Ambien statistics

[GotPlayed]

Hey guys,

I searched for quite a while on the internet and could not come up with anything.  I have heard many stories of people sleep driving, eating, or displaying scary behaviors while on Ambien,  I was just prescribed Ambien and am hesitant to take it because of these stories.  One thing I cannot find is actual statistics stating how many people actually experience these side effects.  1in 5?  1in 10?  Anyone know??  Thanks!!

[HK88]

I took it for a couple months before it no longer worked for me. I don't know the statistics that you are looking for, but I can say that I never woke up and drove, ate, or anything. Once I took the pill(s) I was knocked out for a good 8-9 hours! That was the good thing... I did have some bad side effects however. Mine included: stuttered speech and memory loss. The speech was just embarrassing, but the memory loss was terrifying. It only occurred a few times... example of the worst: I took my students (I'm a teacher) to lunch one day. Right after I dropped my students off in the lunchroom I went to a different teachers' classroom to ask a question. Mid-conversation I completely forgot why I was in her classroom and forgot that I took my students to lunch. I completely panicked because I thought I had students in my classroom and here I was just chatting with a teacher.

I think that this is a rare side effect, however...scary nonetheless. It stopped once I stopped taking zolpidem.

[buddrose]

Both,, zolpidem and temazepam.. zolpidem has a side affect of upper lower torso pain pain like E.R pain.  Even if you report this pain to a doc. ? Get off it.

[Zootal]

I've been taking ambien for two months (I know, that is a long time - I'm doing a sleep study soon, and my Dr. just gave me temazepam to use instead of ambien, but that is another story). I never get up and not remember doing so, etc. I started with 10mg, and now take 17.5 (1 and 3/4 tablets). I'm out like a light in 15 minutes and usually sleep soundly for five hours, and then sleep fitfully for another 2-3 hours. All in all it isn't very satisfying sleep, but it is the only way I can get any sleep at all.

But no odd behavior. Diarrhea is the only side effect - I get the runs, usually twice every morning, since I've been taking it. And I'm drowsy the next day, but that might be from not really getting good quality sleep.

So don't be afraid to take it. Try it out, enjoy, but just don't take it for long. I'm stuck on the miserable stuff, and it will probably take me more than a month to get off of sleeping pills, once my sleep disorder is figured out.

[mlglenzer]

oh forgot to ment the dose, me and my neighbor 10 mg my husband 5 mg.

[mlglenzer]

I can tell you from experience, both Ambien and Ambien CR are notorious for causing odd behavior. I had to quit taking Ambien CR after it stated causing anxiety and pacin attack issues. Regular Ambien caused my husband to rise an hour after going to sleep and go down to our garage and work on his bike until 3:30 AM, when I realized he wasn't in bed and found him downstairs asleep. My next door neighbor also takes Ambien CR and she had put passcodes on the shopping channels to keep her from "Ambien shopping" at night, she also eats under the influence of Amien and has no memory of it. The only way she was able to figure it out was the mess she woke up to. Hope this helps.

[extrucker1]

I sometime take Zolpidem( geneic for Ambien) 5 mg. Not every day, my doctor gave me a scrip. I take 1 tablet at bed time and I sleep great with no side effects in the morning, I'm a senior citizen (75)

[skydnsr]

I don't know about statistics, but I think the risk of Ambien "sleep-walking" is higher if you are taking Ambien every night than if you are only taking it occasionally.  I take Ambien once every week or two and have never had this.  My mother has taken Ambien every night for years, and she only had this problem when she was also taking narcotic pain medication at the same time.  During that period, she got up  in the night and would eat an entire box of candy without remembering it.  She just felt sick the next morning and  then discovered the empty candy box later on.

[kenneltech]

I know that I used to get up in the middle of the night, turn on tv and order hundreds or dollars worth of WHATEVER on those home shopping networks!  One time I ordered about 50 "body shaping" things, and I'm not even overweight!  All these girdles and body hugging slips and all these spandex things started coming to my house, and I called the network, and sure enough, I ordered them!  Must have ordered them in case I got overweight or for certain friends I knew, hahaha!  I've done that a number of times, and it can get a little scary!

I actually got up and started eating in the middle of the night, and really felt uncomfortable the next day, and then I'd go into the kitchen and find all these dishes I used, so I stopped taking Ambien.  Never drove though, THANK HEAVENS!!! But, I have talked to people and didn't know it.