Drug Ratings for AMBIENAverage Rating: 3.2 (1308 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by Date Rating Was Added Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR AMBIEN | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 1 | for insomnia | I put my car in a deep ditch and according to a neighbor I ran over my mailbox. I handed by daughter the bottle and got it out of the house... | If they ever have a class action suit I will be involved. | F | 56 | 3 months | 6/1/2009 | 2 | Insomia | Have been taking Ambien (10) off and on for two years. I took it daily for three months, then stopped cold-turkey because I couldn't function the next day. Unfortunately, I also could not sleep for more than an hour each night thereafter for the first couple of weeks. Then sleep increased to 3 - 4 hours each night. Doctor put me back on 3 months ago, and I'm back at not being able to function, no energy, no short term memory. Daily buzzy head. Constant fatigue. Almost no short term memory. After I get off of it this time, I think I'll stay off of it. I've repeated this cycle 3 times now. | The last time I went off of it, I found that taking one 25mg tablet of Benadryl (Diphenhydramine hydrochloride), and two 200mg tablets of Motrin (Ibuprofen) at bedtime did not help me sleep but it helped stop the buzzy head feeling. This stopped after the first week of "detox". After the first week going off of Ambien I did begin to establish a bit of a sleep pattern without the use of drugs. Unfortunately, insomnia has been with me for about 32 years, so I know once things "normalize" this time, I'll just be getting ready for another cycle. | M | 50 | 2 years | 5/28/2009 | 5 | Insomnia | Hallucinating; if I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night everything looked like mosiac painting. | I loved Ambien, probably too much however I don't take it anymore. It worked great for me and I have tried other sleep aids. This was the best. Its just very easy to get addicted to it and when you decide to stop taking it you can get rebound insomnia. I don't think I ever had that but heard people talke about it. I would reccomend it but only if you have severe insomnia and only take it when you really have to. | F | 25 | 4 months | 5/26/2009 | 2 | insomnia | taking ambien 10s cut in half worked fine for me. And then I tried the 12 CR and can't believe what happened. The night after I took it, went to sleep without any medication to awaken to literally the MOST VIVID HORRIFYING NIGHTMARE I have ever had. It must trigger something with your brain chemistry that seems very dangerous. 2 days later and I stll can't get the nightmare out of my head..it was not a hallucination, just a terrible dream about my children. I have never had a nighmare this bad, and my sister in law has told me the same thing happens to her after she stops taking it. | It seems dangerous and would like to use it in small doses as little as possible! | F | 43 | 28 days | 5/26/2009 | 1 | MS sleep related issues | Compulsive spending on the internet, sleep eating, no energy, I feel that I am addicted and I quickly built a tolerance. I have spoken with other women who have slept walked and even sleep driving. | I feel addicted, not myself. I am cranky if I don't get my Ambien. | F | 39 | 2 years | 5/26/2009 | 2 | severe insomnia due to anxiety | I built up a tolerance and dependence quickly (over a period of 2-3 months). Hence, I need at least 20 mg to fall asleep plus this only works on a completely empty stomach... I have to skip dinner and not eat anything within ~ 6 hours of taking zolpidem or it does not work (or I require even higher doses, either way a bad situation). After many months, I've become very lethargic. This drug is addictive and over time I've built up a dangerously high tolerance. | F | 55 | 6 years | 5/24/2009 | 1 | Insomnia | Depressed, unable to think clearly, physically weak. On top of that, didn't experience the joyful sleep that some people describe. | LOTS of trouble getting off of it. This drug is a danger. | M | 27 | 20 days | 5/23/2009 | 4 | Insomnia | Funny twitching like sensation the next day. Usually in the evening. Only if I took 10 mg or more the night before. I few eating binches. | I take 5 mg a night to fall a sleep regularly. Once I fall a sleep I am fine. | M | 37 | 3 years | 5/21/2009 | 1 | Insomnia | Major short-term memory loss, sleep eating, sleepwalking, sleep sex, sleep shopping on the net, impulse control issues, next day sluggishness, sweet cravings..... | I've been taking Ambien for four months--always at the correct dose and always going to bed within the hour. After about two months, I knew it was going to become a problem. If I take it at 10 PM, I will forget everything I've done until at least noon the following day. I feel like I've hit the Ambien 'rock bottom' today. I must stop taking this drug. It is affecting everything I do, from watching my children to keeping my sanity. It is hurting my marriage. I'm giving my last bottle to my husband for safe keeping tonight and hope things will get back to normal soon. I urge everyone to please be careful with this drug. | F | 39 | 4 months | 5/21/2009 | 4 | Insomnia since childhood | Auditory and visual hallucinations mainly. Hallucinations only occur