User Reviews for Ambien CR

I have been taking Ambien for several years, and recently started taking Ambien CR. It works very well, if taken on an empty stomach. However, I was having only mild sleep difficulty when my doctor prescribed it. I have tried other sleep medicines, Ambien is one of the strongest prescription insomnia drugs available. I highly recommend trying something with less side effects first, and only if absolutely necessary, try Ambien. Ambien is very difficult to discontinue after extended use.

My husband was taking this and was eating late at night, getting on the computer, and doing other things and having no memory of it the day after. He felt drugged when he took it. I don't recommend it to anyone.

I have been taking Ambien CR for about 6 months now. I have had no side affects. I have not gotten up and got on the computer or driven to any place that I was not aware I was going. It helps me not to have nightmares. If you need something to help you sleep then take it.

My Father was taking AMBIEN CR and drinking alchol with it. Falling down and not remember things was a everyday problem. I tried telling his doctor this but he did nothing but gave him more pills.

I was taking regular Ambien and was waking up after a few hours and not able to get back to sleep. I switched to Ambien CR and have been sleeping through the night. I have not experienced any side effects.

This is very effective, but TAKE ONLY RIGHT BEFORE YOU GO TO BED. I did not do this once and ended up sleep walking to my car, driving and rear ending someone. I had no memory of doing this - only found out details by reading the police report. Take only as prescribed.

This drug does work great for sleep. I have used it for several years actually and it never fails to put me to sleep. PLEASE BE WARNED! I did take some and had an accident,(no one was hurt thank Goodness) but I did receive a DUI for it even though I was just 0.002% (and yes I mean percent not mg) above the legal threshold for intoxication (no excuse, just saying courts don't go easy on you). I was not taking more than prescribed but I had it in my system when I rear ended someone. This was after taking it for years so I was very tolerant of it and I remember everything from it, it was a just a minor accident. Do not drive if you think there is any in your system. I am not saying be afraid of it, it really really works. Just be careful.

My mother is 88 and has had a problem with Ambien for the four or so years she has started taking it. She ran over a bunch of signs in the middle of the highway with no memory of it. She got lost twice before we realized it was the Ambien and not Dementia. I keep it away from her and administer it each night. She is like a drug addict as she has reported her pills lost and got duplicate prescriptions sent to her. I think it is too strong for older people!

I have taken Ambien CR on a nightly basis for nearly two years now and have found that it is truly helpful. I have found that after a year or so on a 6.25 mg dosage I had to go up to 12.5 mg in order to achieve the same result. Other than developing a tolerance to it however, I have found that Ambien CR is extremely effective. I am able to fall asleep easily and my sleep is a very peaceful one that leaves me feeling well rested in the morning.

Ambien CR is great. You can expect a full nights sleep waking up refreshed. Sometimes, however, I have problems with it not working at all. I will take one, wait two hours, take another, and after a little while longer will take a third. Not only does it not put me to sleep sometimes, but it gives me a headache and having been laying in bed for hours hoping for the Ambien to kick in, my anxiety levels shoot through the roof. After this I surely need a few benzodiazepines to calm down. But then again, I'm still awake despite the three Ambien CR!

I was taking Lunesta, which is fantastic, however Blue Shield would not cover this drug until I first tried regular Ambien and then Ambien CR (in that order). Regular Ambien only put me asleep for about 2 hours. Ambien CR would work for a full night. However, both versions of Ambien gave me a dull headache as they were taking effect. The next 1-2 days following, I'd be in a really foul mood, depressed, anxious, and a real "fight picker" with others. No such problems with Lunesta. Luckily, my employer switched to Blue Cross, which does not pay for Ambien CR but does pay for Lunesta, so I'm in luck. I wish these insurance companies would just let doctors prescribe whatever works...

I just started using Ambien CR and like most of the people i was scared to take it because of all of these weird side effects that people experience but thank GOD it worked on me just fine. My doctor was gentle to me and she prescribed only 5mg and I must say it worked like a charm. I took it and half hour later (maybe even less) I was deep in sleep. I did sleep close to 5 hours and I must say I don't remember the last time I was feeling so refreshed and so rested. Other medicines I've tried put me asleep but when I would wake up I would feel so groggy. I'm finally happy to say that I found a medicine that works for me.

