Thread: Ambien

Well, dude, seeing as how it makes people sleep-eat, have sleep-sex, and sleep-drive, it probably messes it up. I would think on Ambien puts people in deep sleep states, but for some reason the sleep paralysis hormone shuts off.

Anyway, Ambien is a very dangerous drug, and I don't think anyone should take it. I have read horror stories of people having sex with people they barely knew, with no recollection. People sometimes go for a drive in their sleep. Think of how insanely dangerous that is. Just google "ambien dangers" for more information.

woah That's crazy,
Thankss

Originally Posted by WakingNomad

Well, dude, seeing as how it makes people sleep-eat, have sleep-sex, and sleep-drive, it probably messes it up. I would think on Ambien puts people in deep sleep states, but for some reason the sleep paralysis hormone shuts off.

Anyway, Ambien is a very dangerous drug, and I don't think anyone should take it. I have read horror stories of people having sex with people they barely knew, with no recollection. People sometimes go for a drive in their sleep. Think of how insanely dangerous that is. Just google "ambien dangers" for more information.

Have you ever taken Ambien personally? Try googling "HFCS dangers" or "Tylenol dangers". Every drug is bad and insanely dangerous and no one should ever take any!

I have been taking 10 mg of Ambien a night on and off for a little over a year and have never had any of the supposedly common dangers as far as I know. It's like any other drug, it can have dangerous side effects, but only in a ridiculously small percentage of people. Unfortunately, there are never any news reports about the millions that take it and find nothing wrong with it...


OP: Ambien seems to have mixed effects. Many people report that Ambien drastically increases dream recall. Personally, Ambien harms my recall but not to the point where I can't remember anything. I haven't heard or experienced anything that would indicate a change in lucidity.

Originally Posted by Licity

OP: Ambien seems to have mixed effects. Many people report that Ambien drastically increases dream recall. Personally, Ambien harms my recall but not to the point where I can't remember anything. I haven't heard or experienced anything that would indicate a change in lucidity.

but you do have lucid dream on ambien still?

I rarely have lucid dreams, but I remember being able to go lucid on a night I took Ambien. I got up after 6 hours for WBTB (Ambien 10mg is designed to last for only 4) and became briefly lucid afterwords.

It shouldn't be too difficult to DILD because your are most likely to go lucid after the lion's share of the drug has worn off. WILDing? Another story. It hits you too hard at the beginning to seriously attempt it.

Oh okay, Thank you that's what I was wondering

Originally Posted by Licity

Have you ever taken Ambien personally? Try googling "HFCS dangers" or "Tylenol dangers". Every drug is bad and insanely dangerous and no one should ever take any!

I have been taking 10 mg of Ambien a night on and off for a little over a year and have never had any of the supposedly common dangers as far as I know. It's like any other drug, it can have dangerous side effects, but only in a ridiculously small percentage of people. Unfortunately, there are never any news reports about the millions that take it and find nothing wrong with it...


OP: Ambien seems to have mixed effects. Many people report that Ambien drastically increases dream recall. Personally, Ambien harms my recall but not to the point where I can't remember anything. I haven't heard or experienced anything that would indicate a change in lucidity.

Hell no, I have never taken Ambien personally! I'd rather smoke a bowl than take some crazy drug that makes people eat, drive, or screw in their sleep!

"Doctors also have reported a few instances of "sleepdriving," when Ambien users got out of their bed, into their car, and drove, but were asleep the entire time. "
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Story?id=1927026&page=2

"I will NEVER EVER take this drug again. I was going through a bad time with a relationship break up, losing my job, and having to find a new place to live. I couldn't sleep for all the stress so my doc gave me some ambien. The first couple of nights were good, I would still wake up but I'd go back to sleep. Then I started sleep walking... finding things in my room or in my kitchen when I would wake up. Then one night I went to bed and the next morning I woke up in the hospital. I had an interview to go to that morning, evidently (by counting the pills in the bottle) I had taken about four more ambien in the middle of the night, got up the next morning and DROVE MY CAR IN MY SLEEP and wrecked. I totalled my car, I missed my job interview. I was so out of it, in this unwordly haze, that I took the bus to my sister's house because I didn't have enought sense to call someone to come get me. This is a bad, bad drug. It should be banned"

"Ambien really helps me sleep, but what I do while I am 'sleeping' scares me and my family so much I am afraid to take it. For example, my daughter says I woke her at 3AM and told her the house was on fire -- it wasn't, but she says she couldn't get me to believe her and I insisted she call 911. Another night, I found myself driving my car 10 miles from home at about 2AM in my robe and slippers, with no memory of getting in the car or driving. Most frightening of all, my wife says I hit her in the face when she refused to get up and make me a grilled cheese sandwich in the middle of the night. This drug is frightening!"