if I do not go to sleep after taking the medication (which occured if something came up... ie-a big deadline, family member came over, etc.). Funny taste in mouth and throat. About the hallucinations, for anyone interested... I have been taking sleep meds for 15 years. I went to a sleep study at 8 that showed I woke up some 25-32 times a night and never entered REM sleep. I have taken all types of sleeping meds and started AMBIEN within the past year. It works great for sleep with little weight gain, memory loss, or drowsiness the next day. I have had very convincing hallucinations, however. So convincing, I called the police on one occasion. , | Concerning the hallucinations, I live in an appartment and can hear my neighbors moving around... which is normal in a multi-family complex. For some reason, when taking AMBIEN, I have had experiences where I interperet these noises to be malicious and think people are in my home. I have even thought, and seen, in fact, people moving in my home. These hallucinations have only happened twice within the year, but were so vivid and convincing I called the police. To the woman who said everyone with a side-effect must have something wrong with them; trust me, I do not. Besides insomnia, I am very stable as an individual. I have a bachelors degree and work in a very competitive industry as an executive. I have been at sleep medication since I was 8. I am 23 now. I have documented insomnia. Ambien has a very strange side effect... no other medication or circumstance has caused hallucinations to me, on any level. I still take ambien, it is the only drug that works well for me. This is just a 'buyer beware.' This drug can do some funny stuff to your mind! | F | 23 | 365 days | 5/19/2009 | 5 | Difficulty sleeping | First time, the stuff donkey-punched me. I took it while surfing the net. Woke up in the chair, still dressed. Slept great! Another time, began to type silly stuff on the computer. Remembered while typing, the computer keys would rise up to meet my fingers. I could see behind the letters on the screen. The Earth is angry because oil is her blood and we are draining her. Thats why we have earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. She's very angry. Made sense at the time.... When I take it now, I make sure that I'm in bed. | Worked very well putting me to sleep and awakening refreshed. I'm not a recreational drug user so these side effects were very strange for me. I don't take it unless I really need it. | M | 40 | | 5/16/2009 | 5 | Insomnia | Slept like a baby. No weird effects while on it. Vivid,weird dreams/nightmares upon weaning. | Ambien has been wonderful for me in the sleeping department for the first few months. I than started taking 1 and 1/2 10 mg to get to sleep at night,sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't. Like right now its 2:30am and I took a 10 mg about an hour ago. I have no sleep walking, no sleep eating, no driving, or weird halucinations. I don't feel groggy in the morning, feel fine during the day, and love the feeling of a good nights sleep. Upon trying to quit I have had the most odd, vivid dreams, like 10 different ones throughout the night because I wake up, then fall back asleep (repeat X 10). I cant say too many bad things about this drug because it REALLY helped me when I needed it most, but I do sometimes get anxious if I dont have a months worth in reserve, just in case. I do work in a pharmacy and I have only heard 1 complaint of sleepwalking (taking out the trash at 3am)other than that the only complaints I hear, and its not many, is that it just doesn't work for some. | F | 32 | 1 years | 5/15/2009 | 3 | insomnia/anxiety | dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, loss of memory | It worked good the first few times i took it, after that i was prescribed 5mg- 4xday for anxiety because i found out i was pregnant and was taken off of lorazepam. It didn't affect me at all as far as making me drowsy after the first week, it definately helped with my anxiety. I did notice that about 20 minutes after i took it, i wouldn't remember anything i did after that. I'd eat, make phone calls, go out places, and i wouldnt remember anything until i awoke the next day. It was a very scary thing. It makes you feel good and helps, but it's definately not worth the side effects. | F | 24 | 4 weeks | 5/14/2009 | 1 | insomnia | Using this medicine may very well be, the worst decision I've ever made in my life. I used Ambien for about three years with only minor issues. These ranged from falling asleep in the bathtub to sleep eating. I quickly learned not to take a bath after taking it and the sleep eating wasn't too serious. However one night my life dramatically changed and I fear it will never be the same. To keep the story short, I had sex with my neighbor's son. He is an eighteen year old kid, who I had known for several years. The night it happened I had an intense headache, so I got into bed early and had taken my usual 10mg of Ambien along with a glass of wine. Around 10:00 the boy came by to see my son, who had gone with my husband to an auto auction. I have no recollection of what actually happened but when it finally surfaced through one of my son's other friends, I was devastated. | When this first surfaced, I was furious at him for telling such a horrible lie. But I have a very small tattoo approx. 