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.

15 years on Ambien
Date: 9/13/2011
Ambien is the devil. This drug will ruin your life. I’ve been on and off Ambien for over 15 years now. It is very addictive and difficult to stop if you take it too many days in a row. I can’t escape it. When I take it I become angry. I can’t handle anything and I flip a breaker over the smallest thing. My mind starts running slow–it’s like I can’t even hold a conversation. I can’t put my creeping thoughts together in intelligible sentences. So basically Ambien makes you depressed, unmotivated, stupid, angry, and incapable of dealing with life. Stay away!! Seriously it can make you feel awful and do crazy things that you may not even remember. Some of my darkest days are while being on that damnable drug.

Richard

My favorite drug
Date: 9/19/2011
I’m a 19 year old college student, and I love Ambien. Its truly my favorite drug. I should mention that I have severe GAD and joint hopermobility and aDD, aLl of which provide relatively decent medications. I alsoo want to say I never misuse any op my pills, or very rarely at least because I don’t want tolerance to develop to things I really need. But so back to Ambien, take it on an empty stomach! Otherwise it won’t work. Try to stay on the same dose. If you must increase try decreadingn some night tOo. Go a few pill free, or get a rotatoon of sleeping medications never staying on one for more than 3 nights in a row. So my routine is Step 1: hydroxyzine or other antihistamine (my tol is too high) step 2: Xanax Step 4; Klonopin Stwp 5: Ambien step 6: Melatonin (my luck with it was awf. So another pill comes in here soon.

Maddy

Sleep surfing?
Date: 9/19/2011
I’m a nineteen year old college student who has used ambien for at least sex months. In my own personal knowledge, I find that the tp

Maddie

AskDocWeb: Are you sleep surfing Maddie? Here is a message for anyone who has just taken Ambien: Go to bed … Now!

Sleep walking totally in the nude
Date: 9/19/2011
I have been an occasional user of 5mg Ambien without incident. Last week while staying in a timeshare I’d never visited before I was having difficulty getting to sleep and took a 10mg Ambien at about 11:30PM. At 1:30 AM my wife was awakened by me banging on the door to get back in the unit from the parking lot. I had been out sleep walking totally in the nude. Except for a neighbor informing me I had come to his door, I have no knowledge of where I might have gone, and no memory at all of ever leaving the bed. I’ll never take 10mg again without wearing something to bed, and suggest all users be careful out there.

Robert

Addicted with major snacking
Date: 10/2/2011
I have been taking Ambien 10 mg, every night for probably 8 yrs. accept for the occasional night when I’ve ran out. I am really afraid….I am obviously addicted. I love the feeling and love that it knocks me right out. I feel I need to get off of it, but it is very hard.

For anyone out there just starting to take it, THINK TWISE. I could go on taking it and loving it for the rest of my life, but I’m sure it is not good for me. The only side effect I get is major snacking sometimes. I ran out yesterday, so last night was the night from hell. I took 2 melatonins and a glass of wine to try and help but I went through some good cold sweats and my body wasnt able to shut down. Pretty scarry.

Suzanne

What if I need to wake up with only 3 hours of sleep?
Date: 10/10/2011
I have a prescription for 5 mg of Ambien. Will I be able to wake up if i need to wake up with only 3 hours of sleep or is better to take Tylenol PM?

Fausto

AskDocWeb: If you take Ambien and wake up after only 3 hour of sleep you would still be under the influence of that “sedative/hypnotic” drug. Driving, operating machinery, or engaging in any activity that requires critical thinking skills would be dangerous at that time. In that situation a person may also be inclined to perceive suggestions as if they were commands. Exposure to any kind of communications media could produce unexpected and unusual behavior. You may want to read some of the posts here to get an idea of the trouble that others have gotten themselves into…

Someone help me
Date: 10/11/2011
I am begging someone to help me. I was perscribed ambien and one night after going to bed. I got up in my p.j.s drove to kroger and received a dui- no alcohol, no preveious recored, clean mvr. lost my job with county. My public defender is a joke. I have a jury trial Oct 31. Please someone help me.

Gabrielle

Ambien does work, but with consequences.
Date: 10/12/2011
I have taken Ambien for the past 10 years almost daily. It is a wonderful drug to get you asleep. Every doctor I have had over that period has told me there are no long term issues with me continuing to take this RX including a sleep doctor and keep prescribing it on demand. The idea of trying to sleep without Ambien is a frightening concept.

