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.

Numerous side effects
Date: 1/2/2010
I have been taking ambien for about one year. I have had numerous side effects. Double vision, unsteady when trying to walk, headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath. I don’t recommend this mediciation. I didn’t have these side effects when taking Sonata and I am going to talk with my physician about switching back.

Gary

Ringing in ears, numbness in my left arm, heart palpitations
Date: 1/3/2010
I have been taking Ambien for 2 weeks–I have ringing in my ears and numbness in my left arm—heart palpitatons—any chance these are related to the Ambien?

Sleepless in OH

AskDocWeb: That ringing in your ears is called tinnitus and Ambien is one of the drugs that may cause it. The numbness and heart palpitations are not listed as possible side effects but they symptoms of a heart attack so check with your doctor as soon as possible.

Sleep driving
Date: 1/5/2010
A client of mine took the medication for the first time and then got behind the wheel of her car and does not remember getting in her car. She took the medication and went to bed and then found her self stopped by the police. She gave them a phone number which she does not remember and they called her parents of which she only remembers waking up at her parents 10 hours later. any comments

Paul

Heart palpitations
Date: 1/7/2010
I took Ambien for a bit. The day after my heart would feel like it was skipping beats. Ever since I have had heart palpitations. You are better off having a drink or two instead of this medication.

Mike

Terrible buzzing and numbness
Date: 1/8/2010
I only took Ambien for a few weeks but since I have been off of it I have had a terrible buzzing in my ears and numbness in my arms–are these some of the side effects? If so how long will this last? And are there any medications that Ambien should not be taken with?

Sue

AskDocWeb: Ambien is only one of the drugs that can cause a buzzing in your ears (Tinnitus). Numbness is not listed as a possible side effect but since this is a symptom of a heart attack, check with your doctor as soon as possible.

Drug test?
Date: 1/7/2010
Does Ambien show up on a drug test? If so how long does it take to be out of your system? Can it be taken in conjunction with Prozac? Any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Kind regards,

Holly

AskDocWeb: The standard drug tests check for PCP, opiates, cocaine, amphetamines, and marijuana. Ambien is not in the same class as those drugs and unless they are looking for illegal prescriptions, it won’t show up on a drug test. Most of the drug is out of your system within 12 hours but it may take up to 48 hours to completely leave your bloodstream.

Weird things
Date: 1/9/2010
I have been taking ambien for a few months. When I do take it, it makes me do weird things. I drove to Walmart once and got a haircut and barely remembered the next morning, I built a fire last night in my back yard, I make phone calls to people when normally I wouldn’t. It hasn’t caused me to do anything serious…I kind of look forward to everynight I do take it, what weird thing I’m going to do next.

Susanna

Broke his ankle in his sleep
Date: 1/11/2010
I do not take Ambien but my husband does. At first I did not realize he was sleep walking and then one day I started telling him how silly he was last night (he was trying to put sour cream on me and he and I play struggled, he tried to wipe it on me and I tried to stop him). By the look on his face I could tell he had no recollection of it. Then I put the other nights together. After time I began to think he was “acting” like was to pull pranks on me until the other night. He called and said he had to tell me something strange that happened and it scared him. He woke up in the game room with a Wii controller in his hand and sleeping on the couch. The game was on tennis and it was his “Mii” (wii avatar). Later that day he complained about his ankle hurting over the next three days it became so bad he couldn’t walk. He went to those quick clinics to get an ex-ray and found out he had a stress fracture of the ankle. He actually broke his ankle playing wii tennis in his sleep. It WAS very funny until I read the other stories. Now I am scared. I am sending this link to my hubby so that he will read it and hopefully stop taking the sleep medication and switch to something else.

Julie

Scary stuff
Date: 1/11/2010
I was put on Ambien a couple of years ago when I was sent to the Naval Hospital in San Diego for medical hold for injuries I received when I was a called up reservist for Operation Iraqi freedom. I was there for about ten months being treated for Severe leg injuries and PTSD. I was prescribed the med when I started having trouble sleeping. It worked well but one morning I got up and could not find my crutches. I had a cane and so went out to go to morning formation. When I left my room I noticed my crutches leaning on a fence about 90 ft. from the room. I later found out that I had been found by the base military police standing (as well as I could) on the perimeter road. When they asked what I was doing I told them “patrol”. It appears they thought little of it as with dozens of med hold out patients in those building this was not that out of the ordinary for them. Upon finding that out I had the doctor DC the Ambien. Scary stuff as far as I am concerned.