1/2 inch in diameter that I got when I was a freshman in college. Not even my children knew I had it, due to its size and location. So when I discovered that he knew about it, I could think of no other way that he could have known. As distasteful it was, it was still true. I'm so ashamed of what I've done and the heartache it has caused my family. I have even considered suicide, just to put an end to the shame. I'm writing this with tears streaming down my face, so even if you can’t understand my situation, please don't respond to this in a hateful way. I just thought if my sharing this could possibly help someone to not ruin so many lives, as I have unfortunately done, it would be worth it. Please consider the consequences before taking this medicine. | F | 45 | 3 years | 5/13/2009 | 1 | insomnia | It was a great drug to fall asleep and I never noticed any side effects until about 7 years later with daily use and sometimes using more than the prescribed dose, my mouth started burinng, my teeth began to hurt (like nerve pain) and the pain is constant and chronic. I continued taking it unaware it could be the cause of such pain. Today, I am wondering after having been off of ambien for 5 months at one time and saw no change, could it still be in my system causing my oral, facial pain as well as tingling and numbness in my hands and feet. Is there anyone who can answer that question for me?How long does it take to get completely out of the system and undo any potential damage? | There are other safer products found at health food stores that I use like L-tryphtophan and melatonin in combination. I still use ambien but I find that 10mg doesn't work like it used to. I take 1 1/2 -2 sometimes but I don't know how safe it is and if I am causing potential neurological problems. Can anyone answer that one for me? | F | 53 | 7 years | 5/13/2009 | 4 | inability to fall asleep | ocasional headache after awakening. That may just be a hangover. Memory loss while under the drugs influence. Hope my wife did not use those anal beeds again | I always drink a beer or 2 before taking the drug. 10mg tablet I break in 1/2 and take the 1/2 tablet and chase it down with the last drink of beer. Asleep with in 30 minutes and sleep 3 to 4 hours. I always wake up a few hours later. Some times I will drink another beer or 2 and take the other 1/2 and sleep another 3 hours, or sometimes I am just up and ready to go the rest of the day. Am I addicted? YES. I will lay in bed for hours and can not go to sleep without it. The reason I take it is a condition called "HAND ARM VIBRATION SYNDROME" Long term exposure to vibration will screw you up physicaly and permanently and cause you the inability to sleep normally | M | 50 | 5 years | 5/12/2009 | 1 | Bipolar/sleep disorder/mood swings | Sleep eating gained 60 lbs. in l0 years I have been on it, sleep driving, memory loss, amnesia, buying online, overdosed twice with NO intention of doing so, calling people in family all hours of the night, visits from family members and no recollection whatsoever | This drug is FDA approved but I strongly believe it should be taken off the market/perhaps a group effort with the help of a lawyer. I strongly believe it is a deadly drug with many people experiencing the same problems as I have had. People have lost their lives due to things this drug causes them to do if not under the influence of Ambien. You think you are awake, you believe you know what you are doing; but family members tell you otherwise, my husband had to constantly make sure food was not in my mouth nightly; everytime I got up. The list goes on and on. | F | 56 | 10 years | 5/12/2009 | 4 | Insomnia | Drunk feeling/memory loss/eating weird foods/masturbating more then usual/texting late at night | Ok so like this drug is great; however, it is so freakin addictive. Does it help me sleep? The answer is yes!! I just don't fancy the idea of having amnesia every night. I will lay in bed the minute I take it. Then BAM! All of a sudden I will feel so good and buzzed that I will get out of bed and do shit for like 2 hrs before I finally crash out. For instance; I would text my friends late at night. (Good thing they stay up too) Eat all kinds of weird food. Masturbate more then normal. Yeah you are probably thinking what's considered normal? Well I did it more then what I would consider normal. At least for a girl. I would try on tons of outfits so I would have new ideas what to wear to work the next day. Hmm what else....oh and if you think that's weird get this. I would blow off going out with my friends sometimes just so I can stay home and take my ambien early. Well that's a great life. (Sarcastic) I need to come off of it but the mere thought of it freaks me out. | F | 26 | 3 months | 5/10/2009 | 4 | Insomnia--chronic | Possible cause of migraine headaches. Nothing else. I've been taking Ambien CR for about 2 years every day. I think a lot of the problems posted here are from psychotic people who have other very deep seated problems; I don't think it is this drug causing their behavioral issues. | Who takes a sleep medicine and then drives or tries to stay up? Why take it if that is