AMBIEN Reviews (ZOLPIDEM TARTRATE)

Average Rating: 3.1 (1450 Ratings)

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 SEDATIVES HYPNOTICS    DEA Schedule IV   

 Type: Rx Drug

  

AMBIEN  (ZOLPIDEM TARTRATE):  Zolpidem is used to treat a certain sleep problem (insomnia) in adults. If you have trouble falling asleep, it helps you fall asleep faster, so you can get a better night's rest. Zolpidem belongs to a class of drugs called sedative-hypnotics. It acts on your brain to produce a calming effect. This medication is usually limited to short treatment periods of 1 to 2 weeks or less.   FDA Approval Date: 1992-12-16 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR AMBIENCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 1  Insomnia No side effects until I just wuit one day I was taking 1/2 of 10mg for 3 months. My dumb-a$$ doctor failed to tell me that treatment should be as needed or for a period of 7-10 days. I got a script for 30 days PLUS 2 refills. I took it every night and one day decided I didn't need it and I had the worst withdrawal - it made Paxil withdrawal look like a walk in the part. Parathesia, severe anxiety, crying jags, involuntary movement followed for months. Be careful with this one! F 30 3 months
6/1/2006
 4  Chronic Insomnia- Cause Unknown After a while I built up a tolerance. Sometimes taking a few days off will help the medicine be more effective again. When tolerance happens I don't fall asleep right away, even if I am in bed trying. Usually I keep myself in bed and watch a movie 'til I pass out. I ALWAYS eat at bedtime now because it makes me hungry- I bring a small pile of healthy snacks into my room so I don't go crazy and eat everything in the kitchen. Poor judgement- such as taking extra medicine I didn't need (it's guarded by a family member now). Hallucinations- nothing too scary, things just appear to be moving/dancing, I know they really aren't so it doesn't bother me. Memory loss only while under the effects, sometimes I retain partial memories (it's like remembering a dream) and other times I completely forget things I've done or conversations. I now feel I am dependent on Ambien, but nothing else has worked for me- behavior changes, natural remedies, or other prescriptions. Most others I've tried Not being able to sleep was hurting all aspects of my life. Ambien is the only medication that has worked effectively for me (I've tried natural remedies, and almost every other sleep medication there is including drugs not designed specifically for sleep treatment). Be aware that you can become dependent on this medication! Try taking short breaks from it if you are taking it long term and feel it not working as well, rather than up your dosage. Also, do everything you can to be in bed when you take it and stay there to avoid doing foolish things you won't remember the next day... if you share your home with others, ask them to watch you for strange behaviors and they can help keep you out of trouble. I dislike the side effects of Ambien and I wish my insomnia were less severe or that other medicine without these side effects would be enough... however even with all the negative aspects, I have found ways to deal with the side effects, and thanks to Ambien I can actually sleep! F 23 9 months
5/27/2006
 5  insomnia amnesia, loss of inhibitions, crazy things. Three times now I have been at my computer after taking it, and discovered in the morning that I emailed strangers and propositioned them, wrote gibberish or absurd things to friends and family, and someone sent me a text of a online chat I'd had where I said utterly insane things. I never remember any of these things in the morning, and only find the evidence in my email out box, or find out from what people tell me later. It works really well for sleep. I take it, sleep soundly for 4 hours, then wake up completely refreshed. But if something happens to wake me up during those 4 hours, like my daughter crying or my wife wakes me, then I am confused, disoriented, and likely to discover in the morning that I did/said crazy things. M 40 2 years
5/25/2006
 3  insomnia Wild hallucinations!!!!!!! I have never slept so good, but will not take anymore Ambien because of the hallucinations and a new problem I experienced today. I live at the beach and have always been accustomed to riding my bike to the beach in the heat. Today, I experienced dizziness, weakness in my legs and trouble breathing. The only other time I have ever experienced these symptoms was 2 years ago when I took Wellbutrin. When I suspected Wellbutrin was the culprit and stopped taking it, all the symptoms disappeared within 2 weeks. I have been taking Ambien about 3 weeks and am willing to have insomnia to no longer have hallucinations and this weakness while riding my bike. Be careful with this drug. I have always been a very active person and am very leary of most prescription drugs. They can inhibit your ability to live. F 65 3 weeks
5/21/2006
Email
 4  Long term insomina Aminesia, eating and not remembering. I also will send e-mails or other things that I have no memory of. I'm also getting a drunk like euphoria from it. When I first started taking Ambien, I had the best night's sleep I could remember and thinking it was a good send. However, the side effects are becoming a concern M 50 2 years
5/15/2006
 1  Insomnia from Depression Dizziness, loss of thought process, memory loss, worsening depression and suicidal thoughts-especially when taken in conjunction with Ritalin and welbutrin.Personality change-big time! Don't take this med!I have heard Dr's say that they wouldn't give this to a patient that has chemical dependency in their past.Melotonin is a natural alternative, that works.Have someone monitor you, if you must take this!But please, DON"T! M 45 5 months
