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.

If you’ve used Ambien, please help others by adding your feedback. 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. You can use the form below to add your comments, feedback or Ambien review.

Cannot stop Ambien
Date: 8/12/2004
I have been on Ambien 10 mg for about 8 months now and it does help me to sleep. When I try to not take it I lie awake for over 2 hours; I cannot stop it. I am also on Lamictil and under a doctor’s care. Sometimes I feel drowsy in the morning and a bit ataxic, as well as dizzy once in awhile. Not a real exciting message but that is who it is.

Pat

Side affects ambien
Date: 8/13/2004
Lately I have had problems sleeping due to work related stress…once I fall asleep, I do okay – but I have a real hard time falling asleep. My doctor, prescribed Ambien – but warned me only to take it 3 or 4 times a week when I absolutely had to. The 1st night I took it, I went out like a light and had the most restful night of sleep in a long time. Same for the next night…and the next. I was taking it 7 times a week. I started noticing that even though I was getting a good night’s sleep, I was still tired the next day – and I seem to have a lack of enthusiasm at work. My 3 year old seems to get on my nerves in record time too. I’ve never been like this before, so I came out and googled on “side affects ambien”. I flushed the remainder of them. I’d rather be tired than depressed and irritable I guess. I hope this isn’t too rough.

John

Alternative sleeping pill
Date: 8/15/2004
I tried ambien years ago for lack of sleep. I found in the morning I had a hangover and bad chest pain. That was about 10 years ago. I am thinking of asking my new doctor if I can try it. I take seriquel and visteril to help sleep but it doesn’t give me a sound REM sleep. Do you think the ambien may have the same effect on me? Thanks

DB

AskDocWeb: Other than 10 years having gone by, what has changed since then? We see no reason to believe the effect will be any different than before.

No inhibitions with Ambien
Date: 8/16/2004
I have taken Ambien 10mg for a couple of years now. It works. The problem is that very shortly after I take I start acting strange. I lose all inhibitions and fear basically. I have done things I would never do if I wasn’t on this medication. I’m very worried about what else I may do while on it. I thought if I took it right as I was getting in bed that it wouldn’t be so bad, but I have gotten out of bed and last night I hurt myself until I was bleeding (NOT IN A SUICIDAL WAY). Be very careful with this medication, it is obviously a very strong drug.

Laura

Traumatizing experience
Date: 8/16/2004
I have been taking Ambien for about a year now. I take 10 mg tablets. I have noticed that in the last month I am waking up about 2:00 a.m. and cannot go back to sleep. I also have started eating after I take it and have no idea that I had something to eat until a family member tells me.

This weekend was the final clincher. Ambien will never be consumed by me again. Thursday night, about 30 minutes after I had taken Ambien, I was in my nightshirt already, and I asked my 10 year old to come with me to the Dairy Queen. Out the door I went in my night shirt and no shoes with my 10 year old as a passenger. I drove over a curb and was also going over the white lines in the road. My son was yelling and finally got me to turn around and go home. I am so thankful that I did kill him, myself and/or anyone else.

The next day I had no idea what I had done the night before. My son had to tell me as I wondered why when I woke up he was in bed next to me. He was holding on to my arm so that I wouldn’t get up and try to leave again. I will never forgive myself for traumatizing him in that manner. I explained to him that the medication caused me to do that and I promised him I would never take it again. I am sure I am probably addicted at this point but will be hospitalized before I will take it again, no matter how sleep deprived I become. Please, Please be careful if you are taking this stuff. It can be really bad news!!!!

Paula

Addiction and memory loss with Ambien
Date: 8/18/2004
Seven years ago I started taking Ambien because we traveled overseas frequently. I am now addicted. If I don’t take the 10mg tablet I lay awake for hours – it is horrific. My advice, don’t start taking it. It is not worth, I have now suffered memory loss.

Melva

Scary results
Date: 8/24/2004
It’s 1 AM and I just returned from my friend’s house. His wife called me and said he took Ambien and is hallucinating. The police and parameds arrived shortly after me. He took one pill around 9 PM and started having this extremely adverse reaction around midnight. A few things he described to me…he looked in the mirror and saw another person and then began punching the mirror. He described an orange paint on the wall as felt. He had slurred speech and was taking short, slow steps around the house. It was very unreal and a bit scary.

Brad

I love Ambien
Date: 8/27/2004
I love Ambien. When I want a really good night sleep I take one. I definitely know that you do not take a pill until you are ready to lay your head down on your pillow. People have made comments that it makes them feel drunk or have hallucinations. Yes, it will have that affect if you stay up. It’s best to take a pill or 1/2 of a pill and go straight to bed!

Debbie

Need legal action
Date: 10/12/2004
Ambien caused total blackout/sleepwalk after taking 10mg–Had been awake about 4 days–took it while undressed and in bed–remember nothing after that–until I “sort-of” “woke up” in wrecked car in parking lot at home ARRESTED for DUI. I DON’T DRINK but had .08 BAC–have no idea what I did or what happened–except patchy images in course of night–picked up by husband at detox 4 am it was 9pm when I took this pill. There needs to be legal action about this drug – it is dangerous and I am sure it has caused death and will cause more death to others.