William

Ambien nausea
Date: 1/11/2010
I have used ambien for 10 years or so now. My problem is I must take MORE of the medication to get adiquate results. Is this safe to do? It concerns me and I worry a lot about this. I have been developing some nausea with this, is this normal? THANKS so very, very much. The product is the only one that DOES NOT give me drowsiness the next day, I love it…thanks,

Debbie

AskDocWeb: Nausea is listed as one of the possible side effects of Ambien that should be reported to your doctor.

Joint pain and muscle weakness
Date: 1/12/2010
I am 57 years young and I have been on ambien for 2 years. I can tell something is wrong with my muscles. I am very weak in my muscles and can not hardly stoop and get up without someone’s help. I have stopped all other medications except ambien. Last night I only took 1/4 of a 5 mg. pill. I could tell a big difference in my hip joint pain and not as much in my legs and feet. I believe the ambien is my problem with joint pain and muscle weakness.

Katherine

Extremely addictive
Date: 1/13/2010
I have been taking 1/2 of a 10mg pill for about 6 months. It no longer helps me sleep any longer than about 3 hours and it is extremely addictive. I started to notice severe body aches, although I work out daily. Last night I didn’t take one because I ran out. I thought I would go through the roof with body pains in my hips, legs and shoulders. I felt like I was on fire. I will no longer be taking Ambien, and highly recommend that you find something else that is non-addictive. It stops working and the side-effects are not worth it. I just hope this pain goes away because it is seriously painful.

T

Ambien story
Date: 1/13/2010
I been on ambien for about two years, I gambled over 15k on poker sites playing up to 6 tables at a time and not remembering it, blaming my family for this, when I am awake I cant even play 2 tables at one time, this was very hard for me to deal with, not understanding what was going on. I drove my 5 year old to school hit a parked car pulled out and drove home and dont recall it. That scared my fiance he started taking the kids to school after that because ambien had not worn off of me. I started getting agitated suicidal and hated the world. I am on a normal basis the life of the party. I started to think my fiance was going to kill me on ambien. I took all his knives he collected and hid them, told him that’s how he was going to kill me. That night I sliced my wrist but not deep so he just thought it was a cry for attention…so he wrapped it up we fought after that I destroyed pictures from his past and burned his motercycle patch, then fell asleep and during this time I guess I took another ambien and next morning I was but naked sliced head to toe and my son found me walking in the hall way all bloody. I was sure that my fiance did this to me. They called the ambulance they told me that I wanted to beat up my sister who for sure could take me out then refused to listen to the police and reverted to a scared child in the corner. They told me the police officer barked at me and I listened and was taken to the hospital. They thought it was an overdose, but I didnt it was just ambien. They put me in the 5150 hospital, still convinced I didnt cut myself, they just added more drugs to keep me mellow in there. I should of never went there, I ended up twice in that 5150 hospital has to see a shrink never did drugs in my whole 35 years of my life has four kids and a loving fiance.

I have so many more things to say about this drug to this day my doctor doesnt know my issues are related to my ambien and I am still on it. I dont even know who I am anymore, I have cut myself out of my family and friends loop my fiance lost a wonderful job because of me, and my kids think I am crazy. Now I have learned how to take it properly so I dont sleep walk as much, but I cant concentrate so much to the fact I feel I have to pee and my mind trys to tell my body to do so but cant. I have tried everything to get off of ambien. The longest I had been off of it was almost a month and over the counter sleep aids was helping but now I am back on them and at my worst I can say its a major issue. My body aches all over I sweat most of the night and feel so unsure I will ever be happy. I miss who I use to be. My doctor thought it was some depression drugs they put me on but been off them for over a year and still feels unstable. Think goodness my fiance has figured out when I am on ambien and protects me, if not I would of been raped and not remembered it, that another thing he loved my sex drive was up but I never got to enjoy it because I was asleep during the whole time and dont recall it. Also I dont drink but when he left me I went to fourth of July party at lake drank a bottle of vodka not a small one and out did everyone there and dont recall it. I cant even drink 2 drinks without getting drunk, this so how allowed me to drink a great amount and still party I ended up the next morning locked in my car naked I will never know what happened that night, but I stopped talking to my friends because I felt they were hiding something from me… I want my life back and dont know how to I am currently taking soma vicodin and ambien and welbutrin any of these meds are not suppose to be taken with ambien I dont abuse those drugs maybe 21 vicoden or soma a day and 2 welbutrin the lowest dose 100mg a day.

Suzette
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