There are 1050 ratings for the drug: AMBIEN in the Askapatient database.

Key to ratings for ambien: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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Rating	Reason	Side Effects	Comments	Sex	Age	Time Taken		Date Added
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1	menopausal sleepless nights	About eight days into taking started having tension headaches; did not relate to Ambien. No matter what I took for headache; nothing worked, still maintained headache. Thirty days into taking decided to quit as headaches became worse especially at back of head and scalp was becoming numb. That is when my hell began. After quitting cold turkey I did not sleep for two days, got the chills, hands & feet freezing, arms felt chilled to the bone in areas around joint, my scalp went numb moving to my forehead, my nose went completely dry, my taste and smell did not seem quite right. After two days of no sleep I finally managed to sleep maybe 6 hours (had weird dreams w/ vivid colors) and then slept the next two days about 10 hours first day and 6 hours next day (cont'd)	I was not out of the woods just yet. After initial two days of no sleep, then two days of sleep, I experienced rebound insomnia for another two days. Dr. prescribed Symbyax (anti-depressant,bipolar) to help me fall asleep and I did take for two days but still did not sleep right away as it took couple hours for me to finally fall asleep, plus the drug did nothing for me but make me very irritable at times. I has been two weeks since I withdrew from Ambien and I am just now starting to feel better and get somewhat normal sleep. My arms are back to normal, no more headaches, no more numbness in scalp or tension headaches, my nose is normal again as is my sense of smell and taste. I was taking this drug every night before going to bed and probably should not have been doing as sometimes I would take 15 mg. cause my sleep was not going as well as it was in the beginning when taking this drug. I believe I am very sensitive to drugs and this one was a nightmare for me. I could not work for awhile because of this drug.	F	47	1 months		2/8/2010 Email
1	Menopause	I stopped taking Ambien 7 months ago. Stopped cold turkey because of anxiety, depression, blurry vision, light flashes, neck, shoulder and jaw pain, metallic taste, repeated sinus infections, extreme social anxiety, aggressive behavior, loss of joy, no motivation. I feel like I lost 5 yrs. of my life. Most of these symptoms have disappeared. The one thing I'm having difficulty with is thinning, dry hair. I've read that hair loss is a rare side effect of ambien. I am seeing some new growth, but my hair is totally different than it was. Please be careful with this drug and be mindful of any change in your health. My cholesterol was 290 while I was on ambien. It is now 243. I didn't have a clue that Ambien caused elevated cholesterol and blood pressure.		F	61	5 years		2/6/2010
4	Sleep Issues	Blurred Vision, Double Vision, Lack of Coordination.	I was on it for over a year. It got to the point that I couldnt sleep without it, and after a while it stopped working like it used to. What did work was to take 2 Benedryl an hour before I went to bed and an Ambien at bedtime. When I decided to stop, I would go to sleep at night and if I couldnt sleep for 2 hours, I would take one. Finally I was able to sleep for an hour, and then I woke up. Overall, my first night without, I woke up 5 times and had crazy dreams. The next night, I woke up 3 times, and the dreams calmed down a little. Last night I only woke up once. 3 nights so far without Ambien and it works great. My advice is you are trying to quit and not currently taking an excessive amount is to only take it if you have to, dont go to bed if you are not tired, and if you cant sleep, get out of bed and clean, empty the dishwater, read a book or magazine. The first few nights without it will be rough, but it gets easier each night. It is never fun to be dependent on sleep medication, because if you dont have it, you are in for a bad night.	M	34	1.5 years		2/5/2010 Email
1	Sleep Aid	Well the last thing I remember is walking into the bedroom to go to sleep. The next morning I found out from my husband that we had crazy sex and I had absolutely no recollection of this. Even to this day I have no memory of it. Sounds like I had fun, but that was enough to scare the crap out of me and never take it again. Not so much that I had sex with my husband LOL but more so that I can't even remember doing it. I looked up several accounts online about people having sex on Ambien and not remembering it at all.......with no control of who or how. And after everything else I read I am not willing to take the risk.	Stay away from this drug at all costs!!!!	F	32	1 days		2/5/2010 Email
1	Insomnia	Memory Loss; The memory isn't there.	I debated about this post for sometime. I'm a 45 year old man, married for 21 years. I used Ambien for a few years, with very little side effects. A few brief conversations with my wife and eating ice cream once. That was it. Then one night night my daughter came home from college for the weekend and bruoght her friend her friend. During the night I got up out of my bed and went to the kitchen. Apparently I had a conversation with the friend, at some point we starte kissing. My daughter came in and caught us. I ended up being awakened by my wife upstairs. This has been a complete nightmare with my wife, who has finally realized the truth. This drug unplugs your mind. This is a warning to you! Do not use it!!	M	45	2 years		2/5/2010
1	insomnia	I took this as my doctor had told me along with Avitan, and wellbutrin. I was told to take them all at night when I take my Kidney medicines.I had hada couple of beers as well I sat on the couch,and next thing I knew I woke in the hospital, after a suicide attempt.	I was told I had gotten up, put on a suit, laid on the floor, and swallowed a bottle of blood pressure medicine. I have also been told I hit a female roommate. I must assume it is true, because she moved out, will not speak to me, and has gone to the police. Non of these actions are in my nature, and it scares the heck out of me. My life is forever altered, and all I know is I did what I was told. I have learned alot since, but I have lost a friend, scared my my family, my boss, and everyone I know. I am so happy that my roommate called 911, and I am not dead, But now what? I spent two weeks in the hospital, one of those in the phsyc unit. Each doctor, has told me it was the pills, but It is hard to not think about that day. I am not a person to hurt anyone, and it does not end. I now have to deal with the police, and I only know what people tell me. I just want my life back.	M	47	28 days		2/3/2010
4	Insomnia	Memory loss, cravings for sweets and wanting to talk to everyone.	After taking 10mg I can remember talking to friends and family on the phone but can't remember what we talked about the next day. No one has ever said that I was being weird or said anything inappropriate... It does work well for helping me fall a sleep fast. But I only take one every now and then. I received a prescription of 30 in Sept 09 and still have some left. So some of the awful unfortunate side effects some have experienced could be from daily use or everyone reacts differently to medication. PLEASE BE CAREFUL and listen to your loved ones if they say you are acting different.	F	46			2/2/2010
2	Insomnia	At first writing notes to myself that made absolutely no sense and for the past month insomnia has returned whether or not I take the pill.	Was on 10 mg every night for a couple of years with no one ever telling me it should only be taken for a specific period of time and then, when the insomnia came back on the 10 mg pill I was upped to 12.5 mg. Now it still takes me forever to get to sleep and once I do I have a lot of trouble waking up.	F	52	2 years		2/1/2010
3			Hi. I am a television reporter at the ABC affiliate in Washington, DC. I am reporting a story about Ambien and sex and was wondering if anyone who lives in the DC metro area would be willing to talk about their experiences, either on or off-the-record.(If you decide to go on camera, we would disguise your face and voice, if you preferred.) Please email clyders@wjla.com. Thanks!	F	33			1/27/2010 Email
2	Insomnia [recently diag. bipolar1]	High addiction factor; walking amnesia; general anger and non-congruent mood	It might work for a select few, but the reports are mounting high and this drug will likely be pulled sooner or later. It brought on mixed state [bipolar] episodes and ultimately resulted in hospitalization for sucide/psychosis. Many other [including personal accounts] of people having walking amnesia--- blacked out, but doing stuff [one person went driving]. Note: my time on the drug was on and off due to ill side effects.	M	20	2 years		1/26/2010
