User Reviews of Ambien http://ambienoverdose.org Learn more about Ambien side effects Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:19:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Today is one month after the loss of my daughter. http://ambienoverdose.org/1851/today-is-one-month-after-the-loss-of-my-daughter/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1851/today-is-one-month-after-the-loss-of-my-daughter/#comments Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:19:26 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1851 Continue reading →]]> Today is one month after the loss of my daughter. She took Ambien so she could sleep. When visiting her in October I told her she should go to her doctor and get off this horrible drug. She told me of cleaning her house and not remembering, gardening at midnight in her sleep and a neighbor told us how they found her walking down the middle of the road at midnight and had to physically wake her. One month ago we got the call she had shot herself. It has been a nightmare for my husband and myself. This drug should be taken off the market. She was 41 years old with 2 children she lived for. The youngest is graduating this year. She made plans to visit us in Florida this spring to watch her niece dance. Please pass this on. Maybe it will save some other person from shedding the tears and horror we have gone through. If it will save one life it will be worth it.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1851/today-is-one-month-after-the-loss-of-my-daughter/feed/ 1 In college I was prescribed Ambien 10 MGs due to not sleeping well. http://ambienoverdose.org/1849/in-college-i-was-prescribed-ambien-10-mgs-due-to-not-sleeping-well/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1849/in-college-i-was-prescribed-ambien-10-mgs-due-to-not-sleeping-well/#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:42:10 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1849 Continue reading →]]> In college I was prescribed Ambien 10 MGs due to not sleeping well. It was fine at first, was able to sleep better. I never woke up during the night or had strange behavior. After awhile, I became suicidal. I’m not sure why. One night I took my bottle of 40 pills (400 MG) and passed out. Next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital room under suicide watch. According to my parents, they found me the next morning passed out with pills scattered around me (at the time I was prescribed other medications too). I spent three days in the hospital hallucinating that there were bugs/spiders crawling up/down the walls, intense paranoia, derealization, to name a few. It was terrifying. After being released, I did continue to take Ambien sporatically, then stopped. The good sleep wasn’t worth the experience.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1849/in-college-i-was-prescribed-ambien-10-mgs-due-to-not-sleeping-well/feed/ 0 Started taking ambien 2 years ago because of insomnia. http://ambienoverdose.org/1847/started-taking-ambien-2-years-ago-because-of-insomnia/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1847/started-taking-ambien-2-years-ago-because-of-insomnia/#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:45:05 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1847 Continue reading →]]> Started taking ambien 2 years ago because of insomnia. At first it was a God send, then I started to feel very moody and forgetful so I tried taking other things like melatonin, but it didnt work. On the ambien I started to send out weird texts while I thought I was asleep and I would be talking to people on the phone and have no recollection of it the next day. The mornings I was groggy and non functional til noon. It has been 4 days since I have taken it, I have had violent nightmares and felt apathetic and depressed. Today is the first day I feel a little better but I am still a little anxious. Ambien can ruin lives.

Just so you know I am a licensed social worker, a great job and four teenage kids, two on full college scholarships, one for academics and one for lax. I have NO HISTORY of any substance abuse, I dont even drink. I went thru two years of severe insomnia after I went thru a divorce. My doctor prescribed me ambien because I wasn’t able to sleep at night, I took it not to get high but to sleep. If you made a comment like this you probably have no idea what severe insomnia is like. I took it to sleep so I could get up for work, in the morning, and at first it is great. But the side effects are detrimental and very real. Until you walk in the shoes of something , you should not make rude comments like that.

ps and I took it AS DIRECTED BY MY MD.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1847/started-taking-ambien-2-years-ago-because-of-insomnia/feed/ 2 Higher Death Risk with Sleeping Pills http://ambienoverdose.org/1844/higher-death-risk-with-sleeping-pills/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1844/higher-death-risk-with-sleeping-pills/#comments Mon, 12 Mar 2012 01:07:21 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1844 This article on ScienceDaily.com references a study that found the death risk of sleeping pill users to be up to 4.6 times higher.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1844/higher-death-risk-with-sleeping-pills/feed/ 0 My heart goes out to you. I am so sorry for your loss. http://ambienoverdose.org/1842/my-heart-goes-out-to-you-i-am-so-sorry-for-your-loss/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1842/my-heart-goes-out-to-you-i-am-so-sorry-for-your-loss/#comments Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:38:34 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1842 Continue reading →]]> My heart goes out to you. I am so sorry for your loss. I suffered methane gas poisoning while working for HUD in 2000 on a Desaster Response in Tarboro, NC. I have one son I can depend on but he is married to a fatally jealous woman that has a physchotic mother and sister. I then suffered accidental overdosage of antesthesia in 2002 and had to quit my HUD job. A man I met on line proposed marriage to me to take care of me as I was living alone in this condition. Of course I was rediculed beyond belief for accepting his proposal and no one “got it” that i NEEDED someone to help me in my condition. It turned into a horrible insult against me and we both went into deep depression and heartbreak from the attitudes of friends and family toward us and our prospective marriage. I left him and tried to move back to my hometown and work. I was still rediculed for leaving him and because we drank beer on the deck at sunset it was told the beer did it. It seemed that anything negative my family and my D I L ‘s mother could make bad out of my life… she said it and did it. I fortunately made a lot of money that year selling real estate and bought a home in Orange Beach, AL. No one understood the damage nurologically and cardiovascularly to my head and system from the methane gas and ansthesia but they understood perfectly the accusations of drinking beer and mixing them with antidepressants. My family began overdosing me to rob me. And they have gotten away with it for over a decade now.

I moved up north to get away from them all and be safe. I had gone through several overdoses by my cousin Kathy and I believe Diane and Donna. Police will not do anything about it. I MEAN NOTHING. NOT EVEN RIGHT A DECENT POLICE REPORT FOR A RESTRAINING ORDER.

My DIL up north wanted to turn everything I had wrong with me to DEPRESSION. The doctor there gave me celexia, ativan, ambien, and several other drugs. I was out of my mind from the mixture of these drugs and their intense strength within weeks and unable to cope with life with them on top of my nurological damages from methane gas and anesthesia. My family was attacking me from ever direction, insulting me, alienating me, misunderstanding what was wrong.

