Addiction to Ambien

Ambien, also known generically as zolpidem is a sedative-hypnotic with effects similar to Valium and Xanax.

[_Stupidity]

I was prescribed ambien for years and i must say, I was quite surprised they had me on it for that long. That drug is a beast, a bowl of weed will put you to sleep 10x then any ambien could.

[Grenouille]

With Benzodiazepines it all up to personal preference, Zolpidem doesn't work for my insomnia at all yet Zopiclone does wonders.

[sequin1980_2]

Grenouille wrote:

With Benzodiazepines it all up to personal preference, Zolpidem doesn't work for my insomnia at all yet Zopiclone does wonders.

Same with me! Took 8 Ambien once...nothing...yet been taking 2 zops for the last 5 months and tolerance hasn't even went up yet.

There's a site with some horror stories on it, almost made me stop taking it but just can't do without a good night's sleep.

[Blarg]

Keep taking it - your descent into hell will begin sooner or later - then you will wish you had listened to all the horror stories...

[Blissopifree]

Ambien or zolpidem aint a benzo.
It was first precsribed as alternative to habit forming benzodiazapines.
However it is a hypnotic and is addictive the docs used to script these like smarties untill they found they were habit forming, now they don,t like scripting it for more than 2 wks.
Hope this helps.
Bliss....

[Grenouille]

Although it's not a Benzodiazepine they are often grouped together due to their extremely similar method of action. Someone with a Zolpidem addiction can easily be switched onto Diazepam without any issues to tapper off for example, but you are right they are not benzodiazepines.

[Howard]

You will regret the day you took your first pill. It is habit forming and hell to get off. I was on it for only two months and as soon as I stopped I have not been able to sleep. I have almost 4 days without sleep and feel like jumping off a bridge. I lay awake in bed with terrible headaches and feel like the world is ending. I take no other medication and have never been diagnosed for depression. I do not know how long this will last but I refuse to give in and will never take it again. I believe eventually my body will get back to normal and soon as it does I will update this.

[zmanzman1114]

Howard wrote:

You will regret the day you took your first pill. It is habit forming and hell to get off. I was on it for only two months and as soon as I stopped I have not been able to sleep. I have almost 4 days without sleep and feel like jumping off a bridge. I lay awake in bed with terrible headaches and feel like the world is ending. I take no other medication and have never been diagnosed for depression. I do not know how long this will last but I refuse to give in and will never take it again. I believe eventually my body will get back to normal and soon as it does I will update this.

dude if you aint taking sleeping pills anyone you need to smoke a joint or something you sound like a crackhead my man...

[sequin1980_2]

Howard wrote:

You will regret the day you took your first pill. It is habit forming and hell to get off. I was on it for only two months and as soon as I stopped I have not been able to sleep. I have almost 4 days without sleep and feel like jumping off a bridge. I lay awake in bed with terrible headaches and feel like the world is ending. I take no other medication and have never been diagnosed for depression. I do not know how long this will last but I refuse to give in and will never take it again. I believe eventually my body will get back to normal and soon as it does I will update this.

You are probably feeling that way because it sounds like you stopped suddenly. You are supposed to taper off those either with less ambien or diazepam. You could be in danger of having a seizure or anything.

You sound like you don't want to take anymore drugs but I think if you really feel that bad then go and see your doctor and work out a tapering program.

[Zootal]

Howard wrote:

You will regret the day you took your first pill. It is habit forming and hell to get off. I was on it for only two months and as soon as I stopped I have not been able to sleep. I have almost 4 days without sleep and feel like jumping off a bridge. I lay awake in bed with terrible headaches and feel like the world is ending. I take no other medication and have never been diagnosed for depression. I do not know how long this will last but I refuse to give in and will never take it again. I believe eventually my body will get back to normal and soon as it does I will update this.

Howard, I so feel your pain! I took it for four and a half months, and when I quit I suffered severe insomnia for four months, and I almost jumped off a bridge. The only reason I didn't was I couldn't find one high enough, and I was afraid I would survive and lay on the bottom for three days until some critter came along and ate me.

Ambien is a drug from hell, and it is going to take a while for you to recover from the two months you took it. the good news is that recover happens quicker than you think.

The first four nights are the worse - hell on earth, and as you know you spend your days in a zombie like haze. But it gets better, and quickly! By the end of the first week you start to sleep better, and each week just gets better and better

Come over to the ambien headache and withdrawal topic here on topix:

http://www.topix.com/forum/drug/ambien/T8MMMF...

Check out these books and links - they can be eye openers.

http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Rx-Drug-Pus...

http://www.gwenolsen.com/

http://www.pointofreturn.com/

http://www.pointofreturn.com/deeds_of_trust.h...

[Lina]

Blarg wrote:

Keep taking it - your descent into hell will begin sooner or later - then you will wish you had listened to all the horror stories...

