lilac

I have just been prescribed ambien. Any experience with it?

Lizrox

I was prescribed Ambien-CR and it did absolutely NOTHING for me (although I have a high drug tolerance).

I am now taking restoril and it is helping a bit.

Liz

Lady_Blue

When used sahort term, it worked well for me. I was told by the Dr. to take 1 & go to bed immediately. Not to stay up, watch tv, etc. Just to "go with it". For me, it worked.

athlon64bit

Ambien (zolpidem) is molecularly not a benzoidazepine but works on benzodiazepine receptors. Restoril (temazepam) is a benzodiazepine. Both of these drugs can cause tolerance and addiction and they both share similar properties with alcohol in how they work on the brain.

You may want to research benzodiazepines some more if you are trying to overcome addiction issues.

I am not telling you what to take or not take, just sharing my opinion.

From a recovering addict (alcohol and benzodiazepines)

Maggie12

I became addicted to Ambien while taking vicodin, years ago. It was a pretty nasty combo. If you have a history of addiction, i would highly recommend talking to your doctor again about other drugs as well. There are a few sleep aids/drugs that are suppose to be non-addicitve, but just as effective.

Also, one side effect i experienced from Ambien was multiple cavities in my teeth. very small, and easy to fix with the porcelin fillings, but quite a few to keep my dentist busy.

anyway, you should just check with your doctor again.

Adore

Hi lilac,

This is my first time to this forum and i'm glad to be here..

I had some experience with ambien and lunesta. i was highly afraid of getting addicted so i was pretty careful about taking them just a few days in a row and then i'd stop. It sort of gave me the courage to believe i could do it on my own.

you know how after u've had insomnia for a long time, you feel like u will never get a good nite's sleep ever again. at least, that's the way i think.

well, i found the ambien helped me "believe" i can get a good night's sleep. so i guess it was hopeful for me for awhile.

but it's had effects like grogginess during the day which was not good. i also started eating a lot more on the ambien. i don't know if it's related but gained some weight...

last thing is, for me, I started having vivid dreams something i didn't remember doing too much before. so it definitely awakened the dreaming in me and the dreams have stayed since i've been off it...

hope this helps. glad you took action. best to you

daydream

I too was addicted to ambien. I had no intention of that happening, but I quickly found that 2 worked better than 1...and it didn't keep me asleep all night, so I would wake up and could not go back to sleep unless I took 2 more...tolerance built up so that it took even more to get to sleep....and I discovered the um....."abuse potential" so I started taking it throughout the day for the mood-altering affect. It is a HIGHLY addictive drug, even for people who don't have addict tendencies. The tolerance builds even while you take it as prescribed. The body becomes dependent on it even at small doses, so that insomnia is awful if you have to stop taking it suddenly. That's what happened to my father. He's been on it for roughly 15 years. So far as I know, he has never taken more than prescribed. The ambien is probably not doing anything for him physically, as the tolerance would have gone up years ago, BUT the psychological effect is that my father THINKS it is helping so he can go to sleep still. However, the times he has run out of Ambien or tried to get off it, he has horrible insomnia and ends up back on it. I had one helluva time getting off it and my withdrawals were horrible, but I was taking on average 7-10 of the 10mg tablets each day. If you are an addict, please talk it over with your doctor and sponsor so they can help you avoid having trouble with it.

PurpleReign

I went to rehab because of this stupid drug. I was taking up to 4 10mg a night after awhile. It's highly highly addictive, I can't stress that enough. Among things I've done on Ambien while "getting a good night's sleep..."
1. Wrecked two company cars. (pulled over on one and by the Grace of God talked my way out of a DUI and just got a fender bender ticket).
2. Had sexual relations with more than one person and had no memory of it the next morning.
3. Feel into the wall and put a hole in it with my knee.
4. Passed out and woke up in strange places in my house.
5. Cooked food, really weird combinations too and made a complete mess of my kitchen.
6. Made phone calls to people, said crazy things with no memory.

I've tried many recreational drugs in my day, but this drug was the worst I've ever had because you truly lose yourself to it - you have zero control over who you are once you swallow this pill.

I'll never touch the crap again.

Just my cautionary tale for you, my advice is to do anything but take sleep meds.

PR

mina86

I was prescribed Ambien for my insomnia (later linked to hyperthyroidism) when I was 17. I was very careful when I took it and although I have a highly addicitive personality (never to drugs or alcohol, actually never touched either other than prescriptions), I was not easily addicted to Ambien.

The first time I took it, I stayed up way later than my body was telling me to and I had nightmares. I later found out that is common if you don't go to sleep within an hour of taking it.