your intent? My worst issue is that I have sress headaches but I am also under a lot of stress from business and family illness issues. It's difficult to know if the Ambien is the cause of my headaches. I don't take any other meds for anything. | M | 56 | 2 years | 5/6/2009 | 1 | Insomnia | I felt a little 'off' within minutes, near vertigo type effects. I read it can hit you suddenly so I lay down... hour of dozing, and wide awake after that, didn't do squat for me. | M | 35 | | 5/6/2009 | 5 | counteract drug induced insomnia | Short-term memory loss beginning about 30 minutes after taking Zolpidem, which is the generic version of Ambien, until I fall asleep. After taking it for 8 months I am beginning to occasionally experience memory loss during the day, difficulty concentrating, difficulty staying focused, and a slight overall degradation of mental ability. | This drug is wonderful for counteracting the insomnia caused by other drugs. I am taking Pegasys injections weekly to treat Hepatitis-C (HCV), which for me causes severe insomnia (that is not the case for everyone taking Pegasys). The only way I could remain on HCV treatment was to address what I refer to as drug induced insomnia. HCV treatment has been very successful! I might have liver cancer by now without the Zolpidem/Ambien to permit me to stay on HCV treatment. I will stop taking Zolpidem/Ambien when HCV treatment ends. I recognize that I may experience long-term consequences from taking Zolpidem/Ambien for so long, but I need to solve one problem at a time. I'm very grateful for this drug! | M | 50 | 8 months | 5/4/2009 | 4 | Insomnia | Memory loss, texting people really late, eating late, buying stuff online, seeing things move on the headboard... | I actually googled 20 mg ambien. I was trying to find out if it would be ok to double the dose as I still wake some during the night and didn't with cr. After coming to this site first I will not be trying that. In fact I will go for at least halving my dose every other night...and staying in bed... I take it expecting it to put me to sleep but it doesn't. I would lay in bed reading waiting on it to knock me out and it wouldn't. I would call my sons, i texted my Pastor once at 12:30 am... go get grapes out of the fridge and eat... I would pick up my book the next day and start where the bookmark was then back up a few pages finding nothing i remembered reading till i backed up a couple of chapters...my family also teases me about how I act after taking it like I am acting high on it doing all of these weird things but as some say the being able to sleep outweighs those things when you do not sleep without it. Tho I am concerned now as others have stated here about permanant memory loss... I am 49 and have always suffered with insomnia...herbal stuff breaks my face out... tylenol pm and those things give me nightmares...i have found no other working alternative... I also take 60 mg cymbalta...I don't know what else I can do... | F | 49 | 1 years | 5/4/2009 | 4 | insomnia | Interesting history. It worked very well at first and caused me to have extremely PLEASANT dreams. HOWEVER, I have always had a drink bef. bed - a hangover (pun both intended, and not) of yrs. of insomnia. Of cs., Ambien w/ alcohol is strongly counteradvised, but I persisted: "I'll be ok". This was 11 yrs. back. It worked v. well until 3-4 yrs. ago, then became less effective. Upped the alcohol. A few years ago my MD suggested that I cut back to 5 mg, because of my age (67 yrs.). I did, and things seemed ok. About that time I cut back to 1 can of beer/PM. Still pretty good, but less able to fall asleep at will. Hm. Recently, however, needing to get up earlier, I went back to 10 mg.; then started having two cans of brew. It was only then that my wife noticed that somebody had been doing rather wierd things around the house at night. Who? I'm never able to recall a thing. You can't have something for nothing - you always pay. I know I must kick these habit | It works, but if you abuse it, it will abuse you. | M | 67 | 11 years | 5/3/2009 | 1 | insomnia | hallucinations, sleep walking, panic attacks | I took this a few years ago and I would never, ever recommend this sleep aid to anyone. While on this, I hallucinated that my backpack was turning into a monster and that my reflection in the mirror had changed into a demon. I also went sleep walking for the first time in my life -- a friend found me wandering the halls of my dorm in my underwear. Absolutely terrifying, and it sure didn't help me sleep. | F | 23 | 2 weeks | 4/30/2009 | 3 | insomnia related to bipolar | dizziness, amnesia, lightheadedness, confusion, loss of balance | it does help me sleep. when i go into a manic phase ican stay awake for 48 hrs or more, and i need to sleep. so this helps. but i feel like i am wading through molasses the rest of the day. i forget things, i am confused, i make no sense when i talk, i am dizzy, i cant walk in a straight line.... i am seeing my psychiatrist tomorrow and asking him to give me something else. before this i was on Ativan and it was worse. but it does help me sleep, i just am not happy witht eh side effects. | F | 31 | 2 weeks | 4/29/2009 | 4 | insomnia | No physical side effects, but the thought of running out of Ambien