I almost died from all of this and no one believes it. They all saw me drink a beer so alcohol is their problem of choice. These drugs are fatal and hard to come off of after taking them for a month or so. They camouflage other serious medical issues and make it impossible for you to think and communicate properly. I am sure as I almost did… your son probably was very frustrated with not being able to communicate what these drugs were doing to him, his mind, and his life. It is horrible that doctors still prescribe these meds fully knowing what they do to people.

Yes. The Klonipin which is the same as ativan did intensify the Ambien and yes I know because I was prescribed both together wrongfully. Ambien and Ativan should only be administered by doctors in hospitals under care and observation of doctors and nurses. I lived ALONE sick in a state alone with only my son and his wife when I was prescribed these drugs. My heart goes out to your son and what he went through and to you for losing him. I have lost my son also who is ALIVE because he will not listen to me or believe me. His mother in law and family are having much fun overdosing me now 5 states away from him and lieing to him. I have lost everything and still fighting for my life.

God bless you Judy

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1842/my-heart-goes-out-to-you-i-am-so-sorry-for-your-loss/feed/ 0 My son died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. http://ambienoverdose.org/1840/my-son-died-of-a-self-inflicted-gunshot-wound/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1840/my-son-died-of-a-self-inflicted-gunshot-wound/#comments Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:37:48 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1840 Continue reading →]]> My son died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The autopsy report confirmed that he had taken Ambien the night of his death. He had an adverse episode with Ambien 2 months before – waking up in the morning to discover that he had ransacked his closet, had punched a hole in his apartment wall, and had disassembled and reassembled his pistol, with absolutely no recollection of his actions. My wife is a nurse and knows the dangers of Ambien. My son went off the Ambien for over 6 weeks. The day of the night my son died, the Army doctor prescribed him Ambien, NOTING in my son’s medical records that he was doing this against his better judgment, and for my son to come back in 2 weeks. Obviously, my son never made the return trip.

Now to your question about can you appeal the Medical Examiner’s Manner of Death determination. I was very fortunate to have a Medical Examiner who agreed to let me present my case that my son did not commit suicide, i.e., my son did not INTENTIONALLY kill himself. I wrote an 8 page dissertation, including the expert opinion of a psychologist who specializes in adverse drug events. The Medial Examiner circulated my argument to a number of his peers nationally. The outcome was that the Medical Examiner revised the Manner of Death to “Not Determined.”

It was a long and arduous process to get my son’s Manner of Death changed. It is not easy, and will take perseverance. It will cause you to stay in your grief, but I believe that it will be worth it in the end. It was for our family.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1840/my-son-died-of-a-self-inflicted-gunshot-wound/feed/ 0 my 79 yo grandfather was recently having problems sleeping http://ambienoverdose.org/1838/my-79-yo-grandfather-was-recently-having-problems-sleeping/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1838/my-79-yo-grandfather-was-recently-having-problems-sleeping/#comments Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:36:48 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1838 Continue reading →]]> my 79 yo grandfather was recently having problems sleeping and his family doc prescribed him ambien. He started the meds and within 4 days he took his own life. He was a father, grandfather, and great grandfather. He was a very happy and content man having all that he needed and a strong fmily base. We were all shocked that he did this, never would he have done this, we truely believe that had he not been prescribed ambien, he’d still be here today… please think twice before taking this obviously dangerous drug

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1838/my-79-yo-grandfather-was-recently-having-problems-sleeping/feed/ 0 My husband is to go to court in the next 2 weeks for the charges of incest http://ambienoverdose.org/1836/my-husband-is-to-go-to-court-in-the-next-2-weeks-for-the-charges-of-incest/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1836/my-husband-is-to-go-to-court-in-the-next-2-weeks-for-the-charges-of-incest/#comments Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:36:05 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1836 Continue reading →]]> My husband is to go to court in the next 2 weeks for the charges of incest, child molestation and aggravated child molestation. We have 3 children our oldest at the time of the alleged incident was 13, just last year, was prescribed AMBIEN for insomnia. The night this incident supposivly happened she had taken her medicine as prescribed. She started talking slurred and out of it, her dad then walked her to bed, shortly after she came back into the dining room where we were and sat at the table with her head down we thought she was playing at first but he ended up having to pick her and toted her to her room. He returned into the living room Long story short 3 days after that night she called me from a friends house and said her daddy had sex with her. She told the investigators he had her send a pic of her private area to his phone and vica-versa needless to say there have yet to be any pics recovered, I took her to a specialist and no signs of penitration, same report from the ER doctor and the rape kit was a negative. The night she told me this he was arrested at his job and after spending 21 days in jail he lost his job that supported our family for many years was ordered to have no contact to me, our children, and any of my family. He has no prior arrests nor convictions, and the craziest is that him and her were the bested of friends 100% daddys girl always had his back no matter what our family has been torn apart and I truely believe b/c of the AMBIEN!! Also on the prescription papers the pharmacy gives you it says NOT to be given to children under the age of 18 and that the side effects in children are more sensitive and I quote “Especially with dissiness, headaches, and HALLUCINATIONS!!!!!!!

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1836/my-husband-is-to-go-to-court-in-the-next-2-weeks-for-the-charges-of-incest/feed/ 0 My dad too killed himself while under the influence of ambien http://ambienoverdose.org/1833/my-dad-too-killed-himself-while-under-the-influence-of-ambien/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1833/my-dad-too-killed-himself-while-under-the-influence-of-ambien/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 05:30:19 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1833 Continue reading →]]> My dad too killed himself while under the influence of ambien. My dad was the wildest, strong headed, daring, adventurous, spirited man ever! He loved his family so much, and had just recently gained his fith grandchild. His grandson Cason. My dad’s blood sugar got low Monday 2/20/12 He fell and broke his nose. On wed 2/22/12 he went in to have his broken nose fixed. He said it didn’t hurt. It was just wierd having his nose somewhere it didn’t belong! The night after surgery he called my stepmom ( she worked nights) and asked her if it would be ok to take an ambien with his pain pill. He said he’s nose was really hurting. She said yes. About 5 hrs later he got into his truck barefooted with nothing but his pistol. I know my dad did not mean to do what he did. Dad loved life too much! I’m talking monster truck competing- water skiing- golf- snow skiing- drag racing- and scalloping! He loved life!