1	sleep aide	As others have posted...at first, thought it was the answer to my prayers. first weird side effect was rambling in my sleep. I had conversations that I didn't remember until days later and then it felt like I was remembering a dream that I had. I noticed my shower drain would be clogged with hair on a bi-weekly basis. Memory loss and lack of concentration to be the "norm" in the middle of the day. I had moments of blurred vision and I thought I had "seen" something--sometimes in the middle of the day. I'm an admitted big sissy so even the ocassional out-of-the-corner of my eye sighting didn't really set off any flags...I just thought it was me being typical sissy--weird I know. This drug is so subtle that you don't realize that it's affecting your mental state even during the daytime. I hallucinated so badly one evening when I awoke I thought my husband looked like the devil! The next day I barely remembered the incident--fully believing it was just a dream	My big toe also went numb(thought this was unrelated until today--my toe is finally not numb). at least since Halloween. I've had panic attacks and headaches--none of which I had ever had before. We ended a vacation early b/c I wanted to come home and couldn't explain being anxious and nervous. About a week ago I had the most depressed day in my life. suicidal thoughts beyond words. After confiding to my sister, she mentioned it could be the Amien. It's the only medication I take (except my daily low-dose aspirin) so it kinda sounded silly at first but as depressed as I felt, I was willing to try anything. This is day 4 and I am shocked at how much better I feel. It was affecting me so gradually that I hadn't noticed what was happening to me. It's as if I was on "auto-pilot". I have memory and conscienceness of day-to-day activities but it's almost like I've been half asleep the last few months even during the daytime. Thank God I didn't follow thru on my suicidal thoughts and I confided in someone and realized what was happening to me. I won't be taking anymore Ambien ever again; it's just not worth the risks. The weird part is that even though I've stopped taking it, I haven't had any problems sleeping thru the night and I haven't had any withdraw issues as noted by other posters, thankfully. This drug numbs your mental processing on such a subtle level that I never thought to question anything about it--until it was nearly too late.	F	44	1 years		1/26/2010
3	insomnia	Constipation, aggressiveness, lots of digestive problems	I think this generic ZOLPIDEM, helps with insomnia in the short term. Logn term is terrible and now I am coming off of it. I have not taken it for th epast four nights and sleep is returning however totally laced with weird dreams. I will never use this drug again.	M	64	9 months		1/22/2010
4	Back and neck injuries-pain	I have been taking the generic of Ambien for probably two years now. I have not experienced any side effects yet, other than if I don't take it, it seems I cannot sleep. I did note that the generics vary. The oval shaped pill by one manufacturer works better for me than the round pill. It is hard to get the pharmacy to have the right one in, but is worth calling ahead to ask.	I would recommend it, at least to try it and see if it works for you. I have not had other sleeping aids, but found that I wake up just fine with this medication. I have taken Lyrica for supposed fibromyalgia and woke up so groggy, it took hours to wear off. I believe the dose is low, 5mg. I don't have it with me, so I cannot check.	F	52	2 years		1/21/2010
3	insomnia due to painful breakup	memory loss, possible deteriorating eyesight	I have taken ambien and it's generic (zolpidem) off and on for almost three years now. I take only half the dosage. At first I was taking it every night, occasionally with alcohol. (Yes I know. At the time I didn't care.) I have not had any symptoms of addiction, but I can see where it could become addictive. When you take it, it turns off your mind, which is a truly wonderful thing if you are in pain. Sure beats an extreme alternative, anyway. However, I'm now having disturbing and irritating short term memory loss (can't remember what I said 15 min ago, can't spell anymore, can't find the word I want). I don't know if it's Ambien related, but I wish someone would look into it. I must add that I agree with those that say lay down when you take it. Your brain is asleep, but you may not realize it. Don't take it for a nap! That is not long enough to process the drug. Once you take it, stay home and stay in bed for the night!	F	36	2.5 years		1/21/2010
5	Stay asleep	on Ambien due to bain pain&restless leg syndrom so it helps me stay asleep and fall asleep just fine. because im always tired so i have no problem sleeping but due to my back pain and stressing over pain ambien really helps for me. main side effects,loss of memory of what u did that nite,weight gain due to sleep eating.dont watch a movie because u will forget the ending.lol. if u dont take one because u feel tired and u think u can fall asleep..your body wont let you because of dependency. i wouldnt suggest u being on this for a long time but hey you have to take what makes you feel better..right..	so funny to see others side effects on here because me and hubby been on them for few years and for both of us..side effects are memory loss of what you may have done that night until reminded of such as sleep EATING,having sex,talking on phone,online and may not remember what u said or done.. my hubbys experiences are same but sees double but we go right to bed within the hr and we both fall asleep fine..wether we have sex,eat we may forget but we sleep well : )	F	35	3 years		1/19/2010 Email
5	insomnia	nothing but a good nights rest.	if you take ambien the way it was prescribed you wont have any of the bizarre symptoms some of these people are talking about. It cured my insomnia and I can finally go to sleep when I want and wake up in a wonderful mood.	F	23	30 days		1/18/2010 Email
3	Insomnia due to shift work	SLEEP. Hazziness, memory loss, dependency, anxiety, dry eyes, sweats, stomach disturbances, aggression, drug idealation, headache, jitterness, mania, occassional euphoria, and sleep: walking, eating, emailing, talking.	In the begining it works great putting you to sleep with the prescribed dosages. Soon after though, you'll start taking more and more for less sleep. As the dosages increase, the withdrawal symptoms increase. You can feel your body start to crave the medication like any other addictive drug. I am lucky enough to say that no one has died due to me taking ambien, but I have embarrassed myself and worried my mother. (apparently I call her and obsess over dishwashers). In my opinion, this drug should be used to induce sleep when all other remedies are exhausted. Too many provider automatically turn to this med. All medications have unwanted side effects, and we shouldn't place all the blame pharmacutical companies, but they need to do a better job announcing the downsides. It is their responsibility to inform the consumer and the FDA job to demand it. FYI - when ambien first came out it was prescribed for no more 3-7 days. That was until lunesta came out with clinical trials up to 6 months with no adverse effects. Millions were then spent on advertisement proving ambien safe for long term use but without long term studies. More research has to be done. I've only been on it for a month. I'm in the process of stopping cold turkey and it's going well. I feel sorry for those who's lives were damaged more severly. Good luck	M	26	30 days		1/18/2010
5	Insomnia/Pain	No side effects that I know of.	Most people can achieve drowsiness and sleep naturally - yahoo for them - I must rely on medication. Also, I have recurring pain due to a medical condition. It's miserable enough not being able to sleep but even more so to lay awake and in pain. While this may not be the right medication for some it certainly seems to work for me every night.	F	42	6 months		1/16/2010 Email
2	insomnia,pstd	hallucinations,memory loss,cant control bladder,suicidal thoughts,slurred speech	i initially started taking it for sleep. i also was depressed so i eventually started taking it to get high..i would hallucinate and have conversations with the "devil" out loud.he would tell me to take the whole bottle.I kept peeing in bed.I liked the feeling it gave me because i said whatever i wanted to say and didnt care about anyones feelings.But overall i am a single mom and that behavior could not continue.I decided after a week that would not take it again.	F	21	1 weeks		1/16/2010
1	bi polar insomnia	It does not help me sleep at all so I have been doubling up, temporarly, memory problems , back pain. i am still awake.	Wow, I have been taken a "night med" for over 20 years and what I was taking was designed for deppression but was found to be great on sleeping issues.Trazadone.AWSOME safe cheap.It gives me bad cotton mouth and A FANTASTIC night sleep.I have taken stronger pills when my bi polar was manicy. Horsepills.Still safe side affects. silly sleepy got to go lay down. The hardcore ones took an hour to shake off all the way. but left feeling WELL. I was back on trazadone so I could care for our daughter, 2 now. This drug I can wake up from the sound of just movent. I could get up before she was awake. never miss a beat. go right back to sleep. 4 or 5 times a night and still go back to sleep.I took it too long and it turned on me,adverse reactions sleep waking and eating, not cool. so my doctor put me on Ambien.I am always scared of brand new rx's w/ catchy names. U should not have to run in hide in ur bed in fear of a pill u took. there are lots of good ones. !I have never went through withdrals from mine. not sleeping doesn't count.HA. what if you take your pill and an emergency were to come up. Stay in bed because you fear your behavior will unstable! and might get u arressted! there is always more meds. just in a different catagory.	F	35	3 months		1/16/2010 Email
