tjp613

My ASon is taking Ambien and staying awake to 'enjoy' the hallucinations. Apparently he'll do just about anything he can get his hands on.

Anyone ever heard of doing Ambien 'for fun'? I never have.

(BTW, he doesn't live with me, nor are we in contact... his sister told me about it.)

Peter G

Hmmm... I had Ambien (Stilnox over here) for a while after my shoulder surgery to help me sleep. I did a few extremely crazy things in a perfectly sound sleep that freaked me out enough to stop taking them. Can't speak to taking them for any kind of high though, never did anything to me except knock me out and then turn me into a sleepwalking zombie.

Here's an article I read a while back on what Ambien can do to people - worth reading since you mention your son likes doing it... Sleeping Pills, Steve Martin Ambien Experience

He may want to check out what can actually happen from just using the drug normally.

tjp613

I could tell him that it will rot his brain like battery acid, but if he thought he'd get high in the meantime, he'd probably still do it.

Peter G

Unfortunately us addicts/alcoholics are stubborn and about as stupid as a sack of hammers when it comes to getting wasted. That's the downside. The upside is that ... god willing... recovery is entirely doable, and more than worth it.

Having said that, I have taken Ambien once and then been forced to stay awake during a rather sudden call back at my work. Ended up not sleeping at all that day, even though I dropped at least 4 pills. I certainly didn't experience any hallucinations at all. Even though I was definitely very spaced out, there were no talking chairs or dancing tea cups to be found anywhere. And it was really not enjoyable in the least.

Having said that, hallucinations could be from some kind of cumulative effect of the drug - and Ambien has been known to effect different people in different ways. I'm certainly no expert.

Bottom line is he should obviously know better. Not sure what will work with him, but maybe you could try directing him here to read some of the stories from people who lived through the brutal realities of his chosen lifestyle?

keepinon

Oh yes TJP, my AD has told me about this too..basically what u said. They stay awake and hallucinate..who the hell would want to hallucinate on purpose? She too will do anything she can get her hands on. I don't even wan to know anymore!

Chino

My RAD took one back in '06 and when I interrupted her sleep, she saw me with 8 eyes and thought I was an alien. She was so horrified she's never taken another one.

She's never been into hallucinogens, just euphoria and sedation (DOC is opiates).

Sasha4

Makes me so sad that some seriously mentally ill patients would do anything to be rid of hallucinations and strange thoughts, sometimes even contemplating suicide to escape them....

And others choose to have them, actively chase them by abusing a pill.

How sad.

xx

bluebelle

I tried Ambien once and it made me hallucinate. It was a very unpleasant experience for me. I finally threw it up, and never took another one. I didn't think it was fun at all, but that's me.

tam

my AH took ambien for his mania, I went to wake him up for work and he looked at me and screamed bloody murder as he thought he saw a monster or something, he said he had horrible vivid nightmares and that it wasnt pleasureable,he enjoys being "up" and on top of the world so that drug didnt last long.

Sunshine2

I have no knowledge of Ambien but just want to say in my opinion there is no such thing as a recreational drug.

tjp613

My son would whole-heartedly disagree with you.

BuffaloGal

Ugh, no... I was addicted to ambien for a couple of years (in the sense that I had a very difficult time going to sleep without it), and finally quit after realizing that the 4 hours of sleep I got without it were more restful than the 8 hours I got when I took it.

I did experience one hallucination of a plaid curtain rippling and changing colors in front of me when I decided to stay awake to see my boyfriend-- the hallucination wasn't good or bad, it was just odd. I can't imagine taking it for that purpose.