"To the person who wrote about their Mother who shot herself, yes she was very lucky, my husband was not. A very healthy, wonderful 43 year old man under some stress and had trouble sleeping. Physician prescribed Ambien under my protest (I had heard of some of the side effects, apparently not all). Every time he took the meds he acted different the next day. Somehat weird but I never put two and two together at that time. I was looking for sleep eating ect, the side effects that you heard of at that time. The last time he took this drug, I found him the next morning. Ambien took my life away when it took my husband from me. I agree that not everyone has this type of reaction but just the few that have is way too many. I love and miss my husband everyday. Since then I have heard from many of the people I know about some really wierd and dangerous side effects that I did not know then. Please DO NOT take this drug or let anybody you know take it. After all it is not a sleeping pill, it is classified as a hypnotic. This is the beginning of the problem. When people lost their sense of smell due to a cold med, they yanked it from the market, why is Ambien sill out there? If is was not, myself and many people that knew my husband all agree that he would still be with us. Heartbreaking"

"Using this medicine may very well be, the worst decision I've ever made in my life. I used Ambien for about three years with only minor issues. These ranged from falling asleep in the bathtub to sleep eating. I quickly learned not to take a bath after taking it and the sleep eating wasn't too serious. However one night my life dramatically changed and I fear it will never be the same. To keep the story short, I had sex with my neighbor's son. He is an eighteen year old kid, who I had known for several years. The night it happened I had an intense headache, so I got into bed early and had taken my usual 10mg of Ambien along with a glass of wine. Around 10:00 the boy came by to see my son, who had gone with my husband to an auto auction. I have no recollection of what actually happened but when it finally surfaced through one of my son's other friends, I was devastated. When this first surfaced, I was furious at him for telling such a horrible lie. But I have a very small tattoo approx. 1/2 inch in diameter that I got when I was a freshman in college. Not even my children knew I had it, due to its size and location. So when I discovered that he knew about it, I could think of no other way that he could have known. As distasteful it was, it was still true. I'm so ashamed of what I've done and the heartache it has caused my family. I have even considered suicide, just to put an end to the shame. I'm writing this with tears streaming down my face, so even if you can’t understand my situation, please don't respond to this in a hateful way. I just thought if my sharing this could possibly help someone to not ruin so many lives, as I have unfortunately done, it would be worth it. Please consider the consequences before taking this medicine. F 45"
"My mother, age 60, was prescribed Ambien and a few days later shot herself. Thankfully, she survived. Due to the circumstances, she had to be evaluated by a psychiatrist. The doctor said it was the most mysterious case she had ever dealt with. My mother had no suiicidal tendencies and no recollection of what had happened. She still has no memory of what happened. I would not reccomend this drug under any circumstances!!!"

"unfortunatley I am writing this revue for my son who passed away on 13 October 2008 while he was experiencing an Ambien blackout. The commericals say if it causes sucidal thoughts you should contact your doctor immediately. [B]What they do not tell you is hopefully you are not one suffering suicidal thoughts while under an ambien blackout.[/B] He might be in the unlucky group that Ambien affects this way but the devastation is 100% when you loose your 25year old son in this way.For those skeptics he was not suffering form depression or suicidal thoughts. The risks of this drug is not worth it. It's not a life saving drug. I hope I save one life."