1	jet -lag and occasional insomnia	Plethora of next-day side effects including, but not limited to, agitation, aggressiveness, weepiness, depression, extreme anxiousness, not feeling myself, difficulty with vision (focusing problems), lack of confidence, jitteriness, feelings of despondency, shakiness, coordination issues.	First time took this drug and next day I felt terrible emotionally. Very edgy, aggressive, agitated, weepy. Following occasions (about a dozen) I've tempered the 5mg dose with 0.5mg of Ativan. It has helped to reduce the next day side effects but not much. I've had it with this drug. I had to post because so many people seem to have problems with emotional or personality side effects. It does work, but it's not worth it. In the future, I'll just take some Ativan or Temazepam and be done with it. Someone has labeled this Ambien as the 'Devils's Drug'-I would agree with that characterization.	M	60	1 years		1/16/2010
5	insomnia		ambien gives striking effect. it eases my sleeping problem.	M	28	2 weeks		1/15/2010
4	Insomnia	Middle of the night carb and sweets binges. Addictive qualities.	I have been taking Ambien and Ambien CR for years. It allows me to wake rested with no grogginess or other side effects. The only downside is you do build a tolerance up which I have and it becomes less effective. In addition, the night eating has just begun for me. I fight it though. All in all, it has helped my insomnia problem. It is very hard to go off of being that it is very addictive. You also need to take it IN BED when you are ready to sleep.	F	43	3 years		1/15/2010
1	Insomnia	Headaches, anxiety.	I have taken Ambien off and on for five years, but have taken it everynight for the last two years. I have taken Ambien and Ambien CR. When I first started taking Ambien I thought I found heaven. When it kicks in I got this "life is beautiful feeling" and then fell into a happy, peaceful slumber. Waking up the next day, I felt refreshed. However, I discovered this honeymoon period did not last forever. I developed a tolerance and moved on to Ambien CR. In my experience Ambien CR does not produce that "life is beautiful feeling". It takes longer to work. You are supposed to take this on an empty stomach and that is very important - no food 2 hours prior. Taking it after 1 to 1 1/2 hours after eating and it would stay in my system the next day. Then came the worst part. I got a good night sleep, but the next day I experienced extreme headaches, anxiety, depression, aggression, dread eventually panic attacks. Ambien is something that should only be used occcasionally. Unfortunately, for those of us who have lived with insommia for years, once you take it - it is easy to get mentally addicted to. That is the risk you take it with it. I just quit it - because the anxiety and depression is unbearable.	F	46	5 years		1/15/2010
1	INSOMNIA	No real side effects. The drug did not help my sleeplessness at all, for me it was worthless		F	75	2 days		1/15/2010
1	Severe Insomnia	Hallucinations, sleepwalking, sleep-talking, incoherence, night-eating, panic attacks, etc...	I took Ambien for about five months. It's addictive properties were immense. It was something I used at a borderline recreational level toward the end of things. Numerous times, parents or girlfriend would comment on something EXTREMELY bizarre that I had done the evening before (like peeing in the garage "so burglars wouldn't come in"). I gained weight from eating meals I didn't remember. Finally, it culminated when, one night, I took an Ambien, woke up (apparently) in the night, not remembering I had previously taken one, and took two more. I ended up in the hospital after assaulting a paramedic and accusing a police officer of having an affair with my girlfriend. I'm a calm, rational, non-violent person with no predisposition to addiction or drug use. This is by far the worst thing you could put into your body.	M	19	5 months		1/9/2010
5	Insomnia/ptsd	Sleep	I wish I could find the people who invented Ambien and give them a big hug. Insomnia has plagued my entire life. I've never been able to sleep. I've spent huge chunks of my life in a stupor from lack of sleep, been fired from jobs, could not participate in major events because of no sleep. For the 1st time in my life I can get a full nights sleep and be ready to go in morn. It's changed my life. I work, I do things. I make more $ than ever before because I am productive functioning and happy. I suffer none of the side effects mentioned by others...well don't send emails right after taking, as it relaxes me they tend to get sappy. I can't recommend it enough for those with severe insomnia. Sleep is not a luxury.	M	47	5 years		1/6/2010
1	insomnia	loss of memory, loss of motor skills, and a number of other horrible side-effects	It has been just over a month since I ditched Ambien and I am here to say it DOES get better. A lot better. It was horrible at first when I quit and there is a definite detox period. Time passes and you can still be existing with Ambien (because it certainly isn't living), or you can shake it and get off the stuff.As I posted before I lost my job, most of my life and finally almost my marriage because of Ambien. Nothing is worth losing what God blessed me with. What bothers me here are people that say the DRUG is great and they have hardly had any bad experiences EXCEPT for a few crazy emails or whatever. If you can have a convesration (or whatever) that you don't remember, then what else could you do and not remember? Why not hurt your child or take a knife out of a drawer to stab somebody? Really, there isn't a difference if you don't remember....Just go to bed immediately? What if you need to get up? What if there is an emergency of some sort with a spouse or child? Are you just MIA? Or will you get up and do God knows what? Save yourself. I am against this horrible drug 110%	M	46	1 years		12/30/2009
1	Insomnia	Started taking the Ambien around 2 months ago and it was great at first, but the last few days have been terrible. The first evening my symptoms started, I was having severe anxiety and panic attacks, and the following day was even worse. On day 3 I decided to speak with my Pharmacist about possible side effects from taking this drug, and of course everything I was experiencing were possible side effects. I went home and flushed the Ambien and I am now on day two of being Ambien free. Its been very scary and I'm still experiencing the nervousness feeling but I do believe I am starting to feel a bit better.	I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS MEDICATION TO ANYONE!!! I WISH TO GOD I WOULD HAVE NEVER TAKEN IT.	M	35	2 months		12/29/2009
1	insomnia	my best friend's husband was prescribed ambien while he was CLEARLY depressed, he started making his "final arrangements" so my friend went to the doctor with him but she knew nothing about the side effects. The doctor failed to mention them. She told the dr. that the man next to her was not the same man she was with for 21 years. All the dr. did was give another refill. The next day he got up in the middle of the night, drove a mile and a half, pulled over. and shot and killed himself.	Don't EVER take this medicine, I am listing his age and sex, not mine	M	53	6 days		12/29/2009 Email
1	Sleeplessness, insomnia	Initially, it was a miracle drug. 12.5mg Ambien CR each night prescribed after a painful surgery. It's now six years later, and I've not been able to work for a year due to fatigue and depression that's gotten progressively worse. Why isn't SOMEONE doing a study of the long term affects of this horrendously addictive and dangerous medication?	I took Ambien for 4 years before major depression issues appeared. For the past year, I've been so fatigued, I haven't been able to return to work. I've talked to internists and psychiatrists, had every blood test imaginable performed, and tried at least 15 different antidepressants. They all say my problem is "stress." I tell them "The stress is from not being able to get my life back!" Not one doctor suggested the Ambien might be the problem; they just kept writing the refills. After reading many blogs, I'm convinced Ambien is the culprit. My symptoms are: chronic fatigue, depression that is being managed somewhat successfully by Effexor XR, inability to concentrate, blurred vision, sensitivity to noise and visual stimulus (TV, movies), needing higher and higher doses of Ambien to sleep, major social anxiety, mental confusion, sleep-eating, sleep-cleaning, and sleep-emailing. I've realized over the last few weeks that my whole day revolves around how soon I can take my Ambien and escape from the world - just like an alcoholic waits for that first drink of the day. If that's not a physical ADDICTION, I don't know what is. I'm on day 2 tapering off the drug, and the withdrawals are hell (anxiety, crying, fatigue, major depression, body aches, head aches, nausea). Conclusion - ADDICTION!! And the addiction came on so slowly, I didn't know it was happening. I agree that Ambien is the Devil's Drug and I cannot believe it's still on the market. Class lawsuit,	F	53	6 years		12/29/2009
