Ambien (zolpidem
tartrate) is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for insomnia in the
United States, despite the warnings of potential "abnormal thinking,
behavior changes, auditory & visual hallucinations, sleep-driving, amnesia,
& other neuropsychiatric symptoms" (Physician's Desk Reference, 2016).
I took it for several years, despite a laundry list of evidence that I did not
tolerate the drug well at all. The following are actual events that occurred
following my nightly dose of Ambien, &, compared to some horror stories, these are merely ridiculous & funny. All ended well. While on Ambien:
- I bought non-refundable vacation package (plane ticket, hotel stay, & bus tour to Chicago). I found out I did this after seeing an email confirmation sent around 12am from priceline.com the next day (I actually ended up going to Chicago. Had a BLAST!)
- I posted on FB that I often go several weeks without shaving my legs. Saw and deleted @ 6:30am the next day (I lived in CO, and it was winter, BTW).
- I wrote senators and representatives for the state of AK a long letter regarding nurse-patient ratios. I found out upon receiving letters of acknowledgement from their respective offices and when perusing my sent mail.
- I called a few people on a few occasions, sometimes having pretty lengthy conversations. Found out when reviewing my recent call log over the next few days. Called and confirmed that I did, in fact, speak w/these people.
Others weren't so fortunate:
- A 75 year old man called 911 reporting he was injured in a plane crash after taking Ambien. First responders were dispatched before it became apparent that the man was hallucinating the whole thing (ABC News, 2016). Ambien-Induced Hallucination Video
- In 2009, Julie Ann Bronson woke up in jail in here pajamas after taking Ambien the night before. She learned that she ran over 3 people while driving, including an 18 month old that incurred severe brain damage due to the accident (HuffPost, 2016). The Disturbing Side Effects of Ambien
The horror stories
could go on & on, but I think you probably get the point. I've moved on to
a sleep aid that works for me without those side effects. If you suffer from
insomnia & are taking/considering a sleep aid, now you are armed with the knowledge
that Ambien can be a dangerous drug, so you & your doc can decide together
whether it's right for you. Sleep tight!!!
