Reply #35: I take Ambien and have had bizarre experiences... [View All]

[LiberalHeart]

When I took the dosage originally prescribed is when I had trouble (going to bed, falling asleep, then getting up and acting out weird scenarios, and having zero memory of it afterward -- relying entirely on witnesses and obvious evidence to know what I had done). My dosage was reduced and I never had the trouble again. It took a while to track down what the cause was of my nocturnal "other life." I got hurt only once; otherwise the things I did were so far over the top, they were funny.

I know others who've had such things happen to them when on Ambien, too. One went driving. He was lucky that the police recognized that he wasn't drunk; that he had a problem caused by something else. They got him medical help.

My adverse reaction(s) happened several years ago. I take a low dose every night, and have for many years. I've never been addicted (needing ever-increasing strength for it to work). I could stop it without "withdrawal" but I wouldn't sleep. I've tried from time to time not taking it, and I do as I did before getting the Rx in the beginning: lie awake. That's debilitating to my health. But I do pay a price. I am certain that Ambien affects my memory. I mean everyday kind of memory, not the amnesia that comes when taking the higher dose. But given the alternative, it's a trade off I'm willing to make. Sleepless nights are very hard on a person.

When Kennedy said he has had a chronic condition/illness for years, I think he was talking about his bipolar disorder, which is often accompanied by addiction -- whether it be to drugs or alchohol, or gambling or spending money. It's also often found in people who have alcoholism in their bloodline. Of course, plenty of bipolars have no addiction problems. However, I've yet to meet one who didn't have problems falling asleep when in the "up" side of the condition. When "down" sleep comes easily for them.