5/12/2006
 5  Insomnia You can all see my first post with the [email protected] on the right of the screen for further commentary. It should be five comments under this post. Ben sent me an e-mail and thought everyone else should know the detail I’m telling Ben. I’m www.myspace.com/carnaldesire in the first post as well. 5 mg usually does the job. 10 mg is a guaranteed knock of my insomnia and that is something great to be said since you have to consider my insomnia is the type that will keep me up all night long; until Ambien came around. The stuff is a God send unless you take it and drive. You're looking at ending in the grave from falling asleep doing that. While it does guarantee sleep, it’s usually completely out of my system within 4 hrs. After 4 hours, there are no side effects at all. The stuff hits with power and completely disappears out of your system like it was never there. If you've ever taken diphenhydramine, you may have noticed that tiredness and other effec after you take Ambien because you might go into shock from all the wrong keys you hit in what you were doing. I do NOT know what people are talking about with hallucinations. They must be abusing Ambien. I hear abusers inject the stuff in mega dose. I believe the effects they have by abusing it are true based on the knock out effect it has on me. Problem is, I'm not awake long enough to tell you about the effect. It hits then its lights out without time to contemplate all that stuff that people are talking about. At higher doses, I would be out too fast to anything that wasn’t there or maybe for a minute before waking up without much to remember. Important point with Ambien is that you need to take it on an empty stomach for the knock out effect. Take it with food and you take away a fast route to sleep. It's just like alcohol, Cialus, Viagra in that the effectiveness is ruined or dissipated with food. The Dr. said not to eat before bed anyway, so if you are following M 35 9 months
5/8/2006
Email
 4  Insomnia/Sleep deprevation Definitely hallucinations... the patterns on my couch began to shift and swirl, that's when I got up and went to bed. I made the mistake of looking into my closet and no joke, I saw the puppets from "Fraggle Rock" swinging from sleeve to sleeve... it was crazy, but it was the best night's sleep I ever had. Just take it, lock your door, and go directly to bed and you'll be fine. M 25 1 days
5/6/2006
 2  insomnia/migraine headaches immediately after taking it: amnesia, very drugged feeling, loss of inhibitions; next day: intense feelings of violent anger, extreme daytime fatigue; slide into depression; feeling of being addicted to it My neurologist prescribed Ambien without a second thought and completely dismissed my questions about side effects and addiction possibilities. I believe this drug is a ticking time bomb and major lawsuits will begin, after which it will get pulled from the market. It is extremely powerful, and occurrence side effects on container do not appear to be anywhere near true occurrence, based on anecdotal and personal evidence. F 40 3 months
5/5/2006
 1  Insomnia Girlfriend would get up, drive to McDonalds, buy food, drive home and eat it, then go to bed. The next day, she had no memory at all of doing any of it. Got in a one-car accident that totaled the car one night driving home from one of these McDonalds-on-Ambien runs. The next day, she thought her car had been stolen. It turns out the cops came, towed away the car and drove her home with her McDonalds food. She woke finding the inexplicable food and no car. She had no memory whatsoever of the accident or even getting out of bed. The cop told her later that she seemed coherent, but "tired." For this drug to actually be sold, the "fix" must be in at the FDA. M 40 30 days
5/5/2006
 5  lack of sleep with night terrors sometimes hung over from the night before as has as its harder to wake up... well its harder if u wake up clear and fresh too early and go back to sleep i sleep for ages. i now am a rbbid sleep eater.... i always have food by my bed bc im too lazy to get come some as far as if it works--- it does as far as it feels "good"--- it does as far as it makes you feel high--- it doesn i definitely believe this sleeep aid is very benficial to those who have serious sleeping disorders i have serious sleeo problem associted with the life of drugs i chose to give up (1 year 5 months clean) anyways this stuff ruined my sleep... they tried serquel and trazodon,, didnt work... ambien--- ambien really works.,... and after so long of not being able to sleep bein able to get a nice full rest is spectacular F 19 4 months
5/1/2006
 5  Travel/snoring spouse My hands itch and I'm becoming concerned. Ambien has truly been a life saver as we do quite a bit of traveling. My husband's snoring wakes me up, and I find it impossible to go back to sleep especially when we're in a small hotel room. However, lately my hands have itched within one or two minutes, and I'm concerned. Could this lead to complications? I do not take Ambien on a regular basis ... only when we travel or other unusual circumstances. F 65
4/28/2006
 2  insomnia Horrible nightmares when discontiuing medication Nightmares seem to be worse the longer the medication is used - Ambien CR, by far the most effective sleep inducing agent I have ever used for insomnia clearly produces the worst nightmares - This is a definite side effect as it has happened every time I have used the medication for more than one hoght M 55