Also, try to relax after you swallow the pill, because over stimulating yourself, even if you lay down and try to sleep within the next hour, can still screw you up with nightmares. Make sure, like the commercials say, that you can "devote to 8 hours of sleep".

I haven't heard anything about addiction to it, however, I do know someone who loved to take it with alcohol and other recreational drugs (mainly pot). It just got them to a state that appeared to be groggily wasted. They told me to take two of them in one night but I was scared to so I never did.

If you have a problem with addiction, I guess you should listen to what others posted on here, but if you don't have a problem getting easily addicted to things (well, I say things and I get addicted to things [games, chocolate, etc... i go through phases] but never addicted to any type of drug or alcohol or smoking cause I know how terrible it is for you), then you should be okay. Just be careful when ever you start any new medications.

IcicleMint

I have been taking Ambien CR for about two months now and I am not sure if I am addicted to it. Not long ago I didnt take it for about a week cause my script ran out and there was a problem with the refill...and I was ok without it. Now that I have it again I am back to taking it everynight. I think my worst side-effect is that I definitely have memory problems! I never remember the night before and I never remember when my husband and I "snuggle"! I am glad he can at least laugh with me about it the next day!

lostwithouther

lilac,

I posted this in a differnet thread & then I saw your posting. I wanted to share this with you. Please be careful if you take Ambien. If you find yourself feeling different get away from them.

After reading everyones comments on ambien, I decided to share, in short, my tragic story of Ambien. My daughter Stefanie started Ambien in 01/06, she was seeing a doctor for anxiety, within a month she was a different person. She was found in a park delusional and could not remember how she had got there. She had smashed the back end of her car, couldn't remember. Three days later she was back in the hospital, because of the ambien. We had even begged the hospital to keep her. The saw no need. We explained to them of how we knew she had become addicted to the Ambien. She was pulled over numerous times, because she was driving irratically. So, Stef's father and myself went to see her doctor to inform him of all these incidents and to let him know that we believe that Stefanie had become addicted to them. After we left his office we did not feel that he was listening to us. I do not know if he thought we were just being over protective, but she is our daughter and we knew she was different. A couple weeks after our visit, Stefanie was involved in a one car accident and total her brand new car she had just purchased. I was very grateful that she was not injured. When I arrived at the scene of the accident the first thing I asked the officer was, "Can I hug my daughter", she was in the back seat of his car. She looked at me and said "mom, I'm all right nothing happened. I was becoming exteremly worried about her. I talked to her everyday and she could not see what her family was seeing. So, I returned to her doctors office, with her, to let him know of the accident. As we dicussed it with her in his office, his word that came out of his mouth will be forever etched in my brain. He says" Well why don't we just have Stefanie promise that she won't take more than prescibed". My reaction was, are you serious, she has a addiction & you want her to promise not to take more than prescribed. I could not believe my ears. Stefanie was not taking them to sleep anymore, she was taken them because she said that she felt better on them. For some reason the doctor did not heed my warnings. Ambien does lead to other addictions. I am not saying this happens to everyone, some people take it and do fine with it. For those it does affect, warnings need to be addressed and more research should be done. This is just a summary of events that happened in the few months Stef was on Ambien. Now my Stefanie is gone. She died June 11, 2006, at the tender young age of 21. Her cause of death was ruled as a homicide from multiple drug intoxication. Our lifes have forever changed. We watched our daughter go from a bright college student to someone she didn't even know. I am lost without her. We tried so very hard to help her & protect her. Stef's father and I will not give up until we can get people to understand how Ambien lead Stef down a dangerous road and it can happen to you.

daydream

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((lostwithouther))))))))) )))))))))))))))))))
I'm so very sorry for your loss. You have shared a powerful message here. Thank you.

introspection

lostwithouther - thank you for sharing your story. I myself have watched someone very close to me become an entirely different person while taking ambien. I wholeheartedly agree that not enough information is out there regarding this drug. A few years ago when this began, I searched the internet for answers but was unable to find anything helpful. I spoke with my personal doctor who assured me that ambien was not addictive. Now, a little over two years later, you find ambien stories all over the internet and it is also now listed among many of the drugs on rehab websites. More research is definitely needed on this drug. So thank you for spreading the word on this horrible drug.

BigSis

Lostwithouther.... thank you for your story. If you feel like sharing more, you are also welcome in the Friends and Families of Substance Abusers forum. Lots of moms of addicts up there (including me).

Welcome! (((hugs)))

Wascally Wabbit

I tried it. The pharmicist made sure I understood that I was to be IN THE BED with my glass of water. I did as told, and found that it started acting before the pill went all the way down!!
I slept for about 2 hours then woke up with a start. I guess that's when the medication wore off.
Every time I tried it the same thing would happen.
After testing every sleep drug, I take lorazepam. And then, I only take half a pill. I sleep all night with out side affects or feel groggy in the morning.

screen_name

I haven't had a bad experience with Ambien. Quite the opposite, it helped quite a bit when my anti-anxiety meds were keeping me up.

lilac

Thank you all for your posts.

