Ambien causing depression

Don wrote:

<quoted text> Try the detox solution in a book called the Mood Cure by Julia Ross I am, starting last weekend. Hang in there with your husband ambien withdrawal is very very hard. Prayer also helps.

Thanks Don. Things have certainly gotten a little better. He is off the Ambien, but now looking back over the years we have decided that he has probably always delt with depression and the ambien had made it even worse. I am just glad he is off the ambien and now we are just trying to work through the other depression issues. Thank you for all your advice. I hope you are doing better also.

If you have experienced a change in your behavior while taking Ambien, then you might need to go to your doctor. It might be that you are experiencing severe side effects of Ambien. Most medications do have serious side effects that can affect your daily living. For example most people that had been taking Paxil for a ling time may also also experience a change in their behavior, to check this one out you can click this link http://www.paxilbirthdefectlaw.com/paxil-laws... .

About 5 years back I was on Lunesta for about a week and the next thing I knew I wanted to either A. commit suicide, or B. run away and leave my kids to my husband. I'll I did was cry. So, flash forward I never sleep good but I refuse Lunesta so I was given Ambien. The first few days I felt fine then it started to creep in. The depression. I thought "AHA!" so I got on to this site and WOW! I think I was right. I'm also noticing slight headaches which I have NEVER got before!! Bummer, I really like the sleep but it's not worth it.

I am so amazed to read all of this. I randomly decided to google 'ambien exacerbating depression' just to see if my use of ambien could be a contributor to how I have been feeling the last several months and I can hardly believe it. I have struggled with mild depression since adolescence but the last several months have been horrible. I cry all the time and focus on catastrophe and am anxious about any potentially horrible thing that crosses my mind. I had a baby almost seven months ago and thought I was suffering from postpartum depression but now am convinced, after reading others' experiences, that it must be the ambien. I have been taking it almost nightly for nearly three years (yes, even during the pregnancy, which my OB told me was ok) and while I had a vague idea that that isn't in my best interest, I have become so fearful of not being able to sleep well that I never really tried to stop taking it. I've also noticed unnerving psychological things about my use like starting to look forward to when I can take it around 5pm (thinking 'I only have to wait three more hours or so before I can take it without it being considered too early') and intentionally not eating dinner because I've discovered that I can feel a sense of euphoria with it if I take it on an empty stomach. I often take it a couple of hours before I really need to go to bed because I find I enjoy the effects (relief from stress, makes my headache go away---a headache which I realize now may be due to ambien withdrawal). I also do embarrassing things when I take it...write emails that make little sense and later hardly can recall, eat ridiculous amounts of sugary foods when I am barely awake. I can't remember the plot lines of tv shows I watch after taking it for the evening....
Anyway, I knew these memory issues and the desire to take it every night on an empty stomach were problems but not until now did I realize that it is also mostly likely causing this severe depression. I can't believe I fell into this trap....I went to treatment for alcohol and benzo dependency when I was a teenager and have not used either of those since (14 years) but I thought ambien would be so benign, and I was prescribed it because I am a shift worker (a hospital RN) and god knows how hard it is to get reasonable sleep with schedules like mine. I feel so stupid. I know now that I need to stop taking it, as it is adversely affecting my relationship with my husband and certainly can't help my ability to care for my young daughter. I'm scared because I see that so many of you state that it has taken a long time to feel any better once you ceased your use. I can't imagine feeling this horribly depressed for many more months while simultaneously not getting intermittent relief from ambien and excessive sleep. I guess I just have to bite the bullet.

Double dose. Not only am I taking ambien I AM A FUNCTIONING ALCAHOLIC . I use the two together abour 6 every evening. I am very depressed and all I wont is 6 oclock to come every day so I can be numb. I gained twenty pounds from the wine and late night eating. i find burn marks on my hand from the stove. I do not have sex with my husband and I hate myself. How in the world will I ever be normal again after the damage of dependacy for two years

I was diagnosed with depression in 2005 after my mother died.By that time the doctors gave me mirtazapine or remeron 25mg. After a while, the psychiatrist recommended cymbalta because I was having dificulty in sleeping. It worked fine for a period of time and I was feeling fine and I wanted to stop taking it.
After a while I was not sleeping good and he gave me Trazadone which has the two components it help me to sleep and help me with the depression.
The problem is that when I had my fibroids removed I stopped the medication because nobody informed what to do and then suddenly I had a depression crisis and I had to go back to remeron or mirtazapine because my stomach was not ready for more pills. I took the dissolving tablets so I wouldn't feel this emptiness in my stomach. I started taking ambien 10 mg. I slept but in the morning I was feeling depressed again. I talked to the psychiatrist and I told he how she can give me ambien if in the side effects say "depession" and I was taking already an anti-depresant. I asked her don't you think that I will have a severe depression?. She wanted to change ambien for another one that was worst. Right now, I don't know how to solve my problem. I think that I need to reduce taking ambien gradually but I am afraid what is going to happen to me if I can't sleep. I need somebody to refer me to a specialist that can tell you what steps to follow.

