Ambien Amnesia

Pack99 · Post by **Pack99** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:20 am

I was prescribed (2) 10mg generic Ambien before sleeping last Thursday and "woke up" late Saturday night. Apparently I had gotten up and taken more Ambien while still asleep. I finally was "awake" and realized I had taken more than half a months supply in a couple of days. It scared the you know what out of me. I had eaten ice cream and some other stuff and don't remember any of it. I dumped the rest of the stuff down the toilet.
I saw my doctor on Monday and he said in some people ambien can cause "ambien amnesia". It really acared me so I had him take me off it and I am trying Lunesta now which seems to work. I am still in a little shock about it after I have read where people have gotten up and gone driving on it or ordered stuff on the internet. Wow!!!

Anyone else have a weird experience with Ambien?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 5:16 pm

2 10mg tablets is extreme in my opinion. I have been on ambien over two years and only break a 10 mg tablet into pieces. I am now on about 2.5mg. and have never taken a whole 10 mg tablet. Are you sure that was the dose?
What dose does anyone else take? Please.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 6:09 pm

I was sure 20 mg of Ambien was too much and looked it up. The following was under the Ambien webpage.

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
The dose of Ambien should be individualized.

Dosage in adults
The recommended dose for adults is 10 mg once daily immediately before bedtime. The total Ambien dose should not exceed 10 mg per day.

Special populations
Elderly or debilitated patients may be especially sensitive to the effects of zolpidem tartrate. Patients with hepatic insufficiency do not clear the drug as rapidly as normal subjects. The recommended dose of Ambien in both of these patient populations is 5 mg once daily immediately before bedtime [see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS].

Use with CNS depressants
Dosage adjustment may be necessary when Ambien is combined with other CNS depressant drugs because of the potentially additive effects [see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS].

Administration
The effect of Ambien may be slowed by ingestion with or immediately after a meal

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 4:14 am

Thanks for your responses. 20mg is prescribed for people with bad insomnia. The idea was to take one before I went to sleep and, if needed, take another one if I woke up in the night. I guess this is where the problem started for me. Taking medication when I wasn't really awake. I now keep my Lunesta at work and take one home each night so I don't take the chance of taking medication while I am asleep. My goal is to get off meds for sleeping. I am still a little freaked out by the ambien experience. Lesson learned I guess.

I am starting meditation and yoga which I know will help with insomnia.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:37 am

Thats good, glad you are taking steps to avoid another bad experience. You must have been so upset that you were knocked out for so long and found out about your amnesia.

I hate having to take sleep meds but have depended on them most of my life. I was able to cut back to 2.5 ambien this week and will once again try getting off.

I hope Lunesta works great for you and your insomnia gets better.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 7:20 am

My psychopharmacologist prescribes Seroquel for me to sleep; this medication slows my brain down so I can enter a sleep phase. I take it the same time every night and my dose takes about 8 to 9 hours to completely cycle. Seroquel also helps with anxiety; when I take Ambien I take 10 mg. or 5 mg. after I am in bed. 20 mgs of Ambien is a high dose but if you had not been sleeping for awhile, your body may have been so grateful to be able to sleep that it entered into an extended period of rest. This is not medical advice, but my history with Ambien.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:38 am

I get very Anxious before going to sleep I take ambien but I cannot fall asleep!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 2:52 am

Paula C- I have been considering taking seroquel for sleep because I heard it really works. Is there any side effects you experience?

Originally posted by Paula C.:
My psychopharmacologist prescribes Seroquel for me to sleep; this medication slows my brain down so I can enter a sleep phase. I take it the same time every night and my dose takes about 8 to 9 hours to completely cycle. Seroquel also helps with anxiety; when I take Ambien I take 10 mg. or 5 mg. after I am in bed. 20 mgs of Ambien is a high dose but if you had not been sleeping for awhile, your body may have been so grateful to be able to sleep that it entered into an extended period of rest. This is not medical advice, but my history with Ambien.