Ambien Addiction PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY

Im not addicted to this drug but this drug has ruiened my life and I have several friend that have told me some pretty scarey stories about the drug.....I sleep drove and recieved a DUI and now I have to go to trial and I could have killed myself or someone else I do'n't remmeber this till I got arrested and then it took some time for me to come around.

I was addicted to Ambien for 5 years, taking 80 mg- 150 mg daily. For me, Ambien gave me energy, made me feel "alive" and eased my mood. I never blacked out or did anything I couldn't recall and according to my co workers, friends and family, I never behaved in an abnormal way. Only when I didn't take it would those around me question my mood or behavior. I quit cold turkey when I found out I was pregnant and haven't touched it since. I forced myself to be truthful with my Dr. which was hard but I can't take the chance of slipping while caring for my baby. I can honestly say that I don't miss it and haven't had any impulse to take it again. I'm curious if others share the same experience.

I have taken Ambien for over 10 yrs. Cannot fall asleep or nap without it, but it only keeps me asleep for a couple hours. Never feel rested. Feel like my memory is being wiped out. Can't stop taking it, dread the thought of not sleeping. Don't know what to do.

thank you thank you thank you

yes i am interested

I have been taking ambien for over 4 years. The gentle calm euphoria off of it has waned in past few years. I never did any of the sleep walking stuff. I knew it was a high and enjoyed it. The ambien Stopped working last summer and I stared having insomnia and anxiety attacks. ended up trying to od and after a two weeks clean got back on it. Just went through an intended withdrawal script in two days. Second day cold turkey. Scared to tell my doc but worried about long term cns damage. I rarely took more than 15mg per day - except for this last time when I went through 5mg 28 pills in two days. Had gone 4 days without it but was feeling awful so doc gave me the 28@5mg for a taper. How badly will I have withdrawals? When is your book being published?

You will have withdrawal for a few days and it will take 3-4 weeks for a normal sleep cycle. If your doctor will help you have him prescribe some Valium and take a small dose 3-4 times a day and a larger dose at night. This will prevent most of the ambien withdrawal. The ambien only has a 2 hour half life and after its gone you will withdraw all day until your nightly fix.

I am in a profession where no sleep can mean death to others. I am a 911 dispatcher. For 12 years I worked 12 hour shifts in darkest of nights just until dawn. I heard murders, rapes, stabbings, shootings and other violence over the phone. Death gurgles and the haunting child rattles signified the futility of my skills. The sounds haunted me. Sleep was extinct in my life. The doctor prescribed me Ambien. It was like a golden gate into slumber. No horrible dreams; just sleep. I was so, so wrong.

On Ambien I walked downtown in pajamas and fluffy pink slippers. Under it's influence I drove my car and didn't remember doing so. I just know when I woke up the side was damaged. I called my job on it. I left totally nonsensical messages on facebook.

I took up to 15 a day on my days off. I was haunted by what I dreamed and relived from my job. The Ambien made me forget. My sheriff called me in. He knew something was off.
How do you tell your only source of income that you are on prescription sleep meds to combat what your job does to you?
Don't get me wrong. I was an iron maiden at work. Solid. I could handle 400 calls a shift by myself and still smoke my paperwork every morning. I was the best. My guys counted on me. My officers requested me. All this until...I wasn't fine anymore.
The stigma of antidepressants and sleep meds in law enforcement is career suicide. Supervisors and agencies do not want an employee that has to take those meds carrying a weapon or giving instructions over the phone to save someone's life. After all...you are considered a liability while on it.
So how does someone live like this? You depend on the meds because the public depends on you. However, you can never tell anyone how you feel or what you are going through because you would almost certainly lose your job. For 15 years I have been conducting this perfect ballet of silence and suffering. To this day, the show goes on.

Follow up. Withdrawal sickness seems to be subsiding. Actually feeling more calm than I have in a number of months. Could the ambien been causing me daily panic feelings? Never full blown panic attacks - but constant feeling of nervousness and unease. Until of course my evening dose of ambien. Feel fatigued and bit off still - but mind feels sharper and less distressed. Anyone similar improvements?

I would be willing to be part of this. I too took insane amounts of this drug for years.

It was during the summer of 2015 we were having the worst heat wave in 40 years I popped an ambien pill but it was still very hot that night so I decided to sit in front of the swamp cooler then I started to black out next thing I know I'm talking in a British accent, laughing really hard with a panda express bag over my head shouting repeatedly "IT'S SO WINDY!

I have been taking ambien for 12 years, sometimes as much as 310mg. in a night. I have a hundred stories for you

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Started dating a guy who was a undercover hypnotherapist for the police department! He got me addicted to ambien purposely so I would be a deep hypnotic sleep state! He we performing illegal hypnosis on me! One night I woke up to him whispering "I love you!" Another night I woke up to him standing over me! Several other occasions I woke up to him to doing other things to me! This drug is the devil! Under this drug if a person is a trained hypnotherapist they can veto to your subconscious mind and make suggestions! My life was turned upside down!

Interested, had an addiction

KellyB: I was a lot like your wife. Up to 25-35 pills a day (10 mg each). It took 20 at least at night to knock me out after years of addiction. My kids want nothing more to do with me either. This is a very hard drug to stay off once you are clean, especially if you need it to sleep. It ruined my life and took 8 rehabs before I finally quit. My attitude each time I got clean was that now I was fixed and could go back onto controlled use for sleep. No such thing as controlled use. Ambien can be easy to quit - no withdrawal -- if you are at the 3-5 pills a night stage. At the 6-8 pill stage, or more, your withdrawal will be a b***h -- short -- 24-36 hours, but intense -- I always ended up crawling the walls. 30 day rehabs are just a detox - your wife needs a 90 day rehab if you can afford it. It takes at least 90 days off to give her a good chance of staying clean. It took a year for my sleep patterns to get back to "acceptable", they are never "good". It took about a year for my brain to get back to normal.You just have to want to finally get off. Good luck.