terrifies me. It is the only way I can get to sleep before 4 a.m. | My doctor is hesitant to renew my prescription. I know I'm dependent on it, but it hasn't been a problem yet. I do try to take 1/2 of a 10 mg. pill at least 2-3 times per week (and a full one the rest of the time). If I take 1/2, I will wake up more often during the night. | F | 42 | 14 months | 4/27/2009 | 5 | insomnia | Getting up in the middle of the night to eat weird things. Some visual halucinations. Acting drunk and silly. | I have been taking 10mg ambien for about 2 years. I have had some pretty weird halucinations I thought my coat rack was mocking me one night one night I thought my carpet was bubbling up and one night I saw little rivers with little canoes in the wood grain on my kitchen counter. I don't remember these the next day but my family tells me about them (they will tease me about it the next day). I also sometimes will get up in the middle of the night to pig out and not remember it. I have found that if you take the ambien while you are already laying down it drasticaly reduces the halucinations and weird behavior. For me the benefits have outweighed the side effects by far!! Before I started taking ambien I was lucky to sleep every other night now I sleep everynight. I have not had any withdrawl symptoms if I don't take it every night. Maybee not a great idea if you live alone because of the potential for dangerous behavior, but for severe insomnia it is a lifesaver. Just make sure you are in bed when you take it. | F | 32 | 2 years | 4/24/2009 | 1 | insomnia | anterograde amnesia, vivid nightmares/dreams, grogginess, not a good night's sleep | i'd avoid this stuff like the plague | F | 26 | 6 days | 4/24/2009 | 2 | INSOMNIA | Very bad hallucinations. Distortion of objects and other people's faces. | Feeling of being very drunk. Talking and walking are both difficult. It didn't make me fall asleep, but i would force myself to shut my eyes and lie in bed to escape from somewhat frightening hallucinations. | F | 27 | 3 days | 4/23/2009 | 4 | severe insomnia | Memory loss at any dose, odd behavior at higher doses | This drug is safe IF TAKEN EXACTLY AS PRESCRIBED. Still, I personally would only recommend it for long-term use in extreme cases like mine. I have been taking this drug for about two years now since developing severe insomnia and couldn't function without it. (I am still planning on having a sleep study done but right now can't afford the time off work.) This medication will cause memory loss even at low doses, which isn't a problem because you should be asleep. Always go to bed right after taking it. If you don't, you may do things you don't remember, but generally, these things won't really be all that odd except at higher doses, in which case you may do things you would never do normally, like drive down to the nearest Dairy Queen and order three large Blizzards, or order $1,000 worth of worthless merchandise online. NEVER combine this drug with alcohol in an attempt to increase its potency. You will wake up two days later with no recollection of the previous day and spend the next several days trying to explain to people why you called them in the middle of the night. | M | 27 | 2 years | 4/20/2009 | 5 | Never a good sleeper--worse over 40 | None | Love this medication, really a life-changer for me | F | 51 | 5 years | 4/18/2009 | 1 | insomnia | eye twitch overwhelming craving for sweets headache strange dreams amnesia | if you want to go to sleep- then this is the pill for you. after about fifteen minutes after i took it, i started feeling a little loopy- then i dont remember anything else. i do remember though going to the kitchen in the middle of the night searching for sweets. the next morning i had several text messages from people i knew saying" what are you talking about?" ambien will cause you to sleep walk, amnesia, eat uncontrollably, especially sweets, and also for me its causing my left eye to twitch rapidly. i called the pharmacist & they informed me a side affect was involuntary muscle spasm. (eye twitch & other twitching) it is now 12:13, & i have been up since 5 am and i am not te least bit sleepy. Why? because i have been taking ambien for 4 weeks now and my body is hooked on it & now i cant go to sleep unless i take it. i am officially an ambien junkie & i am trying to wean myself off of it. beware! this stuff is so addictive. when you take it you will LOVE it but the side affects and withdrawal just isnt worth it.find some other way to go to sleep. i see now why its hard for some people to overcome addiction. | F | 35 | 120 days | 4/16/2009 | 1 | insomnia | My mother, age 60, was prescribed Ambien and a few days later shot herself. Thankfully, she survived. | Due to the circumstances, she had to be evaluated by a psychiatrist. The doctor said it was the most mysterious case she had ever dealt with. My mother had no suiicidal tendencies and no recollection of what had happened. She still has no memory of what happened. I would not reccomend this drug under any circumstances!!! | F | | 4/12/2009 | 5 | Chronic Insomnia | As long as I go to sleep right after taking it, there are no side effects. If I stay awake, as everyone else has mentioned, I experience anterograde amnesia, behavioural