4/25/2006
 5  Insomnia Memory loss! I take this drug every night and have done so for about 3 years. 90% of the time I go straight to sleep. The other 10% of the time I will online shop, have sex, or say really bizarre and embarrassing things AND NOT REMEMBER ANY OF IT! Total blackout. I have gotten some really weird things in the mail as a result of "black out shopping." It's very scary, but I don't know what else to take. I wonder if anyone can do anything really bad on this drug and not remember it. I also have noticed some memory loss during the day. F 35 3 years
4/24/2006
 4  Insomnia Was paralized for a few seconds. Ambien Cr works very fast. I wanted an extra few minutes to do something but this drug was determined to put me to sleep whether I wanted to or not. I tried to fight the drug but felt paralized for a few seconds. That was quite frightening. Ambien CR is much more potent than regular Ambien. It's a lot like taking an anaesthetic. However, quality of sleep is excellent. M 52 15 days
4/21/2006
 5  Fibromylagia/Insomnia Absolutely NONE Ambien is a very safe drug that must be taken as directed...take the pill and then immediately go to bed. I've used 10mg every night for 14 years with no side effects.. F 48 14 years
4/20/2006
 5  insomnia hallucinations, poor motor skills, vomiting (if more than 15mg is taken) I use this medication to help me sleep, and in that regard it's great. I take half a Stilnox (as it's called in Australia) once a week, and it knocks me out. However, I don't fight sleep, or stay up at all once I've taken it, and I still have hallucinatory effects. On the half pill, though, these are relatively minor. On the whole pill (10mg) they are severe. The one time I took two pills (before I worked out the right dosage for me) I threw up, had severe hallucinations, and can't remember any of it. I think this may be related to my size though, as I'm only 160 cm and 54kg (5'2, 110 pounds), but I know my best friend has to take two just to get to sleep, and he is 188cm, 100 kg (6'2, 210 pounds). I think there should be more info with the medication when you get it (as to the hallucination side effects), AND that there should be more info into the correct dosage for your body weight/constitution. I had to have three or four nights of hallucinations because I was trying to fin F 24 7 months
4/18/2006
 2  Couldn't Sleep due to Pain I thought I was the only one! I found out that I was having phone conversations that I never knew I had. I had to look in my phone logs to actually believe my friends that I had called them. After I got married my husband told me that I was making chocolate chip pancakes, IN THE NUDE! I was taking as prescribed and after I tucked myself into bed. I had no idea what I was doing wrong. I discontinued the use because I feared that I'd get in my car or hurt myself/someone. I told my dr this and she told me that her fellow colleague took Ambien on his flight home from Hawaii. He got in his car, drove home, and put himself to bed. When he woke up he thought he was still in Hawaii because he had no recollection of leaving the plane, airport, or driving himself home. This stuff is very scary should come with a VERY strong warning. I'm suprised I haven't heard more about this drug in the media or in a lawsuit somewhere. F 28 4 months
4/18/2006
 5  Insomnia What ever you do, take this to go to SLEEP ONLY if that was it's prescribed for. DO NOT drive on this stuff. It's more powerful than alcohol. I can't even continue computer work after I take Ambien. I wake up and realize things I've typed or clicked than would NEVER had happened if I had not just taken Ambien. Absolutely DO NOT drive and forget coordinated activities, such as computer work, if you don't want to wonder what in the universe happened while you were doing that, such as being online. The effect is has is for sleeping and NOT for your awake commentary! The hallucination commentary made laugh extremely hard! I never had such effect but the effect of knock out power guarantee of sleep for at least 4 hours at which point it goes away. Taken as prescribed, I have no side effects. It appears people are enjoying this stuff as a recreation or something. I’m Ambros at I agree this stuff is GOD send for answer to my long insomnia. This stuff always knocks me out and I've been on it since last summer of 2006 and its 4/2006 now. Extremely power stuff and DO not skip the side effect commentary by myself. Forget about doing anything coordinated on this drug. Sleep only! DO NOT drive or you may kill someone when pass out cold! I’m Ambros at www.myspace.com/carnaldesire M 35 8 months
4/14/2006
Email
 4  chronic insomnia, bi-polar, anxiety I am not sure if I can blame my bad memory on the ambien or the other medications I take for my bi polar disorder. I take a 10 mg pill every night and am addicted at least mentally becuse if I don't take that pill , there isn't a chance in hell that I will go to sleep. I suffer with extreme anxiety at times and although my doctor tries to fill me up with anti depressants that are suppossed to induce sleep, which they don't. I know I can depend on at least 4 hrs of sleep with the ambien. I was glad to read that others have taken this drug as long as I have because it takes a bit of the pressure off that I am the only one out there with chronic insomnia. My doctor is just about ready to cut me off and I don't know what I'll do then. Freak out probably F 53 6 years
4/14/2006

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