1	Temporar stress	Day after confusion and inability to focus on anything	I have periodically used ambien on occasions when I needed sleep due to stress related issues or airline travel. The last two times I took a pill, I experienced day after side effects of confusion and disorientation.	M	69	1 days		12/24/2009
1	Insomnia	Amnesia and eveything others have posted.	This is my second post and I just want to encourage anyone that is thinking about taking Ambien or stopping to read all these posts and think if it's really worth it for sleep. My insomnia almost drove me nuts but did not destroy my life like Ambien has (or close to it). Anyone could be that 1:1000 that suffer great loss because of Ambien. I read this periodically just to remind me how horrible this drug is and it's roll in some of the fallout that occured after taking it and not going to bed immediately. Some have called this the "devil's drug" and I couldn't agree more. I work in the pharma industry and can't understand why there isn't more pressure from FDA on the manufacturer. The insert instructs the user to go to bed immediately but does not highlight why, and that not going to bed immediately is a huge reason why these bizzare side effects occur. I just figured the instruction is given like for any other sleeping pill, not as alert. With Ambien, the consequences are far greater than being sleepy and stumbling on the way to bed and maybe hitting your toe on something.	F	45	2 years		12/19/2009 Email
5	insomnia	some nights works fine, other nights not at all.	very pleased with ambien, no side effects except a few looney emails to my daughter. so,no pc for me after I take it. Go right to bed!	F	75	10 years		12/18/2009
1			I quit Ambien two weeks ago and I can tell you I am going freaking NUTS. I want to grab my ears and pull them off. I can't sleep, just like before. My teeth are gritting and I wish I could bite off my tongue!!!! I know the relief Ambien has - I spent YEARS staring at the ceiling and watching the sun come up with no rest at all. Then I went to work and suffered. I have depression, so that went wild too! I know your pain. Let me just say, this crap is not worth it. Hitting my head with a hammer would feel better than I feel right now. I have posted twice. I have said I was quitting to get my life back. For the love of God, don't put yourself where I am. Talk a good game about falling asleep and feeling good....lots of luck. This really is a devil's drug. You could be wher I am right now and never know what happened.	F	46	1 years		12/16/2009
3	Insomnia due to stress	Muscle pain, dry eyes, dehydration, mild depression	Sure helped me sleep, to the point of being habit forming. Don't expect to sleep easily without it for a night or two after taking. After sustained use of ~5 mg/night noticed severely red eyes and dehydration throughout the day. Couple that with the coffee I would have to drink to clear my head and I was turning into a prune. Also experienced delayed muscle pain. Ambien seems to cause me to tighten up just enough that I would have various aches and pains for a few days after taking. It took me 1.5 years to tie the two together, but after numerous doctor and physical therapy visits I found that my chronic muscle pain ceased about 2 weeks after stopping Ambien. When combined with recreational drugs (pot, E) can lead to some very scary memory loss and impaired judgement episodes (then again, so can the drugs themselves). A great "silver bullet" for critical nights, but you will run the risk of dependancy. At least for me the side effects of prolonged use do NOT make it worth it.	M	37	2 years		12/14/2009
3	insomnia	Normally no side effects. However, the day before yesterday my daughter found me with a bloodied face and incoherent when she came home from school.	I often wake early (4:30-5:30 AM) but on Thursday I woke at 3:30 AM and couldn't go back to sleep. As I need to get up at 5:30 I didn't want to take anything but thought I would take a longer nap than usual. After delivering my wife to her job and my daughter to school I seem to have puttered around the house - I found an e-mail that I wrote at 11:40 AM that I otherwise had no recollection writing. I remembered taking half and Ambien (5mg of a 10mg tablet) and a vicodin (I have chronic pain from Rheumatoid Arthritis), setting my alarm for 1PM and going to bed to take a nap. It must have been right after my e-mail. Two days later I was able to remember waking up to the alarm and resetting it for my usual 5:30AM. But later that day all I could remember was taking a call from my daughter about the fact I was supposed to pick her up at 3PM and wasn't there. I vaguely remembered cleaning a wound on my face with q-tips and propolis. The next thing I remember is the horrified look on my daughter's face when I opened the door when she came home from school on the bus - about an hour after our phone conversation that I don't recall. I had a one inch gash across my chin - deep gash - and a swollen nose and was not making any sense. She asked me my name (I knew it) and what month it was - I was off by two months. What day of the week - I said Monday, it was Friday. She got the neighbor who took me to the hospital. Most of the day was a blank to me, with just vignettes here and there, ev	M	67	2 years		12/14/2009
5	Insomnia	I take 10mg pill on an empty stomach and lay down immediately so I don't experience the side effects any longer. I usually lay in bed and it takes 15-20 minutes to work and then I fall asleep for the night. If I don't lay down as soon as I take the pill I will stay up and proceed to eat several bowls of ice cream followed by saying strange things to people and not remembering any of it the next day.	This drug is amazing if you truly suffer from insomnia on a day to day basis. Ambien works best when taken on an empty stomach. To avoid most of the side effects turn out every light and *LAY DOWN AS SOON AS YOU TAKE IT.* Do not try to stay up and watch TV or talk on the phone after taking the pill.	F	28	1 years		12/13/2009
1	insomnia	I took this drug off and on for several years. I have suffered extreme memory loss. Several people have commented about suddenly not being able to spell words......it is true. I could not remember things that happened even during the day. I have stopped taking it for almost a week. Memory has not improved. Will never take again.		F	30	8 years		12/12/2009
4	insomnia	excessive late night eating which has led to being overweight, sleep emailing, sleep texting, talkative	Although I'm almost positive this medicine has been the cause of my struggle with weight gain, it is a lifesaver. I get 6-7 hours of sleep a night and wake up refreshed, ready to start the day. I have struggled with sleep problems my whole life and have tried all sleep medications, this is the only one that's worked for me. It is so important to take this medicine as directed...when in bed and do not drive or take alcohol with it, simple as that. I love being able to know I can always have a good nights sleep. It's one stress I know I will never have again.	F	31	4 years		12/11/2009 Email
2	Insomnia	None, I didn't even experience drowsiness.	My Dr. prescribed it to me when I told him I wasn't sleeping well, due to some stress in my life. The first night I took it, I got in bed, popped a pill and laid awake until 4:30ish with my mind racing. Assuming it was just new RX jitters and I took it the next night and same thing happened. In my opinion its useless. It wound me up rather than relax me. My OCD kicked in and I cleaned my house from top to bottom early into the morning. No loss of memory, no night time desires, no hallucinations....worst of all no sleep.	F	24	2 days		12/11/2009
1	N/A	I have never taken ambien. I am an RN and would not recommend this medication to anyone or ever take it myself. I have been a nurse working the night shift in hospitals for 12 years and literally cringe when a physician writes an order for ambien, particularly for elderly patients. I have more than a few times had to chase patients wandering down the halls. I have witnessed pts having hallucinations and aggressive behavior on this medication without any memory of the events the next morning. In my opinion, this is a dangerous drug.		F	35			12/11/2009
1	chronic insomnia	loss of memeory, stubling, eating excessively....	I posted here back on the 4th of December. It has been 9 days (nights) without Ambien and there have been some rough points, but over-all, I'm just glad I got off it when I did. The problems that stuck out were that I sure as heck couldn't sleep. My heart pounded so loud I swear I could hear it. A little bit white-knuckle. Dreams also got REALLY weird when I actually COULD sleep... and I could feel my body (and mind) actually desiring to take Ambien again. I also keep thinking I see something out of the corner of my eye, then there is nothing. Not comfortable and it is disconcerting. But it IS endurable. Over-all. Totally worth giving it up. It is getting better since I stopped and I am starting to sleep. Seriously, please beware you could do something so horrible when you take this stuff - and not remember ANYTHING. Nada. Not even an inkling of memory. I'll post in a few weeks and give you an update. I told my doctor the problem I had and he told me there was an older anti-depressant that tested very well for helping you go to sleep and not have fatigue the next day and it is only prescribed for sleep now. THIS DRUG IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE ANY AMBIEN OR LUNESTA SIDE-EFFECTS. I can't remember the name, but I will call and find out, then post it. Good luck. Happy sleeping. If you become addicted or have crazy symptoms, please get help to stop if you can't do it on your own. God bless.	M	46	1 years		12/10/2009