changes, vivid visual hallucinations, etc. Upon withdrawal there are unusual dreams. | Ambien is one of the most amazing medications I've ever taken. The side effects only manifest if I stay awake after taking the pill. I take 10mg a night, which usually gets me around 4-6 hours of sleep, which is impressive to me. My insurance doesn't cover the CR version, but I have taken a few of them, and they gave me a full night's rest in time and energy. | M | 20 | 4 years | 4/11/2009 | 3 | insomnia | It worked great to get me to sleep fast. 10mg was perfect. That was 3 years ago. Then I started experiencing memory loss and sleep walking at night. Mostly eating. | I made some changed to avoid these effects and they rarely happen now, but what I am experiencing now is a more permanent kind of memory loss. Being forgetful, difficulty focusing, concentrating and retention. I'm not sure if it may be the long term effects of this drug or not, but I don't take any other drugs and was always very sharp mentally until about one year ago and now it seem that I've been loosing my memory at a rapid rate. This is the first time I associated my memory loss to this drug. I am 57 years old and assumed that it must just be older age finally catching up to me. But the rate of decline is becoming marked. I'm going to have to quit this stuff. | F | 57 | 3 days | 4/11/2009 | 3 | insomnia caused by lexapro | craving sugar and cigarettes after taking it; if taken too often, daytime anxiety/depression | Just a very, very strange drug. Deceptively powerful. The bad for me does not outweigh the good...yet. For falling asleep, nothing is better. However, it is strangely addictive and psychological dependence develops in a matter of days. If you're going to use it, use it very sparingly. If you have trouble falling asleep every night, try alternating it with something else. You do NOT want to get hooked on this drug. It is quite unlike anything I have ever used before. | M | 20 | 1 years | 4/10/2009 | 4 | Insomnia | I often have no recollection of things I did under the influence of Ambien. My daughter has told me I have done and said some pretty strange things after taking AMbien and I have no clue what she is talking about. I continue to take it though because it actually does help me to both fall asleep and stay asleep. | I am fully aware that 1 of the side effects of this drug is memory loss while under it's influence. I would like to know if this particular drug causes memory loss in general--like kill off your brain cells memory loss? I have been experiencing and noticing in teh last 5-6 months that my memory as a whole seems to just be radically changed. I pride myself or should I say used to pride myself on having a great memory. Lately though I have dropped in IQ instantly. I am only 32yrs old and I am an educated person so this sudden change is casuing me a great deal of concern. I woudl just liek to know if anyone else has experienced these same effects. | F | 32 | 10 months | 4/9/2009 | 4 | Insomnia | I have had two occasions of when I wake up in the morning, there is no recollection of taking my glasses off, turning the TV off or even remembering what I was watching the night before..no matter how hard I try to remember. Last night, I apparently slept thru the phone ringing at 11:15pm..and the phone is on the nightstand next to the bed. That is sorta scary. Other than the occasional memory loss, I sleep well now..even thru my husband's snoring. | F | 47 | 2 months | 4/3/2009 | 4 | insomnia/anxiety during nighttime | Ambien takes about 25-30 minutes to actually Work for me. I started on 10mgs for a month and once i started a anti anxiety med my doc gave me 5mgs. 5mg works just as good for me but i do wake up more frequently. I obviously try not stay awake to much longer after taking this drug BECAUSE YOUR NOT SUPPOSE TO.But i did, one night, after taking the pill, start to feel a bit wacky/dizzy/laughing alot..Then i APPARENTLY ordered like 50 dollars worth of online stuff, which i DID NOT remember the next day. THis drug make me forget the last hour of my nights completely. 10mgs made me hear people talking in my room. it was pretty funny.but yeah 5mg is better if u can switch to that you feel less drowsy in the am | F | 25 | 2 months | 3/28/2009 | 4 | insomnia/anxiety during sleeping | definitely works well if taken on empty stomach. I have tried with and with out food and def makes a difference. BUT it also makes u do insane things after taking it like oh i dunno order a bunch of crap online then have NO MEMORY of it the next morning LOL yay But ya i wake up a few times a night) i switched from 10 mil to 5 mil cuz im also on a anti anxiety med) i feel both milligrams work the same for me, but ya i laugh alot after taking it then i do wierd stuff for 20 mintues then fall asleep | F | 25 | 2 months | 3/28/2009 | 2 | Insomnia | Severe back aches/pain!!! After taking VERY small amount of Ambien for a couple of months, developed SEVERE BACK ACHES & PAIN!!! | NEVER had back pain like this! While MRI showed some degenerative arthritis in my back, I have NEVER had ANY back pain until started taking Ambien & stopped having it once stopped taking that drug. Couldn't bend over without severe pain & could barely crawl out of bed in the