"Sleep eating gained 60 lbs. in l0 years I have been on it, sleep driving, memory loss, amnesia, buying online, overdosed twice with NO intention of doing so, calling people in family all hours of the night, visits from family members and no recollection whatsoever This drug is FDA approved but I strongly believe it should be taken off the market/perhaps a group effort with the help of a lawyer. I strongly believe it is a deadly drug with many people experiencing the same problems as I have had. People have lost their lives due to things this drug causes them to do if not under the influence of Ambien. You think you are awake, you believe you know what you are doing; but family members tell you otherwise, my husband had to constantly make sure food was not in my mouth nightly; everytime I got up. The list goes on and on."

"I tested the drug the night before I was scheduled to leave on vacation. I hallucinated and remember "repacking" my bags and seeing a woman dancing sideways on my staircase. I nearly jumped over the railing to avoid her and after that lost all memory. When I woke up in the morning, I had all my clothes on, found an umbrella under the rug and the contents of my suitcase were a mess with things missing. Evidently I also tossed clothing in the washing machine but did not find them until 3 weeks later in a moldy heap. I flushed the ambien down the toilet...never again. This is a frightening drug. I would NOT recommend it to anyone. "Hallucinations" may sound funny to some, but reacting to them under ambien can cause great harm to self and others. Imagine taking ambien and suddenly having to deal with an emergency - like the house burning down and getting the children out -or- needing to drive someone who has a sudden medical emergency. Warning! This drug acts quickly. I have absolutely no memory of what I did under the influence of ambien beyond the first few minutes. Scary stuff. Don't take it."

"Amnesia and eating. For the last year, I thought my almost 3 year old son was coming down at night and eating, because I would find bowls and spoons and food all over the counter. I knew I didn't do it, so he must have done it, and gone back to bed. Sadly, I now know it must have been me. Last week I woke up in the emergency room on a Sunday. The last thing I remember was taking my normal 20 mg dose (as prescribed)on Friday night. I now know my mistake was taking it before going to bed, while I was putting my children to bed. I found out Sunday morning that I had somehow between Friday night and Saturday night, purchased beer (I'm in recovery and don't drink) and had taken a total of 40 ambien. My son was found outside in the street and was almost hit by a car. My neighbor came over, called 911, I was taken to the hospital and my children are not under protective care with CPS. I am charged with criminal neglect, have lost my children and may go to jail. Please don't take this drug"

http://www.askapatient.com/viewratin...08&name=ambien

A friend of mine with cerbal palsy has permanent liver damage from all the tylenol and aspirin he took for pain when he was a child. Yes, many of our drugs are dangerous. Now, my friend just uses cannabis.

Originally Posted by WakingNomad

Hell no, I have never taken Ambien personally! I'd rather smoke a bowl than take some crazy drug that makes people eat, drive, or screw in their sleep!

"Doctors also have reported a few instances of "sleepdriving," when Ambien users got out of their bed, into their car, and drove, but were asleep the entire time. "
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Story?id=1927026&page=2

"I will NEVER EVER take this drug again. I was going through a bad time with a relationship break up, losing my job, and having to find a new place to live. I couldn't sleep for all the stress so my doc gave me some ambien. The first couple of nights were good, I would still wake up but I'd go back to sleep. Then I started sleep walking... finding things in my room or in my kitchen when I would wake up. Then one night I went to bed and the next morning I woke up in the hospital. I had an interview to go to that morning, evidently (by counting the pills in the bottle) I had taken about four more ambien in the middle of the night, got up the next morning and DROVE MY CAR IN MY SLEEP and wrecked. I totalled my car, I missed my job interview. I was so out of it, in this unwordly haze, that I took the bus to my sister's house because I didn't have enought sense to call someone to come get me. This is a bad, bad drug. It should be banned"

"Ambien really helps me sleep, but what I do while I am 'sleeping' scares me and my family so much I am afraid to take it. For example, my daughter says I woke her at 3AM and told her the house was on fire -- it wasn't, but she says she couldn't get me to believe her and I insisted she call 911. Another night, I found myself driving my car 10 miles from home at about 2AM in my robe and slippers, with no memory of getting in the car or driving. Most frightening of all, my wife says I hit her in the face when she refused to get up and make me a grilled cheese sandwich in the middle of the night. This drug is frightening!"