3	Lack of Sleep	I started taking Ambien because I had a hard time falling asleep. This drug will knock you out the first couple times you take it. I mean DO NOT plan on doing anything with in 1 minute of swallowing the pill! No lie! After I would take it, I would have deep deep conversations with my girlfriend just before falling to sleep. When I wake in the morning I couldn't remember ANYTHING I said. SCARY!!!! Also, it would only keep me sleeping for about 4 - 5 hrs, then I would wide awake!	I never thought I would ever be able to look into a closet and see EVERY shirt in the closet move up and down, until I took this drug. SCARY!!!	M	33	7 days		12/9/2009
2		Increase urgency and frequency of my urination in the morning.	It help my sleep quite well	M	69	5 years		12/9/2009
1	insomnia	I took Ambien 10mg for 7 years. I would have rated it a 5 for the time I took it. I felt refreshed every morning. Then suddenly it became ineffective. Even though Ambien quit working for me I still had to taper off the med. I believe I was HOOKED. I was moody, unreasonable, and could not think straight as well as having NO attention span. I have been off Ambien for 4 years and note that I have the residual side affects from being on Ambien for that amount of time. I will never, ever take another sleep aid. I have a recurrence of insomnia and I swear my memory has been strongly affected. It is as though I have mild amnesia and intermittent fogginess. Seven years is a looong time and it was very easy to obtain a prescription. I do not know if I will ever recover.		F	54	7 years		12/8/2009 Email
5	lack of sleep due to hot flashes	sometimes groggy a bit after waking up	In 15-20 minutes I am out like a light.. wake up 6-8 hrs later. Started with 10mg (whole tablet) found using 1/2 tablet same results. Ambien has been a lifesaver for me. Shuts my "brain chatter" off. OTC sleep-aids never worked for me.I don't recommend this for some individuals...if you experience some of the comments I am reading...STOP TAKING IT!!	F	52	7 weeks		12/7/2009
5	Insomnia	I was talking to my boyfriend and told him that I saw people walking through walls, I don't remember any of the converstaion. Other than that, I've been able to go to sleep and stay asleep for 8 hours and feel better in the morning than I use to.		F	19	2 weeks		12/4/2009
1	for sleep	I hadn't taken ambien for months. I needed some sleep and decided to take one. 9 hours after taking it, I got up, showered and got ready for work. I remember driving the first 9 miles. After that I remember nothing. I drove another 15 miles, apparently darting all over the road with people calling the police reporting a drunk driver. I ended up crashing into and tearing down 11 guardrails (which kept me from going over a steep embankment) on the opposite of the road, totalling my SUV. I am incredibly grateful that I did not hurt or kill someone else and I was not hurt either. I was in and out of sleep the entire day after the accident going from lucidness to acting like I was drunk. I remember very little of the events. It is very terrifying to think of what could have happened.	This drug should be taken off the market before someone is killed as a direct result of someone having taken it. DO NOT TAKE AMBIEN. Write your congressmen.	F	62			12/4/2009 Email
1	On and off for 1 year	amnesia, stumbling, hallucinations	The Devil's Drug and possibly a portal to hell. I have had chronic insomnia for years and started taking Ambien with great success at first. I would fall asleep right away and wake up rested. I guess my body built up a tolerance and I wrote emails, talked to people on the phone (losing several important relationships and getting fired from my job because of the irrational behavior I didn't remember). I became addicted. After putting my marriage in danger 3 days ago (I won't go into why, but it was an "Ambien Incident"), my husband and I stood together and flushed them down the toilet. Never again. Never. I have had high anxiety and hardly slept in the past several nights, but I don't care. I'll live through that and get over it - I would not get over losing all the good in my life. I am determined to get my life back. I'm glad it works for some, but please know it is dispensed like candy and with little warning of danger. It almost ruined my life - don't let it ruin yours. Seek alternatives! God bless.	F	46	1 years		12/4/2009
3	Insomnia due to anxiety	some tiredness durrig the day.	I have had insomnia for years. It comes and goes due to what stresses I have going on in my life. Most recently its really taken a toll on me, my family and my work. Sleeping for only 2-3 hrs each night, and that was broken sleep. Waking several times wide eyed and alert but completely exhausted. I crashed at work one day and just lost it. Had a full blown anxiety attack brought on by stress and lack of sleep. My dr prescribed me Ambien and he told me some of the side effects but didn't go into detail. I will be talking to my kids to alert them to the possibility of some of the things I have read on here. I took my first dose, 10mg, last night and for the first time in months I actually got some sleep.... 7 hours! I did wake up once to use the bathroom and then went right back to sleep. I do feel a bit tired right now, but not like before. As for now I am just happy to finally have something to help me sleep. I have rated this drug a 3 because I have only taken it for one night so far, if anything strange happens, or if my rating changes I will update my post.	F	34	1 days		12/3/2009 Email
1	chronic insomnia	first I must admit that I'm probably the biggest hypocrite to ever comment on this site. the first time I entered this site was a couple years ago. I was doing s little homework on my new script, so when I read some of the posts I actually laughed and had my wife read some of them. it's ironic how things can change in only a couple years.	last month I almost killed my wife and the absolute most terrifying part is that I don't remember one second of it. I don't know if I was dreaming or hallucinating. I just don't know what happened but I know what she told me. you may be reading this and laughing at me. well I understand that as well as anyone but like so many others on this site, I'm here to warn you. it may only be 1 in 10,000 or 1 in 1000 but what people lose site of is this; that 1 is just like the rest of us. you reading this right now, you could be that one. if you've already started then stop and if your thinking about it then don't. I will continue to read this periodically but if you read this and then something bad happens later, please come back and try to make others aware. my posting this may have just convinced you not to take it. and you may have been that one. good luck and god bless	M	34	18 months		12/2/2009
1	insmnia	I had been taking Ambien for about 2 months. I have Fibro Myalgia, and sleeplessness comes with the disease. Taking 10mg every night, my family had told me several times that I had done/said random things. The worst has to have been sleep driving and the events that happened after I wrecked the car.Luckily I did not total my van, only minor damage. I do remember getting out of the van but from that point on it is a blur.	I remember being in a dream, trying to get to someplace very important. But no matter how hard I tried, I could not get there, each step I took, I would fall. I remember hitting my face on the floor, which I later learned was actually the railroad tracks. From then, I have no recollection of anything until around 5:30 when I awoke in the ER with my husband and mother by my side, and in terrible pain. Evidently, when I had gotten out of the van I took a long walk on the tracks. The falling that I thought was a dream was not. Based on my body temp when a local Sheriff responded to the call I had been out there for over four hours 3-7am. Covered in blood from may falls, and a busted nose, my husband was the first to arrive on the scene. He said the only audible words I said "where the f%#k am I?" the rest was gibberish. My body temp was down to 92 degrees, hypothermia sets in at 94.I was not aware of any of this! I still cannot recall what had happened, but was out cold in the hospital until after 5 pm that day. After coming to, I was very disoriented and in a great deal of pain. No broken bones thank goodness, plenty of bruises!but enough to make sure that I will never take any more! I was later told that I had fallen asleep on the train tracks. The officer who found me could see a train coming, and had to literally drag me off the tracks before it made it to me. Each time I hear the whistle I cringe, thinking that could have been the train that would have killed me.	F	34	2 months		12/1/2009 Email
