Ambien addiction symptoms

This is a very dangerous drug, my sister is suffering from an addiction. And although it's only started recently this is quite severe. I've been trying to find more information to see how to help her. Googling around I've found ***
do you know where I can read more info?

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Okay, so I'm eighteen and I live alone. I have been taking Ambien for four years, yes, four. I was concerned I was addicted, but after reading around I'm sure I'm not addicted to Ambien. I do have /severe/ insomnia however. I have literally tried every medication out there, including sleep meds, muscle relaxers, anti anxiety, anything I was prescribed. Unfortunately I have an extreme NATURAL tolerance to 90 percent of meds. I have also tried every non-medication approach to sleeping that I can think of, even going to sleep centers. I'm beginning to think that I have no choice but to take Ambien, and I'm very afraid of an addiction. BUT I can't stop taking it, as it's the only thing that has ever worked for me. I can't be without sleep, literally. I have seizures, and one of my triggers for a seizure is lack of sleep, and I will literally be awake for days at a time, followed by a horrible life-threatening seizure. So do I have a choice? I don't believe I'm addicted but if you think I am I'm all open to comments!! My questions are, do I sound addicted, and does anybody know /anything/ that could help me with my insomnia? It's hard to take myself out of my situation, so I need outside help. My doctors have literally run out of medications to give me. So is it Ambien.... or seizures and possibly death? Thank you for your help! If you want to contact me directly my e-mail is _[removed]_.

Also to add...I have stopped taking ambien before, for a year or so or a few months at a time, no problem, that was when I was off all medication and was not suffering from seizures. And I do not mix ambien with other prescription drugs (besides my anit-seizure) and I do not drink or do illegal drugs. Anyway, thank you for your help!

Hi,
You should take care of your wife if you want her to free from addiction.You are the only one who can make her free from this addiction.

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I would be willing to contribute to this as well. I have many things I could relate. If it would help anyone else avoid the pitfalls of this addicion, it would be worth it.

For what it's worth, I took Oxycodone for a few years...up to 6-8 day on the weekends. I think that trying to quit the Ambien is more difficult at least mentally. I had some Xanax to help ease off of the Oxy, but the Ambien is really insidious for me. I know the things it is doing to me, but I give in to it every night. And it's gotten up to 30Mg per night...too much.

60??? Are you sure? I thought I was going to die because I was taking about 15 at a time. Wow.



I haven't taken in three days and physically, I'm fine. As a matter of fact, I slept great last night. My problem is that I didn't go right to sleep. I'd stay up for hours, taking more and not even realizing it. I did this because I wanted to feel relaxed and I loved playing video games while taking it. Definitely, psychological. Now, I have to get over wondering when I can get refills and not being obsessed over getting more. As a matter of fact, one doctor prescribed hydroxyzine and I filled it and took it just so that in a few days, I could call back and say it wasn't working, hoping she'd prescribe Ambien instead.



I'm just surprised she never stopped breathing at that dosage. You have to get her help. I wish someone would do it for me, but everyone believes I can quit on my own and I'd never go to rehab on my own because the withdrawal symptoms aren't bad enough.

Hi I also experience the same like melinda... that is my wife is suffering from ambien addiction.The bad news is she is so fear and I can't control her.....

I experimented with all kinds of "party" drugs throughout my younger life - no addictions. Ambien is without a doubt, one of the strangest drugs ever. Yes, it does put you to sleep, but the dreams are vivid and crazy and if I didn't take it the 5 minutes before I got into bed, I rarely remember what I did, emails I sent, conversations with my husband.... a total blank. MY answer was Benadryl. It is essentially the same active ingredient that is in other over the counter night time medicines i.e. tylenol p.m. I took it for a week as it just knocks you out and I exercised more, as that will naturally make you tired... yes it makes you groggy in the morning but it gets you off of Ambien, at least for me.

My wife has been on Ambien for 9 years. She is addicted and will not admit it. It has ruined our marriage. We have been married 12 years and we filed for divorce today. I did not see this coming, however I now know that any conversations that we had after 8:30, pill time, are not remembered. She says the strangest things and is not the woman that I married. I fear that her being on this drug for so long has caused some very real phsyciatric problems for her. She is impossible after taking the pill, she is groggy in the morning, she is mean spirited during the day. I feel for her, I love her deeply, I cannot change her. Someday I hope that my children will understand, but this drug and its side effects are so strange and unpredictable and unknowable that even I sometimes think that I am the one with the problem.

