Ambien is a prescription sleep aid designed to aid those struggling with insomnia sleep better at night. It reduces time spent falling asleep and increases duration. Unfortunately, however, Ambien may cause various side effects, including nausea.
Some side effects may be harmful. Therefore, it’s essential that you take your medication exactly as prescribed by your physician.
Side effects
Ambien is a strong prescription medication with potential side effects. These may include memory loss the next day, breathing slowness or shallowness and hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that don’t exist). Combining Ambien with certain SSRIs such as Zoloft or Prozac may increase your likelihood of experiencing any of these adverse reactions; should this happen to you it is important to inform your physician immediately.
This drug may negatively impact both your brain and spinal cord, making it unsuitable for young children to take. Furthermore, adults aged 65 years or over should avoid using it because it increases the risk of falls, potentially leading to hip fractures and head trauma. If taking this medicine and needing to rise from bed quickly for any reason, be sure to hold onto something sturdy for support before doing so.
Do not consume alcohol or take other sedatives while taking Ambien or Ambien CR; doing so could diminish its effectiveness and raise your risk for serious side effects such as slow or shallow breathing, dangerously low blood pressure and even coma.
Do not abruptly stop taking Ambien or Ambien CR if you have been taking it regularly; the withdrawal symptoms could be severe. Instead, speak with your physician about other ways to treat insomnia; they may recommend other drugs that could help you rest easier.
Dosage
Ambien is prescribed to treat insomnia (trouble sleeping) in adults. Available as immediate-release and extended-release tablets, taken by mouth. Your physician will start you out on a low dose before gradually increasing it until finding the ideal dosage for you.
Ambien may cause or worsen existing mental health or behavioral problems, or cause them to worsen. Your physician will monitor you carefully for this side effect of taking this drug, which may affect thinking, reaction times and ability to drive or operate machinery. Alcohol and other substances which can alter alertness should be avoided while taking this drug.
If you suffer from liver disease, your physician may decrease the dosage. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take Ambien; its effects could potentially harm an unborn fetus.
Nausea is one of the more commonly reported side effects of Ambien; to reduce it, try taking it with a light meal – but beware not to overindulge! Additionally, Ambien may cause dizziness and drowsiness; you should be especially wary if driving or operating machinery immediately following taking this medicine, particularly on its first day of use.
Ambien and Ambien CR both come with a boxed warning about potential risk of unusual sleep behaviors, including sleepwalking and sleep driving. If this occurs for you, seek medical advice immediately from both a doctor or pharmacist and store the medication securely away from children and pets.
Overdose
Ambien (also known as zolpidem) is a mild central nervous system depressant prescribed to help combat insomnia, but when misused it can have harmful and even life-threatening side effects. Overdose symptoms typically include drowsiness and confusion. More serious effects include respiratory depression or shallow breathing as well as an elevated heart rate (tachycardia). Hallucinations have also been reported among Ambien overdose victims although these typically only last several hours before subsiding again. While Ambien overdose deaths are rare but deaths from polydrug use aren’t extinct either!
As long as zolpidem is taken as prescribed by a physician, its risk of overdose is low. Unfortunately, however, misuse is commonplace and individuals often take more than prescribed or combine it with other substances – two additional risk factors for Ambien overdose include age and gender as women tend to respond more strongly than men to its effects. Anyone taking Ambien who suspects an overdose should seek emergency medical help immediately.
Overdosing on Ambien can result in serious brain and respiratory damage. Ambien is a central nervous system depressant, so taking too much can decrease oxygen supply to your brain resulting in permanent mental health issues like memory loss and symptoms similar to dementia; overdose may even result in a coma or even death.
Addiction
Ambien and Ambien CR are controlled substances because their misuse, dependence or withdrawal symptoms may lead to misuse or abuse. Your doctor should also review any history of substance or alcohol misuse before prescribing these medications to you. If you stop abruptly taking them or reduce your dosage too quickly, withdrawal symptoms such as headache, dizziness or nausea could appear; your physician can explain how best to safely withdraw from this medication.
Ambien is the brand name for zolpidem tartrate, a short-acting sedative used to help patients sleep. Available as both immediate-release tablets and extended-release tablets, Ambien is often prescribed for insomnia but other sleep disorders can also be treated using this medication. While Zolpidem may cause daytime drowsiness in up to 15% of adults, so its effects should wear off before engaging in any activities that require mental focus or concentration such as driving.
If you are having difficulty opening your pills, ask your pharmacist for tips or medication packaged in easy-to-open bottles. Your pharmacist may also assist in finding a pharmacy offering free delivery or mail-order services; and potentially obtain 90 day supplies of medicine to save time and reduce costs.
If insomnia is causing difficulty for you, discuss possible treatment options with your physician. There are various medications available, and certain ones work better than others for certain people.