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1833/my-dad-too-killed-himself-while-under-the-influence-of-ambien/feed/ 0 I lost my wife who was 29 years old because of Ambien http://ambienoverdose.org/1831/i-lost-my-wife-who-was-29-years-old-because-of-ambien/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1831/i-lost-my-wife-who-was-29-years-old-because-of-ambien/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 05:29:14 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1831 Continue reading →]]> I lost my wife who was 29 years old because of Ambien. My wife was diagnosed as depressed and and has been on 4-5 different anit-depresents between August through her death in December. The week before she passed, she was having trouble sleeping and was prescribed Ambien by her physcologist. She was never suicidal and lived for our 3 kids. The night she took Ambien, she was out of sorts and took her own life. Her death was ruled a suicide, but I know it was from the Ambien. Is there a way I can appeal the cause of death from the Medical Examiner?

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1831/i-lost-my-wife-who-was-29-years-old-because-of-ambien/feed/ 1 I have seen the positive and negative effects and the negative effects are huge http://ambienoverdose.org/1829/i-have-seen-the-positive-and-negative-effects-and-the-negative-effects-are-huge/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1829/i-have-seen-the-positive-and-negative-effects-and-the-negative-effects-are-huge/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 05:28:14 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1829 Continue reading →]]> I have seen the positive and negative effects and the negative effects are huge. I have had experiences of cooking, calling people, doing things around the house and just being stupid. I tend to try and fight the act of sleeping which is the worst thing you can do. when i first started my doc told me to take it and get in bed but over the past year I have tried to fight the urge to go right to bed………I have made some huge mistakes and and thinking about quiting, I have major sleep issues and I dont kow whichh is worse, feeling drugged the next day and doing stupid crap or sleeping for a few hours. I can tell my feeling of depression has increased as well as stupid thoughts….not sure this drug is very safe

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1829/i-have-seen-the-positive-and-negative-effects-and-the-negative-effects-are-huge/feed/ 0 It is said that Ambien is the doorway into the subconscious mind http://ambienoverdose.org/1827/it-is-said-that-ambien-is-the-doorway-into-the-subconscious-mind/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1827/it-is-said-that-ambien-is-the-doorway-into-the-subconscious-mind/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 05:26:59 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1827 Continue reading →]]> It is said that Ambien is the doorway into the subconscious mind. It makes you act out you unconscious desires in a sleep-like state. The problem with this is you may not like what you find in your unconscious mind.

The future of Ambien is awakening people in semi-conscious states. This drug has awakened people from comas!! It is also used for stroke victims and for other brain disorders. Remember, Ambien started off as a medication for stroke vitcims.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1827/it-is-said-that-ambien-is-the-doorway-into-the-subconscious-mind/feed/ 0 we lost our son in law last week http://ambienoverdose.org/1812/we-lost-our-son-in-law-last-week/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1812/we-lost-our-son-in-law-last-week/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:50:24 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1812 Continue reading →]]> we lost our son in law last week.. funeral just this last Sunday.. a man who will be dearly missed by many… he left behind 5 children a wife and more close friends then I could even begin to count.. he just got out of bed got in his truck, drove down the road, got out sat down in the middle of a field and put a gun in his mouth.. this was a happy man with a full life and so many plans for the future …. this was not a depressed person that would have ever done this had it not been for the ambien… his job required weird hours and kept his sleeping habits messed up and doctor prescribed ambien to help him sleep.. he was so full of life and fun and always there to help anyone that might need a hand… he worried about his family when he had to be away for work he would never have left them like this.. he was the kind of man that you couldn’t help but love if you spent any time with him at all.. this world is a lesser place with him gone. he will be dearly missed by many.

it’s so sad when we trust our doctors and the meds they prescribe to us, yes many drugs on the market have terrible side affects, and yes they list them when we get a prescription filled.. but most of us trust our doctors to prescribe what we need to deal with our health needs.. and you don’t think twice about it because we trust their educated advise and feel if we have problems we can report them and change things but how do you change it when you’re no longer alive? over and over you’re warned if you have problems with side affects stop taking it and call your doctor… unfortunately you can’t if you’re dead!

I firmly believe the drug companies should be held responsible along with the doctors.. after all we trust them with our lives and pay dearly for their educated advise if doctors were held responsible they would stop prescribing things that the drug companies push on them… this is not a drug with effects that you can just stop taking and call your doctor if you have problems with, it’s a drug that kills!

it’s a shame we can’t trust our doctors and their advise. You’d think that doctor’s would remember the vow they took to “first do no harm” I believe if we go after the doctors this would stop and let the doctors go after the drug companies maybe then doctors wouldn’t be so quick to prescribe stuff that has possible deadly side affects!

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1812/we-lost-our-son-in-law-last-week/feed/ 0 I was prescribed ambien when i was 14 years old. http://ambienoverdose.org/1823/i-was-prescribed-ambien-when-i-was-14-years-old/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1823/i-was-prescribed-ambien-when-i-was-14-years-old/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:31:17 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1823 Continue reading →]]> the kid, even though he’s 15, understands what’s going on. he’s a very bright boy, bet he does well in school. just needs to work on spelling. back to the point, ambien was a gateway drug to me, i was prescribed ambien when i was 14 years old. i took a 10mg pill, and then decided to make me a midnight snack.. as soon as i was walking upstairs, everything seemed like distorted, the walls were breathing, the ceiling had that fire motion you see in the desert, and it was a very euphoric experience. unfortunately, i wanted to see more and more of that, i wanted stronger visual effects, stronger trips basically. so i started experimenting with LSD, shrooms, morning glory seeds, hawaiian baby woodrose seeds, and some other hallucinogens. then from there on i moved onto stronger stuff, like deliriants, dissociatives, opiates, benzos.. 3 months later after my 1st experiment with ambien, i suffered a drug overdose with klonopin, valium, DXM, and alcohol. i survived it, but i learned my lesson. 2 years later i’m clean, i’ve defeated all my addiction problems, i’m on my 2nd year of law at the university of texas, and me and my fiancee are planning on starting our own law firm in the near future. what i’m trying to say is that giving children/preteens/teens unnecessary drugs that make you feel a certain way will have them looking for other stuff that makes them feel like they felt before.. it’s an early stage of “chasing the dragon”, a heroin/opium term. i understand some children need certain medication to function, but they don’t need to be taking medicine with tolerance buildup and addictive qualities.. but in the end, the parents/doctors decide what’s best for their children. i just wanted to give the people some advice about my past due to prescription medication. God bless.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1823/i-was-prescribed-ambien-when-i-was-14-years-old/feed/ 0 Ive been on ambien for about a year. http://ambienoverdose.org/1821/ive-been-on-ambien-for-about-a-year/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1821/ive-been-on-ambien-for-about-a-year/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:30:42 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1821 Continue reading →]]> Ive been on ambien for about a year. I get 30 10mg a month….I also have a history of drug addiction and have been on suboxone for about 3 years off and on. Over the las few months im finding myself taking more ambien then i should, so I began only getting 5 out at a time, but even with 5 i take them all not knowing. After the 1st pill i ten to black out, and before i know it, theirs none left. Anyway, yesterday i got my monthly script and the pharmacy made mistake and gave me all 30..luckly my parents were with me and took them away after i took the 12th one…..butr a few months ago the same thing happened but instead of taking 12 i took the entire 30…….I have found myself taking ambien and waking up in my bed just to find out that i have been driving, going to friends, spending houdreds of dollars with no recolection…i would have never known that i did any of it without my friend telling me……she said she couldnt even tell that i was on anything and that i was completly coherent and normal….Obviousaly that scared me, yet I still take them…..Im affraid, i told my dr about it and he said i need to get tests ran on my pituatary glands ( i think it was the pituatary gland, but i may be wrong). Could their be a problem with my body? Or is it my addiction?