4	insomnia/ptsd	shortly after i take it i get the drunk feeling, but im not always tired. usually remember very little and very lovey and express my feelings, which is quite odd for me.	i started taking ambien while in afghanistan becaues i was staying up for days in a combat zone without sleep. bad nightmares after death of friends, and major irrability. i have always had sleep problems though the docs there would only give me 10 at a time so i used the sparingly, once i got back home my doctor prescribed 4 months worth to me. i have had sex on ambien and do remember it, my wife says i go a little too long for her....haha. i dont take it if i know im not going to get at least 6 hours of sleep, but on those nights i notice that i dont sleep well and my nightmares return. wife often asks me the next day if i remember doing this or saying that and its usually no. i would say its helped a lot but i think there will be some withdrawl when my prescription runs out. drinking 1 beer with this drug increases its effect 10 fold!! tread carefully when taking this drug.	M	30	10 months		11/30/2009
1	Insomnia	I became hyper-aggressive sexually. Shortly after taking it, I would start touching my wife's body. We have a great sex life, so normally that wouldn't be a problem. But this was different, this was, as my wife put it, "not me". She said that it was like I was asleep with my eyes open. The last time it happened she told me to stop but I continued. I woke up the next morning to find a note explaining what had happened and that she had went to her mom's to stay. It took me almost three weeks to completly stop taking it and another month to finally sleep through the night without it.	Before these things started to happen, I had experienced a few other strange effects but they weren't anything like this. Once I took the dog out and a few times I got up and ate, without being able to recall either but this was much different. To see my wife of six years in tears, telling me that it was me but it "wasn't me" scared me beyond words. If you are reading this and considering taking this medication, I would say to do your research. I have read page after page on this site, some bad and some good but the bad can be very bad. And the possibility of doing something that could effect you for the rest of your life, I honestly believe is not worth the risk. Scott	M	29	3 years		11/30/2009
1	loss of sleep function senior citiz	After several months,depression and fear and dependency	Good for one or two days,maximum as with Oxycondon this drug should be rated triple CCC ,terrible when addicted. The idea that it works fast and you do sleep is cool but the consequences of fear that this drug will cause in long term usage is beyond belief and takes about 3-4 nights to get over then NEVER GO BACK ON THIS DRUG again,YOU ARE FOREWARNED!	M	68	6 months		11/29/2009
4	insomnia	hallucinations, increased appetite, insane amount of sexual stimulation	LOVE IT...ESPECIALLY WHEN TAKEN 15+ MG DURING THE DAY...with a little coffee and maybe 1 mg or 2 of alprazolam	M	19	6 months		11/27/2009
1	sleep loss	Unable to spell basic words, erratic behavior,unable to recall plans or event, "fogginess"- conscious knowledge that I am unable to spell or make sense and can't clear my head to get back on track.	It frightens me. I will not take it ever again. Never took it regularly- only when desperate for sleep.	F	47	1 years		11/18/2009
3	anxiety related insomnia	None. This stuff is the bomb. Knocks you out like a ball bat and you wake up fresh and chipper like a squirrel.	I gave it a 3 because while Zolpidem is a great sleep drug, it has a nasty hook if you don't watch. At least for me, it did, despite the fact that I was trying to be pretty careful with it, only taking it 4 nights a week and only taking 5mg (as opposed to 10) at least part of the time. It isn't a benzo, but acts on the same receptors and has a short half life. When I tried to go to 5 mg every other night, I started getting tight chest anxiety and shortness of breath. So, now my psych is tapering me over time. My opinion is that it is very good stuff for very short term insomnia, but you have to be careful with it. Real careful. It has withdrawals (at least for me) that were like the shorter half life benzos and that's nasty stuff.	M	57	7 months		11/17/2009
4	I was injuried and could not sleep	A firest I thought the drug as great. I whould sleep for like 7 hours with no pnoblems. But then the effects seemed to ware off sooner and sooner. this causing me to take more on amore just to get a good night of sleep like everybody ralse aroung the this F*ck*mg palce! c:}	this is lot more adidictive drug usage then we wehought but we did have fun. I cant find my parents. F ptln for lifr	M	26	1 years		11/16/2009 Email
2	cancer treatments, radiation/chemo	Nausea, hair loss (not due to chemo), muscle weakness, extreme stomach pain, diarrhea, anxiety	I took ambien during cancer treatments as they give you steroids during chemo, therefore I could not sleep. It worked for about a month, then I started having the major side effects listed. I stopped taking them after reading too many horrible reviews on the internet. I gave this a "2" because it did work for a brief while, but the side effects were just too much for me. Think carefully before taking this if you are sensitive to medications... the side effects may be worth it to you if you have chronic insomnia. I went to my doctor, who is more of a holistic MD, and he gave me supplements to try instead. It's been 1 week since my last ambien and I feel 100% better. I've had no side effects from stopping this drug either.... I know some say to wean off of this, but I had no problems going cold turkey.	F	46	2 months		11/16/2009
4	fibromyalgia		I resited taking this sleep aid, but it improved my quality of sleep. I sometimes have trouble getting my Rx filled, with insurace approval issues. When I'm without it I sleep poorly and feel terrible.	F	58	2 years		11/15/2009
2	Have problem to go to sleep	Bolemia. I gain so much during the last 24 months	I am using Circadin for few months and i sleep like a baby. never had so good sleep for many years. i have energy in the morning and i am starting to have motivation for sport and aerobic.	M	56	2 years		11/13/2009
5	insomnia	SLEEP	I have always been a restless sleeper most of my life. A traumatic event 1 yr ago kept me from sleeping at all. Was prescribed Ambien over a year ago & now sleep wonderfully and feel refreshed in the mornings. I do have to take the medication while I'm in bed because I become dizzy/disoriented if I take it & don't go directly to bed. I fall asleep w/in 10 minutes & sleep a solid 6 hrs a night. Have not had any of the strange urges that everyone else has reported. Love it! Doc said he would more than likely keep me on forever because uninterrupted sleep is important for physical/mental health.	F	47	1 years		11/12/2009
1	cannot sleep	loss of memory, takes more and more to stay asleep	drove my car, crashed into someone. apparently talked to police, spoke to a friend who called me just as accident happened. when mhy husband came home from out of town and saw wrecked car, i had no memory of what happened. had to call policeman involved to see if i hurt anyone. also gained weight from eating through the night - also with no memory of doing it. consider this a dangerous drug.	F	60			11/10/2009
3	Difficulty Falling Asleep	Quickly falling asleep is the only "good" side effect. The rest were odd/bad/scary: hallucinations, severe memory loss before sleep and after waking, sleep sex, incoherent speech, eating large amounts of food, texting, calling, posting odd/incoherent things online, drug/alcohol seeking urges. Completely changed my personality!	I did not take Ambien nightly, only as needed. Worked very well for me at 1st. Side effects began with incoherent speech. The longer I took Ambien, the worse the side effects became. The following behaviors that I exhibited ARE NOT normal for me & a bit embarassing: hallucinations, memory loss before bed, eating large amounts of odd food, stupid phone calls/text messages, strong urges to snoop through my bf's stuff. Went through his personal items & scattered stuff everywhere (that was fun explaining). Strange sexual behaviors like spending hours (yes hours) looking at pornographic material online. Went back through my browser history next day & was shocked/appalled. Really started questioning Ambien when side effects escalated into dangerous activities such as seeking alcohol, pain killers, Valium, even more Ambien if I could find it around the house. Final straw was the day my boyfriend hurried home after receiving nonsensical texts & strange "personal" pics from me. He arrived & found that I had cuffed my hands/legs together & had his loaded pistol lying on the bed. Of course I was asleep on the floor by then and didn't remember a thing. Everyone reacts differently to all medications. If this drug works for you then wonderful! However, if you or a loved one starts this medication, please, monitor the side effects and/or reactions. They could be potentially harmful to yourself or others.	F	30	1.5 years		11/8/2009
2	insomnia	funny if you fight falling asleep, increased my anxiety, worked only for 3-4 hours, then wide awake, at which point I would do random, ordinary things that seemed sensible - eat breakfast, try on different outfits - with little memory of what I had done	would recommend for someone with trouble falling asleep, not if you have trouble staying asleep. Ambien CR would be $260 per month with my insurance coverage. no thanks.	F	35	6 days		11/8/2009
