How Many Ambien Patients Get Up At Night And Remember Nothing?

Italian from Jersey wrote:

My girlfriend has been taking ambien for a couple months now. I've know her for 20 years and have never seen her act the way she does after taking the drug. Ambien turns people into a semi-catatonic wanderer in the night...a zombie fixated on completing tasks that have no relevence to the time and situation; sorting clothes, searching drawers for ridiculous items like tweezers and thimbles. Some call Ambien the "zombie drug". I call it the "Junk Draw" drug. It's very similar to how someone with Alzheimer's Disease acts in its earlier stages. Mixing with alcohol or pot makes it worse. My advice, just have a glass of wine and read a few pages of a good books before hittin the sack. Save yourself from acting like a fool and not even realizing it.

was prescribed to me in the immediate time after losing my husband..I couldn't sleep.

but I found ice cream wrappers and the laundry was folded...too creepy to ignore. I stopped taking it. chamomile tea works fine (and tincture of time, sigh)

Jennifer wrote:

I take the 12.5 Ambien CR. I do not understand all of these reactions to the drugs that are written here. How could you take 1 pill and then not know that you reached for the bottle and took 8 more. You consciously made the decision that "hmm, I think I want to take some more." I can understand forgetting that you took 1 and then taking 1, but 6-8. I don’t think that is the drug's fault.

You don't understand the drug puts you in dream state. I have driven cars and barely remember anything. If you don't go to bed immediately you go in to subconscious and do things in that world. Add alcohol and weird things happen ..its true. Don't comment if your are ignorant please.

I recently was told the story of a 35 y.o. straight arrow guy with no hx of drugs or alcohol use who was getting married and prescribed ambien two weeks prior to the wedding for mild insomnia per Rx.
After two or three nights of ambien use he suddenly committed suicide by Gunshot.
He was said by family to be extremely stable and happy.
They are all bewildered and shocked..
Has anyone had a similar experience?
Roger

Jennifer wrote:

I take the 12.5 Ambien CR. I do not understand all of these reactions to the drugs that are written here. How could you take 1 pill and then not know that you reached for the bottle and took 8 more. You consciously made the decision that "hmm, I think I want to take some more." I can understand forgetting that you took 1 and then taking 1, but 6-8. I don’t think that is the drug's fault.

It's true. I have done the same thing. The only way I knew is I counted my pills when I woke in the morning.

Good shop

http://www.formspring.me/RxDrugs

I have been taking ambien for close to ten years. I take 20 mg a night, on a good night I go to bed. Most other nights, I am stil awake, binge eating, and then on really bad night I op a 3rd for 30 mg.... It's ruining my life and my relationships. I have tried weaning, and it has been a fruitless effort, even the Dr. tells me to keep taking it b/c I have been on it for so long.

Man I thought I was the only one with these problems.. I woke up in the ER after taking 20 pills and not remembering a damn thing.. From what I was told I was sleep walking and tried to jump off my balcony for no reason.. then the EMS people came and said I told them Caylee Anthony was my daughter and she was missing.. I thought everyone was lying to me but it was all true.. This drug is no joke.. Now I just take a few Somas befor bed and im fine.. Those Ambien are a joke you dont even sleep you turn into a crazy person

Cold turkey is ridiculous, bumb to start with it but hey how about a slow withdrawal

Just recently, someone I knew was found dead in her bed. Her name was Diana Dinger, and by checking her facebook entries, I discovered that she was on Ambien and couldn't sleep for several days. She had a history of drug abuse and I believe an overdose is what killed her.
For all those who can't sleep and use these "big pharma" products, do what you can to get off of them! Try natural meds and get right with God through Jesus Christ. No, I'm not a "wacko" but someone who knows from first hand experience and who cares. Get peace!

Insomniacs have a high rate of suicide - severe sleep deprivation is a horrid thing to go through, and does very bad things to the mind. Taking ambien to help you sleep just makes things worse - it slowly takes away from the brain the ability to sleep without it and soon you get zero sleep unless you take ambien. Big pharma knows this, and they want you taking ambien!

My wife has been taking ambien for 6-7 years. Used to be the only wierd thing was getting up to pee and not remembering where she was...like being out of town. Now, she gets up and just pees wherever she is...bedroom, hall, wherever. Last week she peed in the bed - twice. Doesn't help that she drinks a couple of glasses of wine each night before bed. Often (very often)she gets up in the night and falls - once giving herself a black eye. I'm not concerned about her taking more than one pill (anymore) because I keep them locked up and give her only 1 at bedtime. I am concerned, though, that she is going to hurt herself badly if she doesn't give up the wine or the pill...somethings gotta go.

You need to get her off of the ambien. The effects of ambien on the mind and body keep getting worse and worse and worse. Find a doctor that can help her do this - you can't abruptly stop after 6-7 years, it can be dangerous and emotionally difficult.

I have been on Ambien for about a year now. I have also had bad experiences with this medications. My roommate has found me walking around the house eating and drinking beer. She has also told me that I have taken my car keys and attempted to leave the house. I also become very agressive towards her and will try and fight. I also have no memory of doing any of these things. I have started trying to wein myself from this medication. I understand about not having any memory of things. I also agree this medication can be very dangerous. If u do take it use caution.

I have been taking ambien for 2 weeks and am now experiencing major neurological side effects. Major dizziness and lightheadedness. I haven't known if I'm coming or going since I started. Stopping immediately.

I quit taking Ambien once I realized there was no way to keep myself from sleepwalking. It took about a week to get used to falling asleep without Ambien but of course I woke up every 2 hours from insomnia. But with Ambien I only slept 3-4 hours anyway. It's not worth it.

I took it one morning by mistake...thought it was my blood pressure medicine. Don't remember going to work.......they said I was hugging the mailman hours later crying. Also had a huge drink from McDonalds at my desk and don't remember going to get. Have also made alot of dinner dates with people that I don't remember. Sometimes it doesn't do anything...sometimes it works. Roll the dice.

One day soon they will take Ambien off the market! It's a hideous drug that serves only to put money into the drug companies pockets. It neither treats or cures anything. It doesn't give peaceful, restful sleep. You only think you slept because you are drugged. I slept only 3 hours on ambien provided I went right to bed. If not, I wandered around doing all kinds of things I wouldn't normally do. Finally, it made me so physically ill I quit cold turkey. I suffered horrible withdrawal for 4 months straight. That was in 2010. It's been over a year since I quit ambien after taking it for 6 years. I never looked back. I am finally recovered from all the physical and neurological side effects. I sleep fine now. I never slept well before Ambien but the sleep I get now is better than the drugged state I was in on Ambien.
Look at how many famous actors had ambien in their system when they died. That speaks volumes!
Those who want to defend ambien are no different than those who want to defend smoking tobacco. If they want to risk cancer, let them! If those that think ambien is so great want to risk their lives, so be it. It will turn on everyone eventually. Get quit of it while you can. Withdrawal is hell but you get through it. It's worth it!

Karla wrote:

One day soon they will take Ambien off the market! It's a hideous drug that serves only to put money into the drug companies pockets.

As much as I wish they would take it off, the FDA made a bad mistake when they approved Intermezzo recently. I doubt the FDA will take zolpidem off very soon after that approval.

aras wrote:

<quoted text>
As much as I wish they would take it off, the FDA made a bad mistake when they approved Intermezzo recently. I doubt the FDA will take zolpidem off very soon after that approval.

Maybe when another famous person dies because of it?

As long as people want quick fix magic pills and will pay for it, I suppose they will keep selling them. It has to cost the drug companies more in damage compensations than sales to stop selling it.