Ambien and Memory Loss: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Jec...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 18, 2016

For Insomnia "Tried the brand name a while back and had full-scale hallucinations and memory loss. Being a nurse, I believed there was no difference between generic and brand, but after 15 years of chronic terrible insomnia, I gave the generic a try. While I didn't have the horrid side effects, 10 mg will put me to sleep well, but not stay asleep. The controlled release helps me stay asleep, but it takes hours to fall asleep. My doc prescribed 5 mg of the immediate and 6.25 controlled, and as long as I don't use it every day (taking a day off here and there which kills me), it works for about 4-5 hours of sleep, which depending on how desperate you are, is plenty. Plus, the price can't be beat."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 7, 2012

For Insomnia "I have been taking Ambien for about 6 months, and it does the job very well. I generally take half of my 5 mg pill a few nights a week. I have to take it and go directly to bed, or I have zero memory of what happens between taking it and falling asleep. The reason that I rate it so low is that I've started to notice that I have hours of the next day (after taking it the night before) that I have absolutely no memory of. I've sideswiped the guardrails in my car on the way to work and had no idea that I had done so until my husband asked what happened to the car. I had a very faint 'did I dream that or did it really happen' recollection of it. I take it fairly early in the evening."

• Ins...
• June 9, 2021

For Insomnia "I started experiencing insomnia after I was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease, and it only became worse after dialysis/transplant. I have been on Ambien for over 10 years and just recently had to switch from 5 mg to 10 mg. There were days it did not work, but mostly puts me to sleep, especially the now higher dose. I do experience haziness some days when waking up, but I have severe nighttime effects: “drugged or drunk” feeling, sleep shopping, off balance, eating, being intimate with my partner, which I only have flashbacks of (consensual) - short-term memory loss, emotional. Nothing else works for me, and if I come off this, I’ll be awake for at least 4 days before I crash."

• sor...
• November 29, 2009

For Insomnia "I've been using Ambien for about 4 to 5 years now. I also take a pain medication for a back injury. My doctor switched me to Ambien CR, and the side effects were horrible. I felt angry beyond my control, confused, experienced memory loss, and crazy hallucinations. This was about 2 weeks ago, and I'm still trying to put the pieces together. Make sure if you take this pill, you check for drug interactions and be in bed ready to sleep. It's good and sad to know I'm not the only one."

• Anonymous
• January 21, 2010

For Insomnia "After using Ambien for about a week (I was desperate for sleep), I started to experience short-term memory loss. I traveled to attend a workshop and could not recall or review much of the information just hours after."

• Anonymous
• December 7, 2010

For Insomnia "I have only been taking Ambien for 3 months or so. I too have insomnia. I can get to sleep but wake up and can't get back to sleep. My experience with Ambien has been crazy. I have had a phone conversation and made plans to go to lunch with a friend, and when she called the next day to see if we were still on, I had no memory of our conversation. I have cooked scrambled egg and cheese breakfast at 11 pm and put it away for breakfast the next day. Last night, however, was the scariest. I vaguely remember sweeping up hair, so I looked in the garbage this morning and was relieved to not find any hair. I passed it off as a dream. Then I took a good look in the mirror, my bangs on the left side are now only 2 inches long. How embarrassing!"

• Amb...
• April 7, 2009

For Insomnia "The thing I love most about Ambien is that I can still wake up and function if I need to, and then fall back to sleep. I have three kids, and if one of them wants a glass of water in the middle of the night or falls out of bed, I'm perfectly functional to take care of them, even on Ambien. I sleep great now, but everyone should try to wait until they get into bed prior to taking the pill. Fortunately, my worst Ambien-induced amnesia stories are waking up and thinking, 'I wonder who did the dishes?'"

• Anonymous
• July 16, 2010

For Insomnia "I've been using 10 mg Ambien for about 10 years now. I sleep very soundly and awake 6-8 hours later refreshed and loaded with energy. Not every night, maybe 2 or 3 times a week. It is my miracle drug, but ONLY if I take it on an empty stomach! I too have had some 'amnesia'-like times. When I first began taking it, I called an ex-boyfriend while my husband was asleep next to me. Thank God the side effects have gone away!"

• jan...
• May 4, 2009

For Insomnia "I have been using Ambien for several years. I take it quite often. I have always had sleep problems and have found that with the use of Ambien I sleep on a regular schedule and do not have to sleep during the day because I was up most of the night before. Overall, I have found Ambien to be a real help to my overall well-being and general health. The problem I am concerned about is: More than two years ago, I had a couple of situations where I got up in the night and ate sandwiches, potato chips, and one time made a Bloody Mary and drank it without any recollection the next day. Recently, I got up in the night and wrote bizarre emails to several people."

