I took Ambien and Ambien CR for a combination of 7 years. During that time, I experienced several of the side effects listed on the official Ambien web site. The manufacturers claim the most common side effects are sleepiness, headaches and dizziness.
I had to deal with two of those three side effects of Ambien. I was sleepy many mornings, even when I had slept 8 or 9 hours. My doctors and I adjusted the dosage I was taking, and that side effect decreased. The dizziness I felt while I was taking Ambien continued to be a problem no matter the dose I took. I eventually learned to cope with it by sitting up very slowly upon rising first thing in the morning. If I had been siting for a prolonged period of time, I would stand for a second or two before walking to ameliorate the dizziness.
Alcohol can intensify any of the side effects of Ambien and the warning against mixing the two is listed in dark, capital letters on the website. There have been numerous stories in the news of defendants charged with Driving under the Influence because they mixed Ambien with alcohol. The most famous of these stories was Massachusetts Congressman Patrick Kennedy. I drank a glass of wine or had one mixed drink on numerous occasions with dinner. Then, 4 to 5 hours later, I would take my usual dose of Ambien and go to bed. I never got arrested for DUI because I didn’t try to drive after mixing alcohol and Ambien. Of course that may be because I’ve been blessed with an abundance of Common Sense! The only side effect I noticed from that combination was falling asleep faster.
Because of the risks of dangerous side effects of mixing Ambien with other medications or recreational drugs, you should always tell your Doctor about all other drugs you take. I didn’t have any side effects from mixing Ambien with my other medications because my Doctor knew all the other medications I was taking and so did my pharmacist. Your pharmacist can be a valuable resource in educating you about possible drug interactions. The computers s/he has are often programmed to notify them when a prescription conflicts with prior prescriptions for the same customer. Since I am well past the age of taking recreational drugs, I didn’t have to worry about the side effects of mixing Ambien with any of those, either.
It is possible to build up a tolerance to Ambien if you take it for too long a period of time. I have insomnia. I have had insomnia for 10 years. I cannot sleep on a regular basis without a prescription sleep medication. During the 7 years I was taking Ambien and Ambien CR, it was prescribed by 3 different Doctors. Not once did any of them ever bring up the subject of tolerance. I had to laugh when I read on the Ambien web site that it should be taken, “for short periods of time, such as one or two days and generally no longer than one or two weeks. If your sleep problems continue, consult your doctor…” I found out I was experiencing this side effect of Ambien CR when I started seeing a new doctor. She explained tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal, all side effects of Ambien I was experiencing as a result of having been allowed to take it for 7 years.
It took a month to wean me off of it. As the Ambien dose was decreased, it was replaced with another prescription sleep medication. One that does not cause dependency as a side effect. It also does not cause tolerance as a side effect like Ambien.
At least I never experienced sleepwalking, driving or eating along with amnesia of doing so, like some people who took Ambien. Now that’s what I call a BAD side effect!
