Ambien

[Mad Dawg Wiccan]

I first heard about the hallucinatory side effects of Ambien when some congressman crashed his car a while back. He said it was caused by Ambien, and that he had no memory of it.

Have you ever experienced this? I have, twice. The first time was when my wife had taken it. She was sitting in bed, looking enthralled at the blanket, going on about the energy levels she could see in the humps of the blanket. She kept at it for over an hour before she would lie down and go to sleep. The second time, I had taken it. My wife says I sat in bed for a half an hour, watching a blanket folded up on a chest at the foot of the bed. I told her I was waiting for it to attack me again.
Neither of us have any memory of our own experience.

[Deleted]

Maybe you just have very sneaky blankets.

[Mad Dawg Wiccan]

Could be, since they're what caught the attention of both of us.

[The J]

I've never had an issue. My ex, however, took it one night and while she was completely asleep, she appeared totally awake and alert, talking to me, going to the kitchen and getting a snack and watching tv for like an hour.

[Mad Dawg Wiccan]

Sounds just like what happened to us. It was quite unnerving, I've never taken it again. The strangest thing in my wife was the way it changed her personality, she was like someone on acid watching a lava lamp.

[The J]

My ex seemed perfectly normal, and she had no recollection the next day -- in fact, the only way I knew she had been asleep was when she woke up and asked why she had pretzel crumbs all over herself.

[Artemis Windsong]

On some people Ambien only works one night. Try samples first. On other people, you hope there isn't a tornado or severe weather event to escape from as the person is totally out. Webmd had the Ambien side effects list. From what I have read and heard, Ambien is for chronic insomnia when other things like Benedryl or other OTCs don't or quit working.

[Elizabeth]

Interesting. I was thinking of asking my doctor about Ambien since they say it's non-addictive. Right now I take Ativan to sleep, but I am weening myself off of it because it does it makes me physically ill if I don't take it at the same time every night. That can't be good. But I have always had chronic insomnia so I was hoping Ambien would work for me.

[Apple]

Sorry, but the blanket thing is hilarious

My ex-bf took it a couple times and he slept great, but if he "fought" falling to sleep at all he'd get real strange, almost like falling down drunk and stoned at the same time, walking into walls, etc. As long as he went right to sleep when he took it he was fine.

[The J]

Feb 28, 2011 0:38:19 GMT -5 Elizabeth said:

Interesting. I was thinking of asking my doctor about Ambien since they say it's non-addictive. Right now I take Ativan to sleep, but I am weening myself off of it because it does it makes me physically ill if I don't take it at the same time every night. That can't be good. But I have always had chronic insomnia so I was hoping Ambien would work for me.

Who says that? Ambien is a narcotic, so by its very nature it's addictive.

You could try another mild drug like trazadone for regular use.

[Mad Dawg Wiccan]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambien

[Opti]

I think Ambien is generally safe for those who tolerate it. Its wise to take it very close to bed time, i.e. don't sit up and stare at blankets , and stop taking it if it isn't helping you fall asleep. I copied the list of side effects from Wikipedia.

Side-effects at any dose may include:

Nausea
Vomiting
Anterograde amnesia
Hallucinations, through all physical senses, of varying intensity
Delusions
Altered thought patterns
Ataxia or poor motor coordination, difficulty maintaining balance[30]
Euphoria and/or dysphoria
Increased appetite
Increased Libido or decreased libido / destrudo
Amnesia
Impaired judgment and reasoning
Uninhibited extroversion in social or interpersonal settings
Increased impulsivity
When stopped, rebound insomnia may occur
Headaches in some people
Short term memory loss

[Artemis Windsong]

From what I understand and OP have told me, Ambien is not something you can just stop taking if you have been using it for a long time. Rebound insomnia of 3 days or more meaning zero sleep. Regular Ambien can be taken 1/2 tablet at bedtime and the other half or one-quarter if you awaken at 2:00 a.m. Reason being is you need at least 4 hours for the Ambien to work and leave your system.

Ambien CR is supposed to be time released for inability to get to sleep and waking early.

The list of side effects needs to include possible increased anxiety and depression. Driving while asleep is a major concern. DD, EMT, said people fall asleep while driving to work the morning after. This happens with people who have new Rx and don't know how their body will react.

I have heard of people taking Ambien for overseas flights. Make sure your feet are out of the isle.

[The J]

Mar 1, 2011 14:14:16 GMT -5 Lady Gaga Gaga Snerd said:

It isn't a narcotic.

It's considered one in NY at least. That's why I always have to get a written prescription -- it can't be ordered online.

