Snooze alarm: The pill that drove us to sleep

The Washington Post ^ | May 6, 2006 | Hank Stuever

[libstripper]

WASHINGTON - Zolpidem tartrate, the sedative-hypnotic better known to wide-awake, stressed-out sheet kickers as Ambien, is an efficacious little helper if you ever thought you might go crazy from not sleeping. It's "Goodnight Moon" for grown-ups. You should take it only with some Charlie Rose. Now it's also become the new explanation for that which goes bump in the night: I took an Ambien, Americans are saying, and then I don't know exactly what happened.

[kitkat]

***As the pattern emerges, it is obvious that Ambien is as dangerous as a firearm. Ambien forces you to take it against your will, and then forces you to drive or operate a motor vehicle. Just like a gun is self-loading, self-aiming, and self-firing.***

You forgot to mention that Ambien makes your breath and clothes smell like alcohol and makes waitresses imagine that they saw you in a bar within hours of the accident. Patches needs a keeper! Or better cover stories.

[altura]

I love the stories about the Ambien taking eaters.

They gain weight. They don't know why.

There are a few clues. Peanut butter on the sheets. Fridge door left open. Mass quantities of food remains on kitchen counter and table.

But at least they aren't driving.

[Kaslin]

Reality, probably got drunk, and also took Ambien, the two don't mix well. Like truth and liberal lies don't go together.

I think you hit the nail square on the head

[ReformedBeckite]

We'll never know for sure but I suspect Ambien wasn't even in the picture. It is just a scapegoat.

I don't know about that, I take Ambien quiet often. Use to have a beer before I went to bed, and use to have the beer also with the Ambien. I never drove while on the drug, at least I hope I never did. But never the less from past experiences I could see how this event could be the result of the two. Ambien is something you want to definitely something you want to take precautions with, no alcohol, no other drugs, and no meals before, need to take it on an empty stomach. For some reason a full stomach kind of erases its effect, kind of weird in that effect. Don't take the regular Ambien anymore, but take the time released CR one, lot more predictable.

[ReformedBeckite]

I don't know about the gaining weight, but once I woke up 7 hours or so with a half eaten TV dinner next to me.

Trying to watch an additional 15 to 45 minutes of TV don't work to good either, you just waste electricity while sleeping.

[Uddercha0s]

Cool, thanks for the info. I definitely like first hand experiences. I took Ambien for about a week and I was luck that it even put me to sleep, but I'm a strange bird. I don't deny that these problems probably exist. I just find it rather convienient in this situation.

[gondramB]

>>I took an Ambien, Americans are saying, and then I don't know exactly what happened.<<

Apparently 4% of Americans sleep walk without Ambien and that percentage is not measurably different with Ambien according the Fox's talking head M.D.