I have taken the Ambien on and off since January.

I will say that when the dr. tells you to be in bed when you, take it they really mean business.

I have never taken anything like it before. One night I took one while setting on the couch ...... I woke up in bed the next morning and could not remember how I got there. I am 35 yrs. old and have NEVER been drunk enough to not remember something. It was a scary feeling.

I also agree that not enough is know about this drug.

EricPaul

Is ambien a benzo ?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ambien (zolpidem) belongs to a class of medicines that effects the central nervous system, called sedative hypnotics. Zolpidem is closely related to a family of drugs called benzodiazepines. These drugs cause sedation, muscle relaxation, act as anti-convulsants (anti-seizure), and have anti-anxiety properties. Zolpidem has selectivity in that it has little of the muscle relaxant or anti-seizure effect and more of the sedative effect. Ambien is indicated for the short-term treatment of insomnia and treatment should generally be limited to 7 to 10 days of use.

More Information on the "Z" drugs (zolpidem, zopiclone, zaleplon):

Ambien / Stilnoct / Stilnox (zolpidem), Zimovane / Imovane (zopiclone) and Sonata (zaleplon) are chemically different from benzodiazepines but have the same effects on the body, act by the same mechanisms and may cause equally dreadful withdrawal problems. They are sometimes referred to as "half benzos" because they target the GABA-A receptors. Like benzos they should not be prescribed for more than a week or two.

Ambien and Sonata (like the benzodiazepine Halcion, triazolam) have a very short half life (2 hours) so where people are taking a normal therapeutic dose Ashton recommends that the drug be stopped immediately. If w/d symptoms occur she recommends a course of Valium (diazepam) which should be tapered gradually. Because Zimovane / Imovane (zopiclone) has a longer half-life (5-6 hours) Ashton recommends a staged crossover to Valium before attempting to taper.

The reference to zolpidem withdrawal may be found near the bottom of this page of the Ashton Manual (last paragraph): http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha02.htm

"In my experience, the only exception to the general rule of slow reduction is triazolam (Halcion). This benzodiazepine is eliminated so quickly (half-life 2 hours) that you are practically withdrawn each day, after a dose the night before. For this reason, triazolam can be stopped abruptly without substitution of a long-acting benzodiazepine. If withdrawal symptoms occur, you could take a short course of diazepam starting at about 10mg, decreasing the dosage as shown on Schedule 2. The same approach applies to the non-benzodiazepines zolpidem and zaleplon which both have half-lives of 2 hours.

Ambien / zolpidem Monograph at RxList.

Ambien - Unsafe

"Ambien (Zolpidem) shares some pharmacologic characteristics of the benzodiazepines. In contrast to the benzodiazepines, which non-selectively interact with all three known omega-receptor subtypes; zolpidem preferentially binds to the omega-1 receptor and shares some pharmacologic characteristics of the benzodiazepines. Should there be any doubt that even though this is not classed as a benzodiazepine the medication, Anexate (flumazenil) will stop all activity of Ambien within minutes - the same activity it has on benzos meaning there is definite cross activity. The FDA restricts Ambien use for a maximum of 7 to 10 days because of rebound insomnia and tolerance. There are numerous reports of increased withdrawal symptoms after use or discontinuance of Ambien."

--

Is Ambien a Benzodiazapine?

April 8, 2002. Email from Professor Ashton.

The whole argument turns on semantics and your definition of what is or is not a benzodiazepine.

If you define a benzo by its chemical structure, a benzene ring attached to a seven-sided diazepine nucleus, well then, no, Ambien is not a benzo.

But that strikes me as a rather transparent linguistic maneuver. Think about this example. You tell a child not to walk over a line. He subsequently jumps over the line, and then insists that he didn't break your rule because he did not in fact walk over the line, he jumped over it. In a literal sense he is correct. But we feel that he is attempting to deceive us, and we can see right through it. He has ended up on the other side of the line, regardless of how he got there.

I think the analogy is fairly clear with Ambien and the benzodiazepines. No, Ambien does not literally have a benzene ring and a diazepine nucleus. But it does act at the GABA BZD1 receptor complex just like a classical benzodiazepine. It gets to the same place, so to speak, albeit with a different chemical structure.

So, from the standpoint of a chemist Ambien is not a benzodiazepine, but from the standpoint of a patient's nervous system it is a benzodiazepine.

