Ambien Addiction - The Addiction That Began While Sleeping
It usually starts out as someone just wanting to get a good night’s sleep. Innocently enough, they start out trying warm milk or tea before heading to bed. Nothing works. So, they’re left with a choice: continue not getting rest, which can affect daily activities, or taking a pill that guarantees a night of quiet comfort and bliss. Yes, they go for the pill. The drug in question here is none other than Ambien.
Ambien or Zolpidem is a drug that can be obtained without prescription and is to be used at most, for two weeks, though a few days is recommended by doctors. The effects of the drug are immediate, putting one to sleep in approximately 15 minutes. So, what is considered abuse? Usually, using more than the recommended dose (over 10 mg), for a few weeks builds up the user’s tolerance, causing one to need to use more in order to get the same outcome. Like most drugs, when mixed with other substances, like alcohol, there is an intensified effect. When ambien abuse occurs, people may take it orally, crush and snort it, or cook it for an intravenous injection.
How do you get high off of something that supposed to put you to sleep?
The Ambien brand specifically has become very popular among recreational drug users. Users often report that they get high by fighting the effects of the drug. This is done by not allowing the body to sleep which can cause visual effects and an overall high. For some people though, resisting the sedative effects helps them to feel the side-effect of euphoria more than sedation. Some people report decreased anxiety as well as perceptual changes, auditory/visual distortions and even hallucinations.
The company that produced Ambien, has put a protective covering on the drug which is supposed to prevent the possibility of snorting, however, to a serious drug user this is not an obstacle.
What are the side-effects of Ambien?
Regardless of what dosage one is taking of the drug, there are possible side-effects. Some of them include the following:
- Hallucinations, through all physical senses, of varying intensity
- Delusions- A false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence, especially as a symptom of mental illness
- Euphoria and/or Dysphoria (the opposite of euphoria)
- Impaired judgment and reasoning
- Uninhibited extroversion in social or interpersonal settings
- Increased impulsivity
- When stopped rebound insomnia may occur
- Ataxia or poor motor coordination, difficulty maintaining balance
- Decreased libido
- Increased appetite
- Anterograde amnesia- loss of memory for events immediately following a trauma; sometimes in effect for events during and for a long time following the trauma
Some people take this drug for the side-effects; however, it may be less common than use of benzodiazepine (Any of a group of chemical compounds with a common molecular structure and similar pharmacological effects, used as antianxiety agents, muscle relaxants, sedatives, hypnotics, and sometimes as anticonvulsants). Because of the cost associated with the drug, use of it may be lower in the United States than in other parts of the world where there are generic brands available. No studies have been conducted as of yet to tell whether cost and availability of the drug is correlated with increased abuse.
Like any drug, if taken for extended periods of time, Ambien dependence can occur. Under the influence of Ambien, it is common for people to take more than is actually necessary because they have forgotten prior usage. In this particular, the elderly population is at particular risk. There is of course, also the percentage of the population that takes more than the necessary dose. It is recommended that users, who have a tendency for abuse, give additional tablets to a friend for safe keeping. Another suggestion is placing the medication in a cupboard locked with a combination lock since the side-effects listed above may prevent an individual from operating such a lock while under the drugs influence.
It is possible that before a user becomes fully acclimated to these effects, their symptoms may be strong enough to be labeled as a drug induced psychosis. Incidentally it is possible that antipsychotics, like Seroquel, may be prescribed in order to combat side effects and to aid in sleep. However, due to the hypnotic effects of both of these medications, it is probably better to combine Ambien with an anti-depressant which also has sedative effects. This is more likely to cancel out the side-effects of either drug, producing the desired result – relief from insomnia.
Users have reported sleepwalking and in some cases binge eating, driving, sleep talking, and performing other daily tasks have been reported during sleep. The user can sometimes perform these tasks as though they were fully awake. Conversations may be carried on and users may be able to respond as though they were fully awake. This is similar to the average sleep talker, the difference being that sleep talking is usually incoherent and has no relevance to the current situation. In the case of an Ambien user, speech can sound similar to that of an individual suffering from schizophrenia. A common symptom of schizophrenia is word salad, which is a jumble of incoherent speech.
An individual under the influence of Ambien may seem totally in control which can bring about concerns of their safety of the sleepwalker and others. Driving while under the drug's influence is generally considered several orders of magnitude more dangerous than the average drunk driver, due to the diminished motor controls and delusions that may affect the user. For all these reasons, proper treatment of Ambien abuse is necessary. Ambien abuse should be treated like any other type of substance abuse. The proper counseling needs to be obtained in order to stop a problem from becoming life threatening.
Rachel Hayon, BSN, MPH
Works Cited
- Ambien.com (2004). AMBIEN® Prescribing Information. Information About a Short-term Treatment for Insomnia - Ambien.com Home Page for Health-care Professionals. Sanofi-Synthelabo Inc. New York, NY 10016. Retrieved on 2007-06-9.
- Depoortere H., Zivkovic B., Lloyd K.G., Sanger D.J., Perrault G., Langer S.Z., Bartholini G. (1986). Zolpidem, a novel nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic. I. Neuropharmacological and behavioral effects. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 237:649-58.
