Prescription Drug Abuse Support Group

i have the same problem i go thru 30 in less then a week i dont take them during the day just at night and i feel like shit in the morning,somtimes they work somtimes they dont i get kinda wacko on them asweel and say and do things i normally woudnt i guess its just a good escape but a crappy feeling,how many do u take a day,i dont know of a doc who gives more then 30 a month!!!

Ambien is one of the most addicting drugs.I had insomnia and started taking ambien. Then I started to abuse them. I used it as an escape and to get jacked up. This drug has the worst side effects. You do and say things you dont remember. You binge out on foods and has long term memory loss and can cause seizures. I have experienced seziures and let me tell you its the worst thing in the world. I was addicted for 4 years and it ruined my life. My mom had a sleep disorder as well and I ended up stealing the pills from her because I was so addicted. I was up to about 8 to 10 pills a day. This drug almost killed me. The problem is that when you take your first dose you feel like you want more so you take another one and another. After awhile you keep taking them forgetting you had the last five you took. To me you sound like your not ready to quit and you wont until you A. dedicate yourself to quitting or B. hit rock bottom. Please take my advice and stop now, its not worth it.

Oh goodness -- why on earth would a doctor prescribe these pills. I am addicted to the Ambien pills -- in the sense that if I don't take them I literally stay up all night long. I then fall asleep about 5:00 in the morning. I have also noticed that my memory is bad. I can't remember the simpliest things. I have to stop taking these pills right away.

Hey-
I was prescribed ambien for sleep and i ended up taking it to get high. I discovered that it was fun to take ambien and stay awake. Big problems with not remembering anything the next day and feeling drugged out all the time.

Ambien is in the benzodiazapine family. (Benzos = valium, xanax, kloapin, halcyon, etc..) They are usually prescribed as anti-anxiety or sleep medications and are highly addictive. They are considered hypnotic sedatives. If you are addicted to this kind of med-- don't try to go cold turkey. There is a high risk for seizures. You must taper off slowly over a course of weeks or months. I have been trying to get off of Klonapin for months. I'm tapering slowly.

You can find good info and links on the Benzodiazapine Addiction Group here on DS.

Alot of good advice here and I cant really add anything new. I just hope you listened.

God Bless and TC!

Hey vegnchick are you sure Ambien is a benzo?? Or in the same family?? Bc I take ambien sometimes but mainley I take Lunesta and My Doc DOESN'T ALLOW anyone He see's to take benzo's (I was on xanax for a couple of yrs and I tapered off and it took a while..well I kinda dragged it out) but he allows me to take Ambien/Lunesta. Believe Me coming off Xanax was one of the Hardest things i've had to do, forreal. Especially when I had to be done tapering in June08 and My Big Brother "Michael" Died in a Car Accident October 6th 2008 on Our Moms' Birthday. It took EVERYTHING in My power not to take them. But God helped me through it, still helping me through it. And YES I totally agree about the Ambien being SO Addictive. When My Doctor perscribed it, I had only heard about it on TV but now I here so many ppl say they love it. I took it the 1st time and ofcourse I felt the same, its especially Addictive if your having ANY kinda problems in your life bc its simply an escape (a short escape but an escape) My best advice would be to stop now while you still can but if ur like me and CANT sleep w/out I would really advise you to ask you Doctor for Lunesta (EVERYBODY says it leaves THE WORST possible taste in your mouth ever, some even stopped it bc of the bad taste) but with My personnal experience I haven't had any bad taste at all? So it must work differently on everyone, And no it doesnt make you feel as good as Ambien BUT like My Doctor said its WAY SAFER & NOT ADDICTIVE as Ambien, no where near. Well I hope you find the answers your looking for and you(any of you) can write me ANYTIME:) May GOD BLESS YOU ALL...

Hey Night Owl- My mistake! It works in the same part of the brain as a benzo! Read below.

Take Care-
Veg


From Wikipedia

Zolpidem is a prescription medication used for the short-term treatment of insomnia, as well as some brain disorders. It is a short-acting nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic that potentiates gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter, by binding to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptors at the same location as benzodiazepines.[1] It works quickly (usually within 15 minutes) and has a short half-life (2–3 hours). Trade names of zolpidem include Adormix, Ambien, Ambien CR, Edluar, Damixan, Hypnogen, Ivedal, Lioran, Myslee, Nytamel, Sanval, Stilnoct, Stilnox, Stilnox CR, Sucedal, Zoldem, Zolnod and Zolpihexal.[2][3][4][5]

Its hypnotic effects are similar to those of the benzodiazepine class of drugs, but it is molecularly distinct from the classical benzodiazepine molecule and is classified as an imidazopyridine. Flumazenil, a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, which is used for benzodiazepine overdose, can also reverse zolpidem's sedative/hypnotic and memory impairing effects.[6][7]

As an anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant, the beneficial effects start to emerge at 10 and 20 times the dose required for sedation, respectively.[8] For that reason, it has never been approved for either muscle relaxation or seizure prevention. Such drastically increased doses are more inclined to induce one or more negative side-effects, including hallucinations and/or amnesia.

Zolpidem is one of the most common benzodiazepine or benzodiazepine related sleeping medications prescribed in the Netherlands, with a total of 582,660 prescriptions dispenced in 2008. [1] The patent in the United States on zolpidem was held by the French pharmaceutical corporation Sanofi-Aventis.[9] On April 23, 2007 the U.S. FDA approved 13 generic versions of zolpidem tartrate. Zolpidem is available from several generic manufacturers in the UK, as a generic from Sandoz in South Africa, as well as from other manufacturers such as Ratiopharm (Germany).