"To the person who wrote about their Mother who shot herself, yes she was very lucky, my husband was not. A very healthy, wonderful 43 year old man under some stress and had trouble sleeping. Physician prescribed Ambien under my protest (I had heard of some of the side effects, apparently not all). Every time he took the meds he acted different the next day. Somehat weird but I never put two and two together at that time. I was looking for sleep eating ect, the side effects that you heard of at that time. The last time he took this drug, I found him the next morning. Ambien took my life away when it took my husband from me. I agree that not everyone has this type of reaction but just the few that have is way too many. I love and miss my husband everyday. Since then I have heard from many of the people I know about some really wierd and dangerous side effects that I did not know then. Please DO NOT take this drug or let anybody you know take it. After all it is not a sleeping pill, it is classified as a hypnotic. This is the beginning of the problem. When people lost their sense of smell due to a cold med, they yanked it from the market, why is Ambien sill out there? If is was not, myself and many people that knew my husband all agree that he would still be with us. Heartbreaking"

"Using this medicine may very well be, the worst decision I've ever made in my life. I used Ambien for about three years with only minor issues. These ranged from falling asleep in the bathtub to sleep eating. I quickly learned not to take a bath after taking it and the sleep eating wasn't too serious. However one night my life dramatically changed and I fear it will never be the same. To keep the story short, I had sex with my neighbor's son. He is an eighteen year old kid, who I had known for several years. The night it happened I had an intense headache, so I got into bed early and had taken my usual 10mg of Ambien along with a glass of wine. Around 10:00 the boy came by to see my son, who had gone with my husband to an auto auction. I have no recollection of what actually happened but when it finally surfaced through one of my son's other friends, I was devastated. When this first surfaced, I was furious at him for telling such a horrible lie. But I have a very small tattoo approx. 1/2 inch in diameter that I got when I was a freshman in college. Not even my children knew I had it, due to its size and location. So when I discovered that he knew about it, I could think of no other way that he could have known. As distasteful it was, it was still true. I'm so ashamed of what I've done and the heartache it has caused my family. I have even considered suicide, just to put an end to the shame. I'm writing this with tears streaming down my face, so even if you can’t understand my situation, please don't respond to this in a hateful way. I just thought if my sharing this could possibly help someone to not ruin so many lives, as I have unfortunately done, it would be worth it. Please consider the consequences before taking this medicine. F 45"
"My mother, age 60, was prescribed Ambien and a few days later shot herself. Thankfully, she survived. Due to the circumstances, she had to be evaluated by a psychiatrist. The doctor said it was the most mysterious case she had ever dealt with. My mother had no suiicidal tendencies and no recollection of what had happened. She still has no memory of what happened. I would not reccomend this drug under any circumstances!!!"

"unfortunatley I am writing this revue for my son who passed away on 13 October 2008 while he was experiencing an Ambien blackout. The commericals say if it causes sucidal thoughts you should contact your doctor immediately. [B]What they do not tell you is hopefully you are not one suffering suicidal thoughts while under an ambien blackout.[/B] He might be in the unlucky group that Ambien affects this way but the devastation is 100% when you loose your 25year old son in this way.For those skeptics he was not suffering form depression or suicidal thoughts. The risks of this drug is not worth it. It's not a life saving drug. I hope I save one life."


"Sleep eating gained 60 lbs. in l0 years I have been on it, sleep driving, memory loss, amnesia, buying online, overdosed twice with NO intention of doing so, calling people in family all hours of the night, visits from family members and no recollection whatsoever This drug is FDA approved but I strongly believe it should be taken off the market/perhaps a group effort with the help of a lawyer. I strongly believe it is a deadly drug with many people experiencing the same problems as I have had. People have lost their lives due to things this drug causes them to do if not under the influence of Ambien. You think you are awake, you believe you know what you are doing; but family members tell you otherwise, my husband had to constantly make sure food was not in my mouth nightly; everytime I got up. The list goes on and on."