- Kang, Peter. "Ambien Patent Extension Seen Positive For Pfizer, Neurocrine", Forbes.com, 2006-04-10. Retrieved on 2007-9-06
- S. Afr. Med. J. (January 2000). Extraordinary arousal from semi-comatose state on zolpidem. A case report. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Retrieved on
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I've taken this medication three different nights now and honestly, I haven't slept this deeply in ages! However... from the time I take the medication to the time I get to sleep - I have no memories of this time period the next day. Also, if I am sleeping and someone wakes me up after I've taken the ambien, I won't remember anything the next day from being awake at the time. Really upsetting to my boyfriend the next day...
hi i take about 100mg of ambien a night and now i am suddenly stopping use of it. What is gonna happen?
I'm now in effects of this drug , its very OK ! i love it .. I'm being addicted lol ! but i don want to die with it !!! I'm now in air !
I have been taking ambien for over 7 years now on and off. I have come to the point where I have built up a tolerance for it. Last week I got my Rx refilled, and that night took 3 pills initially, like I usually do, and in the past I have had a tendency to take a couple more after the effects have kicked in. So about 5 or 6 total. I always woke up the next day feeling refreshed and like I got a good nights sleep, even though I don't remember anything, or only remember short mental images for the time the ambien kicked in. However last week after I got the refill, and took my 3 pills, the next day when I woke up I noticed that I only had 1 pill left. I thought I may have spilled them on the floor, but found nothing! I searched frantically, and didn't find any, not to mention I made a huge mess of my house knocking things over. I can't believe I took 29 pills in one night. I'm surprised I'm not in a coma or dead. I didn't mean to take that many, and I don't remember taking them. I live alone so I know no one took them from me. I am addicted to ambien!. I know that's bad. I just wanted to share this and see if anyone has the same problem. When I woke up the next day, I was a bit drowsy but other than that felt normal. I was upset because now it meant another full month till my next refill. I;m not happy and am disappointed in myself.
Well I haven't taken 29 in one night (that I know of, lol) but I'm up to 3, and then another one or two after that when I'm intoxicated with it so I'm in the same boat as you. I even drink 5 beers nightly and then take 3 ambien and a klonopin to get to sleep. I feel awesome the next morning, but don't remember sh$% from the night before. No depression side effects or health problems. Been doing this for like 4 years now. Same thing every night. What are we supposed to do?
I do the same thing , email people and don't remember anything I take many of these pills and was asleep when
I did it.. I fear I am going to overdose while asleep...
How do you get off of this shit........
I'm right there with ya i need help also 3 pills and 3 beers i cant live like this any more ,,,,what is the answer
I take ambien occasionally to help me get a full night sleep. In the morning I wake up with so much energy it is unbelievable.I sleep 7 full hours and wake up without feeling any side affects but full energy.
I have read so many things and do not know what to believe. I have post traumatic stress disorder and have taken sleep aides from the health food store which left me with Vertigo and not feeling well. I have not had any of the usual side effects with Ambien and it leaves me refreshed however I do have one weird side effect and I was not sure at first if it was the Ambien. But it is. I am usually a person who is cold and likes the heat. But I have gotten heat sick several times and living in NYC where there is no air and we are constantly having heat waves it has made me sensitive to heat. I am super sensitive and usually if there is a side effect to be had I get it but really I have not had anything except the heat exhaustion. I mean sweating, etc.
I feel for every one of you. My brother was dressing and going to work in the middle of the night, drove his car and parked it somewhere, lost his glasses, wallet and cell phone; and lastly, flooded his apt., . An ambulance was called as he was passed out cold when he flooded the apt. Spent a week in the hosp. and then was transferred to a psychiatric facility for 3 weeks before being transferred to a healthcare facility. Diagnosed as Dimension and psychological problems. Has to be under constant care and cannot live on his own anymore!!! When I spoke to him last night he was having a fit because they wouldn't give him Ambien to sleep. He has become very, very hostile about it. When he's in his right mind, he will tell you that he takes about 10 a week because that is this only medicine that will work. His long term memory is still good, but his short term is gone. He also talks off the wall about things that are very real to him, but we know that he is saying is not true. Please, please, please see or talk to your doctor about an alternative before it is too late.
i have been taking Ambien 10mg for about a year now. i love it i take it every night. I often text friends at night and fall asleep and not remember what i was talking to them until i go back and read all the messages, i live alone and this is a great pill my doctor gives me 90 day supply so i have only to see my doctor a few times a year,
Hey Paul i have taken Seroquel for sleep but quickly seems like I am immune.. can you tell me a little more about Ambiem.
Nighthawk,
I found the following two sites very informative when it comes to Ambien use, abuse and addiction. Hope you find these two sites helpful as I know you will find the information you are looking for.
Ambien Abuse and Ambien Addiction
hey guys... question about Ambien, I was an opiate addict for a long time so seems like I still need more of any cns or benzo to feel any relief. Just got 10mg Ambien script from doc, ate 2 whats a good dose to make everything cool...? Thanx dearly