I took Ambien for a short time, until I found M&M candies in my bed in the morning, and my husband asked why there were pretzels all over the floor in the laundry room. When my daughter asks me why I was in the kitchen eating cheese in the middle of the night and I had no memory of any of this I stopped taking the Ambien. When the company came out with Ambien CR I thought I would try it again. I took the pill , had what I thought was a dream about climbing. However, my husband heard me crying and found me in the middle of the night, flat on my back on the tiled kitchen floor. I remember saying I hit my head, but cannot remember what I climbed on. This is a very dangerous drug for some people. I am one of them.

Carol

Sleep driving
Date: 1/11/2007
Ambien nearly killed me two nights ago – literally. I went “sleep driving,” crashed into a light pole, my car caught fire, and burned to a blistered shell. Pure somnambulism. All was lost, except by the grace of God, I got out. Absolutely no hyperbole here. Until I discovered my car missing the next AM and followed up with police, thinking the car had been stolen I had no recall (except some dream-like memories) of the incident. I had taken Ambien Rx 10mg with little consequence occasionally for the past 5 years. I have now flushed my remaining tabs down the toilet. I’d call this much more than an “adverse effect.” I can’t believe the FDA and other regulatory agencies have not imposed recall on this Sanofi-Aventis product.

Zed

Ambien sleep apnea?
Date: 1/11/2007
Has Ambien been implicated in sleep apnea? Recently found out I may have sleep apnea. I have been looking on the web for information on sleep apnea and came across one way of reducing/eliminating sleep apnea. One suggestion is to stop taking sleep medications. I have been on Ambien for over two years prescribed for cervical stenosis that caused arm pain and difficulty sleeping.

Paul

AskDocWeb: We found one study that showed the use of Ambien actually seemed to reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea – but in another study taking Ambien before bedtime made no difference at all. This is an area that needs more research because many of the drugs taken for insomnia have never been tested for long-term use even though people often take them for years. You should keep in mind that Ambien could aggravate sleep apnea because it has the capacity to depress respiratory drive.

Ambien works
Date: 1/13/2007
If ambien is taken correctly it works. I have breast cancer and the anxiety from it causes me to think and be anxious all night. If I take the pill the minute I lay my head on a pillow it works, otherwise be careful. One night I called my daughter.
Freda

With draws?
Date: 1/14/2007
Can you tell me if I stopped taking AMBIEN 10MG dose your body go through with draws?.

cynthia

AskDocWeb: Yes, there have been reports of withdrawal symptoms similar to those of other CNS-depressant drugs.

Experiencing loss of memory and mental acuity
Date: 1/15/2007
I’m an attorney with a high-pressure practice. I began using Ambien nightly about three years ago, and it was a Godsend. Lately, I’ve begun to experience some loss of memory and mental acuity — just around the edges, but it’s becoming noticeable. Then, last night at a social gathering with some very sharp friends, I noticed myself mis-stating things. What I said wasn’t seriously wrong, just not quite what I’d meant to say. So, I got on the Web. After reading a few pages’ worth of comments, I’m going to try to wean myself, beginning tonight.

Dave

Sleep problems
Date: 1/17/2007
I think there must be a lot of people out there with sleep problems in their 50’s. I have struggled with it for 3-4 years. I was addicted to Ambien and got off of it by myself successfully. I know that I must have some sort of GABBA receptor problem, but I need a natural solution because Ambien seems to be too addictive for me. Any thoughts, ideas, experiences shared would be appreciated.
Bryan

AskDocWeb: Tylenol Sleep tabs seem to really relax the body in order to sleep. Reducing your activity level in the last two hours before sleep seems to help many people, that is if you get an adequate amount of exercise during the day.

Bizarre drug
Date: 1/17/2007
It’s official. Ambien is the most bizarre drug I have ever, ever taken. I have experience such strange behavioral side-effects while taking Ambien that I feel compelled to warn people who may be considering starting on the medication. My side-effects range from performing strange rituals to getting on the phone while comatose and carrying on random, frightening conversations with friends and family. One night I found myself tying ribbons into a garbage bag that I was taking out on garbage night. Instead of taking it out I put it on my kitchen table and started making an art project out of it. Tying bows in it and laughing and thinking it was the most beautiful thing. Every so often I would become lucid and say to myself “what the f*** am I doing?” and then I’d be right back in it making this strange garbage bag sculpture.

The worst was just last night I took an Ambien and got in to bed — then the phone rang and I answered. BIG MISTAKE. It was my dad and about 10 minutes into the conversation I just started rambling on about my sister and terrorists and my how I have a weak moral character and on and on — at least that’s what my dad told me this morning what I said last night. This stuff is scary. I mean getting on the phone and pontificating about odd subjects. It’s almost like a truth serum because my dad tells me that I was talking all this evil stuff about my sister. I kind of remember looking down on my chest a couple of times and the phone was just sitting there having fallen from my hand and I was all “what? am I on the phone? who am I talking to?” and then I ask who it was and it turned out to be my dad. He tells me this morning that he’d be talking to me and the phone would just go dead — this happened over and over. THIS IS A SERIOUSLY MESSED-UP SLEEP MEDICATION. I am never taking it again. I flushed the remainder of my prescription down the toilet this morning. BEWARE. It totally affects certain areas of your brain you don’t want played with. And never, ever take Ambien and then not get right into bed. And never, never, never pick up the phone.

Adam

On probation
Date: 1/19/2007
On probation and taking ambien and now it has come up as a benzodiazaoine. Is this correct?

Saundra

AskDocWeb: The manufacturer says that Ambien is a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic of the imidazopyridine class.

Doctor was horrified
Date: 1/20/2007
I’m 37 and have been taking Stilnox (ambien) for about 4 years, the last six months I have been so ill the doctors couldn’t figure out what is wrong with me – memory loss, slurred speech, confusion, constant pain in my ears and TMJ, weakness in my arms and legs, sore throat, flu like symptoms, shocks through my whole body and pains in my chest and one day I realized it could be the ambien so I went to a new doctor and he was horrified I was on it for so long, so with his help I am tapering off it. Its been 2 weeks and already I feel like a different person, I know I’m in for a long road but nothing could be worse than what I have experienced with the ambien. Finally I have my life back, tired but healthy.

Tania

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