Ambien and restless leg syndrome

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 took it for over 7 years. I would get up during the night several times and eat excessively to the point of #30 lbs wt gain. I acted drunk, slurred speech, was incoherent, etc and never knew it according to family. I was extremely tired during the day and ended up with chronic fatigue, restless leg syndrome and fibromyalgia. I felt drugged during the day and even though I thought i was sleeping at night I was actually up most of the night sleepwalking, and doing things I never realized i did till I was told later.

I have been taking Ambien for over a year. I take it because I have Restless Leg Syndrome and it keeps me from waking myself up when my legs jerk! It has been a life saver in that respect. I take 5 mg each night. Recently, however, I have noticed that I have been wanting to eat constantly. My appetite (& weight) has increased tremendously and I'm wondering if it's related to Ambien. Before I started breaking the 10 mg tablet in half, I would notice food missing when I got up the next morning, but had no recollection of fixing the food or eating it. Somehow in my particular body chemistry I'm finding that I want to eat more during my waking hours, and with the higher dosage I definitely ate during the night! Has anyone else had this side effect or is it just me???

Started ambien because of chronic insomnia and restless leg syndrome. My doctor found I was anemic and said this causes restless leg syndrome and I also have fibromyalgia. Ambien gave me relief. However, over time I began noticing things that concerned me. I have always been very sharp. Mentally sharp. Great memory. Very business oriented, etc... But that all started to fade away. I was on ambien about 10 months. I was having huge problems with my memory. My mind was no longer sharp. I would forget the simplest things like my phone number and then feel a moment of panic before I'd remember it. Also noticed I didn't remember many things that happened the night before. I felt I was making mistakes that were very out of character for me. My hair got very thin. Seemed like a lot fell out daily and every time I washed and dried. I was scared I was going bald. I kept wondering if the ambien was causing hair loss but couldn't find any info on it. I was having a lot of stomach troubles, every single day, multiple times a day. I went off the ambien to see if it would help me get my mind clear again and see if my hair stopped falling out. I notice that without it I have the same insomnia I had before. The same twitching legs. So it's hard to go without it. Yet I have been off of it for 11 days now because I can tell a huge difference in my mind. The memory seems to be much better. I haven't had any ibs since I stopped taking the ambien which was a huge and pleasant surprise to me. I had no idea the ambien was contributing to that, but apparently it was. Last night was hard because I slept none. I don't know which is worse, the conditions I have without the ambien, or taking the ambien which creates different issues...