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1821/ive-been-on-ambien-for-about-a-year/feed/ 0 I have taken Ambien off an on for a few years. http://ambienoverdose.org/1819/i-have-taken-ambien-off-an-on-for-a-few-years/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1819/i-have-taken-ambien-off-an-on-for-a-few-years/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:30:08 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1819 Continue reading →]]> I have taken Ambien off an on for a few years. I will take them for a month and then be off them for a few months. I do tend to forget or have a very hazy memory of talking to people the night before, but I have never cooked or had sex or driven under the influence. At most I may just forget the main points of a phone conversation with my sister or something similar. I WILL say that one 10mg pill only worked for maybe a week and I very quickly had to up the dosage. Now I may take 3 with an over the counter sleep aid like unisom and I might get 7-8 hrs. My biggest complaint is that it builds up a tolerance QUICK!!! Even after 3-4 months off them, one pill doesn’t do it. I can see why they would be addictive to some people though, they do make you forget so if that is your goal, they fit the bill.
Good luck all.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1819/i-have-taken-ambien-off-an-on-for-a-few-years/feed/ 0 My sister just died after taking ambien http://ambienoverdose.org/1817/my-sister-just-died-after-taking-ambien/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1817/my-sister-just-died-after-taking-ambien/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:29:45 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1817 Continue reading →]]> My sister just died after taking ambien… She Was 30 years old. She was stressed and had the flu. Long story short she slept threw her being sick, She choked on it I am mortified.. I hate that because this stuff is legal, people should think of all options before taking prescriptions.. I now will not have my sister to have in my life because Of one pill.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1817/my-sister-just-died-after-taking-ambien/feed/ 0 I’ve had these SAME side effects happen to me recently. http://ambienoverdose.org/1814/i%e2%80%99ve-had-these-same-side-effects-happen-to-me-recently/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1814/i%e2%80%99ve-had-these-same-side-effects-happen-to-me-recently/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:29:04 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1814 Continue reading →]]> I’ve had these SAME side effects happen to me recently. I took a couple of Ambien hoping to fall asleep with no problems. I stayed up on the computer, hoping reading something would make me sleepy. I ended up staying up past 30 mins and noticed the words on my computer were moving around. Not too bad but, enough for me to notice. I also kept hearing noises when there wasn’t sound and seeing things out of the corner of my eye, when, nothing was there. The second night I took Ambien and tried sleeping but couldn’t, I began hallucinating that my make up bag and house shoes were having sex on my dresser. Then, my Jack Skellington poster was waving at me in my dresser mirror. My other poster of Pantera was 3D. A friend called me and I told them about all the crazy shit that was happening. They had to convince me that none of it was real and I then calmed down. DO NOT stay awake after taking Ambien. You’ll have severe hallucinations.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1814/i%e2%80%99ve-had-these-same-side-effects-happen-to-me-recently/feed/ 0 LA Times story links cancer and Ambien use http://ambienoverdose.org/1810/la-times-story-links-cancer-and-ambien-use/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1810/la-times-story-links-cancer-and-ambien-use/#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2012 04:03:27 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1810 Continue reading →]]> http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-sleep-aids-cancer-death-20120228,0,2382260.story

“A new study suggests that the 6% to 10% of Americans who use prescription sleep medications such as zolpidem (Ambien), temazepam (Restoril), eszopiclone (Lunesta) and zaleplon (Sonata) are more likely to develop cancer, and far more likely to die prematurely, than those who take no sleep aids.”

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1810/la-times-story-links-cancer-and-ambien-use/feed/ 0 I have been clean from Ambien for 11 days. http://ambienoverdose.org/1808/i-have-been-clean-from-ambien-for-11-days/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1808/i-have-been-clean-from-ambien-for-11-days/#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2012 04:00:25 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1808 Continue reading →]]> I have been clean from Ambien for 11 days. I will never be free from its allure, but I am tired of losing. 12 years ago I was considered an over-achiever, extremely financially successful, married, with three beautiful children. I have never done cocaine, smoked pot twice, and thrown up from drinking the two dozen times I tried to successfully drink. Now I live in a half-way house, bag groceries at a grocery store just far enough away from home via bus that I rarely have to face my peers and ex-friends. I haven’t been allowed to drive my children in 10 years, and see them only once a month. I have been to 3 of the best treatments centers money can buy. The demoralization I feel has been indescribable. The only plus, which is really a negative, is that Ambien became easier to get and dirt cheap compared to years ago. My last relapse involved 3 prescriptions of 90, 90 and 180 Ambien. They lasted 4 days. I have begged God to take my life since I am incapable of the strength to do it myself, but for some reason that maybe one day I’ll discover, He has left me here. Please pray for me, as I pray for those that suffer from this disease.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1808/i-have-been-clean-from-ambien-for-11-days/feed/ 0 I think about dying everyday. http://ambienoverdose.org/1806/i-think-about-dying-everyday/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1806/i-think-about-dying-everyday/#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2012 03:58:48 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1806 Continue reading →]]> I think about dying everyday. The choices I have made have lead me 2 this place of unhappiness. I have 3 kids a crappy job with no health care. I would love 2 have a job that pays well so I could get health care. But my 1 son has severe ADHD and takes $800. Worth of pills a month and is 12, and can’t be left alone. So here i am stuck in poverty and now way out. I have Medicaid 4 us and help with rent and food. All I want is to take care of my family but with no college education what jobs Im offered would not cover rent food utilities let alone health care. So here I sit with no way out. And wanting to die everyday maybe I’ll get lucky and get cancer or hit by a truck