I hate that scared feeling... iv'e developed quite the habit for opiates such as hydrocodone and oxycodone.. ive kept my tollerance pretty low but i just feel scared because i want to stop but ive been taking them for 2 years +

Another former Ambien addict here chiming in. And like many of the stories here, I too would say bizarre things, act in strange ways, have massive amnesia, fall down, be mean-spirted, violent, etc. while on this drug. Massive health problems started to occur too, incredible anxiety when I would "run out" and my dosage went to 4 to 8 times the prescribed amount on any given night. Of all the highly addictive medications on the market this is the ONLY one you see TV commercials for! Oxycontin, Xanax, etc etc. no commericals because they are known addictive substances. Ambien is insidious for this reason because I too went to rehab for it and MANY people communicated to me that they had problems with this medication, either solely, or in addition to other substances. And lastly, I destroyed a wonderful relationship and several jobs as a direct result of my abuse of this medication. Not everyone gets hooked but if you do the claws dig in deep.

You can break this cycle though, but like any addiction you have to dry the addict out first because they will -not- be rational when they are in the grip of the substance. Do not even try to engage them in logical dialogue otherwise, you are wasting your time.

I too am addicted to Ambien. I take anywhere to 2 to 3 and a half a night. I even get bored or stress and take them in the daytime. I hate and love this drug at the same time. It's bad. Love the advice here on these boards....Virginia guy here too.....

My Husband is addicted to Ambien for about 5 years now. We just recently had a baby and in the hospital all he did was take ambien and kept himself relaxed. I had a c-section, couldn't get up to hold my son and he was totally out of it. He recently went to detox and went to required meeting, but as soon as 30 days was up he was ordering them online again. It is so hard because I try to intercept packages, but he gets so angry and just orders more to someone else house. He has changed so much since I met him, major mood swings now, always tired, headaches, lost his job and just overall can't deal with life attitude. It's a bad drug to be addicted. I always wonder what made him start taking it, he says he just kept wanting more and he can't stop taking it...typical drug addict. I really can't stand him, dread everyday, I know I should make a change, just takes a lot of strength to be on your own when you have been a stay at home mom. I cross my fingers everyday, maybe it will be different. But probably never will be :-(

Hello,

Although I am not what I would say as an addict to Ambien, I do sort of have a problem with the drug. I used to smoke marijuana before bed which I felt was better to help me get to sleep as it was habitual and in a way mentally addicting, but I could quit it at any time and have done so due to a new job. The first two days without it were pretty rough going to bed, then things were ok. About 2 months after quitting I have developed severe insomnia, not even feeling tired until around 4am and then sleeping 10-12 hours, often feeling tired throughout the day.

My doctor prescribed me Ambien and told me not to take it more than a few nights in a row because I will not be able to sleep without it if I do take it too much. The label says take one every night before bed but usually I would take one every 2-3 nights (have only had it prescribed a couple weeks). I really dislike any kind of pill and even resent having to take my antidepressant (Celexa) but that one is needed. After reading around I got really worried about this drug, I do not like being on anything that can become physically addicting. I am strong willed and can quit anything that is just habitual, but if it comes down to never being able to sleep again that is a problem. My doctor warned me that if I took it too often my body would not be able to sleep again. When I do not take it I just do not feel as tired and do not seem to sleep as well. I do not blame the drug really, as this is just sort of how I was before ever being prescribed it. The past 2-3 nights (do not remember exactly) I have taken it around my normal bedtime (3-4am) and have also not been sleeping due to working earlier than I prefer at my job (getting 4-6 hours of sleep a night for a week and a half when I normally sleep much more). I worry without it I will not sleep at all, as every night I seem to fall asleep a little bit later...

My bedtime habit is to just meander on the internet and then watch some TV shows before going to bed, eventually finding my way into my bed with my laptop, I used to watch re-runs of familiar shows to sort of relax my brain instead of watching a new episode which I think would keep me "alert" ...but it already seems to be getting harder to sleep even with my normal habit. I felt my marijuana usage was more a mental thing to help me sleep, the habit of doing it, so I developed another habit as described above. And it worked very well but then I had to get up early a few nights and noticed I was tired during the day and needed to sleep more and earlier, but I just can not seem to muster up the... strength to go to bed before midnight. I have not and do not plan to exceed the prescribed 10mg dosage but regardless I want some opinions and some questions answered

How long can I safely take this drug? I was prescribed 30 on the 22nd and have 21 left so I have taken 9 in 2 weeks... I have one prescription to be filled 9/22 so 6 months from the original date...

