View Full Forums : Fun with Ambien


Stormhaven
03-14-2006, 12:02 PM
Ambien is probably one of the most prescribed sleep aids on the market today - it's also due to become open to the generic trade pretty soon. Apparently there's a few "undocumented" (or at least "common") side effects that people may not be aware of:
<a href="http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/14/news/companies/ambien/">Ambien "Eaters"</a> (A story about how people on Ambien will raid their fridge and consume thousands of calories without knowing it.

While the above story is interesting enough, here's something scarier:
<a href="http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/healthscience/060313a.asp">Ambien Users may Walk, Eat, Drive in Their Sleep</a>

I've personally had an Ambien prescription on and off now for about five years now (Ambien is <i>not</i> a daily use drug - unless you get told to do a 7-day regimen or something, it is considered addictive) and I use it periodically when I can't sleep or when I have a long flight (Japan is a ~10hr flight from DFW - and I hate flying). I can tell you from personal experience that the stories are <i>not</i> exaggerated.

I compare Ambien use to be very much like being drunk (maybe high, I've never been high though :P ) - I've always been drug resistant so it takes a 10mg dose of Ambien anywhere from 1 to 3 (or sometimes never) hours to work on me - average adults are asleep within 30min. Within those "waking" hours I have driven, <i>walked</i> to the local grocery store, fallen asleep in various locations - including on the stairs, couch, and in the Florida room (an additional room that is not insulated, but otherwise complete). The really weird part is that I have very spotty memory of what happened during that time. If something reminds me of something I did, I can semi-remember it, but otherwise, it's a blank. For those that play WoW, I also apparently decided it was a good idea for me to try to solo UBRS - I logged on the next day with a 8g repair bill.

I still use Ambien, but very infrequently now. Unfortunately, I'm still a "part time" insomniac and, so far, it's still the best out there. (Lunestra did absolutely nothing to me - not even making me drowsy). However, for all those out there who were thinking about getting a script for Ambien, just be aware that the side effects aren't just the ones listed on the bottle :)

Panamah
03-14-2006, 12:06 PM
I took it a few times when I was on vacation and had a hard time sleeping. I've got some friends that take it a lot. Come to think of it, he's put on a lot of weight!

Right now I just take an herbal blend of valerian/skullcap/hops and it seems to work really well.

Now in the good old days we had halcyon! That stuff rocked. It put me out like crazy.