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1806/i-think-about-dying-everyday/feed/ 2 Sorry everyone, no easy way out of this life http://ambienoverdose.org/1803/sorry-everyone-no-easy-way-out-of-this-life/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1803/sorry-everyone-no-easy-way-out-of-this-life/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 01:55:59 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1803 Continue reading →]]> Sorry everyone, no easy way out of this life. I have died
And OD’d much. I have lucky friends that
Died . No matter what I take or how I try
Someone finds me , I wake up in the hospital
Like a dumb ass. I’ve lost many friends, they
Can’t stand my sadness. No pills can kill me,
I almost got lucky and died from Darcocet!
They always find you. If I find pills, I’ll take
The whole bottle , and nothing. Ambien does
Nothing!! Tylenol will kill you if you can keep
It down . Make sure to leave money to cover
Death stuff. Rent a hotel room. Make a living
Will incase. Don’t leave loved ones with no
Money and ur dead body . Truthfully pull a fake
Or realistic gun on a police officer . They have
To shoot you. Be nice leave a note saying that
They helped you. Suicide by cop is a guaranteed
Winner. Pills don’t work, for me, I’m still be here
Talked to many docs , threaten a cop, they gave
To kill you. Just know it’s gonna destroy then so
Leave an I’m sorry note. If it’s not ur time, you
Won’t be taken . I know this too well

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1803/sorry-everyone-no-easy-way-out-of-this-life/feed/ 0 I found this website while looking for a way out http://ambienoverdose.org/1801/i-found-this-website-while-looking-for-a-way-out/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1801/i-found-this-website-while-looking-for-a-way-out/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 01:55:08 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1801 Continue reading →]]> I found this website while looking for a way out and to find out if 49 ambien would do the trick. I had planned other ways of doing permanent harm to myself. I am still in the world and am trying to live. I have to say that I do not promise that I will not kill myself, but I’m giving life another chance. It has helped me to call the crisis line. Also, I try to not be alone since my thinking is my worst enemy. I also am going to more AA meetings. One Saturday I left at 11:00 in the morning and didn’t get home until 9:30 at night. I went to the grocery store three times. I wasn’t so good spending money but money can be replaced. I can’t be replaced.
Thanks,
Karan

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1801/i-found-this-website-while-looking-for-a-way-out/feed/ 0 My father also committed suicide after being prescribed ambien http://ambienoverdose.org/1798/my-father-also-committed-suicide-after-being-prescribed-ambien/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1798/my-father-also-committed-suicide-after-being-prescribed-ambien/#comments Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:25:29 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1798 Continue reading →]]> My father also committed suicide after being prescribed ambien just one week before taking his own life! He had suffered a heart attack a the week before and all he said was just so tired and he couldn’t sleep. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary other than he was very tired. He had a doctor’s appointment the day he took his life and never showed up! His bottle of pills were missing and he had taken his life. My dad didn’t show any signs of depression other than being tired but we assumed it was because of the heart attack. He had so many friends and family that loved him and would do anything for him!

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1798/my-father-also-committed-suicide-after-being-prescribed-ambien/feed/ 0 I am facing 2 -10 years in prison for (sleep driving) DUI http://ambienoverdose.org/1796/i-am-facing-2-10-years-in-prison-for-sleep-driving-dui/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1796/i-am-facing-2-10-years-in-prison-for-sleep-driving-dui/#comments Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:23:53 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1796 Continue reading →]]> BEWARE – I am facing 2 -10 years in prison for (sleep driving) DUI. Because it effects your MEMORY….I unknowingly put myself in that situation again. I have been raped, I have cooked at night and eaten strange foods, scared the shit out of my children, feel asleep in the bathtub (my kids took the hinge off the door and I had to be lifted out) I have woken up on a cold JAIL cell NOT KNOWING WHY I WAS THERE. Why is there not a skull and cross bones printed on the freaking label??????…..Come on DOCTORS, tell the truth.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1796/i-am-facing-2-10-years-in-prison-for-sleep-driving-dui/feed/ 0 i have been taking ambien almost 2 months now http://ambienoverdose.org/1793/i-have-been-taking-ambien-almost-2-months-now/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1793/i-have-been-taking-ambien-almost-2-months-now/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:30:20 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1793 Continue reading →]]> i have been taking ambien almost 2 months now . ive had alot to deal with in the last few months i was attacked in my home , me & my family had to move i was so afraid he would come back i was having nitemares about it all the time . then in november i traveled back home to see my daddy he was in icu last i seen him was thanksgiving on lifesupport . my daddy was the person id call in the middle of nite after nitemares , he was not just my daddy but my best friend . i dont have him to talk to anymore he passed away in december i couldnt afford to travel back to go to his funeral and everything all together has made it a day to day struggle . i like taking ambien im finally getting sleep its almost like a escape but im also depressed and taking antidepressants im not sure if they are working , theres rarely a day that goes by that i dont want to die , i just keep thinking of how my husband and kids need me and that if i took my on life id never see my daddy again . i dont have anyone to talk to about any of what im going thru i stopped talking to my husband about it along time ago he doesnt understand why try talking to someone who doesnt want to listen and wont understand life can be beautiful but unfortantly its heart breaking too . my husband says i sleep walk and talk when i take my ambien i have even walked out the door in the middle of the nite . i know ambien cant be good for me with everything i think and feel but i cant just stop taking it its the only escape i have from the hurt

