Careful Mixing Ambien - Amnesia - Sleep Disorders Message Board

MidlineNotFine · 12-26-2007, 07:09 PM

I have been taking Ambien for about 2 years and Lunesta before that for pretty severe insomnia. Over the last 3 months I started taking Lexapro nightly as well for another condition ... and yes ... I will have one to three beers with dinner, etc. Over the last 3 months I have had at least 6 episodes of sleep amnesia where I can be doing things for up to 6 hours w/o any memory. Worse, these episodes tend to include rash behavior as inhibitions apparently just go by the wayside. This is even if I take the Ambien and go straight to bed. I have gotten out of bed, turned on my computer and written dozens of emails I don't remember. This did not happen to me before the last three months.

So - just a warning to all b/c I have had a few other family members and friends have this problem occasionally as well even though it's listed as a rare side effect in the literature. So please, take care and report any instances to you doctor so more can be understood about this since it is scary, potentially embarrassing and potentially dangerous (like if you were to hop in your car).

As always, good luck to everyone in getting their Zzzzzz's!!!

peacefrog · 12-26-2007, 09:47 PM

This happens to me also if I take a whole Ambien. Its scary. I now break them in half and they seem to work without the amnesia. They certainly should stress this side effect more.

elgroucho · 01-02-2008, 07:38 PM

I have just spent hours online looking at various message boards, and I am amazed at what I have read.

I had a prescription filled for Ambien CR; I'd been taking Lunesta for a while but couldn't take the side effects (mainly a metallic taste in my mouth in the A.M., yuck)

I had been experiencing several of the same things others have said; bizzare behavior with absolutely no memory of what I had done, said, etc.

As I continued to take the medicine nightly, I would apparently take one pill, go lie down and read, get back up, take another pill, and then do a wide variety of things:cooking various foods,open multiple beverages at once and leave them about the house, stagger around the house, argue with family, even fall and hurt myself and get violent and break things.

I didn't remember any of it.

It finally culminated in an auto accident, which I very vaguely remember, and, fortunately, no one was hurt or killed, except the bumper of my truck, which looks pretty bad. Then a huge blow out at home because no one could figure out why I was acting so bizzare.

I flushed those puppies. I will never take those again. I'd rather not sleep than ruin my life.

Please be careful, folks.

aleet7 · 01-04-2008, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elgroucho

I have just spent hours online looking at various message boards, and I am amazed at what I have read.

I had a prescription filled for Ambien CR; I'd been taking Lunesta for a while but couldn't take the side effects (mainly a metallic taste in my mouth in the A.M., yuck)

I had been experiencing several of the same things others have said; bizzare behavior with absolutely no memory of what I had done, said, etc.

As I continued to take the medicine nightly, I would apparently take one pill, go lie down and read, get back up, take another pill, and then do a wide variety of things:cooking various foods,open multiple beverages at once and leave them about the house, stagger around the house, argue with family, even fall and hurt myself and get violent and break things.

I didn't remember any of it.

It finally culminated in an auto accident, which I very vaguely remember, and, fortunately, no one was hurt or killed, except the bumper of my truck, which looks pretty bad. Then a huge blow out at home because no one could figure out why I was acting so bizzare.

I flushed those puppies. I will never take those again. I'd rather not sleep than ruin my life.

Please be careful, folks.

I was afraid that something like an accident could end up happening! I'm so glad that no one got hurt! The day that I stopped taking them was a day that I drove my kids to school and never remembered doing it! I came home and got in the bed! I didn't realize that I had cooked breakfast, made lunches and drove two kids to school without being aware of it! I had absolutely no recollection of doing any of it. I only took one pill but I took it too late around 2 a.m. because I couldn't sleep! My husband also told me that I would make love to him without knowing what I was doing! That wasn't nearly as bad as driving and not knowing that I was driving! We must use caution when taking hypnotics!!!!!