Ambien User Reviews & Ratings (Page 2)

• Ano...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 4, 2014

For Insomnia "Ambien works. Not because it's a sleep aid but because it's a HYPNOTIC. Which means if you don't want amnesia, then get yourself straight to bed after taking it. It kicks in 5-10 minutes and may or may not keep you asleep all night. But those of you complaining of eating, etc., and having no memory of what you did, it's very simple: taking a HYPNOTIC while you're still up, showering, or whatever is going to make you do stupid things you won't remember. Just take it AFTER you lay down, turn off your phone, and you'll be fine."

• JBI...
• May 9, 2009

For Insomnia "Had sleep problems since college (43 years old now). Took all the normal heavy-duty sleep medicines like Valium and even Benadryl. These only put me in a half-sleep state and made me feel horrible for days on end. After 20 years of suffering from insomnia and after a bout with meningitis in 2000, my friend, a neurologist who was seeing me for post-meningitis, asked me how I was sleeping. I told her I haven't had a good night's sleep in over 20 years. She wrote a script for Ambien. I have never been so in love with a pill in my life as I am with Ambien. I fall asleep within 15 minutes, get a good 7 hours of hard sleep, and wake up bright and early feeling rested like I have not felt in decades. Ambien is a miracle drug, and thanks to the genius who made it."

• Gar...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 19, 2017

For Insomnia "I have been taking Ambien for almost 10 years and it works like a charm for me. I was prescribed Ambien following the murder of my only child. A year later my husband of 40 years was diagnosed with ALS. I am a full-time working caregiver and sleep would be elusive if not for Ambien. I am now 61 years young and healthy as a horse. Unfortunately, Express Scripts, BCBS, or my employer is making it almost impossible for me to get a Rx filled. I am very frustrated!! People are different and Rx's work differently on all of us! I know Ambien works for me."

• Man...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 3, 2024

For Insomnia "I grew up in the foster care system. For years, I was awoken by a deranged foster mother who would rip me out of bed and beat on me just for fun. I suffered with severe insomnia for years. Many years ago, I was prescribed Ambien - before it was released in generic form, zolpidem. It cost me $471 a month. The first night I took it, I awoke 7 hours later and felt better than I had my entire life. I sat on the edge of my bed and cried that morning, feeling relief and gratitude. The cost of generic Zolpidem ER reduced the cost considerably, but looking back, I would have gladly continued to pay $471 a month for this incredible medication. I sincerely hope the creator(s) of Ambien are living wonderful lives because they, without a doubt, saved my life. I’m on 12.5 mg nightly and I have had no problems."

• Fea...
• February 26, 2008

For Insomnia "My insomnia comes from anxiety issues when I try to sleep. I found that Ambien didn't make me sleepy, but it did relax me enough to fall asleep. There are tons of stories floating around about strange behavior, and I have my share. I found this only happens when I try to do things between ingestion and onset. Only take it when you are already in bed, relaxing, and attempting to fall asleep, and you shouldn't have any problems."

• Gre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 2, 2014

For Insomnia "I'm 19 and suffer from bad insomnia. I've tried Benadryl, Unisom, even a different prescription sleeping pill, Restoril (temazepam). These all either didn't work or left me extremely groggy in the morning and throughout the day. Anyway, I was scheduled to study abroad and my worst fear the entire trip was not sleeping in a foreign atmosphere. My doctor prescribed me a few weeks' worth of Ambien 10 MG. I can't tell you how great this medication was. It drifted me off to a gentle, deep sleep and I stayed asleep for at least 7 hours. I woke up happy and refreshed in the morning; even energized! I took the high dose and did not experience any side effects or hallucinations. I was able to enjoy my trip."

• Gra...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 1, 2020

For Insomnia "I had cancer 13 years ago, so anyway, I couldn’t sleep after that. My doctor put me on 15 mg of Ambien, and a few years down the road, because of regulations, he had to cut it to 10 mg, which I’m still not used to. I was going to the VA and had to switch to a regular doctor. I have a doctor that hates Ambien, but at least she is giving me 5 mg. Now I am very restless and get around 4 to 5 hours of sleep. It’s very tough, but I know my life is shortened by being on Ambien. I have tried absolutely everything on the shelf of sleep aids, and Ambien is the only one that will give me sleep and no nightmares."