"I tested the drug the night before I was scheduled to leave on vacation. I hallucinated and remember "repacking" my bags and seeing a woman dancing sideways on my staircase. I nearly jumped over the railing to avoid her and after that lost all memory. When I woke up in the morning, I had all my clothes on, found an umbrella under the rug and the contents of my suitcase were a mess with things missing. Evidently I also tossed clothing in the washing machine but did not find them until 3 weeks later in a moldy heap. I flushed the ambien down the toilet...never again. This is a frightening drug. I would NOT recommend it to anyone. "Hallucinations" may sound funny to some, but reacting to them under ambien can cause great harm to self and others. Imagine taking ambien and suddenly having to deal with an emergency - like the house burning down and getting the children out -or- needing to drive someone who has a sudden medical emergency. Warning! This drug acts quickly. I have absolutely no memory of what I did under the influence of ambien beyond the first few minutes. Scary stuff. Don't take it."

"Amnesia and eating. For the last year, I thought my almost 3 year old son was coming down at night and eating, because I would find bowls and spoons and food all over the counter. I knew I didn't do it, so he must have done it, and gone back to bed. Sadly, I now know it must have been me. Last week I woke up in the emergency room on a Sunday. The last thing I remember was taking my normal 20 mg dose (as prescribed)on Friday night. I now know my mistake was taking it before going to bed, while I was putting my children to bed. I found out Sunday morning that I had somehow between Friday night and Saturday night, purchased beer (I'm in recovery and don't drink) and had taken a total of 40 ambien. My son was found outside in the street and was almost hit by a car. My neighbor came over, called 911, I was taken to the hospital and my children are not under protective care with CPS. I am charged with criminal neglect, have lost my children and may go to jail. Please don't take this drug"

http://www.askapatient.com/viewratin...08&name=ambien

A friend of mine with cerbal palsy has permanent liver damage from all the tylenol and aspirin he took for pain when he was a child. Yes, many of our drugs are dangerous. Now, my friend just uses cannabis.

ALL of our drugs have dangerous side effects. Just keep in mind that they don't hit everyone, far from it.

Originally Posted by Licity

ALL of our drugs have dangerous side effects. Just keep in mind that they don't hit everyone, far from it.

Did you even read what people wrote above?

I have used Ambien on several occasions and it hasn't increased or decreased my lucid dreaming. I prefer other sleeping pills (because they are cheaper and easier to get a hold of). I personally have never had any problems with Ambien, but that is just me.

Originally Posted by WakingNomad

I'd rather smoke a bowl

True that

Originally Posted by WakingNomad

Did you even read what people wrote above?

I'm not denying the truly horrible things that the people that made the testimonials above have gone through. I just wish people would also consider the millions that take Ambien with no negative effect whatsoever.

Also, reading through it again... Seriously? Ambien and a glass of wine? That person is certainly not smart enough to be trusted with either alcohol OR sleep aids IMO. It's the first warning on the info packet the pharmacist gives you.

A lot of people are still taking this unaware that it's a hypnotic trance inducer, and they can do things like commit suicide in their trances.

Um, hello. I take ambien often and I have never done anything weird in my sleep. I am still able to Lucid Dream, and have very vivid dream recall. Possibly even more so, because the ambien causes you to sleep longer and have more dreams. Also I still wake up into Sleep Paralysis as usual at times, something I have always experienced...so what Nomad said about it not causing SP I have never experienced.

However, I am also a relatively experienced drug user, and think that in general, I am less likely to be as affected by such a strong hypnotic drug. My mother is also prescribed ambien, and I have seen her walking in her sleep once. It frightened me, and told her to only take a half of one if ever. So now she breaks them in half, which is easy considering it's a little bar, and that seems to work for her very well.

I realize there are a lot of horror stories about people sleep walking on ambien and such, and realize that it is a strong hypnotic and that doctors are probably prescribing this more loosely than they should...but I also think that WakingNomad is blowing far out of porpotion. I mean, committing suicide during trance? Do you have a valid resource for that claim other than random comments from individuals?

I've found ambien to be a really wonderful drug...I had pretty bad insomnia before. I guess it really depends on the person.

Also ambien should not be a first, second, or even third resort for sleeping problems imo. There are other things which work very well like Valerian Root, Melatonin, heck even Tylenol PM if you can stand diph (which I can't).

Totally unrelated, but Nina, if you have some melatonin experience, can I PM you about some things I'm curious about?

Originally Posted by Snowy Egypt

Totally unrelated, but Nina, if you have some melatonin experience, can I PM you about some things I'm curious about?