Calla

Ambien effects can be deceiving
Date: 10/13/2004
I have been using Ambien for several years now and have tried, or so my Doctor says; every thing on the market to help me sleep along with ones that their side affects were “drowsy”. Allot of them work, but with side effects that last well after waking up. My job requires me to be alert and responsive, so I was unable to use any of the medications that had long lasting effect to the body. I also suffer from Migraine headaches and most of the medications I tried, gave me one until Ambien came along. It has really worked for me. I use Ambien about 4 to 8 times a month. I take it about 20 minutes before bed time – but make sure you are close to your bed and limit yourself to climbing any stairs. When ambien starts to kick in, or you start to fill the effects – get to your bed! And if you wait too long; you may need assistance to get there. I fall asleep generally as soon as I make it to my bed. I have woken 4 to 5 hours later, but that is expected as Ambien is only in and out of your system in 4 or so hours. I do have some side effects after waking up, but are generally minor and are easy to work with. Another side effect is that I will generally have no memory, or recollection of anything that happened after the effects of Ambien starts. My wife asked me question about things that I did, or a conversation I had with her the next morning after taking Ambien and I have no clue to what she is taking about. So be careful where and when you take Ambien, its effect can be deceiving.

Shawn

After one year of Ambien

Date: 10/14/2004

I took Ambien for about a year. It was wonderful to have so much control over my ability to sleep. I stopped taking Ambien about 4-weeks ago and here it is 1:32am and I am doing research on some of your experiences. Side effects for me included: occasional inconsistency of effectiveness, amnesia (when taken in the full 10mg dose), short-term memory loss was very obvious, and dependency. I quit taking it mostly because I was afraid of long-term memory loss issues. I couldn’t memorize names or details nearly as well as I could/can when off of the product. However, it does seem that those issues have subsided since I quit taking the drug.

I will admit that it has been a hard 4-weeks. I cannot fall asleep before the early hours of the morning and when I do fall asleep, I wake up many times during the evening. I hope I can find some other means to help me sleep because my lack of sleep is definitely effecting my professional and personal life. I wish there were more information on the long-term use effects. I think it is a copout to say that this product is only to be used for a couple weeks and then avoid the real issues of long-term use. Obviously, there are many of us that have and will take this product for many years and maybe the rest of our lives. The data should be more readily available than having to sift through hundreds of web pages on the net. All said, although I am hating life without it, deep down I really believe I’m better off that way.

Larry

AskDocWeb: Thank you for sharing your experience with Ambien Larry, we appreciate it. A lot of people are looking for reports from long-term users.

Ambien feedback
Date: 10/19/2004
I used it and threw out the bottle after a couple months realizing I was putting medication in my body for no reason. Ambien did absolutley nothing it was supposed to do. I still had trouble sleeping, but then again I am a Red Sox fan. I did not have any side effects that I know of. I felt much better after about a week off of it.

Patrick

Ambien euphoria
Date: 10/25/2004
I just took my second Ambien 33 minutes ago and am currently experiencing symptoms/euphoria I only reached while smoking marijauna. Good thing I only have 8 pills left!

Annie

Memory problems with Ambien
Date: 11/19/2004
I have used Ambien very intermittently for the last couple years to help with sleep issues when I travel. A couple of months ago I started using it several times a week due to some sleeping problems. I definitely experienced the amnesia side effect, and saying odd things (I have been told) and have also not remembered sexual encounters with my husband. My problem lately is that I am having major memory loss issues, even when I don’t take it. Does anyone know how long this can last, and can it be a permanent problem? Please share your story! I am hopeful my memory will come back!

LN

Bad experience with Ambien
Date: 11/25/2004
I am 34 year old male who has been on ambien 1 yr ago. The effects of ambien were disastrous my sleep pattern involved hallucinations, dry mouth and cramps. It has adverse effects on my sleep and I started to have nightmares and disturbed sleep. Thank you,

Taimoore

Ambien information
Date: 11/26/2004
I have been on ambien for over two years now. All of you need to listen to me!! Do not take this drug. I have almost killed my self three time with my car, getting up in the middle of the nite, driving to the store and not knowing that I have done it, getting up in the middle of the nite eating like a crazy person. Not knowing what I have done. This last time I ran into a house, yes a house, thank god that it was just the garage but it was all brick. I was driving again, is called sleep walking and people that have problems sleep usually have this problem and do not know that they have it.

This drug is a good drug if you are in a controlled environment! only, and if you only use this for a short time. all of you people that have taking this drug we all need to get together and sue the hell out of this company. This drug was once used in mental hospital. It worked very well for these people because they were in a controlled place where they could not drive a car get up and walk outside, eat everything in the house, hurt yourself, so on and so on. I am going to sue the pants off these people. I know that people that can not sleep do not want to give up this drug. I really do not want to either. but I have to.

Phyllis

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