That said, I would tend to disagree with them. I would not say I am addicted, but dependent. I find my memory is diminished. Without Ambien sleep is only a few hours once it comes, and I awake every hour or more to look at what time it is so I can get up. I am awake until 2-3 AM and up by 6 AM once I can fall asleep and when I try to sleep I find my mind racing like a slide show on steroids. This is repeated until my deprivation takes over and I crash.

With Ambien I awake after about 5 hours, but not rested. I am irritable, moody, get anxious, am yawning shortly after I awake for the entire day, cannot pay attention, forget things, daze off in the middle of anything, have trouble putting my thoughts in some order, and am unable concentrate.

During a sleep study I discovered I never entered non-rem and spent only a few minutes in rem 3. That was with Ambien and what I would call a typical night’s sleep. I never really went to sleep. I have tried teas, herbals, and otc types but without any real success. If you don’t really need this RX stay away, if you do, do not eat several hours before bed and stick to 5mg. It does work, but with consequences.

Robert

Zombie mode
Date: 10/13/2011
My first encounter with Ambien was great, put me to sleep right away, and I had no problems for the next few times I took it. However, one morning after taking Ambien the previous night, I received a text messages from a friend that read “Your crazy! That had to be one of the most fun/funniest nights of my life, Thanks”. I read this, and thought she may have sent it to the wrong person.

Later that day I received a call from the same friend and she gave me a play by play of the night. Here is how it went down: 9pm: I took a 10mg Ambian as I was laying in bed. I fell asleep soon after. Judging by my recent call logs, I recieved a call from my fried at 11pm. She had called to invite me to go with her to a party and I apparently accepted.

When she showed up at my house to pick me up, she found me standing in the middle of my driveway wearing only boxers. She tried to get me to go change, but I insisted it would be fine. We arrive at the party, where I do not know a single person except my friend that brought me. The rest of the night is missing because my friend was no longer around me at the party to record the events that took place. However, other people who were there told me later that I was parading around in my boxers speaking gibberish to anyone who would listen and struggling to stay standing (Ambien makes me lose motor functions).

I don’t what actually happened while I was there or how I got home, but the crazy part is that when I woke up the next morning, I did not remember a single second of the three hour adventure I had taken part in that night. I have tried to piece the story together from what people at the party have told me, but it is still a weird feeling to have done something and not remember any of it.

The moral of my story is that Ambien is not a bad drug, it helps tremendously. You just have to be careful when you take it and be weary of outside stimulations that could cause you to go into Zombie mode and get yourself in trouble.

TheDude

On Ambien
Date: 10/13/2011
On ambian 10 mg I sleep walked into the bathroom. (Hen I was arguing with a blue fairy about who was gonna flushh. Thhen layed back down feeling sooooooo amazing I texted all my family telling them how $uch I loved them. Then I started seeing shadows popping out at me behind curtains, where u would nornally get scared… I remember playing peek a boo with them.. Literally. Went to sleep and had thhe most colorful dream where I was getting shot at. Woke up to hear myself talking multiple times in the night. Imo I love this druf lol

Coop

AskDocWeb: Yes Coop, we can tell by the spelling in your post. Now get off the computer and go back to bed.

Alteril and Valerian Root
Date: 10/14/2011
I highly recommend Alteril. It is an all natural sleep aid and it works really great. This has been beneficial for a family member who is took Ambien for years. Walmart has the best price on this product. Also available on Amazon.com. You will be amazed at how well it works.

For those on a budget, Swanson Vitamins has plain Valerian Root and also another one similar to the Alteril called Sleep Essentials. I want to also let you know that Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time Tea EXTRA is phenomenal! Make sure you purchase the Extra one though because Celestial Seasonings makes a regular Sleepy Time Tea that does not work as well. The secret ingredient in the Sleepy Time Tea EXTRA is Valerian Root. The regular one does not have the Valerian Root. Both boxes have a sleepy little bear sitting in a chair on the front of the box.

I found another secret. Buy a whole series of mystery books (something easy and fun to read) and read just one chapter in bed after taking your Tea. You will find your head suddenly to the left or right when you read those boring parts. But it takes your mind off “your” life problems. I hope this helps.

Lee

AskDocWeb: Thanks Lee! Be sure to read the warnings that go with Valerian Root. Read more Ambien Feedback.

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