• Deb...
• February 1, 2015

For Insomnia "I have been taking Ambien every night for over 20 years. I am a nurse, and it's very difficult to work swing shift and teach yourself to sleep whenever, especially if you suffer from insomnia. I have had insomnia since childhood, probably sleep walking. I used to sleep eat before taking the medicine. Now that I have it, my life has improved 200 percent. No one can imagine how disturbing it is to lie in bed for 8 hours wide awake, knowing you have work soon. When I first took it, I was groggy in the morning, but now as long as I get 8 hours, I wake up feeling awake and amazing, and I never grew a tolerance for it. Always works. I will say when I had children under 5, I would never take it, not safe when you are caring for others. This medication saved me."

• HKG...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 19, 2014

For Insomnia "When I got prescribed Ambien, I started with 5mg, and it worked, but I only slept for 4 hrs. So the following night, I took 10mg, and I was asleep in no time and got a full 9 hrs of sleep. Best night ever in years. I woke up feeling refreshed. Minor headache, but I don't know if it was due to the Ambien. One Tylenol pill took it away, so no biggie. This is the only sleep pill that has helped me. I tried Restoril and Seroquel and got no sleep, only bad side effects. I love Ambien."

• Chr...
• October 5, 2018

For Insomnia "After being a good sleeper, out of the blue, I began to suffer bad insomnia, taking hours to fall asleep or having repeated awakenings, which was not like me! Possibly because of neighbor issues for years causing stress, which finally started to impact my sleep, I tried over-the-counter meds with no success. Then my doctor gave me Ambien and it works so well for me at 10 mg. It does not always keep me asleep all night, but at least it knocks me out and destroys any anxiety due to insomnia. It seems those of us with insomnia find it hard to calm the brain down, and repeated sleepless nights make us more anxious, making sleep increasingly hard to come by. Medications like Ambien are effective, as they increase GABA in the brain, leading to relaxation and then making it easier to sleep. I would say this drug is safe, surely better than drinking alcohol to sleep, which has bad health impacts. Regular good sleep improves my mood, appetite, lowers anxiety and depression. Ambien does this, it's a good thing!"

• Aja...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 23, 2019

For Insomnia "This is really answering JK's question after a certain amount of time. Yes, the Ambien loses its effectiveness. What I would suggest you do would be to go to something else for 60 days, maybe even 90 days, then go back to Ambien. This will make your tolerance to the Ambien all but disappear, and you'll be good to go. I have found I have to do this about every 8 to 10 months."

• Anonymous
• June 24, 2008

For Insomnia "I have been taking Ambien for many years and am totally addicted to it now. I can't sleep if I don't take it. I guess there are worse things to be addicted to. It is best to take it and get right to bed, no lingering in the kitchen. It really works!"

• hil...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 22, 2016

For Insomnia "Have bad insomnia. Been on Ambien for 10 years now. I decreased my dose to only 3 mg about 5 years ago. All I need is to get to sleep. Anxiety prevents that. So Ambien works great for me. I have never had any bad effects at all with this drug. No after effects. Wake up refreshed. I have had instances where it doesn't work, if I am in a bad anxious state. But usually I take it right before bed. I don't delay at all because it is pretty fast working. Hope and pray there are no long-term effects like Alzheimer's. So far I have no memory problems. I am 74. I need sleep. It's that simple. Feel awful when I don't sleep. I do try not to take it every night. Go off for days in between. Try and go weeks if I can. So far that's working for me."

• Cry...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 19, 2024

For Insomnia "I have extreme insomnia, my doctor finally prescribed me Ambien. I took it last night, I fell asleep in less than 15 minutes after taking it. I slept from 9 to 4:45 straight, it was great. I have no side effects, I feel rested and ready for the day."

• Bad...
• February 4, 2014

For Insomnia "I have been taking Ambien on and off for 8 years for severe insomnia, mostly related to anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Over time, my body has built up a dependence and a tolerance. I will lay awake until 5 am if I don't take it, miserable and exhausted for days. The generic doesn't seem to work as well, and since I have been on it so long, I usually have to take 20mg to get a full night's sleep. But with certain generics, I still wake up at 3 am and can't go back to bed. It has been a godsend over the years as I tried everything else. I was treated for depression, but those medications made it harder to sleep. At some point, I would like to stop being dependent on the medicine, but every time I try to quit, I go through weeks with no sleep."