Blarg, you are so right! I was thinking the same thing about all of the people trying to buy this poison! It doesn't make sense to try Ambien and say it works just fine after a couple of weeks. Why don't these people read about what Ambien has done to us and our lives? They are playing with 'fire' by taking Ambien by prescription or on their own.

Consider yourselves warned of imminent danger with use of Ambien for prolonged periods of time.

I wouldn't want anyone to go through the hell I have experienced with the use of Ambien for 6 years nightly. That was bad enough, but the WITHDRAWAL is horrendous and just keeps going and going!! I wish someone had directed me to this Topix Forum years ago. God bless. Lina

[Paul from Florida]

I had been prescribed Ambien about 2 years ago. I only took it a night here and there with usually long spams of time in between. Just recently I was going thru a lot of stress. I took Ambien for about 3 1/2 weeks. A dear friend of mine was telling me how bad this drug was. I found this web site and quit cold turkey. OMG, I had no idea what I was in for. The first two night were simply unbearable. On the third day, I went to the emergency because I thought my head was going to explode. I asked the doctor if my head was feeling this way because of the withdrawal from Ambien or was it perhaps from the dye of a MRI I had done the day after I quit Ambien. The doctor said it wasn't from the dye, and Ambien doesn't give you withdrawals. I knew that this guy had to pretty green at his job. He prescribed something for my headache and Benadryl to go to sleep. I went to the pharmacy and asked about Ambien withdrawal. The pharmacist said yes indeed, some people have withdrawal symptoms. First honest answer I had heard up to now. She suggested Advil or Aleve for the headache and Melatonin to go to sleep. The symptoms I was experiencing were exactly the same as everyone else on her. The night terrors, the sweats, the nervousness, shortness of great, couldn't go to sleep, TV bothered me, sound bothered. The headache sort of subsided, I still feel a little fuzzy. My eyes sort of bother me a bit. The melatonin worked somewhat for sleep, but I was really sure how much sleep I really had since I keep waking up and falling back to sleep. I then tried the Benadryl, that seems to work a bit better. I hope if I get at least a 3 or 4 days of good rest, I can try going without any aid what so ever. Today is day nine... Not feeling as good as day 6, but def much better than the first 3 days, they were absolutely the worst. All this from 3 1/2 weeks use. I feel as if the withdrawal is the same as all of your guys who have been on it for a much longer period. It just goes to show how quickly this drug takes a hold of you. I'm functioning but I head sure does feel numb. I'll keep you posted on how long it takes for a person who have been on it for a short while to mend. And my thoughts and prayers go out to all of you. I know how your feeling. Be strong and certainly don't go back on it because you can't stand it... Things will bet better.

[Paul from Florida]

sequin1980_2 wrote:

<quoted text>
You are probably feeling that way because it sounds like you stopped suddenly. You are supposed to taper off those either with less ambien or diazepam. You could be in danger of having a seizure or anything.
You sound like you don't want to take anymore drugs but I think if you really feel that bad then go and see your doctor and work out a tapering program.

Howard, I feel your pain... same thing happened to me. You'll feel better at the end of the first week... Take Benadryl to help you sleep, otherwise you'll go nuts. I was on Ambien for about the same period of time as you were. I still feel fuzzy but all that other crazy stuff has now tapered off thank goodness. All I need now is for my mind to clear up.. Keep us posted on your recovery. Hang in there guy, you'll make it. Melatonin also helps with getting a little rest

[Paul from Florida]

Lina wrote:

<quoted text>
Blarg, you are so right! I was thinking the same thing about all of the people trying to buy this poison! It doesn't make sense to try Ambien and say it works just fine after a couple of weeks. Why don't these people read about what Ambien has done to us and our lives? They are playing with 'fire' by taking Ambien by prescription or on their own.
Consider yourselves warned of imminent danger with use of Ambien for prolonged periods of time.
I wouldn't want anyone to go through the hell I have experienced with the use of Ambien for 6 years nightly. That was bad enough, but the WITHDRAWAL is horrendous and just keeps going and going!! I wish someone had directed me to this Topix Forum years ago. God bless. Lina

Lina, how long has it been since you quit Ambien? And did you quit cold turkey or did you taper off with something else?

[Lina]

Paul from Florida wrote:

<quoted text>
Lina, how long has it been since you quit Ambien? And did you quit cold turkey or did you taper off with something else?

Paul, I quit taking Ambien in April, 2011. I decided to get off of it myself, after many sleep walking events that led to bizarre and dangerous events! When I finally fell down 12 steps in the middle of the night, I knew it was the Ambien.

I had been corresponding with my doctor via e-mails and didn't get any help when I told him about the Ambien problems. When my 'side affects' became unbearable (I couldn't think straight or remember anything)I chose to go 'cold turkey'.

The first three days of withdrawal were horrific! I thought I was dying! Finally, I tried to contact my doctor, but he was unavailable (as usual). I then got in touch with my new psychiatrist that had been renewing refills for a year. He told me to get back on the Ambien immediately! I told him NO! " I'm not going to lose the three days of withdrawal from this dangerous drug. I don't want to use another Ambien again, even if my life depends on it!!"

