short term memory loss from long term Ambien use?

[kelley43]

My husband and I are in some trouble.  He is a physician, (53 years old)  and was just given 2 weeks "medical leave" because people were noticing he was forgetting things.  His short term memory is impaired.  We have already seen the neurologist, then we see the psychiatrist Tuesday.  He has been taking 10 mg of Ambien nightly for maybe 8 YEARS, has been down to taking 5 mg for about a year.  He has been taken off the Ambien, but what are the long term effects?  I find alot of info on short term effects, but could his memory issues be due to AMBIEN?
Please help.  

[Gpetkosh]

I have the act same memory problems. I know this is a post from 2010 but have you gotten any better? Have you stopped taking the Ambien? Thanks.

[suznrn]

I have been on Ambien for over 10 years now.  I recently started a new job and am devastated that I can NOT retain any of the information given to me.  I am 60 and honestly thought I had Alzheimer's.  It is soooo embarrassing to have 20 year olds help me remember my EMR passwords.  I have trouble finding words, names, directions etc.  I also take amitriptyline for migraines and tramadol for arthritis pain.  I just contacted my doctor about lowering my Ambien dose.  I will stop the amitriptyline, will stop the antihistamine (Benadryl) and will only use Tramadol when the pain gets out of hand, instead of nightly.  I am aiming for getting totally off the Ambien and it scares me.  I know I am dependent on it but MUST change.

[Ariasonya]

I have had a long history of insomnia but never thought I could do anything about it. As an adult, and in high stress jobs and in life, I sought out a doctor and he was kinda "old school" and put me on Ambien. Me being negligent and not finding out it was a "sleep aide" not a longterm prescription for insomnia, I took it, for 6 plus years. I have noticed that I was not sleeping completely for 8 hours, which is recommended and then began having mood swings severely, foggy memory and problems with cognitive thinking. I have always tested well, made great grades, went to college in my 40's, graduated with honors and have heard that intelligent people have forgetfulness. So I just attributed my short term memory loss to that. In the last few weeks, an old traumatic event in my life in my teens, came out in counseling. A lot of things in my life, led up to this confession that no one in my family ever knew. I have consulted a new physician who has an abundant of knowledge about the long term use of Ambien or a prescribed narcotic. He has done a CT, blood/urine testing and after several appointments for him to talk to me and see if I'm ok, we have concluded, together, it is AMBIEN USE. I went through a rough 3 evenings of detox, I just about pulled my hair out. He put me on a very mild dosage of Xanax (5 mg), I take 1/2 to go to bed, if I wake up in the middle of the night, I get up drink a glass of water, and then take the other 1/2. I also may skip the 2nd 1/2 and take a 1/2 of a melantonin tablet. I am watching my caffeine intake and having none after 6 pm. I am also drinking hot tea and having a hot bath to wind down. I am turning off my electronic devices earlier than normal and try to have a "NO BRAINER" hour before I take my sleep aide. It seems to be working. I am now sleeping at least 6 hours before I wake up and do not have the "foggy" days I was having. Do I still have memory loss? Yes, short term only. But it is definitely better and I feel like I'm on the right path. Try this on a weekend when you have no responsibilities and make sure someone is there with you. I promise, if you can handle the first 3 nights, you can more than likely conquer this and begin a new healthier you.

[scaredtodeathtoo]

I am suffering from severe memory loss, menier's disease and several other things that I simply cannot recall. im scared to death that this medication has caused early dementia or alzheimers. I cannot remember simple things, daily things and cannot keep my balance. this has disrupted my life as I have bipolar disorder and cannot keep appointments such as counseling and med checks as I cannot drive anymore. I am so afraid that soon I will not remember my children, my grandchildren and all of the rest of my family. I know that this is not a forum for medical help or diagnosis. I just wanted to tell someone how afraid I am. thank you for listening. good luck to everybody.

[Mark11111]

I have taken Ambien (10Mg) for over 2 years. I used to take Xanax but they made me too tired during the day. The Ambien does help me sleep, but not a full nights sleep, at least I can fall asleep with however. I have noticed in the past 3-4 months, that my mental and communication capabilities have become a concern. I am 56 and above average intelligence and highly organized. What has begun to happen is related to communication skills, they have diminished noticeably. I have problems pulling my thoughts together and it seems they are there, but more of in a cloud that I cannot grab a hold of. Being in sales and having a job where communication is important, this is becoming an issue. I always was good at talking and connecting the dots in my conversations and cannot do that unless highly rehearsed. Sometimes taking a Xanax helps in those cases since the anxiety adds to the communication problem.I had an MRI last week and am awaiting the results, but assume nothing is there. I then started thinking if it could be Ambien or perhaps my blood pressure medication. Glad to find this blog, as it sounds like a lot of people have similar situations. I can perform my job since I am highly organized and can still do that part of the work, computer spreadsheets, planning, problem solving, operating programs, emails, etc the problem comes when I have to verbally communicate or present my ideas and interact with others. There is also some anxiety I have developed over this and who knows what plays into what. I don't forget things any more then I used to, that is good, but I do notice that I am misspelling words much more often, struggling with how to spell them, thank goodness for spell check. I am going to get myself off of it slowly, going to an Ambien every other night for a while. Also, I had read about a supplement called Choline that sounded worth trying. I hope I see some positive signs, just am worried about lack of sleep, but I would rather deal with that then have trouble communicating especially since my job depends on it. Thank you for all of the great information on this blog.

[cheesus_crust]

I’m 31 and I’ve been taking Ambien daily for nearly 8 years. I’ve tried getting off it a few times, however I find the leisure of being able to fall asleep when I choose and wake up refreshed after 7-8 hours out-weigh the drag of being sluggish all day. Over the last several years I have noticed my memory and recall begin to decline somewhat, although I’ve mostly attributed this to a lack of stimulation. No more school, a not so exciting job and diminished social life might play a big part. Just like a muscle the brain needs to be challenged for it to grow or it’ll begin to atrophy. Whether it’s the Ambien or environmental factors....dunno.