• she...
• December 2, 2007

For Insomnia "I take Ambien occasionally to help me get a full night's sleep. In the morning, I wake up with so much energy, it is unbelievable. I sleep 7 full hours and wake up without feeling any side effects but full of energy."

• pha...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 26, 2013

For Insomnia "I have terrible chronic insomnia. I have safely taken this medication for over 12 years, with no significant side effects. Go to bed as soon as you take the medication. In my case, the window for working is very short-7-10 minutes. If it hasn't helped me sleep by 15 minutes, it isn't going to help for that particular time. I would recommend this medication to anyone!"

• ins...
• March 3, 2014

For Insomnia "I've had horrible insomnia since I was a child. Diagnosed with severe sleep apnea a few years ago. Ambien is not the holy grail. You build up a tolerance over the years but 12.5 is as high as most doctors will go (from 10, 8 years ago). Pluses for Ambien - it will put you to sleep; no half-life so no grogginess in the morning. Minuses - it will put you to sleep but generally not keep you asleep. Thus the waking up wide awake at 3 a.m. There is now Intermezzo - a sublingual 3.5 dose of Ambien meant for this problem - works for me 50% of the time, otherwise I just stay up. Another minus - if you take Ambien on a full stomach IT WILL NOT WORK. I generally eat before 5 and allow 5 hours before I take it. But all in all - a savior!"

• Bon...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 2, 2019

For Insomnia "This drug Ambien works great. I have used it on and off for at least 15 years. The drug works fast, the onset is 10 minutes (for me), dosage does not seem to build tolerance (for me). The only downside is I get the munchies from zolpidem, which is problematic at bedtime. Generics seem to be similar potency as the original."

• gra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 15, 2014

For Insomnia "Age 66 with advanced arthritis, multiple spinal stenosis, and degenerative disc disease. Awaken refreshed after 9+ hours without usual back or muscle pain. Dosage only 5 mg. Absolutely awesome! Only up to use restroom once or twice and able to go straight back to sleep. Only problem. Insurance limits me to 90/year. Yeah, only 1.7 nights a week do I get decent sleep and pain relief."

• eth...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 28, 2015

For Insomnia "Helps put my mind in a blank slate. My mind is constantly running all the time, every day. When nighttime approaches, I can't shut my mind off. I have a fear of initially sleeping. I also use it for nights when I have really bad anxiety, depression, or panic. It calms me down and soothes me. I no longer have any worries. It helps me get to sleep easily and really sedates me. I love those aspects."

• Gar...
• August 10, 2019

For Insomnia "Great drug for insomnia. Never failed to put me to sleep, but one thing I've learned is take it right before bed, otherwise, I get complete blackouts. Because there's been a couple of times I stayed up for half an hour after taking it and not remembered getting into bed. One minute I was sat on the couch, next thing I remember is waking up in bed the next morning. After hearing crazy stories of people sleep driving to the next state, I asked my wife if I did anything crazy, and she said no, I just went to bed. Thank God for that, lol."

• Kay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 25, 2013

For Insomnia "Lifetime insomnia. 5 mg Ambien is good for me. One half hour before bedtime, I take 5 mg, turn off the TV, put books aside, computer is off, and I am in bed. Generally wake up 7 hours later thanking the sleep Gods for a good night!"

• Suf...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 4, 2019

For Insomnia "I've read almost 100 opinions, positive and negative. For those that have lack of results or side effects, you should verify if you are taking the name brand Ambien. The generic Ambien was absolutely terrible. The brand name Ambien, directly from the manufacturer, was excellent. I asked my PCP to specify brand name Ambien, and it made me change my opinion to a positive one overnight. I'm a stage 4 congestive heart failure patient, on CPAP, with a fear of sleep, problems with my CPAP mask, COPD, pain, and insomnia too, but I'm alive. I have not experienced any side effects from name brand Ambien, it's been 2 years now. I tried many other meds, but nothing else worked for me. I take 10 mg Ambien as needed PRN too. It works for me."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 13, 2013

For Insomnia "Have been taking Ambien as needed for about a month. It's worked almost flawlessly and very reliably each time I've taken it, and I've experienced no negative effects. It's a very calm, peaceful transition into sleep. I used to dread bedtime because my thoughts raced constantly, but this drug has provided a very satisfactory solution. All in all, a quite safe and reliable solution to insomnia."