Surely.

Also, thread moved to Sleep and Health, since Ambien should not be used as a Lucid Aid.

I take 10 mg Ambien (but the generic form Zolpidem). My dreams have been more disjointed and whackier than ever.... but I have had such dreams without meds.

My kids say I was sleep walking one morning. I stagger/danced from the bathroom to my couch, but I stopped along the way and danced with our pets.
I was HORRIBLY sick at that time though. I had a VERY high fever and I was in and out of it for days.

I could never be a sleep eater or driver I eat only Ramen, Thai noodles and cereal at home and I can never find any silverware.
My keys can never be found lol. They fall to the bottom of my large purse and it takes forver to recover them.

But, I do fall asleep when bathing, while eating AND while driving. But I did that BEFORE ambien for the most part (I'll always sleep in the tub lol- I enjoy it).
Ambien has greatly improved my sleep (and my life) so far.

Originally Posted by Aquanina

Um, hello. I take ambien often and I have never done anything weird in my sleep. I am still able to Lucid Dream, and have very vivid dream recall. Possibly even more so, because the ambien causes you to sleep longer and have more dreams. Also I still wake up into Sleep Paralysis as usual at times, something I have always experienced...so what Nomad said about it not causing SP I have never experienced.

However, I am also a relatively experienced drug user, and think that in general, I am less likely to be as affected by such a strong hypnotic drug. My mother is also prescribed ambien, and I have seen her walking in her sleep once. It frightened me, and told her to only take a half of one if ever. So now she breaks them in half, which is easy considering it's a little bar, and that seems to work for her very well.

I realize there are a lot of horror stories about people sleep walking on ambien and such, and realize that it is a strong hypnotic and that doctors are probably prescribing this more loosely than they should...but I also think that WakingNomad is blowing far out of porpotion. I mean, committing suicide during trance? Do you have a valid resource for that claim other than random comments from individuals?

I've found ambien to be a really wonderful drug...I had pretty bad insomnia before. I guess it really depends on the person.

Also ambien should not be a first, second, or even third resort for sleeping problems imo. There are other things which work very well like Valerian Root, Melatonin, heck even Tylenol PM if you can stand diph (which I can't).

You could always send a message to one of the dozens of people that posted those horror stories, and see what they say themselves.

I took Ambien for a while in the past and didn't notice any positive effects on lucid dreaming that I can recall.

I did have an incident where I emailed a bunch of people really weird, nonsensical shit in the middle of the night and could barely remember doing it the next morning.

I stopped taking it after that.

WakingNomad, (please do not think I have anything against you personally) but I don't see how you can condemn something so strongly that you have no experience with and have only heard tales online. I've actually done my own googling for ambien and found that the majority of people give it high ratings and say that it has been almost miraculous in curing their insomnia. I realize that this drug is not for everyone, but starting a personal vendetta or anti ambien campaign is rather misleading and irresponsible to those who have questions and interest in the drug.

Also, anyone wanting to take this drug to induce lucid dreams or get hallucinations should NOT be taking it! If you want to hallucinate, well nevermind. Just don't take ambien. It's a hardcore hypnotic for people with really serious insomnia. You will be referred to the likes of WakingNomad and receive no mercy if you post such intentions for using/abusing this drug. (jk)

Originally Posted by Aquanina

WakingNomad, (please do not think I have anything against you personally) but I don't see how you can condemn something so strongly that you have no experience with and have only heard tales online. I've actually done my own googling for ambien and found that the majority of people give it high ratings and say that it has been almost miraculous in curing their insomnia. I realize that this drug is not for everyone, but starting a personal vendetta or anti ambien campaign is rather misleading and irresponsible to those who have questions and interest in the drug.

Also, anyone wanting to take this drug to induce lucid dreams or get hallucinations should NOT be taking it! If you want to hallucinate, well nevermind. Just don't take ambien. It's a hardcore hypnotic for people with really serious insomnia. You will be referred to the likes of WakingNomad and receive no mercy if you post such intentions for using/abusing this drug. (jk)

Why not send a message to one of the dozens of people that posted those horror stories, and see what they say themselves?