My psychiatrist told me he would send a prescription down to the pharmacy for SEROQUEL! Thank God I was one step ahead of the good doctor and told him NO! I had looked into that drug and it was just as frightening to me as Ambien!

I did ask both my doctor and psychiatrist if they could put me in Ambien withdrawal re hab. They both stated that Ambien was safe and they had NEVER heard of anyone needing Ambien detox or re hab. Did they help me? No! Did they follow me with my self imposed Ambien withdrawal? Not a bit! None of the hospital workers have called to see how I am doing.

Paul, you should feel fortunate to have found this Ambien Forum! It could save you a lot of unnecessary pain and possibly save your life.

God bless. Lina

[Paul from Florida]

Lina wrote:

<quoted text>
Paul, I quit taking Ambien in April, 2011. I decided to get off of it myself, after many sleep walking events that led to bizarre and dangerous events! When I finally fell down 12 steps in the middle of the night, I knew it was the Ambien.
I had been corresponding with my doctor via e-mails and didn't get any help when I told him about the Ambien problems. When my 'side affects' became unbearable (I couldn't think straight or remember anything)I chose to go 'cold turkey'.
The first three days of withdrawal were horrific! I thought I was dying! Finally, I tried to contact my doctor, but he was unavailable (as usual). I then got in touch with my new psychiatrist that had been renewing refills for a year. He told me to get back on the Ambien immediately! I told him NO! " I'm not going to lose the three days of withdrawal from this dangerous drug. I don't want to use another Ambien again, even if my life depends on it!!"
My psychiatrist told me he would send a prescription down to the pharmacy for SEROQUEL! Thank God I was one step ahead of the good doctor and told him NO! I had looked into that drug and it was just as frightening to me as Ambien!
I did ask both my doctor and psychiatrist if they could put me in Ambien withdrawal re hab. They both stated that Ambien was safe and they had NEVER heard of anyone needing Ambien detox or re hab. Did they help me? No! Did they follow me with my self imposed Ambien withdrawal? Not a bit! None of the hospital workers have called to see how I am doing.
Paul, you should feel fortunate to have found this Ambien Forum! It could save you a lot of unnecessary pain and possibly save your life.
God bless. Lina

Lina.. so how are you doing today after being off of it since April 2011? Have things gotten better for you...
I thought for sure last night which would be day 10 since I last took my last Ambien, that finally I would be able to go to sleep without Melatonin... Wrong, I have no idea what time it was when I finally got up and took it.. I am looking forward to the day when I can go back to sleep naturally like I did pre Ambien. Woke up this morning feeling a little light headed. My appetite is coming back, I don't know if that's such a good thing.. lol It sounds as if you really went thru a lot. Yes, this forum has helped me a lot. If gives you some idea what to look forward to. I know everybody handles things differently but it seems that the symptoms have been pretty much the same for all. I guess the recovery time is the main thing that differs with all of us. Make you sure let me know how your doing now?

[Paul]

Yesterday day 10 since I quit Ambien, woke up a bit fuzzy but had the best day yet... by 10 AM., the head clear up somewhat and I was back to doing normal activities... I even baked some cookies.. Up to a couple of days ago, I didn't even have an appetite. Since my whole ordeal, I had lost about 14 lbs.
This morning I woke up feeling good enough to take a swim in the pool.
So hang in there guys... you too will feel better soon, it's a day by day process. I'll keep posting till I feel 100 % better. I hope this helps anyone who has questions.

[Tex1950]

if anyone can direct me please help!!! stuff like this happens all the time on ambien i have to get off---- There is this hole in my yard and it big enough to fit myself and two other besides my size in there. When it rains it fills up with water. My mother doesnot care that I play in it. I am 26 and not a retard. Once when I was geting out my swim suit and come off and the man next to me along with his sister saw me naked and I knew his was hard becuase of the bulg in his pants. I ran behind the deck where i could not be seen and hosed my self off and wen through the base and took a shower in the basement shower. It was embaressing but every one knows I play in that mud hole.

[Lina]

Tex 1950, you definitely need to be directed elsewhere! The only thing you mentioned that would bring you here is your use of Ambien and desire to get off of it.

Your detailed mud hole incident was way too graphic for me. I'm no psychiatrist, but the fact that you said: "My mother does not care that I play in it. I'm 26 and not a retard...." has many disturbing statements. However, we don't know if you are having other problems than Ambien addiction and withdrawal

[kenpachisan]

Grenouille wrote:

Although it's not a Benzodiazepine they are often grouped together due to their extremely similar method of action. Someone with a Zolpidem addiction can easily be switched onto Diazepam without any issues to tapper off for example, but you are right they are not benzodiazepines.

wow i found a post of the missing MW mod, sos why havwn't you been threatening and bashing me all over the MW thread for being pissed walt ran with our $? The script is having a good old time rubbing in that walt jacked us for a ton of cash.