1	Middle of night awakenings	Sleep walking, sleep eating, sleep emailing, sleep talking to people, sleep doing lots of stuff and not remember having done any of it, short term memory loss	I was prescribed Ambien CR because I was waking up a lot in the middle of the night and having a hard time falling back to sleep. It turned out that it was asthma...I was waking up because I couldn't breathe. I'd take the medication before bed and I'd wake up early in the morning and do stuff. Complex stuff...have absolutely no recollection of having done it. I cooked, made coffee, did email, talked to people, ate...did lots of stuff. Luckily I never drove. I also had short-term memory problems. It was frustrating. As soon as I stopped taking the medication the short-term memory problems went away. I take and have taken some toxic medications, but this one really scares me. I will never, ever take it again.	F	37	4 months		11/8/2009
1	Sleep	Severe involuntary movements,i.e.leg thrashing, tossing, turning, and told that it looked liked I was having seizures during my sleep. (I have no h/o seizures). Also woke up a couple of hours after falling asleep.	I never would take it again. Scarey stuff for me.	F	55	5 days		11/6/2009
1	trouble sleeping	sleep texting after 1/2 dose!	Doc gave to me after breakup. I did what he said and was laying in bed when took 1/2 a pill. Was asleep almost immediately but was up at 4 a.m. wide awake. However what I later found out was that I had texted one of my employees who happened to be a supervisor where I worked nonsense all night.I didn't believe him but then I checked my texts...OMG!! Will NEVeR TAKE AGAIN!!!!	F	37	1 days		11/6/2009
1	insomnia/depression	Sleep eating, walking, talking, texting, calling others; then the final: sleep driving. Totaled my car. Thank God nobody else was hurt. Lacerated bladder, brain bleed. Dont take this shit!	SOOOO sorry for the losses so many have had. I could easily become dependent upon Ambien. Sleep is so important and I've been sleep deprived for years, esp now as a college student and band member.	M	21	4 months		11/6/2009
1	Unable to sleep	Woke up in the ER with my wife and son standing next to me. They found me under my car in the middle of the night bleeding.		M	62	3 months		11/6/2009
2	insomnia	hallucinations,foggy the next day.	found myself standing in front of a bay window watching giant crows walking and talking to each other.I knew i was hallucinating,laughed at the bizarre scene and went back to sleep.first and last time i will use this drug.	M	54	1 days		11/3/2009
1	insomnia	Short-term memory loss, night-eating, forgotten conversations, lost time. Weight gain due to eating all night.	I thought I was getting great sleep on Ambien but I was really puttering around the house all night, eating, watching TV and doing chores. I don't think I was ever fully asleep on Ambien, just in a hypnotized state of mind.	F	47	6 years		11/3/2009
5		I had been having a terrible time falling to sleep and staying asleep. My husband is a horrible snorer and hotflashes were waking me often. Since starting to take Ambien everything is much better. I often don't wake up even once and I have had 0 side effects.		M	54	365 days		11/1/2009
1	Insomnia	Twenty minutes after taking Ambien I fell asleep. Shortly after that I began sleepwalking. I don't remember much after that except for throwing up but my husband said I couldn't stand, walk or talk. The few words I did say were creepy. I began throwing up and couldn't physically breath. Luckily he got me back in bed and calm. I fell asleep but woke up several times trying to talk to him. He could only make out a few words but again they were scary. In all I woke up several times and ended up staying in bed three hours. When I woke up I had very little memory of any of it. I felt incredibly nauseous and laid in bed all day. Later that day I ended up throwing up several times. It made me throw up every time I ate. Overall, terrible experience!		F	21	1 days		10/30/2009 Email
3	Insomnia	Hallucinations	It helps me sleep, but I got a little freaked out the other night. I went to pee and I thought the shampoo bottle was trying to say something to me. I need the sleep, but I don't know if it's worth trying to have conversations with household items. Anyone remember Jimmy the Flute from an old 70's kid's show? That's what it looked like.	M	41	30 days		10/23/2009
5	Insomnia	When I stay up about 15 minutes after taking drug I have to go to sleep or I will have a drunk feeling and slight hallucinations in the dark.	I have had insomnia since I was born. I have never been able to sleep, stay asleep, or wake up in the morning. This drug has allowed me to get my 9 hours of sleep (uninterrupted!) every night. I don't have a groggy effect in the morning. I have had severe depression and anxiety attacks over the last few years and have tried several prescription meds to try and get back to normal. Since taking Ambien I am able to sleep and stop taking other prescriptions. I think everything else in my life probably was based on the fact that I was always tired and had little to no sleep.	F	23	6 months		10/22/2009
3	Insomnia	nothing severe or serious that I noticed except drowziness, which I expected and some after wakeup dizziness and fatigue(minor)	worked for awhile so I could get some sleep, and stay asleep, for a decent amount of hours (7-8)...unfortunately, it stopped working for me. Strongly recommend that you do not abruptly discontinue due to possible withdrawal effects. I tapered off using pharmacists and doctors suggested schedule but I tapered off even slower than suggested. Seems to worked out ok.	F	39	1 years		10/22/2009
1	insomnia, headaches	I detest this drug. I have been taking 2.5 to 5 mg in 2 separate doses for about a year. It makes you feel like you're in a BLACK HELL HOLE the next day. Yes and it gives bizarre dreams. (frightening and violent ones.) I can't work or drive the next day sometimes. Lay in bed all day waiting for it to wear off. No taste sensations and some nausea as well. Our culture and lifestyle are so whacked with problems that our population suffers so much anxiety and insomnia. ALL THESE SYMPTOMS SHOULD BE GIVEN GREATER PUBLICITY AND REPORTED IN THE STUDY RESULTS!!! Those Ambien commercials are INCOMPLETE.	I'm trying to wean off of it. Forgot to mention dry eyes and inability to keep eyes open or focused as another symptom. Today is a perfect example of Ambien poisoning.	F	46	2 years		10/22/2009
3	Insomina	Had to stop and no longer taking Ambien. I was getting depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts during the last 3 months when I was taking Ambien during work nights.	I believe the side effects are still lingering on, the cycles of depression are less regular.	M	45	5 years		10/20/2009
4	Sick and needing sleep	mild hallucinations before falling asleep	I sleep great when I take Ambien but make sure you are ready for bed and in bed before you take it cause it comes on fast...don't try to stay awake. The next day I feel a little foggy-headed but that wears off and is counter-acted by the fact that I am rested and refreshed from a good night's sleep. (I only take it one night at a time now and again when needed.)	F	27	1 days		10/17/2009
4	Insomnia	Dependance (I get rebound insomnia VERY badly when I run out or don't take it), and it doesn't last long enough. I end up waking up after about four hours and I have to take another one to get the rest of my sleep. And yea, it's true that you shouldn't pick up the phone and call anyone when you're under the influence of Ambien...you'll feel like you're in complete control of your mind at the time, but the next day you'll be like, "Oh sh*t, did I really say that?" It can be embarrassing.	I love Ambien! If they ever took it off the market I'd be so screwed...it really helps my quality of life. Without sleep I'm a wreck.	M	30	7 years		10/17/2009
5	insomnia, restless legs syndrome	I had mild hallucinations after my first 10mg dose. I never had them with the 5mg dose, but the 5mg dose didn't work to well for sleep. It probably wouldn't have been a problem if I had gone straight to bed instead of staying up. On the plus side, I realized that I was hallucinating at the time and thought it was funny. It only lasted for about 5 minutes and then eased up and I went to bed. It has not happened since that first dose.	When I first started taking it, I was waking up after about 5 hours and was unable to get back to sleep. Thankfully, it now lasts the whole night. It leaves me more alert in the morning than other sleep meds that I have taken, which is really nice.	M	46	3 months		10/14/2009
3	INSOMNIA	I have been taking ambien cr for 30 months experiencing chronic vaginal pain, tingling in face, lips and hands feeling of fullness ,pain when sitting or tight clothes ..horrible	can you stop cold turkey	F	58	2 years		10/12/2009
5	insomnia	amnesia, night eating	take dose at bedtime, and then in the middle of the night when I wake up, which is why I take the generic, not the CR. When took CR, would still wake up after 4 hrs, then you can't take another dose! have learned not to email or call people after taking bedtime dose. I do think it's addictive, as I can't sleep without it, but I've had insomnia for over 20 years, taking many different types of meds for insomnia, and this works the best. A good night's sleep is well worth it! Don't always need a full dose, sometimes only need it at bedtime and not in the middle of the night. Do pay attention to warnings about using with alcohol, driving, or taking other sedating drugs	F	46	3 years		10/7/2009