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1793/i-have-been-taking-ambien-almost-2-months-now/feed/ 2 Thank you for reading my story. http://ambienoverdose.org/1783/thank-you-for-reading-my-story/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1783/thank-you-for-reading-my-story/#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:01:12 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1783 Continue reading →]]> I have a story to tell myself. I am 29 years old. On February 8th 2012 I was prescribed Ambien by a psychiatrist after several attempts at other sleep aids she prescribed that were no help. I will also add that she knew that I am an addict, not only to alcohol but to any substance. I’m not ashamed to admit I have an addictive personality, and while she should have never prescribed me this medication, I should have known better and researched it myself before I decided to take it. After the following accounts, and research I’ve done since, I would have never agreed to try the drug. Lesson learned, hopefully my story will help someone else. This drug should not be legal or even exist due to its horrible side effects.
I had an exam review at 7:00p.m. on February 8th for an exam that I had to take at 9:10 a.m. on February 9th. The review was over at around 8:15, so I went home and touched up on some things I was cloudy on. About 10:30 I took the ambien and crawled into bed. When I woke up I looked at my phone and it was a few minutes past 7:00a.m. I got out of bed and the first indicator that something was wrong, was that I had a hospital bracelet on my arm. I have no recollection of going to the hospital, or coming home, so this was very confusing as you can imagine. The next strange thing that I found was M&M’s in my bed and on the floor with red stains on my white pillow from the candy coated shell, and a towel balled up in my bathroom floor; this towel is the only thing that triggered a memory. I can vaguely remember a dream that I was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but had no bread. So, I put the peanut butter and jelly on a towel and ate it off of the towel. (Strange…I know) I picked up the towel and unraveled it to find…you guessed it…peanut butter and jelly. This was immediately alarming but I took a shower anyway. When I got out of the shower I heard my phone alarm going off that lets me know I have an appointment sometime that day. I went and checked my phone and it was telling me that I had group counseling at 8:30 a.m. The only problem is that I know that group counseling doesn’t start until Friday February 10th. So I checked my phone to see what day it was, and sure enough, it was Friday, February 10th. I get ready and walk out of my room and into the kitchen. On the counter was a collage of strange things. There was a cup full of coco puffs and milk that hadn’t been eaten, a bowl of cheerios with unopened Reese cups on top and no milk, a plate of spaghetti with no sauce and a piece of cheese on top, an empty bottle of Nyquil, a spilled two liter of mountain dew and food all over the floor. I clean up a little and walk out the door, very confused. Anyway, I go to the counseling department and there sitting in the foyer was my friend and now sweet mate, Everett. I expressed my confusion to him about the past day and he began to tell me that I had been to the hospital because our other roommate saw me outside acting very strange and called our resident director. This is all I know from my knowledge and what I can remember or piece together in my head. February 9th is just plain missing.
After I got through the day and went back to my dorm I checked to see how much of the Ambien I had taken. I only remember taking one Ambien at bed time on Wednesday February 8th; however after checking the amount, I had eaten over 10! Thank God I didn’t overdose! I immediately flushed the remaining pills down the toilet and threw the bottle outside in the dumpster. Next, I started inquiring people of what they knew of what happened. All accounts from here on out are second hand due to my complete lack of knowledge or remembrance of any of the following events after taking Ambien for the first time. I talked to our other roommate who told me he saw me outside “playing” in the bushes sometime in the early afternoon, what I was doing I have no idea. He tried to get my attention but I was non responsive. He in turn called the resident director of our dorm (as previously stated). By the time he placed the call he told the RD that he” looked up, and I was gone.” From what my RD has told me, he came outside to look for me and found me a few moments later by the rear entrance of our dorm rubbing the door and mumbling to it. He asked me if I was ok and what was going on and he says that “I just mumbled gibberish.” Upon further questioning at one point he said “my eyes rolled back into my head and I looked like I was about to fall over, but caught myself.” This really “freaked him out” so he called a resident assistant to come outside and watch me while he tried to figure out what to do. They both talked me into sitting down. Then the RD called the resident coordinator to ask her what he should do. The RD told me that he was instructed to call campus safety and the paramedics. While waiting he says that he asked me if I had had anything to drink and I responded “no.” He asked again upon which he says I replied something like “just one or two.” He asked me a third time and I believe he told me that “I just responded with gibberish.” He says that campus safety showed up first and then the paramedics. He says that I willingly got into the ambulance and went to the hospital. While I am in the hospital he tells me that he (the RD) and campus safety searched my room and found nothing. He also tells me that Mellissa the area coordinator came to see me in the hospital. He says that sometime, I think around 11:30 p.m. I was released from the hospital. How I got home is still a mystery and in my opinion why I was released from the hospital is a mystery. Anyway, he came to check on me once I was home and says that I was talking to him just like I would talk to him any other time on any other day. He went back to his apartment and went to sleep. Then he says that the resident assistant on our floor, Brandon, called him around 2:30 a.m. and told him that I had just wondered into his room. When Brandon asked me what I was doing I responded with some weird answer about playing with lasers and that I was on a scavenger hunt. (I have not talked to Brandon so I don’t know exactly what I did or said). Then the RD says that he came back over to make sure I was ok and that I was relatively coherent. This is when I guess I finally actually went to bed and then woke up a few minutes after 7a.m. on Friday, February 10th and thought it was Thursday, February 9th.
I am not only writing these details to hopefully deter anyone from ever allowing themselves to try Ambien for sleep, but as well to a disciplinary committee at the bible college I attend, Lee University. This is not made up, like you could actually fabricate these accounts unless you were Stephen King, but these are the nightmare I awoke to after losing a day due to the Ambien. If I have learned anything from this experience is that no matter how hard of a time you have sleeping, just deal with it. If it isn’t really effecting your normal day of life medication is not worth it. No, I may not sleep very much and then not want to get out of bed after a restless night, but every day is made new and beautiful for each of us that are fortunate to wake up in it. I will rely solely on God’s will and plan for my life, and if that means not sleeping then I will spend it in prayer, just me and the LORD until He feels it’s time for me to go to sleep. If you are a Christian I hope you do the same, if not, maybe it’s time you started thinking about eternity instead of the here and now. For we are made as eternal beings, that’s why we are scared of death. If not then death would have no sting and we would just be existing for no purpose at all. I am very thankful that the ending to my very short experience with Ambien is not as permanent as the previous stories. Worst case scenario, I may be expelled from school, but my aspirations are still very obtainable. I wasn’t hurt, didn’t lose any limbs, obtain a non-curable disease, nor did any of my vital organs fail. Thank you for reading my story.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1783/thank-you-for-reading-my-story/feed/ 0 Hi. I have been struggling with Anxiety for years now. http://ambienoverdose.org/1789/hi-i-have-been-struggling-with-anxiety-for-years-now/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1789/hi-i-have-been-struggling-with-anxiety-for-years-now/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:03:33 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1789 Continue reading →]]> Hi. I have been struggling with Anxiety for years now. Last year my Doctor started me on celexa daily and rescue medication of Klonopin. Last week when I went in for my med check, he gave me trazedone to take each night with ambien if the trazedone is not working. I cut an ambien in half making it then a 5mg. I fell asleep fast and slept all night. No weird dreams or midnight cooking. Only bad side effect was a major hangover in the morning. Make sure you have at least a 9 hour window when taking this medication.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1789/hi-i-have-been-struggling-with-anxiety-for-years-now/feed/ 0 Last night I took ambien on a completely empty stomach http://ambienoverdose.org/1787/last-night-i-took-ambien-on-a-completely-empty-stomach/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1787/last-night-i-took-ambien-on-a-completely-empty-stomach/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:02:16 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1787 Continue reading →]]> Last night I took ambien on a completely empty stomach and right away I got all messed up, like I was drunk or something. I didn’t even remember it today! I remembered vaguely once I was reminded. I had double vision and was really out of it. My husband thought he was going to have to take me to the emergency room. So tonight, I took it with a snack at 9pm. It’s 11:30, I’m wide awake! I can’t win… Any advice?

