@Lel wrote:I have had adverse reactions to Ambien. There have been published reports of erratic behavior by persons taking Ambien. About 5 or 6 years ago there were some well-publicized reports of sleep-driving, and the FDA issued a warning about this phenomenon and other unusual behavior.
In one case, I took a 10mg dose while vacationing on Maui in 2003. In order to wake up early enough to drive to the top of Haleakala to watch the sunrise (overrated, in my opinion
), I had to fall asleep around 6:00pm - not easy to do when the sun is still shining brightly and you can hear toddlers running about. According to my wife, I was reading a book before falling asleep. I was reading a passage out loud to her, and I started to speak with a drawl. She told me to put down the book, and I said something like, "before we get to Copenhagen, we have to stop by Oslo." I said some other bizarre things, got out of bed a few times for no apparent reason, got something to eat in the kitchen, then abruptly fell asleep. I have absolutely no recollection of any of this.
A similar incident happened a few months later. That time I took only a 5mg dose, but again I was doing and saying some weird things. My wife almost took me to the hospital. Again, complete amnesia of any of this. That was the last time I took Ambien.
Even though Ambien and some of the newer sleep aids aren't supposed to affect sleep patterns as much as other medications, like Valium, there's some evidence that it does affect the amount of time spent in REM sleep, and perhaps increases the amount of time in deeper sleep stages (stages 3 and 4). Though these deep stages of sleep are more restful, it's also when abnormal behavior (parasomnias) are more likely to occur. And if wake up out of one of these deep stages, as opposed to lighter sleep, you're more likely to have that groggy and unrested feeling, which I've also experienced.
Clearly, there are tens of thousands of people out there who are taking Ambien without problems, and the odds of something really weird happening are very low. But boy, when it happens to you, it's pretty freaky - moreso to the people around you!
Yikes! 
Huge yikes! You're just about the most level-headed person that I know, and if it's doing this to you...
* has more grateful thoughts that I usually sleep very well and easily *
the only part of the "crazy" that I find humoring when I take my Ambien and stay awake a bit too long is sometimes the pictures on my bedroom wall look like they're 3D image lol
It's really entertaining when I tell my husband I'm seeing that...he usually replies with "sounds like you're about ready to drift off, love you!"
I'm glad this thread is here - good grief! I am never going to risk Ambien, after reading the above posts. Effects like that would completely freak me out.
Thank you OP and everyone else who's described their experience with this sleep aid - I've been dealing for several months with a middle-of-the-night insomnia and am now more grateful than ever that my doc prescribed me an older sleep aid rather than this or one of the other newer ones with similar bizarre side effects.
@fused wrote:Do you two mean wasted when you wake up in the morning? I work in healthcare, and many patients have had positive things to say about Ambien. Please share.
By wasted I meant if I stayed up 30 or 40 minutes after taking it, like the OP said in a reply, the pictures on my wall looked like they were 3D and I felt drunkish 
But I never had any of the symptoms that the other repliers have stated, I woke up in the morning feeling refreshed, but like I also said in my first reply, I grew a tolerance to Ambien pretty quickly and needed to take 2, 5mg tabs to put me to sleep.
I took Ambien for maybe 3 months and had no problems just stopping cold turkey, lucky me.
Has anyone tried taking Melatonin instead of Ambien or Lunesta? I had heard all the horror stories of sleep walking/sleep driving, etc. with both and swore I'd never take either one, if I could help it.
I went through some serious health issues this year that seriously interrupted my sleep patterns. I did a lot of research and reading and stumbled across some articles and testimonials for melatonin as a non prescription sleep aid. It seems our bodies already produce the chemical, but illness and age can cause a reduction in the amount our bodies produce. So, I thought I'd give it a try.
Normal dose is just 1 - 3mg, but it didn't take that much for me. I only take 400mcg at night about an hour before bedtime and it has worked wonders for me. . . no hungover effects in the morning and I wake up ready to start a new day. It's worked wonders for me and I feel better about taking something that my body produces naturally, rather than something chemically produced that has the potential for some serious side effects.
Where would I purchase this? GNC or whole foods or any pharmacy? Sorry if I sound naive, but I've never purchased vitamins, etc 
I think I've seen it on the supplements aisle at any regular grocery store and pharmacy.
My son took it for a while, and it did seem to help. His main "insomnia" issue was staying up until the wee hours killing aliens, and then being too revved to sleep.
HTSU is correct. I get mine at Walgreen's. You can also order it from any supplement house online. Puritan's Pride recently had a BOGO special and I got 2 bottles of 200mcg tablets for under $7.00
