Megherc

These doctors, really....

I am copy/pasting a portion of the PDF by Searle, the company who makes Ambien, that is available on the internet.. to use a very old phrase, this is called getting it from the horse's own mouth, I believe......

Tolerance: When sleep medicines are used every night
for more than a few weeks, they may lose their effectivenessto help you sleep. This is known as “tolerance.’’Sleep medicines should, in most cases, be used
only for short periods of time, such as 1 or 2 days and
generally no longer than 1 or 2 weeks. If your sleep
problems continue, consult your doctor, who will determine
whether other measures are needed to overcomeyour sleep problems.

Dependence: Sleep medicines can cause dependence,
especially when these medicines are used regularly for
longer than a few weeks or at high doses. Some people
develop a need to continue taking their medicines. This is known as dependence or “addiction.” When people develop dependence, they may have difficulty stopping the sleep medicine. If the medicine is suddenly stopped, the body is not able to function normally and unpleasant symptoms (see Withdrawal) may occur. They may find they have to keep taking the medicine either at the prescribed dose or at increasing doses just to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
All people taking sleep medicines have some risk of
becoming dependent on the medicine. However, people
who have been dependent on alcohol or other drugs in
the past may have a higher chance of becoming addicted
to sleep medicines. This possibility must be considered before using these medicines for more than a few weeks.
If you have been addicted to alcohol or drugs in the
past, it is important to tell your doctor before starting Ambien or any sleep medicine.

Withdrawal: Withdrawal symptoms may occur when
sleep medicines are stopped suddenly after being used
daily for a long time. In some cases, these symptoms can occur even if the medicine has been used for only a week or two.

God, I love the internet......