1	insomnia	I began taking ambien about 6 years ago, 10mg and it worked great! then about 4 years ago I began to notice that my mouth was burning the tongue and roof of my mouth, the nerves in my teeth hurt and all of my teeth are numb. My ears hurt and there is pain as well as fullness sensation. My feet tingle, are numb and burn as well as my fingertips.I don't know of it has been my long use of ambien or not. That is my QUESTION; I came off ambien for 6 months and saw no change in my symptoms. Is there anyone out there who has experienced similar symptoms and got better. The doctors are baffled by my symptoms and they are only getting worse.Please reply if you think you can help. I am going to the Mayo Clinic soon for an evaluation.	I think ambien is safe as long as it is taken for a short time and not on a daily basis. I was taking way too much because 10mg wasn't working anymore and with a chronic pain conditon I have all I wanted to do is sleep. If anyone who reads this can of me some help, then please let me hear from you: My question is how long does it take for ambien to get completely out of one's system?	F	53	6 years		10/7/2009 Email
4	Insomnia	well the first two months i been taking it, the drug worked wonders....then more recenly ill take it and it makes my mouth dry out and everything just starts to move real slow...i get full body shakes and confusion...also if i try to talk it is just mubbles...i also hallocinate that there are people watchin me...but all this last for about 15 mins then im fine...	IT puts me to sleep and thats all i care about	M	19	5 months		10/5/2009
5	Trouble staying asleep	My problem was insomnia where I would fall asleep fine but wake every night at 2-3AM and lay awake for hours. Ambien CR helped me get the full 8 hours sleep I needed. No side-effects except in the morning if I took the pill too late in the evening. Then I would still feel groggy, spacie in the AM.	I take 1/2 a pill per night. These seems to be no addiction or tolerance problem as I only take the pills periodically as needed.	F	51	1 years		10/4/2009
2	insomnia= brought on by menopause	i did sleep well after taking Ambien. after a month or so had to increase my dose. the big problem is that I cannot focus my eyes the next morning and had a groggy/confused thinking, especially in the morning after. As far as i know i never got up in the night.	I had to stop. my eye sight was getting so bad smd I need to be able to concentrate at work. the benefits do not out weigh the bad side effects. I wish I had kmown about the eye thing before. I know it is not one on the worst side effects after reading some of these horror stories. I feel as though there are some lingering problems with my eyes	F	46	4 months		10/4/2009 Email
4	Insomnia	Loves that it helps me to fall asleep pretty quickly, but sometimes not quickly enough. I have made cell phone calls to my friends and been horrified the next day when I have looked at my cell phone record and not remembered any of them. I turn into a real chatter box after I take the Ambien. I very seldom wear jewelry and last night I woke up with 4 necklaces on, multiple bracelets on and rings and bracelets laying all over the bathroom. I don't remember doing any of that. I am afraid to ask my husband if I was acting any differently last night for fear of what he would say. I have had insomnia for as long as I can remember and being able to get a good night's sleep makes all the difference in the world to me. It is worth a little weirdness just to get some rest. People that don't have insomnia just don't have a clue how miserable your life can get.	Just don't leave your house when you are taking this medication. Call people, clean your house, put stuff away where you won't be able to find it later....just don't leave your house.	F	56	2 years		10/3/2009
3	insomia	groggy		M	81	5 years		10/1/2009
3	Insomnia from fibromyalgia/Savella	None	I will start taking this medication tonight to try to sleep more than one hour. I have been going to bed, sleeping like a rock for one hour and then my mind runs in circles all night and I don't get any more restful sleep. Reading these comments has quite frankly scared the crap out of me but I have alerted my husband to watch me for several nights and make sure I am just sleeping and not wandering around the house eating, or doing something else stupid...I will post my results on here in a week.	F	33	1 days		9/29/2009
5	Insomnia	I night eat. It could be perimenopause or my acid stomach. I did this before I took Ambien but only before my period but it seems to happen more now. I think it puts you in an hypnotic state. You would only do what you might normally do.	I take it every night. I believe that it is a life saver for me. Very few people understand. I don't like the night eating and wish I could stop. It upsets my family. Wish I knew what a sleep specialist thought about how long I've been taking it. If anyone knows, please respond. Besides insomnia that started in childhood, my fibromyalgia has increasingly gotten very bad since I was first diagnosed 13 years ago.	F	47	8 years		9/27/2009 Email
1	insomnia		Glad to find this page..THIS DRUG IS CRAZY...same effects as the person who wrote on 9/21....Some things i was doing I didnt believe until my wife actually Video taped it! Very restless.....sleep sex (masterbating while sleeping)...sleep walking nude, general out of touch feelings, talking in sleep....I guess this drug effects a lot of people differently...wish there was a discussion form on this to communicate with others who have gone through similar episodes.	M	35	2 months		9/27/2009
1	cr12 for insomnia	I had a full blown manic episode and I am not bipolar	I don't think anybody should take this medicine. I caused a lot of problems for me.	M	53	10 years		9/25/2009
1	Insomnia	Memory loss, sleep eating, sleep sex, hallucinations, and violent outbursts. I've been off Ambien for 3.5 years and my vision isn't still isn't normal: I have permanent tracers and find it difficult to focus on any fast-moving object.	I started taking this drug when I was 15 and didn't stop until I was 17. I therefore have 2+ years of unremembered nights. A few examples of what I was told I did under the influence of Ambien: called/texted/instant messaged people with aggressive messages (both sexual and violent); threatened my father; spoke in gibberish; wandered around my house and street; took extra Ambien; had sex; and drank alcohol. However, the worst by far was tearing open my chest with a razor blade. My mother walked in and found me in a pool of blood. I have no memory of this. When she called my boyfriend over to help calm me down, I hallucinated he was my rapist (the reason I was taking Ambien in the first place) and cowered in a corner begging him not to hurt me again. This drug blew my mind apart and left me with a mutilated chest. Please be careful when taking this.	F	21	2.5 years		9/23/2009 Email
5		The stuff works well. However the hypnotic side effects and memory loss have been used against me by lovers and family. They know to wait until I'm about to fall asleep to ask for money or favors. I've learned to wait until I'm alone before taking Ambien. I've also learned not to hide anything or clean house after taking the drug. I lose things for months if I do.	Ambien's memory loss side effect is a great way to watch a movie or show you really like. I never remember the ending and get to watch the movie several times as if it were the first time.	M	52	4 years		9/22/2009
4	insomnia	amnesia, complete memory black outs, other than that it works wonders and helps me sleep!	i have had full conversations and not remembered them while taking ambien. very powerful, but it works for insomnia.	F	30	2 years		9/22/2009
1	insomnia	DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG. My husband took 20mg before bed. Then the nightmare began, at some point in the night. Sleepwalking. Drinking a fifth of gin (my husband almost never drinks). Taking more Ambien as well as finding my pain meds left over from my c-section. He also sent a total of 9 emails to female friends on Facebook, propositioning sex. 9 women! And, each email began with, "I know you are happily married, but would you ever consider having an affair / phone sex, etc. I was horrified, but based on the content of emails, it is clear he was totally out of it.	See above horrifying discription, but I ended up being unable to wake my husband at 6AM. Had to call 911 and he was taken to the hospital. He has absolutely no recollection of what happened. He almost died. Thank God he did not go up to visit my 7month old son who was sleeping upstairs. This is such a scary drug I can't tell you. It needs to be taken off of the market.	F	39	30 days		9/21/2009

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Average rating for drug: 3.2. This page is printer-friendly; use landscape print with background color turned on.

Key to ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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