[wvugurl26]

If it requires a prescription, it is a controlled substance. Not necessarily a narcotic, just controlled by the DEA meaning the script can only be in certain forms and only those providers (doctors, dentists, etc) registered with the DEA to prescribe certain schedules of drugs can prescribe it. The DEA regulates drugs with a high potential for abuse and addiction among other things. It is classified as a Class IV drug by the DEA meaning it has a low risk for addiction. The written prescription is because it is a Class IV drug in the same category as Valium and Xanax. And Ambien is not classified as a narcotic. It is generally recommended for short term use (2 weeks or less) and may be addictive.

you should know that some people who took Ambien got out of bed and drove their cars, prepared and ate food, had sex, made phone calls, or were involved in other activities while partially asleep. After they woke up, these people were usually unable to remember what they had done. Call your doctor right away if you find out that you have been driving or doing anything else unusual while you were sleeping.

My ex-bf used to take it sometimes. He never did anything he didn't remember. And my other comments will land this on AC.

[kadee]

For years I had insomnia...until I discovered Melatonin.
It's found in the vitamin section of stores and is supposed to be natural. I rarely have to use it any more...it seemed to help regulate my body!

[Opti]

"From what I understand and OP have told me, Ambien is not something you can just stop taking if you have been using it for a long time."

My doctor always recommended 10 days or less in a row. Its not something you should be taking constantly. I have met some people waiting for prescriptions that take a serious cocktail of drugs to sleep.

WVU, friskiness is one of the side effects.

[Artemis Windsong]

I read somewhere that Wild Yam can help regulate sleep. I have looked for it at Walmart, CVS and 2 grocers and haven't found any. It's probably a health food store item.

[Mad Dawg Wiccan]

Valerian and melationin help me sleep. So does kava kava, but that also makes me very short tempered.

[kimber45]

The only side effect DH has had from taking ambien is being groggy in the morning. He hasn;t taken it in a while now, he usually takes Lorazepam instead to mellow out and go to sleep.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Ambien doesn't work for me. I got a prescription after my mom died and I wasn't sleeping. I tried it several nights, and nothing. Fortunately, my sleep patterns finally reestablished themselves back to normal (for me).

[ktunes]

my wife took that for a short time...she would get up in the middle of the night and do all kinds of stuff and not know it...

one night i heard pans banging around in the kitchen so i got up to see what she was doing and she had all four burners of the stove on with various pans on them with nothing in them...she was on the other side of the kitchen rearranging her spice cabinet...

when i came up to her to ask wth she was doing...i woke her up

after a few nights of that i convinced her to quit taking it...

[Artemis Windsong]

My condolances Mich1.

[Deleted]

DH and I keep a stash of Ambien for overseas trips. It used to help us sleep on the plane and now it doesn't anyomore, and we're reluctant to up the dosage (I can't remember if we were on 5 or 10 mg). I still like it because once in awhile a few days after arriving I fall into a jet-lagged sleep at 9 and wake up, unable to get back to sleep, at 1 AM. I'll tolerate that for one night or maybe 2, but then I take an Ambien and it works very well for that. I'm just careful not to take it when I need to be up and around a few hours later and I don't take it more than 2 nights in a row.

Everyone's body chemistry is different, but for DH and me it works fine with no side effects.

I've found one pretty good substitute: I have a playlist of mellow, relaxing music on my iPod. Some soft rock, some folk music, a little Gregorian chant. It's a little uncomfortable lying there with earbuds in, but it almost always works, especially with garden-variety, too-much-in-my head insomnia. It has the advantages of being cheap, non-chemical, no disturbance for DH (I don't turn on the light and read), and I get to enjoy some good music.

[lulubean]

I freakin love ambien, have taken it twice, once for minor surgery and once for a long plane flight, where I was actually asleep before takeoff and woke upon landing. Nice way to spend an otherwise boring nine hour flight.

[Deleted]

Mar 20, 2011 10:56:20 GMT -5 @lulubean said:

I freakin love ambien, have taken it twice, once for minor surgery and once for a long plane flight, where I was actually asleep before takeoff and woke upon landing. Nice way to spend an otherwise boring nine hour flight.

I wish it worked that well on long flights for DH and me! One caution: they tell you not to take it till after the flight takes off. If for some reason the plane doesn't take off and they herd everyone back out into the terminal you might have a hard time getting up and leaving and, worse, you might forgetfully leave personal items on board. Of course, I've had to get off a plane and go back into the terminal only a few times in 15+ years of frequent flying.

[lulubean]

We had to do it once with a bomb scare.