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1787/last-night-i-took-ambien-on-a-completely-empty-stomach/feed/ 1 PLEASE, PLEASE GIVE ME THE NAME OF A LAWYER WHO WILL PURSUE AN AMBIEN BASED LAWSUIT http://ambienoverdose.org/1785/please-please-give-me-the-name-of-a-lawyer-who-will-pursue-an-ambien-based-lawsuit/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1785/please-please-give-me-the-name-of-a-lawyer-who-will-pursue-an-ambien-based-lawsuit/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:01:44 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1785 Continue reading →]]> PLEASE, PLEASE GIVE ME THE NAME OF A LAWYER WHO WILL PURSUE AN AMBIEN BASED LAWSUIT. nght 7/20/2011 ambien made me walk – always tight asleep – into the next room where i seem to hve tripped – broke right hip. surgery,rehab,still a bit immobile, pain,suffering, loss of income, huge (for me) debts.
HELP!!!! email me a reply: roberthsabel@msn.com. thanks

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1785/please-please-give-me-the-name-of-a-lawyer-who-will-pursue-an-ambien-based-lawsuit/feed/ 0 Wow. all of these stories are so eerily familiar to what happened to me last night. http://ambienoverdose.org/1781/wow-all-of-these-stories-are-so-eerily-familiar-to-what-happened-to-me-last-night/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1781/wow-all-of-these-stories-are-so-eerily-familiar-to-what-happened-to-me-last-night/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:16:02 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1781 Continue reading →]]> Wow. all of these stories are so eerily familiar to what happened to me last night. I have a prescription to ambien because of depression and anxiety which keep me from being able to sleep. Well last night I took 2 pills instead of one, not quite sure why. Well I started hallucinating that I was drugged and raped by a friend and that everyone was posting videos of it online. Then I remember getting dressed and running out of my apartment because my parents were in the car to pick me up. They would not open the door and wouldn’t let me in. So I sat next to the car begging for them to let me in until the sun rose. And then I heard the car door unlock and I climbed in and went back to sleep. When I awoke around 9am, there was no sign of my parents and I was sleeping in some random person’s car. The owner saw me in there and asked me to leave (very rudely of course). I was so confused and thought everything had actually happened in that way. I went to my apartment and tried to search for my “sex tape” and then tried to call my parents to see where they were. My dad was in Paris and had not ever been in my town. It was incredibly frightening and so realistic. I will not be taking ambien ever again.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1781/wow-all-of-these-stories-are-so-eerily-familiar-to-what-happened-to-me-last-night/feed/ 0 I have been taking Ambien since Jan 2011 http://ambienoverdose.org/1779/i-have-been-taking-ambien-since-jan-2011/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1779/i-have-been-taking-ambien-since-jan-2011/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:15:20 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1779 Continue reading →]]> I have been taking Ambien since Jan 2011 and found that yes, if I stay up (on the computer, doing homework, etc) I find that I do tend to do stupid things (post ridiculous things on facebook, talk to myself, bug my mom when she’s trying to sleep) however, when I take it and immediately shut the light off and go to bed… it’s totally fine. The point is, don’t be stupid while taking it. I definitely agree with this post.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1779/i-have-been-taking-ambien-since-jan-2011/feed/ 0 I don’t have a particular story to share as an Ambien user http://ambienoverdose.org/1777/i-don%e2%80%99t-have-a-particular-story-to-share-as-an-ambien-user/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1777/i-don%e2%80%99t-have-a-particular-story-to-share-as-an-ambien-user/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:14:04 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1777 Continue reading →]]> I don’t have a particular story to share as an Ambien user, but after reading some of these comments I thought that I would say this:

Please do NOT wait to seek help if you are feeling seriously depressed . It is ok to feel depressed we all feel that way at some point in our lives, it’s just inevitable; however, when it is consistent and you are not sure if it is the Ambien, consult your doctor right away, a good friend, your parents, or anybody in which you feel you can trust and talk to, try your best to stop taking the medication (I know from experience it’s hard to just stop taking it right away, when I run out it’s impossible to sleep), and tell them you don’t feel like yourself, or you’re extremely depressed.

Lastly, trust me it gets better, it may not seem like it now, but it does get better. Please do not harm yourself, it will not make matters any better, or solve any problems, except create new/more problems.

