The question that keeps getting asked is “how many Ambien will it take for a lethal overdose?” To answer that question, you have to know that deaths from Ambien poisoning are the result of respiratory failure. Basically, this is the fatal version of sleep apnea — the tissues in your airway go slack, making it harder and harder to breathe, until you just stop. Then your heart stops and, eventually, your brain becomes starved for oxygen and dies.
So if you’re looking to overdose, bear in mind that failure can make you brain damaged. Beyond that, it really depends on your own body’s propensity to keep breathing. A young fit person is going to be more resistant to Ambien than an older person who already has sleep apnea. Taking Ambien with other respiratory depressants will increase its effect, as will environments that cause rebreathing or hypoxia. The longer it takes for someone to find you, the longer the drugs have to work.
I can tell you for sure that 600 mg is enough to kill someone. Maybe not everyone, but I woke up on a ventilator. In retrospect, I’m glad I did wake up. One of my doctors told me that suicidal thinking is your brain’s way of telling you there’s something really wrong, just like chest pain is your body’s way of telling you you’re having a heart attack. I would never tell anyone to look on the bright side or remember God loves you or any of that crap. But I would encourage people who want to die to make one more phone call. Call 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-273-TALK. Probably you feel like it’s not going to make any difference, and maybe it won’t. But you don’t have anything to lose, and you can always kill yourself tomorrow.