morning. Felt like my back was going to break. Went to Orthopedic specialist who recommended physical theraphy - made it worse! Dr. was going to recommend injections for pain & then I stopped taking Ambien to see if they were related at all. In a short time, my back pain stopped!!!!! Think this drug "locks up" your body & back while you sleep & that causes the back pain. Heard about 2-3 percent of people taking Ambien have this problem - I was one of the unlucky ones but lucky I made the connection between the two. Only medication that I was taking. | F | 55 | 2 months | 3/23/2009 | 1 | HIGHLY ADDICTIVE DRUG TOOK IT FOR 4 YEARS I HAD TO USE VALIUM TO WEEN MYSELF OFF IT. NOW I MAY TAKE 5MG OF VALIUM ONCE A WEEK. STAY AWAY | | 3/23/2009 | 5 | insomnia due to pain | they don't last for a full night sleep but I usually get 5 hours. | F | 40 | 2 years | 3/16/2009 | 1 | Cannot Fall Asleep at Normal Hours | None | I took it last night because I normally can't fall asleep until about 4 in the morning.. Well I took it and it did nothing to me whatsoever. Did not make me drowsy, nothing wierd, still didn't fall asleep at all. Actually, I fell asleep around 5:30 this time which is later than I normally would have fallen asleep. | F | 20 | 1 days | 3/14/2009 | 3 | Insomnia | Hallucinations, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, black outs. | I have taken Ambien off and on for about 5 years. This drug helps me sleep at first but has never kept me asleep more than a couple hours. Ambien has caused me to do many things I don't remember doing the next day, such as sleepwalking, preparing and eating food, having complete conversations, having sex, and much more. In myself and several others I know who have taken it, it has caused strange hallucinations in which you believe there are people in your room or house that aren't actually there. As strange as the side effects are, it did cause me to want it again day after day. Strange drug. | F | 27 | 5 years | 3/13/2009 | 4 | insomnia/ stress/ anxiety | none | after reading these comments for almost a week after i perscribed this medication i was too scared to take it. however i got brave last night. i made sure i took it while in bed and actually ready to go to sleep. i had no problems with it. i woke up about twice but was able to fall right back asleep without getting out of bed. when i woke up this morning i was totally ready to start my day!! THATS a feeling i never have becuase i am usually too tired. was not drowsy and was so thankfull for a good night sleep. So for those of you who were like me, it just might be okay..take it IN bed and stay there. | F | 30 | 1 days | 3/12/2009 | 4 | Insomnia | I started takindg Ambien three weeks ago, I have had no side effects. I didn't take a tablet last night and had very terrifying nightmares. I don't know what that is all about. I am not sure if I should continue with Ambien or not. | One thing that I did notice about Ambien users who have posted on here is that Ambien tends to interfere with their ability to spell correctly, use grammar correctly, use capital letters correctly, e.g., "your" for "you're"...."there" for "their", etc. | M | 67 | 21 days | 3/11/2009 | 4 | Stress, anxiety, unable to sleep | Hallucinations, sense of euphoria, wanting to eat and having no memory of it the next day until you see the wrappers/dirty dishes. And..SLEEP! | A very odd drug but useful. As many of the other reports here talk about, there ARE some side effects that have gotten some people into trouble. If you take an Ambien and continue to stay awake, walk around the house or surf the net you are bound to experience some of them. Words on the computer will start to bend, objects in your house will seem to float up towards the ceiling. It can make you think that objects are people staring at you. It can also make you feel like the "life of the party" and makes you want to start cooking and eating. The real danger is when people get into their cars and want to go shopping. Driving on Ambien will get you a DUI! I have found that Ambien CR keeps me asleep longer and have since switched. The eating/sleep walking/hallucinations are not as intense but they are still there. I do not feel groggy or run down the next day, no side effects afterwards, just the initial "twilight zone" of weirdness that happens before you finally | F | 42 | 3 years | 3/6/2009 | 4 | getting back on track | Craziness 10 minutes after taking it. I started rearranging my apartment and woke up on my living room floor the next day next to a $5,000 vase shattered on the ground, do i remember any of it? N0!! very scary. | it works great to put you to sleep, but go to bed immediately otherwise you are at risk for some serious wacky behavior that can have consequences | M | 36 | 5 days | 3/6/2009 | 4 | In somnia | Brand Ambien was effective at putting me to sleep; but I woke up a couple hours later (was taking 5 mg or 7.5 mg once a week). Generic Ambien gave me a hangover feeling next day (nausea, etc.), that brand Ambien did not give me. Amazing how brand Ambien can really help you fall asleep... But it's the STAYING asleep that is more problematic. So, I am trying Ambien CR now. | I am trying Ambien CR now. I tried cutting a CR pill in half, which you're not supposed to do