Ambien Habit

Regarding the comment of “totally BS”. Believe I used to take mass quantities of ambien. I have taken more than 45 at once so many times I cannot even remember. I do not know how my body has withstood such abuse but this is a serious drug. I had it originally prescribed to me by my doctor for over five years. At the end he was actually prescribing me 2 12.5 ambien CR and one ambien 10mg way above the recommended dosage. It’s real easy to get and the amazing thing is you can take more than 45 fight the urge the sleep and get that “euphoric” feeling that allows you to escape from the world. The drug exits your system so quickly so that you could take that many at a time stay awake and be sober four hours later. The danger is that it basically shuts off your short term memory and while you can remember things in bits and pieces that once you consume one your mind will somehow forget you took one and continually take one until you consume all you have.

By the grace of god or a “higher power” I still have no real permanent damage besides a huge hole in my bank account. I do not believe doctors initially believed that this drug was habit forming when it was introduced and so many people thought this was a safe quick fix for insomniacs. But the reality is there are no miracle drugs and ambien for alot of people is like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. It does not cure anything it just allows you to think that is so. Even those who think they do not have a problem and only take one a night take a second and assess how long you have been on it and try to stop and even then it will be very difficult to give it up. Anything you do everyday for months or years become habits like taking a shower, eating or going to the bathroom; it just seems like a normal routine and you just get used to taking it everyday.

I am sure there are plenty of others out there like me who have done the same thing. This is a lifetime struggle and sometimes I take it one day, one minute or one hour at a time and reassess why there is no simple solution to insomnia. I think my record for a 24-hour period of ambien consumption is probably about 150 pills. So unless you have been in my shoes do not comment that something is impossible when I am living proof that it is. I am certainly not proud of the ridiculous amounts of this substance I have taken but want people to realize the inherent danger of legal prescription drugs-Doctors are not perfect omniscient beings so just because it is legal like alcohol think about how much an alcoholic can consume daily and live to tell their tale due to the tolerance thay have built up. It is the same for any mood altering substance and to call someone a liar for admitting such horrible behavior is completely uncalled for.

It is forums like this and other support groups that allow us to tell our stories without judgement that can help people like myself and others who have had problems with mood altering substances. So people tell your stories; my expereiences and yours allow us to be able to tell the truth so that we can get the support we need.