Tell me about Ambien!...

[Disneylover79]

I suffer from horrible insomnia!!!! So to day my dr gave me a prescription for Ambien. So tell me your experience with it and if it didn't work for you then what did you dr put you on?!

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

I use Ambien CR about 1 or 2x a month. It is amazing for me... I don't have any of the side effects some people complain about though.. I take it about 1 hour before the time I want to be asleep.

 

[MushyMushy]

You'll hear good and bad! Here's my experience. Back when I first tried it, I made the mistake of taking the pill and waiting for it to hit me, so I had hallucinations. Learned my lesson from that, and would only take it when I was ready for bed. It has been wonderful for me. I sleep great on it. My only problem is that I've become dependent. I've had two doctors tell me not to worry about the dependency as long as I'm still getting decent sleep from it. I can always wean myself off.

BUT, there's another little side effect that hits me. I say and do things without remembering. Like, I've bought a ton of apps for my iPhone and a bunch of books for my Nook. I've been getting that under control by making sure I turn the lights out a few minutes after I take it.

 

[momof1princess]

OP, not to scare you, but as mushymushy mentioned, there can be strange side effects. my mom's boyfriend took it for several months, and, in that time, gained almost 40 pounds and couldn't figure out why. come to find out, while on the ambien, he'd been getting up in the middle of the night and raiding the fridge and cupboards, and had NO memory of it at all the next morning. (odd he didn't notice all the missing food, lol)

 

[HOGFAN]

Take it and go RIGHT to bed...I have made the mistake many times of taking it and not going to bed right away...I text people and dont remember, have conversations with family I dont remember...

 

[BonnieA]

I've taken it off and on for about 5 years. I've suffered no ill effects at all. They work the way they are meant to work.
After I had taken them for awhile, I weaned myself off them and now only use them occasionally.

 

[Hillbeans]

I use Ambien CR about 1 or 2x a month. It is amazing for me... I don't have any of the side effects some people complain about though.. I take it about 1 hour before the time I want to be asleep.

This!

I use it only 1 or 2 times a month, I don't want to use it every night, but the nights when DH is home from business travel and he is up and down and rolling around in the bed from jet lag, it really helps me fall asleep and stay asleep for a good 8 hours. I take it about 15-30 minutes before bedtime.

Edited to add that DH was on an Int'l flight a few weeks ago and a passenger took one and started walking around the cabin and fainted and banged his head really hard. Once you take them, definitely don't plan on being up and around for many hours.

 

[PSULion]

Love, love, love it! One thing I don't think any PP mentioned, the generic did not work for me AT ALL. Definitely something different about name brand and generic.

 

[Feralpeg]

I had bad reactions to it. I ended up with gastro issues and lost about 40 pounds over the six months that I took it. I took it about three times a week. Once I stopped taking it, my issues all went away.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

I also have horrible insomnia. I begged my dr.to prescribe me Ambien. I threw the whole bottle away after 3 nights. I had the worst nightmares of my life.
I stick with the OTC stuff. I have to take more than directed, but Ambien was horrible. Good luck. Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones with no side effects.

 

[Callie]

I had bad reactions to it. I ended up with gastro issues and lost about 40 pounds over the six months that I took it. I took it about three times a week. Once I stopped taking it, my issues all went away.

Hm I start to get loose bowels etc, is tat what you were going through?

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

It doesn't work for me and leaves me feeling hung over the next day.

 

[cassie]

I love Ambien, but I found it is wise to go straight to bed after taking it. It always put me to sleep within 15 minutes. One night after taking it, my brother in another state called, and he was talking nonstop about a trip he just returned from. He forgot I take Ambien, and hearing a tv in the background, and my not replying to a question of his, he became very concered. So concerned, he called the cops in my town to check up on me.

Of course I never heard the cops breaking into my condo, or my dog barking crazily. I woke up to find a few people in my bedroom, one checking my arm, and my faithful dog shut in the bathroom. A cop was asking me questions on what I had taken, then called my brother with a report I was okay, just a sleep med.

Being drugged, it was only 1.5 hours after taking the med, I didn't seem too concered with the broken front door at the time, or all the flashing lights on the vehicles out front. I only freaked out the next morning when I went down to the kitchen and saw the broken door. It all came back to me tho, the cops & emts in my bedroom. What an embarresment, I had just bought the condo a month before...wonder what the neighbors thought...

 

[Dolce27]

My doctor gave me a prescription for this the other day. I don't think my insomnia is bad enough to warrant a sleep aid though. It's a side effect from another drug I'm currently taking. At this time I have no plans to take it - I read to many of the side-effects stories.

 

[Pakey]

Love the stuff. I try very hard to not take it often. I sleep so good when I take it so it's tempting but I am careful to use it sparingly.

 

[livie1205]

I have the same thing and I love ambien! It works so well for me, I have none of the bad side effects.I would never sleep if I did not have it.It really has saved me.

 

[Disneylover79]

Thank you for all the words of wisdom..good and bad...I took it last night at 9:30 then went right to bed...I slept till 3 but then went back to sleep until 6 AM....hey that is better then going to bed at 10 and getting up at 3 AM....so so far it is working....we will see,....

 

[aprilgail2]

Love, love, love it! One thing I don't think any PP mentioned, the generic did not work for me AT ALL. Definitely something different about name brand and generic.

Really? my moms been taking it every single night for over 5 years now and once the generic one came out we switched her to that and it worked the same as the name brand for her. She can't take Ambien CR though it made her physically sick. My mom has never gotten up, walked around, sleep ate, had weird dreams or anything like that.

 

[JESW]

Just make sure that your dh knows that you are taking it and have him keep an eye on you. I just had my dh stop taking it as it made him act real strange and he forgot days - I had him stay home from work a couple of days because I was afraid to let him drive! While it was going on he assured me that he was ok but I knew that he wasn't. I tell him things he did while on it and he doesn't remember!

I hope that it works for you but please be careful!!!

Jill

 

[PSULion]

Really? my moms been taking it every single night for over 5 years now and once the generic one came out we switched her to that and it worked the same as the name brand for her. She can't take Ambien CR though it made her physically sick. My mom has never gotten up, walked around, sleep ate, had weird dreams or anything like that.

On the name brand I fell right to sleep, slept all night and woke up feeling great. Then they came out with the generic and that's what my insurance would cover. I took it and could not fall asleep, tossed and turned all night, and felt horrible in the morning. Hoping it was a fluke I tried a few more times, with the same results.

The next step would have been the CR (which I've never tried) but about that time I got pregnant and then had my son. I'm not comfortable taking it anymore, as I'd never forgive myself if my son had issues overnight and I couldn't make clear decisions.

It's very interesting how the same exact drug can affect people so differently.