More importantly, what are the REAL physical dangers? I read a lot about GABA receptors never being able to heal but from my understanding of the brain, that doesnt make sense as the brain will typically adjust to new chemical reactions, with a few exceptions where the brain will almost overcorrect such as meth addicts who did not eat a lot, quit the drug then eat a lot because their appetites return "in force" so to speak. I have never touched meth (just an example that came to mind of the brain healing itself after true drug addiciton) but I am just curious if the dangers of the brain's receptors never healing from ambien reign true or if I can take it a few times a week until my job stops testing me and I can smoke again? I should be able to smoke in 2 1/2 months and once I do will definitely not need a sleep aid but until then... it seems to get harder every night. Sometimes I get really tired around 8pm but get afraid if I go to bed so early, I will wake up at 2am or something and not be able to get back to bed, then by the time its midnight I am totally awake...



Sorry for such a long post especially from someone who does not take it as much as others do. I was just sort of curious about the drug I am taking but seem to be reading a lot of exaggerated dangers meant to scare people off the drug. I have trouble sleeping without it (but had trouble sleeping at all before ever taking it), and have tried melatonin and other OTC sleep aids but nothing knocks me out like this. I dont see the recreational value to it and have no intention of finding out but if there are severe dangers associated with using it every day for a week or so, I will be worried. If it changes my personality like others describe just by taking 10mg about 4 times a week for a couple months... with the chance of not being able to get off it... I will flush them right now. I see benefit in occasional use but its hard being up at 2am and knowing I could fall asleep then, or wait another 2-3 hours before passing out and getting a bad night's rest. I just do not want to lose my loved ones over an addiction to a stupid pill. I just need help sleeping, I dnot need a recreational, addicting, dangerous, life changing drug. Right now hearing all these stories of addicts is keeping me up... like I said I do NOT like pills

One thing I really can NOT seem to get clarified - Are people addicted to it as a sleep aid or as a recreational drug?. Like I said when I start smoking again I should be OK to be off this stuff but in the meantime I hear all these stories of people acting crazy and if thats what ambien will do to me with using it up to 5 times a week then I am going to flush them.

Please someone clarify. Thanks. Sorry again for the long post, I just hate pills but even more than that - I hate people who exaggerate the truth to get their point across. All over the internet I see people saying it will ruin my life if I take it but I am just using it to sleep... nothing more. I watch a 20 minute TV show, take it 5 minutes in, by the end I can turn my computer off, roll over, and go to bed.

To the last poster, I posted here before a while back talking about my Ambien addiction and subsequent recovery.

Let me address your worries more specifically. If you take it every night you -will- lose the ability to sleep normally without it. This is basically hard fact at this point in my life through my own experience as well as others I know who have taken it either abusively or just "normally" but on a nightly basis. Your body "forgets" how to sleep, if you will, so there is a relearning period. Generally, just like anything else the longer and more you take, the longer this relearning period.

I was a terrific abuser of this medication so my sleep did not normalize, quite honestly, for months after rehab. It also makes it -quite- difficult because you are use to such sound and deep sleep on it. The sleep I got afterwards was so poor that I was strongly fighting the urge to just pick up another script and start the cycle up again.

The second part you asked if it was a "sleeping" or "recreational" addiction. You can get either, or in my case, both. Recreationally, the drug is not useful for everyone. The numbers are somewhat scarce but I have been dealing with this issue in my life for years so I'm fairly well researched about this. A percentage of people which is small (<20% from what I have seen) get a euphoric effect from Ambien, not unlike what opiates would provide. In some people it is weakly euphoric, in others strongly euphoric. I fall into the 2nd class of people. So for me, I doubly addicted in that I could not sleep normally without it, and required ever increasing doses to sleep. And secondly, I got a pretty intense euphoria from it as well.

As for physical and lasting damage. There is physical damage in the short term if you abuse the medication, particularly to the brain but even to the body and organs. Long term damage I would know a little something about because I was a prolific abuser of this medication. Thankfully, in spite of taking anywhere from 3-6X the normal dose a night for -years-, my long term function has not been impaired. At the height of my addiction Summer of 2009, I was uncertain if I would ever recover my mental capacity again. My normal abuse turned into a full overdose fueled w/ alcohol as well. I took 45X the normal dose in 2 days and ended up having to be hospitalized and go to rehab. I could not form complete sentences the first week in rehab and I was so mentally impaired for a few weeks I was certain I would never recover. Of course, my case is very extreme but my point is that even with significant abuse over years I have effectively snapped back 100% almost a year later.

Personally, I would not get reliant on this medication because you simply will be unable to sleep without it. If you must use a sedative hypnotic, try Lunesta. It is far weaker, and I have never in my years of adventure through drug abuse interacting with many many addicts heard of a single person getting addicted to it. Yes, it does not work as well, but there is a price to pay for sleep that good.

For the woman w/ the addicted husband, tough love. I had to have a long term girlfriend leave me to even remotely start to get the message across. If he has no consequences, he will never pull himself off. It's draw is so powerful I can barely describe it, it took me years to finally kick with any length of clean time. You have to get real harsh or it will continue basically forever.