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.

Really astonishing
Date: 3/6/2009
I have been taking ambien for a week now and it is really astonishing to me how this drug affects me. Took it last night and all I remembered was going to bed. My husband told me this morning that I was up for a long time after I thought I was in the bed. I was talking with him and his friends, ordered my kids to clean up the kitchen at 10PM (past their bedtime). Had long rambling consverations with the kids why they were cleaning. My husband says that my oldest son asked him if I was going crazy. WTF?

Millie

Severe diarrhea
Date: 3/7/2009
I have taken zolpidem for only three nights now. The first night was a “success”. The second night it had absolutely no effect. I took it at 10:30 PM and was still awake at 1:30 am. Last night (night #3) I had severe diarrhea. So I decided to read these testimonials. I believe that I may have wasted my $47 on this as I may not take it again.

Drew

AskDocWeb: Diarrhea is one of the possible side effects that should be reported to your doctor.

I may never get over it
Date: 3/8/2009
I am a retired RN and sleep well for several years on Ambien 5 to 10 mg. The 4th day after I had surgery on my heel to remove bone spurs, I went to bed as usual and I have one horror snap shot left of that awful night. I am in a liquid black and falling and fighting for my life, think those black thins in ghost who come for evil people to take them to hell. When I awoke the next morning I couldn’t take it in. There was blood all over the house, carpets, hall, kitchen, walls. There were broken dishes and an oriental screen I brought back from Japan was in pieces. I had literally torn my surgery open and ripped it down to the botton of my heel. My daughter came to take me to the Dr.’s that afternoon and I had not moved from the chair in the living room and was staring at the wall. My daughter started screaming when she took in the scene. She said it looked like there had been a murder, there was so much of my blood every where. My 5 year old grandson had spent the night with me right after my surgery and it slowly dawned on me that I would most likely have hurt him if he had gotton in my way. I have cried so many times since that night that I may never get over it. When I say I would give my life for that precious child I mean it. I don’t care how many times you have taken it your brain will eventually turn on you and you will get to spend your time in hell. Take heed.

JoAnne

Addiction problems?
Date: 3/9/2009
How long should a person be on Ambien or AmbienCR without causing addiction problems?

Dixie

AskDocWeb: Ambien is supposed to be non-addictive but some people who take it disagree about that. It appears that the drug company considers long-term treatment to be 28 to 35 nights. Use it beyond that and you are into unknown territory.

Chronic insomnia
Date: 3/15/2009
I have been taking ambien on and off for years for chronic insomnia. I wake up and stay wake all day I cant nap even if I am tired. What I want to know is how does ambien hurt the body, I take cancer meds and will for the rest of my life, why is the ambien any different, I have never had any bad side effects, I sleep and get a good nights rest.

becky

AskDocWeb: A whole book could be written on the difference between Ambien and cancer meds, they are not in the same class. If your doctor approves and you never have any side effects, good for you.

Ambien for 12 years
Date: 3/15/2009
I have been taking Ambien for 12 years every night. How should I start trying to come off this mess?

Patrick

AskDocWeb: After using the drug for so long, you may want to talk this over with your health care provider first. They can instruct you what would be best for your particular situation.

All the side effects
Date: 3/16/2009
I think Ambien is seriously dangerous. I have been on and off of it for 8 months. I have experienced all of the side effects: night terrors/half sleeping, deepening increase in my already anxiety-filled sleep apnea issues (which by the way, my doctor never even asked me if I had this or asthma – ambien makes both conditions worse). I’ve also experienced memory loss, a sense of euphoria, and had strange conversations with my husband and friends online (never get online) during the time period before sleep. In addition, and I think this is more intuitive than it is something I can “prove”, but I just in general don’t feel right during the day. I don’t feel fully rested and feel as if there is a definite feeling of Ambien-build up in my entire system. It’s as if it sucked the life out of me, caused me fatigue, and I never felt “joyous” or naturally happy. I don’t recommend this drug. Do weight training/cardio 4-5 times a week, eat well, avoid sugar/caffeine, try some natural herbal sleep aids, drink a lot of water, pray and meditate.

Crazyasacoconut

Am I going crazy?
Date: 3/17/2009
I have been taking stilnox (ambien) for about 3 years to help me sleep. My back aches all night but not when I take stilnox. I was unable to go to work without sleep and feeling terrible and this drug worked well at first. I have had conversations with my husband, eaten food and walked around during the night, typed a stupid email (but fortunately didn’t send it) all without remembering anything. I could cope with this but the past 6 months I have been having panic attacks and am nervous because even the day after I am not sure if I have said something or done something I shouldn’t and worry for hours about it. Everything seems like a dream and I have also lost my memory. I can’t remember words sometimes. I went off the drug for a week when we were on holiday and my back was good and symptoms disappeared – I was a different person. The old happy me. I seem to not be able to throw them out as sometimes it’s the only way I can sleep ever. I have never been addicted to anything before and it’s scary. Am I going crazy??? I feel like I am.