I've tried several different sleep medications for insomnia and while attempting to get used to the CPAP machine for sleep apnea. Ambien CR works great, I can get a full nights sleep, however go to bed within 1 hour of taking the medication or you will feel a bit drugged. I don't recommend taking every night, it is addictive (try not to take more than 3 nights in a row). It is more difficult to wean off from than regular Ambien. Overall, if needed this is a good medication if taken responsibly.

Insomnia is one of the tag alongs with my Bi Polar. My doctor prescribed every medication on my Group Health formulary to no avail. I either had radical side effects or they only worked for 2 to 3 hours. Ambien CR is a blessing. I actually now get at least 5 to 6 hrs of sleep a night. For those of you with Bi Polar, you understand sleep is crucial to preventing mood swings. The only problem I have experienced is Ambien tends to build up and quit working every so often so I have clonazapam to use for a few days until the tolerance wears off. Thank God for Ambien CR.

I've taken 12.5 mg Ambien CR on an off for 3 months now. Within the last two weeks, it's been more like every day. I was so groggy all day. Also, I'm not sure I slept... It was more like just being turned off rather than in a state of recuperative sleep. I cut the pill in half last night and had only 4 hours of sleep, where I awakened twice. I still feel more refreshed than ever, probably because this is the first time in weeks I don't have an ambien hangover. It's a great medicine, but I'd like to ween myself off of it. I suspect it's either causing depression, or is amplifying a depression I didn't know I had.

I have had insomnia since I was a small child. I have PTSD and severe anxiety this is the only medication I have tried that truly makes me get 7 plus hours of sleep and I wake up feeling wonderful.

After having an accident at work a few years ago I wasn't falling asleep until the sun came up because of chronic pain. My muscle relaxers and pain medicines were no longer giving me enough relief to sleep at night so my doctor put me on Ambien CR. After about 2 weeks I had to stop taking it because I was hallucinating, I was suffering from severe anxiety, I had tremors, I don't have enough room here to list everything. I am now on Restoril and I don't have any side effects at all.

Great drug. Never knew how important sleep was to the human body. Would only sleep 3 hours a night and thought that was normal. However since I have been on Ambien, I eat at night and do not remember it at all. My family tells me I am funny but do not remember talking to them. Never had dreams before, now they are vivid and real and colorful, this is a bit on the weird side.

First time I went on Ambien CR, I was disoriented and felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. I was on it for 5 days. I decided after trying several other medicines that I would try it again. Now, I get 8 hrs asleep and I feel better now that I am getting to sleep. Still am a little tired throughout the day but I don't feel insane from lack of sleep. Definetly hooked on it because when I miss I know.

I would fall asleep but wake up a few hours later. I don't know how anyone can fall asleep while taking this medicine but everyone responds differently. Tylenol PM makes me feel a lot more sleepy than this medicine.

I successfully took Ambien not every night. And it was great. However, Ambien CR has caused vivid dreams, memory loss, sleep driving. I stopped using CR when I had a sleep driving event and no memory of the event. Will have to battle my sleep problem without it.

I have been taking Lunesta 3mg for a while but it just wasn't getting me to sleep or keeping me asleep. So I started taking 12.5mg Ambien CR about 3 days ago and I swear it had no effect on me whatsoever. I am going to keep trying for the next couple nights, but I need some good sleep soon. I was really surprised that at such a high dosage I didn't even feel sleepy at all.

I took Ambien CR for a year and at first it worked pretty good except for a minor side effect that left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't let that bother me as long as I was getting my 8 hours sleep. After a year it stopped working so I tried to double my dose. Big mistake, I had to stop using it because I started sleep walking and having conversation with others without remembering anything. Ambien works but be cautious of side effects.

I have been using Ambien CR for 3 years. I love it. I make sure to take it on an empty stomach and in 20-30 minutes I am asleep. The only things I would warn about is: make sure you have at least 8 hours of sleep time, it doesn't work well if you eat before taking the pill, and I have done some things I have no memory of doing. My husband has tried Ambien CR and said it doesn't work on him. I would recommend Ambien CR to anyone who has trouble falling and staying asleep.

I am a pharmacy tech and am on Ambien CR 12.5 mg. I have been on it for about 3 months now but I don't take it every night. When I do take it (as my thyroid is hyperactive) I do feel rested in the morning but when I don't take it, it's really not a big deal. It does help with my sleep but I do hide my car keys from myself just in case.