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.

Heart palpitations
Date: 11/5/2007
I had been having trouble sleeping, so my doctor gave me Ambien. I started have terrible heart palpitations, and I felt like it was hard to breathe. This made it even harder to sleep. I told my doctor what was going on, and she raised my dosage. I thought something terrible must be wrong with me! Then I ran out of the Ambien, and my insurance didn’t cover any more for another week or so, and I had to stop taking it.
Meanwhile the heart palpitations stopped. I never thought anything about it (I was just thankful they stopped.) until my Ambien was refilled. After a few days of taking it, the heart palpitations came back. That’s when it clicked, it must be the Ambien. I also feel dizzy, my head hurts, I’m nauseous, I feel shaky, and when I close my eyes to sleep I keep seeing shapes or something. (I know, it sounds weird, it is.) The last time I took it was last night, Monday, November 4th. It’s Tuesday afternoon and I feel terrible. Is there anything I can do to get it out of my system quicker?

Cindy

AskDocWeb: Sorry but there nothing you can take that would get it out of your system any quicker.

Can’t stop taking it
Date: 11/8/2007
Ambien is very addicting. If you have a tendency towards addiction, stay away from it. I manipulated my doctor into giving me a script for it a while back and now I can’t stop taking it now. I can’t remember what it’s like to fall asleep at all. 🙁

Christine

Beware of the warnings
Date: 11/11/2007
Ambien should be taken off the market now, there are too many side effects, beware of the warnings in fine print, like suicide, I wish I would have read the info earlier, my husband would still be here.

Beverly

Ashamed
Date: 11/11/2007
Please listen… I had to start ambien due to not being able to sleep, ever. At the time it was given to me I was depressed. After a while I realized staying up on them allows one to feel great. No cares in the world. The worse mistake of my life. I can be honest and tell you that I went to my room and from there remember nothing. Apparently I got into my car and drove to a mans house that I just met. Woke up in the morning and was told how great the sex was! Oooo my Gooooood!! Please 4give me. I can’t tell you how ashamed I feel. And to this day I hear about people taking them to get high and I feel so sad 4 them, we could be driving and kill others. We could have sex and get HIV or pregnant. We need to stand up for the good of the medicine but educate others on the side effects not listed by the FDA. I pray that everyone that takes them honestly needs them and can make good choices w them… God bless,

Erin

Talked all night
Date: 11/12/2007
I am 40 and for 20+ years I have not been able to sleep at night. Ambien was prescribed yesterday, left me a little drunk like, I fell asleep in 30 my husband says, talked all night about some ones daughter, kept bending his fingers, was able to get up to pee which I so upset I wouldn’t wake up to do. But for the first time in 10 years I was awake and up but with a bad taste in my month. Second pill was tonight and I am in bed for 2 hours on the Internet on my phone. What gives? I started on my phone last night too. Imagine your husband at 9 or 10 and 2 or 4.

Norma40

AskDocWeb: It may be a good idea to keep the phone out of the bedroom while you are taking sleeping pills. Remember that Ambien is a hypnotic drug and you are susceptible to suggestions while taking it.

Long-term Ambien usage
Date: 11/14/2007
I’ve been using Ambien for a few months now. Circumstances in my life have made falling asleep, and staying asleep, very difficult without assistance. Ambien seems to totally agree with me. I fall asleep fast on half a 10 mg. pill, and if I wake up too early, I take the other half. My problem? It seems too good to be true. I feel great and rested after Ambien sleep, no side effects. I’ve found a generic source that makes it very affordable. I’d just as soon go on taking it indefinitely, because good sleep is crucial to my wellbeing. Are there long-term effects I don’t know about? Will I grow horns or wreck my liver or go crazy? I really want to know if I’m risking anything with what seems to be a very benign and beneficial drug.

Eleanor

AskDocWeb: The drug company considers long-term use to be 28 to 30 nights. Using any sleeping pill beyond that carries the risk of becoming dependent on it. Ambien can be addictive for the person with an addictive personality, history of alcoholism and/or other chemical dependency. There is also the possibility that your body will build up a tolerance for it and it will lose effectiveness.

