Ambien: I just heard this morning on CNN that some people

[clydefrand]

who take this drug to help them sleep are known to sleep walk. They were talking specifically about a couple of people who get up in their sleep and eat and the next day, they remember nothing about it.

After hearing this afternoon that P. Kennedy was taking this drug, too, I wonder if that had been reported before or is this just a coincidence that the former story would run this morning.

Did anyone else hear this?

[shireen]

1. Ambien sucks!

It made me do strange things ....
- wandering around my apartment aimlessly
- doing the dishes
- cooking a meal
All this in my sleep! And that's just the stuff I remember.

Doing ordinary things can be dangerous when you're doing it in your *sleep*!!! And no, I don't have a history of sleep-walking. Good thing I stopped using it before getting into the car to go for a ride....

This drug is dangerous to some people, and Ambien needs to be more forthcoming about it!

[liberal N proud]

2. I did hear this morning that Kennedy was on Ambien

But the reporter also added his own commentary as usual that he wondered if that was just a convenient excuse.

They are going to make a big deal out of a Kennedy who's first offense gets mega exposure while Oxycotten boy with multiple offense gets off with a little fine.

librul media bias... My ASS!

[Eurobabe]

3. Yes, this was on the news weeks ago

[Frustratedlady]

4. There was a special on CNN a month or so ago

about people on some prescription drug who would get up and eat but not realize it. They were trying to figure out why they were gaining so much weight. I don't recall the name of the drug, however. Could it be Ambien? Really strange report.

[SmokingJacket]

8. It was.... nt

[VolcanoJen]

5. I saw that. It was kind of creepy.

They showed a woman who would wake up in the middle of the night and start cooking elaborate meals. She would cook eggs, and she said she hated eggs. She would have no recollection the next morning of cooking the meals; she'd just wake up with a full stomach and a kitchen full of dishes.

Her son became concerned when he came over late at night and found his mother "sleep-cooking."

That Ambien stuff seems like bad news.

[tammywammy]

6. I've heard a few reports like that

in the last few weeks. A local news channel convered a local lady that took Ambien, went driving, was pulled over for DWI, went to jail. She woke up in jail wondering where she was. It was strange.

To anyone taking it, they need to be careful. Also don't use the Ambien if they've been drinking.

[jedicord]

7. An acquaintance of mine suffocated in her sleep a few weeks ago.

I posted about it this morning. She took Ambien to help her sleep (she had Lupus). One night she washed her hair before bed and wore a shower cap to bed. She'd moved around so much the cap moved down over her face. Really freaky.

[helderheid]

9. I've heard some sleep drive on it.

[sickinohio]

10. This concerns me.

My Mother passed away a couple of weeks ago. I'm having lots of sleepless nights. I'm worried about my Dad (they were married 58 years), I miss my Mother terribly, and am just plain worried about everything now. Anyway, I went to the doctor yesterday and she prescribed Ambien for me. I took one last night. I'm sure I didn't sleep walk or anything like that. As a matter of fact, it was past midnight before I finally fell asleep, and I still woke up at 2AM and 3:30AM and then up at 5:30 for work. I guess now I'm going to be worried about taking the Ambien along with everything else that I lay awake thinking about!!

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sickinohio]

18. Thanks.

For the advice and your concern. I really am afraid of taking Ambien now, so I guess the Ambien is out for me. I only took the one last night and still lay awake, so I guess there's absolutely no use in taking any chances with it. I'll be fine. I know that. I am lucky in many ways. I have a husband that is very caring, understanding, and is doing his best to help me, along with 3 wonderful children, 6 beautiful grandchildren that I love dearly, and 3 brothers that really are the best. We have a very close-knit family, and I suppose that we owe all of that to my Mother and my Dad for being two of the best parents anyone could have asked for. We didn't have many material things, but they sure made up for that in other ways. I know that I just have to work through this, and I will, without the Ambien.

I know I'll never stop missing my Mother. There is one thing that keeps going through my mind. My Mother's birthday was March 12th. I went to my parents that day, and my Mother said to me "I've been missing my Mom allot lately". She said "I guess you never stop missing your Mom, no matter how long she's gone". Weird, huh?

Again, thanks for the concern and the hug!! LOL

[Frustratedlady]

22. My deepest sympathy to you and your father.

In being the caregiver during the loss of my mother-in-law, my mother and father, as well as my husband, I found that each of them had "discussions" with their long-gone relatives shortly before their deaths. My MIL even "talked" with my grandmother, who she had met one time many years before and had no reason to even remember her. My husband spoke of everyone floating and sailing and was at peace. This may have explained your mother's comment.

Everyone grieves in their own way...some quickly and some take a long, long time. One thing that really helped me when my mother died (we were very close, too) was when a friend suggested I think of her just beyond the lace curtain...rocking in a chair on the porch. She isn't far away. Believe me.

Bless you for your sensitivity and caring. I'm sure your mother appreciates how much you miss her, but I'll bet she would be sad to see how much hurt you are having with her passing. My heart goes out to you.

[tammywammy]

16. 2 things that help me when I can't sleep

are Sleepytime tea, seriously it helps you relax and get sleepy.

And Melatonin. You cna find melatonin in the vitamin section at the grocery store. The ones I buy are 3mg and I break it in half and take half at a time. That really helps me get to sleep. It's non-addictive too.

Just a couple of suggestions. I know how hard it is to lose someone close to you and how it is when you can't sleep.

My best wishes to you.

[sickinohio]

19. I will try that.

Thanks allot. I'll ditch the Ambien for sure!!

[texastoast]

17. Try some melatonin

Works for me. Used to wake up on the dot at 1:30 and not fall asleep until about 5:00. Now that happens about once a year.