Susie

Joint pain
Date: 3/17/2009
I have been using Ambien for almost three years. I am concerned with long-term side effects not mentioned in the reports I’ve read. I am experiencing bone and joint pain in my shoulders, right leg, hips and knees. I have also experienced some memory loss, but at 73 years of age, have been told this is “natural”. My physician has no comments on these symtoms with regards to Ambien. Does anyone have any similar experiences with Ambien? I break a 10mg caplet, and take one-half almost every night.

Sandra

AskDocWeb: About 7% of Ambien users report myalgia (muscle pain), 3% have back pain, 1% report chest pain, and 19% report headache.

Strange things on Ambien
Date: 3/18/2009
I did may strange things on ambien. like driving and not realizing it until the next day, sleep walking, sleep eating, it was a little scary.

Vicki

The final straw
Date: 3/18/2009
I used Ambien for about 2 years, but not on a daily basis. I had tried other over-the-counter meds & none of them worked. I would highly recommend that absolutely no one take this RX. I would (without being aware of it) get up after being asleep for an hour or two & start calling people & say things that made no sense to who I was having the conversation with. I have also woke up at some point during the night & made things on the stove. I know this because when I got up the next day there would be a skillet, spatula, plate, & fork in the sink. That was the final straw for me. I was afraid I would get up & take off in my car at that point. I figured taking an over-the-counter sleeping pill & at least getting 2-3 hours sleep is worth more than hurting myself or someone else.

Diane

No effects when I wake up
Date: 3/22/2009
I’ve been using ambien when needed for a couple of years now. I’m a nurse working night shift and ambien has allowed me to be able to sleep during the day, some good quality sleep and with no effects when I wake up. Ambien does not affect my job performance either, it improves it by allowing me to get quality 8 hour sleep and feel fresh when I awake to then go care for my patients.

Caroline

Headaches from Ambien
Date: 3/23/2009
I started taking ambien in Sept. About one week later I started to get a headache every day and still am. I’ve been on Imitrex, which helps about 6 hours then they come back. Could I be getting these headaches from ambien. I’ve been to the dr. and even had an MRI and it showed nothing. Please let me know if this could be a side effect.

shirl

AskDocWeb: 19% of Ambien users report headaches including tension headaches and migraines.

I apparently committed a crime with no memory
Date: 3/24/2009
I took Ambien back in September 2007 thru October 2007. My husband used to work night work so was not home while I was on this drug. One night about two weeks after starting the drug he said I was up in the middle of the night screaming at the walls. Three days later I woke up in the morning to find I had cooked an entire meal. The table was set and all the food was prepared properly. They say that this drug is not habit forming but that is a lie. I could not sleep with out the drug. My husband had taken them away cause of the bad effects and I would beg and plead with him to just give me one. I found the pills and took it one night and I apparently committed a crime. I have no memory to this day of that night after the pill was taken. I have tried everything to try and remember so I can defend myself. Here I am over a year later paying 10’s of thousand of dollars in legal fees for a night I can not remember. Ambien has destroyed me and my famimlies life.

CH

Ambien and a beta blocker
Date: 3/23/2009
I just lost very dear friend who was taking ambien and a beta blocker. Why would these two drugs be prescribed together, considering what I have read and heard about the effects of mixing them.

Barbara

AskDocWeb: Was your friend bipolar? People with bipolar disorder are often prescribed “mood-stabilizing” medications. Beta-blockers can prevent the physical symptoms that often accompany certain anxiety disorders. Anxiety alone is also known to cause insomnia. The manufacturer of Ambien does note that it is especially important to check with your doctor before combining Ambien with the following: Alcohol, Imipramine, Chlorpromazine, Ketoconazole, Rifampin, or any other sedatives or hypnotic drugs that slow the central nervous system.

No recollection
Date: 3/25/2009
I have been using Ambien for a few months. I am on 10mg. I take it just before I go to bed and I do take Zocur also before bed. I have noticed lately that I have times when I cannot remember things from the night before. For example, last night I pressed slacks and a shirt before going to bed. I hung them on the door knob of my closet. When I got up in the morning the shirt and pants were hanging in the bathroom on the outside of the shower door. Not only that, but there was also a scarf that was around the shirt that matched. I asked my husband if he had moved it and he knew nothing about it. This is very scary because I have no recallection of doing any of this at all and we are the only two in the house. The fact that the clothes were moved was one thing but the scarf would have had to be taken out of a drawer and put in the bathroom. Very weird. Have you ever heard of anything like this from taking a medication? I plan of calling my physician about this but wanted any feed back you might have. Thank you,

Marie

AskDocWeb: If you read through some of the feedback here you will find that many are reporting doing things with no memory of the events. Read more Ambien Feedback. Ambien – 55 – 56 – 57 – 58 – Page 59 – 60 – 61 – 62 – 63 – Last Page 120

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