I am willing to talk to anybody who feels they may be seriously depressed, sometimes a neutral person to just type to and vent to and express yourself openly to without any judgement can go a long way: sehtmichan89@gmail.com

Please take care of yourselves!!!! <3 <3 <3

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1777/i-don%e2%80%99t-have-a-particular-story-to-share-as-an-ambien-user/feed/ 0 Three weeks ago I quit ambien cold turkey and I feel like a new man. http://ambienoverdose.org/1775/three-weeks-ago-i-quit-ambien-cold-turkey-and-i-feel-like-a-new-man/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1775/three-weeks-ago-i-quit-ambien-cold-turkey-and-i-feel-like-a-new-man/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:12:52 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1775 Continue reading →]]> I think more clearly, remember names much better and feel like a fog has lifted from my brain.

I started taking ambien nightly three and a half years ago. I took it because of some some emotional trauma that kept me from sleeping at night. Even as the emotional problems slowly got better, I kept taking the ambien because I came to depend on it.
I loved the feeling of just blacking out at night. At the end of the day I really looked forward to being able to shut down my very active brain.

But it came at a high price.

Over time I got more and more forgetful, to the point that I began to wonder if I was suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s or dementia — in my mid-40′s. I would forget names of people I know, famous actors, etc. And I just felt like I wasn’t as mentally sharp as I once was, that I couldn’t concentrate. I felt drugged, and, let’s face it, I was.

Some of the memory issues may be attributable to growing older. I’m sure mental agility does not improve with age. But this was different, and quite alarming. I am a writer and I depend on my memory a great deal, and the thought of losing my craft filled me with anxiety.

So I quit. Just like that. Cold turkey.

In full disclosure, I used to be a great sleeper, before this emotional trauma struck me. And the circumstances are such that it’s easier than ever now to put all that behind me.

Still, it was a pretty big shock to the system to just give up ambien suddenly, after taking it every night for three and a half years.

At first I noticed every sound in my house, and I was shocked to realize that I often needed to get up to go to the bathroom at least once in the night. That hasn’t happened in years.

I don’t fall asleep sometimes for a couple of hours, and I often wake up two or three times a night.

But my dreams have been remarkable. I haven’t dreamed like this in so long I had forgotten what it was like. They have been so vivid and colorful.

Though it takes me much longer to fall asleep now, I actually look forward to having — and above all remembering — my dreams. When I was taking ambien I hardly ever remembered my dreams and when I did they were just so dim.

In one of my first post ambien dreams a long lost loved one, who died more than 20 years ago, appeared to me for the first time in many years. I said to her: “I haven’t seen you in so long. I’m sorry I didn’t come visit you sooner.” This loved one, who cared for me as a child, was very understanding. I couldn’t help but feel she was encouraging me to stay the course and not give in to my sleep med addiction.
I also dreamed of my parents, who have also now left this world.

I read somewhere that dreams and REM sleep are crucial for maintaining our memories and I believe it. When I lie down to go to sleep at night now I replay some of the events of the day and make little connections to the past. It would probably be easier to black all that out, but we lose something, a lot really, when we do that.

Ambien is just another false cure, like a weight-loss drug that takes off the pounds but gives you heart disease. Finally, you realize there truly is no healthy way around good diet and exercise. Or natural sleep.

There are lots of reasons why people have insomnia. Some causes are harder to tackle than others I’m sure.

It helped me for a while, and I’m grateful for the sleep I got when I was really an emotional wreck.

But I’m better now. And I’d rather lose a little sleep than lose my mind.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1775/three-weeks-ago-i-quit-ambien-cold-turkey-and-i-feel-like-a-new-man/feed/ 0 I was prescribed ambien due to mild insomnia. http://ambienoverdose.org/1772/i-was-prescribed-ambien-due-to-mild-insomnia/ http://ambienoverdose.org/1772/i-was-prescribed-ambien-due-to-mild-insomnia/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:32:40 +0000 Anonymous Visitor http://ambienoverdose.org/?p=1772 Continue reading →]]> I was prescribed ambien due to mild insomnia. I originally was given 5mg, but since this didn’t seem to do much, I quickly started to take 10mg. For a few months, it was perfect. I was sleeping well. Then….all hell broke loose. I started to hallucinate randomly one night. I remember it surprisingly vividly. It was May and it was the first extremely hot day of the year. My A/C was broken. It was warm inside my condo and then all of the sudden, about 10 minutes after taking the pill, I started to think my place was on fire. I saw flames, thought I was smelling smoke and started to think I couldn’t breathe. I must’ve fallen asleep not long after this because the next thing I remember, It was 7AM and I woke up with all my windows wide open and my head hanging out of the bathroom window. Luckily, it was on a side of my place that wasn’t really visible to anyone.

I thought this was bad, but the worst was truly yet to come. I don’t really remember many other incidents because the “fire” one until about 3 months later. It was around the time of my 28th birthday and late August. I was having an off week much like I do most years around my birthday. I had around 2 glasses of wine that were on the smaller side the night of my birthday. About 1.5 hours later, I wanted to go to bed but feared I couldn’t sleep. So, I took my 10mg. This is when my life forever changed. At about 2AM (so I pieced together from my taxi receipt…and THANK GOODNESS I for some reason decided to not to drive) I took a cab a few miles down the road to a local gay bath house. Prior to this, I have never had any homosexual inclinations. I had only been with women and never even was the slightest bit turned on by a man. What happened between 2AM and 8AM when I woke up, I don’t remember. At about 8:05AM the next day (I remember the time because I remember immediately searching for my cell phone to see what was going on) I awoke on a very uncomfortable, single bed in a small, mildew smelling room. I had NO clue where I was or what I had done. I looked off to the side and there was a stand with a bowl of condoms. I immediately knew something was wrong. The I realized there was an intense, throbbing pain coming from my anus. I jumped up off the bed and noticed a brownish/red stain all over the white sheets. My anus was bleeding and sexual fluid was leaking from him. I immediately found my clothes and got dressed and opened the door not really realizing where I was. As I was trying to find the exit, I realized where I was and sprinted for the door. Realizing I didn’t have my car, I hailed a cab and went home humiliated and horrified.

I was scared to death after this. A few months later I finally found the courage to get an HIV test. The results were not good. Ambien cause this horrible reaction. It caused me to go do this that ended up giving me a disease that I can never get rid of. My life will never been the same. All because I wanted to get a good night’s sleep.

Beware of this horrid drug.

]]> http://ambienoverdose.org/1772/i-was-prescribed-ambien-due-to-mild-insomnia/feed/ 1