I have been under stress from business and I decided to call my doctor to get something to help me sleep. He wouldn't give me Lunesta but gave me Ambien instead. I slept great but after the 4th night the anxiety was so strong I went back to tell him I thought I needed a prescription for an antidepressent. This made matters worst. I started on Prozac. I ended up in the hospital from anxiety and thought I was having a heart attack. My depression was so bad I thought I need to see someone. I quit the Ambien a couple of days and got a prescription for Xanax. This has taken the anxiety away and my depression has disapeared. My conclusion is when you are under a lot of anxiety, becareful what you take. In my oppinion, Ambien almost brought on the dreaded. I was on my way down. The Xanax broken in half does way more for sleep and anxiety.

I read the following post from "unbelievable" and I am wondering if she is still around this forum, and if so, if she could join our forum on Ambien Withdrawals and Headaches" (Also on this Topix site, just look it up). I have been JUST WHERE YOU ARE in every way, quit Ambien around the time you wrote this, and would love to have you join our forum.

unbelievable wrote:

I am so amazed to read all of this. I randomly decided to google 'ambien exacerbating depression' just to see if my use of ambien could be a contributor to how I have been feeling the last several months and I can hardly believe it. I have struggled with mild depression since adolescence but the last several months have been horrible. I cry all the time and focus on catastrophe and am anxious about any potentially horrible thing that crosses my mind. I had a baby almost seven months ago and thought I was suffering from postpartum depression but now am convinced, after reading others' experiences, that it must be the ambien. I have been taking it almost nightly for nearly three years (yes, even during the pregnancy, which my OB told me was ok) and while I had a vague idea that that isn't in my best interest, I have become so fearful of not being able to sleep well that I never really tried to stop taking it. I've also noticed unnerving psychological things about my use like starting to look forward to when I can take it around 5pm (thinking 'I only have to wait three more hours or so before I can take it without it being considered too early') and intentionally not eating dinner because I've discovered that I can feel a sense of euphoria with it if I take it on an empty stomach. I often take it a couple of hours before I really need to go to bed because I find I enjoy the effects (relief from stress, makes my headache go away---a headache which I realize now may be due to ambien withdrawal). I also do embarrassing things when I take it...write emails that make little sense and later hardly can recall, eat ridiculous amounts of sugary foods when I am barely awake. I can't remember the plot lines of tv shows I watch after taking it for the evening....
Anyway, I knew these memory issues and the desire to take it every night on an empty stomach were problems but not until now did I realize that it is also mostly likely causing this severe depression. I can't believe I fell into this trap....I went to treatment for alcohol and benzo dependency when I was a teenager and have not used either of those since (14 years) but I thought ambien would be so benign, and I was prescribed it because I am a shift worker (a hospital RN) and god knows how hard it is to get reasonable sleep with schedules like mine. I feel so stupid. I know now that I need to stop taking it, as it is adversely affecting my relationship with my husband and certainly can't help my ability to care for my young daughter. I'm scared because I see that so many of you state that it has taken a long time to feel any better once you ceased your use. I can't imagine feeling this horribly depressed for many more months while simultaneously not getting intermittent relief from ambien and excessive sleep. I guess I just have to bite the bullet.

I have been taking abien for about a month and I have really been in a weird and crazy funk. I would have almost crippiling moments of depression and other times I would feel so much better and then back down again and I was never like that before just had been sleep deprived from stress. I would also have weird fantasys for moments at a time and then snap myself back out. I would have a funny fantasy and laugh myself silly and other times I would have ones that would make me cry. I have never felt like this before. I talked to my wife about it and told her what was going on. She told me I need to stop taking it. I threw them out today. I am hoping I can get back to normal.