It is particularly annoying to me that the marketing folks at Searle have leveraged this little word game to make Ambien seem more innocuous to prescribing physicians and sleep disturbed consumers.

--

Zopiclone (aka Imovane, Zimovane) is a cyclopyrrolone and although not a benzodiazepine it targets the GABA-A receptors and causes similar problems to benzos.

Related drugs are zolpidem (aka Ambien, Stilnoct, Stilnox), an imidazopyridine and zaleplon (aka Sonata) a pyrazolopyrimidine. Sometimes these drugs have been referred to as "half benzos" because of their specific mode of action.

A newer drug called eszopiclone (Estorra) will soon be unleashed on the world. It is just more of the same kind of trouble.

These drugs are effective for a very short period of time but like benzos are also highly addictive. People continue to take them - not because of any therapeutic benefits but because of the dreadful withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop them.

--

Excerpts from Prof. Heather Ashton's speech at the Maine Benzodiazepine Conference in Bangor Maine on October 12, 2005. NB that Lunesta aka eszopiclone, a cousin of the three Z drugs: zolpidem (Ambien), zopiclone (Zimovane) and zaleplon (Sonata), and it is being marketed as safe for long-term use.

"These are not chemically benzodiazepines but they bind to GABA
receptor complexes which are close to or actually coupled with
benzodiazepine receptors. They are said to be more selective, binding
mainly to the a1 GABA receptor subtype which mediates the hypnotic
effects of benzodiazepines. In practice they are not all that
selective and have much the same actions as benzodiazepines. In the
UK, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), which
advises the Health Service on optimum drug use, recommended that Z
drugs should be used for short-term treatment only (2-4 weeks) and
then only as second line treatments after benzodiazepines. They
concluded that the Z drugs produced the same therapeutic and adverse
effects as benzodiazepine hypnotics, including tolerance, dependence
and abuse, and were also more expensive.

"As a clinical example, a psychiatrist recently asked my advice about
the nursing sister he was helping to withdraw from lorazepam (Ativan).
She developed quite severe withdrawal symptoms as the dosage was
lowered and had trouble sleeping. To help her, the psychiatrist
prescribed zopiclone (Zimovane) to take at night. She found that this
drug completely relieved her withdrawal symptoms. In fact, it was so
successful that she started taking zopiclone in the daytime as well.
She ended up taking zopiclone six times a day as well as at night,
ending up with a total dose of over 40mg/day (the recommended dose is
7.5mg at night). The psychiatrist was chagrined to find that he had
merely replaced one form of addiction with another.

"There are a number of cases in the literature of such escalation of
dosage with zopiclone, followed by dependence and withdrawal symptoms
on stopping. There are also an increasing number of cases reported of
misuse and abuse of high doses of zolpidem (Ambien). This can result
in hallucinations and psychosis and is reminiscent of the adverse
effects of triazolam (Halcion), the short-acting benzodiazepine
hypnotic now banned in the UK.

"Now eszopiclone [Lunesta] is being promoted for long-term use and the
manufacturers report trials lasting two weeks to six months of its
hypnotic effects. They report little tolerance or loss of efficacy
over these periods and a low incidence of rebound insomnia or anxiety
(3.7%) on stopping. Euphoria was noted in high doses, suggesting an
abuse potential. I remain sceptical of these results which involved
relatively small numbers of subjects with various types of insomnia.
I am not convinced that eszopiclone is all that different from
zopiclone, apart from its potency, and I think it would be prudent to
limit it to short-term use until proved otherwise."

"There is a basic pharmacological principle that any drug which acts
on intrinsic body receptors will cause adaptive changes in these
receptors if used chronically. This is because the body is programmed
to restore homeostasis if its internal environment is disturbed. For
every drug action in the body there is an equal (as far as possible)
reaction which tends to restore the status quo. This mechanism
underlies the development of drug tolerance and dependence and also of
withdrawal reactions if the drug is stopped. It applies not only to
benzodiazepines but also to non-psychotropic drugs like b blockers.
For example, B blockers such as propranolol are used to slow the heart
and lower the blood pressure. If these are suddenly stopped there is
a rebound of increased heart rate and raised blood pressure. We
accept that tolerance and withdrawal reactions occur with
benzodiazepines, barbiturates and all the hypnotic and sedative drugs
that have gone before. We even understand much about the molecular
mechanisms involved - which I won't go into here. There seems no
reason to believe that these reactions will not apply to Z-drugs.

"I suspect that the Z-drugs will undergo the fate of many newly
introduced drugs - a fate that is becoming all too familiar."


http://www.benzoisland.org/benzoforum/index.php

Codieneaddict

Here is a good website to get patient reviews of almost any medication: http://askapatient.com/