lulu43

I am an on-again/off-again Ambien Addict. I have taken Ambien now, on/off for almost 5 years...and more ON than OFF.

First of all, for all of you who are unsure if it's addictive or not, it is VERY addictive. From someone who has never smoked a cigarette or taken any recreational drugs, this is my *joy* drug so-to-speak. It is a pill that I take that erases everything that went on that day for several hours in a row...making me zone out to the entire world.

It is a VERY scary drug. I read on some posts below that one other lady has done various acts and other things that she has absolutely no recollection of...me too. I took 15 mg before a flight last March and remember NONE of it. And, I changed planes in Cincinnati, and still have my boarding pass! How did I get home? I couldn't tell you. I even drove home from the airport...made a 45 min drive in 3 hours, got a full tank of gas, ate dinner, and remember NOTHING!!! I have had intercourse with my husband and wake up the next day and had no clue.

On the health side of things, I have noticed when I take it, my migraine headaches increase 10-fold, and I have bloody stools. I thought it was just coincidence or yet another ailment my body was facing separate from the Ambien; but, I have tested myself over the past year. All it takes, for me, is a straight week of taking the Ambien 10mg, and my IBS is flared up BIG TIME, I have headaches a LOT more frequently, I make stupid decisions at work, and generally I am not nearly as level-headed. As soon as I quit taking it (and I do just stop taking it cold turkey), within a week, all these symptoms subside.

So, be careful! I am now buying bath beads in Lavendar and Sleep Therapy and taking warm bathes before bed each night to induce sleep/relaxation. If you do this, just don't get your bath too hot; because elevated body temps prohibit sleep as well.

It has really taken me a lot of PRAYER, SELF-DISCIPLINE, and these bath beads to wean myself from this expensive, addictive drug. Good luck!

I look forward to hearing what side effects you are experiencing from this drug. Feel free to e-mail me if you have more questions, no matter how crazy they may seem, because I have 5 years of experience with this drug and lots of things I haven't mentioned in this post.

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Luanne

[This message has been edited by lulu43 (edited 10-22-2003).]

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Luanne