• Mat...
• March 8, 2012

For Insomnia "I take Ambien when I need to change my sleeping habits, or when my anxiety induces insomnia. I've had no side effects bad enough for me to remember, although I do get amnesia. I do my best to get right to sleep after taking it because I will do strange things while awake. Otherwise, Ambien works perfectly for my needs."

• Los...
• October 30, 2011

For Insomnia "I tried Ambien about a year ago for my inability to stay asleep. I have several times a year where I wake up between 2:30 and 4:30 every morning for a few months at a time. For me, Ambien worked. I slept soundly through the night until my alarm woke me up, and I really enjoyed it. I was unaware of my certain side effect until my wife insisted we had a conversation I had no memory of. So I started asking around to people I worked with, and sure enough, I had quite a few instances where I had full conversations with people the mornings after I used Ambien and had no memory of it. It got to the point where I had to speak to my bosses and ask them if I had any assignments I was not up to date on. Luckily, I was not."

• Rya...
• September 24, 2016

For Insomnia "Made me crazy and stoned, and I end up taking them in a few nights, and I have no idea, call people randomly, do things and have no memory of it. The next day, I am very ill, unsurprisingly. Better off with insomnia."

• Red...
• May 31, 2011

For Insomnia "I have been taking Ambien for about 3 years now, off and on. I can't sleep at night, and most nights when I do take Ambien, I lay awake. When I take the Ambien, it takes sometimes 35 minutes to an hour before I feel anything. I recently discovered I have been sleep eating. I was dreaming I was eating cinnamon buns, and when I woke up, I found the box of cinnamon buns was all gone. Plus, I have found I have been posting stuff on Facebook, and I don't remember doing it. Even though I have found out I have been doing these things, but I can't sleep, so to me, it's worth taking. Glad to know I don't sleep eat every night."

• Anonymous
• November 17, 2010

For Insomnia "I have been taking first Ambien and then Ambien CR for many years. I have had major difficulty in falling asleep and staying asleep. Although both medications work, I cannot function typically the day after. Furthermore, both need to be taken right before bedtime and no sooner. Amnesia and sleepwalking were major issues to the point where my doctor told me to stop taking both. My physician offered Silenor as an alternative. He told me I could take this every day and although I didn't really need to, no addiction potential for Silenor. Also, none of those nasty side effects like amnesia and sleepwalking. I can remember going to sleep, staying asleep, and waking up without feeling sluggish. Silenor has been good to me."

• Anonymous
• March 8, 2009

For Insomnia "I have been taking Ambien for about 2 years, and I love it. I was in the Navy, and now I work a 12-hour night shift, so I usually can't sleep, or if I fall asleep, I can't stay asleep long enough. I have had a few nights I do things and don't remember, but overall, it is wonderful."

• Mae...
• October 18, 2015

For Insomnia "Knocked out within 5 minutes. Woke up 3 hours later; lights still on and found my book on the floor. The next day, I had memory loss and felt confused. I tried them 3 times with the same experience, then I returned them to the pharmacy. Maybe I"

• Iam...
• May 11, 2011

"Works well if you go straight to bed. If you stay up past 30 minutes, you are fighting it. Just let the feeling hit you and go to bed. I have taken two 10 mg tabs in about 30 minutes and apparently made constant calls to my wife at work. When she came home, I asked her, 'What are you talking about?' I still have no memory of that incident. So now I only take 1 and try to go straight to bed."

• Sep...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 30, 2019

For Insomnia "Ambien... this is a very dangerous drug! I used this drug for approximately 60 days. I had to stop it! I found myself in dangerous locations not knowing where or why I was there. I found myself driving in neighboring cities! Sleeping on sides of roads. The worst part is I probably don't remember most of my own experiences. I believe Ambien should be outlawed! I believe Ambien is a disaster waiting to happen."

• lkd...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 8, 2013

For Insomnia "Caused me to do things and not remember afterwards... I would be cautious while first taking this medication."

• Anonymous
• October 25, 2019

For Insomnia "Ambien was good for sleep, but I got a lot of amnesia with it."

• Reb...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 18, 2015

For Insomnia "Wow! If you are taking this med, take it and lay down and close your eyes. You will say and do things and not remember a thing. For real..."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 29, 2012

For Insomnia "It works! It was really weird at first... Make sure you are in bed shortly after you take it, or you will be subject to odd behavior/amnesia."