Ambien and ambien

I used Ambien 2-3 days per week for the past few months. I just woke up after having several vivid/complicated nightmares. Each nightmare was worse than the one before. The last nightmare woke me up. I was being framed for murder of a white woman after a minor traffic accident (I'm a black man). I'm very bothered by this and don't want to sleep now, fearing more nightmares. This has happened after I slept without taking Ambien.

I have had one episode of sleep-walking, where I ate the meal that I had prepared for lunch the next day.

I have been taking ambien for about five years. I have experimented with 5mg, 10mg and ambien CR, and mixing small doses (5mg or less) with one Advil PM. Mixing the two worked very well for a while. All I want is to feel rested and sharp during the day. I have been known to cook elaborate meals and make a MESS in the kitchen only to wake up the next morning with chicken burrito all over my bed with me. I have also sent emails and made calls I don't remember. I also... and this is the worst... did some online shopping and bid on many EBAY items that I had no memory of. When you wake up and your credit card is laying next to your computer on the bed... your in big trouble.

I was taking Ambien for a year. I ended up with a sever sore throat that lasted for months and trouble breathing. After going to nine doctors, and missing work for a month I was diagnosed with esophogitis and acid reflux. I even went to the emergency room by ambulance because I was having trouble breathing. I was aspirating stomach acid. I was talking with my gastrologist about surgery. I decided to make a list of what was different in my life that might be causing these symptoms. Ambien was on the list. I have been off Ambien for two months now and all my digestive problems, sore throat, breathing problems and acid reflux have ended.

ALTHOUGH AMBIENT HAS HELPED ME WITH MY SLEEP CYCLE, I HAVE GAINED AN EXCESS AMOUNT OF APPROX. 10 LBS. IN THREE MONTHS, MY DIET AND EXERCISE HABITS HAVEN'T CHANGED AND I WAS WONDERING HOW COULD I HAVE POSSIBLY GAINED SO MUCH WEIGHT IN SUCH LITTLE LIME. MY CONCLUSION.... AMBIENT! I'VE SINCE BEEN OFF AMBIENT BECAUSE IT HAS MIRACULOUSLY RESET MY SLEEP CYCLE, I AM GRATEFUL. VERY DISTURBED BY THE WEIGHT GAIN.

I have MS and have been taking Ambien for a few months now to help me sleep. My husband and daughter told me this morning that last night I got up from bed and was completely naked and walked out into the living room. They said I looked very wasted and was looking all around the house for some soda and them went back to bed. I can't remember any of this. It scares me. what if they were not home, would I of drove to the store naked looking for soda? This is a very dangerous side effect. It only happened one othere time when I got up and was surfing the TV channels looking for a TV program. Again, I don't remeber it happening. I also It is making my MS symptoms worse, I am having more stiffness and spasms along with blurred vision.

Developed sleep walking, eating, talking, running machinery and watching TV while I was supposedly asleep. This was witnessed by my niece who was very scared. It lasted for about an hour. This is not the first time but this is the first time someone witnessed it. I had suspected all along because I saw used dishes and empty containers in the kitchen in the morning. Have been off it for 3 days now and thank God. Never will I take it again although it seemed to work well for 2 years. I have gained so much weight from the night eating. That guy on the news who says he drove his car after taking Ambien, I now believe him!

Ambien 4 yrs Ambien CR 1yr memory loss, I don't sleep very long. Sometimes I will close my eyes and I can't move or speak, headache. I don't know how long it last. I can hear whats is going on around me, but I can't call out for help. depression.

i've been on ambein for5 yrs and i have no side affects it really helped me noe i can sleep and when i ake i feel very refreshed

The perfect little partner. I love Ambien, because of my occupation, I often find my sleep pattern shifting from day to night and sometimes "none". So, needless to say I have trouble maintaining a normal sleep pattern, and somewhere along the line developed a mild case of insomnia. Ambien is great.
The only side-effects that I have noticed are the mild hallucinations...but is this "really" a side effect? Ambien is classified as a hypnotic, so of course you are going to be drowsey and experience mild distortions in time, space and certain realities...but nothing scary like that from actual hallucinogens...If people don't take the time to read and teach themselves about the chemicals they put into their own or their childrens bodies, they shouldnt get upset or scared or mad about what they experience.

Personally, I somewhat enjoy the 10 mins of mild hallucinations just before I go to sleep...it's a little bit entertaining. As I said, It is listed as a hypnotic, it is part of what helps you fall asleep.

Know your drugs before you take them people.

I was having trouble sleeping in college, (imagine that) and my doctor put me on Ambien. The first couple of nights, I was strongly hallucinating, and I would even fall asleep while eating! About the fourth or fifth night on Amien, I had a siezure and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. After that, I won't go near the stuff. My mother tried it for a night just to see what it would do to her and she experienced the heavy hallucinations as well. I am now terrified of any sleep medication.

I'm not sure if what I'm experiencing is a side effect of Ambien...or not...but, I've been taking Ambien CR 12.5 mg for a couple of months due to menopausal insomnia...and starting around 3 weeks ago...I have a "wandering numbness"...with a very slight "burning" feeling on my right side...especially my right arm...my right ankle feels slightly swollen and numb also. My husband, who's an M.D., said that it sounds neurological. Could this be from the Ambien????

I have used ambien appropriately 10 mg and abused (up to 90 mg) for 5 years staight. Most all side effects said here are true and worsen over the years and with dose increase. It does give you a "high" but totally destroys your brain and mind. It worsens depression for sure and has produced some psychosis with me. I have gone in and out of treatment for this drug and have made horrid decisions while taking it that have ruined my life. I beleive it is worse and more insidious than alcohol or any other drug. I believe i have permanent brain damage from it don't recognize myself or others anymore, chronic derealization, etc. Please stop taking or dont start. Once you get hooked you are hooked.
ps. anyone know some good places to detox off ambien in orange county, ca area. It is still pretty unheard of in treatment centers

It was a beautiful thing to sleep...after a lifetime of insomnia. But then my boyfriend confronted me about my silly behavior at night -making elaborate desserts and leaving a big mess. I would have no memory of this. He told me I looked like I was wasted. I gained ten pounds. One night, I went out in my car to get ice cream! I had no memory of this trip, but I dented my car and knocked a tire out of balance. I have read other postings of people who have tried to drive and been arrested for DUI! Scary.

Still, this didn't worry me nearly as much as my declining health: tremors, fatique, depression, lethargy and worst of all severe all-over muscle pain, sinitus... I was becoming completely debilitated and suicidal because I couldn't work, travel, play...etc. Just suffering all the time. I've been off Ambien for one week and my symptoms have suddenly lifted! (I also increased Zoloft)

I still don't know if it's a coincidence or just a temporary respite. I miss sleeping, but I can't believe I feel so much better! Has anyone else had severe body pain with Ambien?