Short term treatment
Date: 11/15/2007
At first I was on 10mg to sleep, now I have two 10mg (20 mg)… and after years…I’m on 40 mg and did nothing for my insomnia, maybe is because that medication was released with the outrpose of short term treatment.

Eric

Love it but hate it too
Date: 11/16/2007
Ambien…wow…love it but hate it too. I have been taking it for about 1.5 years consistently and have become addicted to it. I need it to sleep. I have tried to not take it and have been up for almost 2 days. I would take PM’s or Rozerems and it would do nothing for me. I have very, very bad memory loss when I do take them. I recall some stuff but not all. I’m not leaving the house but I do call everyone I know sometimes and talk forever…that’s not me. I become creative and clean the house like a nut. I know I should go right to bed but sometimes I take it, shower and pack a lunch for my husband and that’s it…I’m up for hours doing chores. If I take it and lay down (as you’re supposed to do) it works most of the time fine. I have to take about 15 mg to 20 mg for it to work completely if my mind is stressed. So basically it’s good but if you need it to sleep it has become an issue. I wish I could cut back…any help please email me!

Jenny

AskDocWeb: It is possible that you might have a sleep disorder and if that is the case then a sleep study would be able to help. Look in the Yellow Pages, Physicians section, under sleep disorders for a clinic near you.

I need more
Date: 11/19/2007
How do you get it if the doctor can only prescribe 30mg once a month? I need more them 10mg a day and run out fast.

Julie

AskDocWeb: This may indicate a developing addiction. Please discuss this with your doctor.

I loss my job & medical
Date: 11/20/2007
on June 29 2006 I use the product to help he sleep. However on of the side affect in short term memory loss. I got into a bad car accident and as of 11/20/2007 I and still suffering from this drug. I loss my job & medical as result of this drug, after talking with other people the experience some of the same side affect. I have no job, no insurance, 3 surgeries and still on crutches as of 11/20/2007. As result of this I and disable I would like to speak to a rep ASAP before I go any further. This drug should be taken off the market before if kills someone or cause a more serious accident. Thank you,

Carolyn

AskDocWeb: The Sanofi-Aventis Patient Assistance Program can be reached at 1-800-221-4025.

Crazy hallucinations
Date: 11/20/2007
I have taken Ambien for over four years. It is a great drug in terms of does it work. Absolutely. My doctor told me that she had never heard of Ambien being addicting and not to worry about it. My tolerance level got too high and I was taking up to 12 10 mg pills a night! It’s a miracle I didn’t kill myself or others. I have no memories of any nights after I took it, but friends and family tell horrific stories of what I have done. My only memories are crazy hallucinations. It takes away any care in the world and makes you loose all reasoning abilities. Addiction to Ambien is just as bad or worse as many street drugs. My whole like became about counting the hours until I could take more. If it wasn’t for my family who stepped in and got me help I doubt I would even be here. So if you are thinking about using this just please be extremely careful and do not take it more than once a week so that your body can not become dependent on it.

Ashley

Ambien CR reaction
Date: 11/22/2007
I have been taking Ambien for 6 years to help me sleep due to constant chronic pain. Recently I switched to Ambien CR and the past three days I have had the following reactions: Rash, swollen burning tongue and throat, heart palpations, difficulty breathing, dizziness, anxiety, muscle and joint pain to the extreme. What is different about taking regular ambien and ambien CR that would cause side affect so severe?

Alex

AskDocWeb: First you should contact your doctor. Many of the symptoms you list are signs of an allergic reaction. It is possible that you may be hypersensitive to one of the inactive ingredients; colloidal silicon dioxide, hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyethylene glycol, potassium bitartrate, red ferric oxide, sodium starch glycolate, and titanium dioxide. Read more Ambien Feedback. Ambien – 36 – 37 – 38 – 39 –
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