What Are Your Experiences with Ambien?
Disclaimer: Never buy, or take another person's prescription medication, Ambien included. Ambien can be very habit forming. If you think you are having an allergic reaction, call your doctor or 911 immediately. If you think you accidentally overdosed, call 911 immediately. If you have any questions about Ambien call your doctor. So that's my disclaimer, please don't sue me.
I have been taking Ambien for many years. When I was medical evacuated out of Iraq, I was sent to Germany for surgery. In Germany, they kept the injured Marines in a squad bay (large room with bunk beds). At night, the injured Marines would scream and cry in their sleep. So, we were all prescribed 10mg of Ambien. I will say this though, taking Ambien has helped my PTSD, because when I don't sleep, the symptoms are more pronounced.
Individuals are only supposed to take Ambien short-term, but my doctors and I have concluded that this is the best way to go. I have tried everything under the sun to treat my insomnia, including homeopathic and Eastern medicine. Only Ambien works, which gets me to the point of this hub, the side-effects of Ambien.
Ambien, also known as Zolpidem, is a class 3 narcotic prescription medication which is primarily used to aid severe insomnia. Before a practitioner would prescribe Ambien, they commonly try out medication with less severe side-effects than what Ambien would produce.
For me, I have had some pretty crazy side-effects. I just thank God I have never driven. I have called, texted, tweeted, and yes, written crazy and nonsensical hubs while on Ambien. For those who have never taken the drug, it's kind of like being tipsy, it makes sense while your doing it at the time. Even though I am democrat (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know), I have bought Ross Perot bumper stickers on Ebay. I have also bought black lipstick online while on Ambien. No, I do not wear black lipstick.
The most severe side-effect is sleep eating. I wake up in the morning and ask my 8-year old in the morning why she ate all the ice cream, and she genuinely looks puzzled. Thankfully I am a runner, so this doesn't effect my weight too much. I have waken up countless times with bruises and small cuts on my body and I have no clue how they got there. Lastly, I have rearranged the furniture while on Ambien multiple times; that may explain the bruises.
What are some side-effects you have experienced while on Ambien?