[politicat]

25. It's not a common reaction...

Not everyone who takes Ambien will become the sleepwalking fiend of their neighborhood. It's about 7%, and most of them have a history of sleepwalking. It gets reported because it's unusual, not because it happens all the time.

However, if it doesn't help you sleep, it's not the right drug for you. That's how I feel about Lunesta - it does nothing for me, and yet I feel draggy and nasty in the mornings. But I sleep soundly and fully on Ambien - something I haven't done very often at all in my life. (I have been an insomniac since early childhood.)

Everyone's different, and everybody's chemistry is a little different. What works for me may not work for you. If it's not working for you, ask for another drug.

I'm sorry about your loss, and it does get better... eventually. But grief takes time, and it's normal to grieve. Insomnia is a fairly normal part of grieving, and it's okay to treat that symptom, just like it's okay to use eyedrops if your eyes get red and dry. However, grief and anxiety don't go together, and the latter may need treatment. Please find a competent grief counselor (most Hospices have references, so even if your mother wasn't in Hospice, you can call a local one and ask for a reference) and talk to your doctor about finding something that works for you. Sleeplessness, fatigue and anxiety on top of grief will just run you down and make it harder for your body and mind to heal. If your body needs the assistance in shutting down your mind at night so that your body can get enough rest, then don't feel bad about needing that assistance. Our minds sometimes don't know when to shut up, and especially in a grief situation, spend a lot of time spinning their internal wheels to no effect.

Best wishes, and I hope you feel better soon.

[PSPS]

11. Yes. People do "sleepdrive"

My friend began taking Ambien. She lives alone with a cat. She doesn't drink at all, and keeps no alcohol in the house. She would occasionally take one ambien at night. For a while, everything was fine. But after a few weeks, she began waking up to find things moved around. On several occasions, she found half-eaten takeout food in her kitchen that she had no recollection of getting or eating.

Then one day, she found more takeout food on the table. She looked out her window and her car wasn't there. She thought it had been stolen. She later discovered that she had been out driving in her sleep. She was returning home from a takeout place and ran into a curb, disabling her car. The police came and she apparently had a normal conversation with them (she talked to the cop who happened on her accident.) The cop gave her a ride home (with the takeout food) and the car was towed away.

She had absolutely no memory of any of this happening!

She discontinued taking Ambien and hasn't had any trouble since.

[kurth]

12. This is one dangerous drug that should be taken off the market

http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=19908&name=AMBIEN

[roguevalley]

14. my dad does. He also runs around the house acting like an idiot,

taking things apart and he doesn't remember a thing in the morning. very terrible drug.

[jellybeancurse]

15. I used to take Ambien

I would get into bed and go to sleep. Then I would get up, change, go out and party, come home and get back into bed. I'd wake up the next morning EXHAUSTED never knowing I had gone out.

That stuff is scary.

[Sgent]

20. There are so many better drugs

Phenergan (the other drug that Kennedy took) is often used as a sleeping aid for short term use. Its also REALLY cheap (like $0.01/pill).

*Sonata is descent -- espcially for inter-continintal jet lag.

Deseryl is good for many people (also very, very cheap).

Seraquel in very, very low doses is excellent for people that have problems with their mind racing.

Remaron is another anti-depressent which induces sleep in a lot of people.

Benydral (the antihistamine only, not the decongestant) works for a lot of people.

Melatonin is a good first line treatment, although its efficacy in some people will be minimal.

One of the most effective treatments (and definately the safest) for long term problems is counseling in sleep hygene, probably combined with a sleep study. Of course no insurance company will pay for it...

Plus a whole host of other drugs. Personally, I would start with phenergan or deseryl to see if they work for you -- they have both been around for decades and have well known side effect profiles.

*Sonata & Ambien both have a slight addiction risk (will need them to sleep in the future). I just don't see

[shireen]

27. Remeron is the drug from hell.

> Remaron is another anti-depressent which induces sleep in a lot of people.

I took half a tablet, and spent TWO days drifting in and out of sleep on my recliner. But it works fine for others.

I guess the most important thing to keep in mind with these drugs/dosages is that everyone has different body chemistry, and react differently. More often than not, trial-and-error is the only way to know if a drug works for you. I've learned the hard way to strike Ambien and Remeron off my list, permanently!

[MazeRat7]

21. Better living through chemisty... what ever happened to natural ?

people taking drugs to sleep and then being "surprised" when strange shit happens... :wtf:

What did they think would happen... blissful dreams of never-never land...

*gezzzzz

MZr7

[robcon]

23. Rep. Kennedy admits it was painkillers...

not Ambien or Phenargan. He'as suffering from Limbaugh disease.

[kurth]

24. And whatever happened to a nice brisk walk, or a nice romp in bed?

Another natural way to reset the sleep cycle.

[politicat]

26. You know, I'm happy for the chemistry.

Without it, I probably would have killed myself last January. I'm a chronic insomniac to begin with, and some major stressors in our life made it virtually impossible for me to sleep or do much of anything productive. I basically spent six weeks walking on my treadmill, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer or having anxiety attacks and being unable to sleep at all. Believe me, you do not want to ever know what three weeks with only ten or fifteen minutes of sleep a night is like.

Sleep hygiene and sleep studies did nothing for me, ever. (I had my first sleep study at 7, and I have had either a separate room or my room divided into wake and sleep areas since I was 11.) Without a fairly heavy cocktail of two anti-depressants, Ambien, and Xanax for that first month and a half, I would have required at least residential treatment, if not an undertaker.

Yeah, it sucks having to use drugs to do what should come naturally. But I don't complain about aspirin when I hurt, or birth control when I don't want a kid, or sleep meds when my brain goes off its rails. It's better than opium or any of the other drugs people have been using for a couple of thousand years.