with continual-release (CR) pills, and felt hungover the next day. Shouldn't have done that... I will try taking CR as recommended. | F | 35 | 2 years | 3/6/2009 | 4 | Insomnia | It works but it makes you crazy if you don't go to bed right away. My friend stayed over one night and after taking it, I started beating him up for no reason. I woke up the next day sore because of the "rough play" and had to recollection of the event. Otherwise it works fine. | Took it when needed 2 - 3 times a week. | M | 22 | | 3/4/2009 | 2 | insomnia | very sleepy at the beginning but still wake up in the middle of the night | I take 10mg and it seemed to work but I guess it wears off fast and I wake up about 4 hours later and can't go back to sleep. Next time I will ask for the CR version | F | 32 | 2 weeks | 3/4/2009 | 1 | waking up too early -3am | this drug works but definitely causes psychological dependence with just 5 consecutive nights.i also noticed a definite change in my emotions. i became aggressive and easily angered over minor things. | this drug scared me because of my definite feelings of addiction and anger management issues. it works well if used very sparingly.all problems stopped upon discontinuing daily dose.beware | M | 53 | 3 weeks | 3/4/2009 | 4 | Toss & Turn for hours | legs weak, apparantly i stare at people, i've walked in my sleep, i make food, I eat, i had sexual encounters with partner that I do not remember, but apparnatly it was great | i don't want to give it up because it helps me sleep. i've taken it on and off for about a year. | F | 42 | 1 years | 2/27/2009 | 4 | often can't fall asleep | some mild hallucinatory sensations. | to avoid side-effects I've learned to take the pill only when I get into bed. I read for about 5 minutes, then turn off the lights and fall asleep within another 5. If I take it before getting into bed, it seems to not work as a sleep aid. I only take occasionally. | F | 63 | 2 years | 2/20/2009 | 1 | insomnia | I was taking tamazapran, which I recommend. My concern was I was getting too dependent on it, so I tried switching to Ambien to shake things up. It worked ok... I slept ok, but not great... not as well as on the previous drug. However, since I only take ambien occasionall, I have become aware of the side affects the next day... I'm usually paranoid and anxious, with a side of depressed... It's happened too often now to be considered coincidental. | I tried Ambien on the advice of a KIA (know it all) at my work. I should have known that most KIA's have no idea what they're talking about and should have their advice avoided at all costs. | M | 2 months | 2/19/2009 | 5 | plane ride, sleep after jetlag | the first few times - NO side effects. I used very rarely and only when I REALLY needed to sleep and couldn't. When I used 2 or 3 times in a row, I felt like I was developing tolerance, so I stopped. No real problems, no grogginess in the morning. | F | 27 | 10 days | 2/18/2009 | 4 | insomnia | drunk feeling if I don't lay down & go to sleep right away | Unable to sleep without it. Daughter woke me up one night & told me someone was trying to break in the house, I loaded a gun (had never done so in my life), and shoot a hole right through the bedroom door & through the wall. It's strong but it works! | F | 38 | 7 years | 2/17/2009 | 3 | None. I take 5mg and go right to bed. | Why would you take a sleeping pill then jump in the shower??? As so many others have stated you take the medicine right before you jump into bed. You are clearly not supposed to take a sleeping pill and then attempt to shower,stay on the computer,watch t.v.,etc. | F | 37 | 1 years | 2/13/2009 | 1 | insomnia for at least 10 years | Things that should be in my memory are like, not there. I've been BFFs with my girlz since junior high and I totally trust them with my life!!! But what happened one night made me realize anything can happen, even when people you trust are there. One night we got in pretty late, so I took an Ambien and jumped in the shower. Now tonight I've been reading some of what people have posted and I've gotta say to those of you who don't believe the bad stuff; I was just like you before, but not anymore. I totally love the way it makes me sleep, just not the scary stuff. So back to what I was saying... | I got out of the shower and to my surprise, there were some guys at our apartment. One of my girlfriends had given one of them her cell and he called her while I was in the shower. I know what your thinking; it's after midnight, it's a booty call, but we were just hanging out, talking and listening to some music. That's the last thing I remember until I woke up the next day. I ended up hooking up with one of the guys, which is totally not like me. He was still in my bed when I woke up and I feel really bad for him, cuz I started screaming and freaking out when I saw him. But my girlfriends came in and calmed me down. They told me that I was acting normal, not like being drunk or anything, when I went to my room with him. So now I have been officially off of Ambien for two weeks. It's really hard to sleep but I'll manage without the Ambien for now. At least until I get a serious boyfriend, then I'll probably take it when he's there. Hee Hee :) | F | 25 | 2 years | 2/12/2009 |