I though I was going crazy! I have taken this stuff for 5 years. I was in a panic when I thought I would not get my RX refilled, I then discovered I'm addicted to it. I have suffered, major depression, I never want to go anywhere but home after work! not even to see my Grandsons. i want my life back. I am cutting my pills in half starting tonight and will talk with my doctor about coming off of them ASAP.

JMC413 wrote:

I though I was going crazy! I have taken this stuff for 5 years. I was in a panic when I thought I would not get my RX refilled, I then discovered I'm addicted to it. I have suffered, major depression, I never want to go anywhere but home after work! not even to see my Grandsons. i want my life back. I am cutting my pills in half starting tonight and will talk with my doctor about coming off of them ASAP.

JMC413 - you are not going crazy. Ambien makes you feel this way. I've been off for 2 1/2 years and all the anxiety and depression are gone. I'm enjoying life again. I took it for 5 years too, and became a shut in. Rarely left the house. Now I'm out and about and living a full, fun life. Happy you found this forum. This thread isn't very active. Go to "Withdrawal and Headache" at the bottom of this page. There are thousands and thousands of posts and people make comments several times a day. They'll help you through withdrawal. It's difficult but well worth it. Good luck!

aprilstorm wrote:

I have been on ambien for close to 3 years and in the last few months I have felt very depressed....I am not myself..I am also paroniod...very emotional!!! HELP!!!!

I feel the same way I don't even want to get out of bed

I absolutely can say that the Ambien helped my sleep (which has been almost non-exsistant for 17 years) but causes great depression in me. I have to find another sleep aid and am anxious that they all may cause depression. Have tried just about everything thats out there...yikes

I am going through a major depression, have been on Ambien for 8 years. Has anyone been to rehab to get off of Ambien... I am thinking about it, but am terrified of it.

EMR wrote:

I am going through a major depression, have been on Ambien for 8 years. Has anyone been to rehab to get off of Ambien... I am thinking about it, but am terrified of it.

EMR, Ambien definitely caused severe depression and anxiety for me. I took it for 5 years and have been off for 2.5 yrs. It was difficult getting through the w/d's but well worth it and all of the depression and anxiety went away. Ambien was the cause. This thread isn't very active. Please go to the thread at the bottom of the page "Ambien Headache and Withdrawal". There are lots of people at this very moment successfully getting off Ambien and thousands of posts that share their experience. I did not have to go to rehab in order to get off. I took only 5 to 7 mg. per night and was able to safely stop. Don't do this alone. Go to the thread I told you about for support and suggestions on how to safely get off this toxic drug. Best of luck to you.

Can anyone describe the withdrawals, and anything that helped them get through them? This forum has verified what I suspected - that Ambien is the cause of a depression worse than I've had before. I do OCCASIONALLY sleep without it, but I crave that womb-like feeling it gives. Time to bite the bullet, I think... Thanks for this forum.

I am so glad I read this forum. I have been taking Ambien 2-4 times a week for about a year. I have never experienced deep depression until the last 6 months. And is getting worse all the time. I don't take any other drugs except vitamins so I truely believe that Ambien is the cause of my depression. I will no longer be taking them as of tonight!! I know I will have some restless nights as I have a really hard time falling asleep, but it isn't worth all this depression. Good Luck everyone

Lauri wrote:

I am so glad I read this forum. I have been taking Ambien 2-4 times a week for about a year. I have never experienced deep depression until the last 6 months. And is getting worse all the time. I don't take any other drugs except vitamins so I truely believe that Ambien is the cause of my depression. I will no longer be taking them as of tonight!! I know I will have some restless nights as I have a really hard time falling asleep, but it isn't worth all this depression. Good Luck everyone

You are so right! Its better to stay up then to use AMBIEN to sleep. Trust me I know!!!

Some drugs does affect the mood of a person and at times may lead to depression. Ambien is not the only drug with severe side effects but Zoloft has too. To know more about it, you can visit this site http://www.zoloftsertralinebirthdefects.com/z... .

I recently found out I have sleep apnea and was told to wear a CPAP - that thing that looks like an elephant trunk! Couldn't sleep with it on, so the doctor prescribed Ambien. Have used it a few times a week for the past several weeks, but the last two times I've used it I have been depressed the next day - crying, irritable, and feeling like my life is hopeless. It accurred to me to check out this site about Ambien and depression. I have struggled with depression in the past and don't want it to come back. So glad to have read these posts. You all have helped me. God bless you.