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

• jmc...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 1, 2018

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I've used this med for years with no apparent problem. WRONG. As I began asking family and friends, I find I have been doing MANY dangerous activities with absolutely NO recollection. This medication is absolutely frightening. I had no idea there was even a problem. Use at the risk of yourself and those around you. I now have a criminal record and am just glad no one got physically hurt."

• Mer...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2018

Zolpidem for Insomnia "Ambien did not make me groggy during the day and did make me fall asleep, but I was forgetful during the day and fell out of bed and bruised my arm badly. I still think it is a good medication for severe insomnia. Not good to take long term for me."

• Chu...
• March 31, 2016

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I've been taking Ambien for over 6 years. It helps me sleep, and I can sleep 6 hours and felt like I slept 10 hours. Only bad thing is once I commit to taking Ambien, I can't be bothered 'cause I won't remember, so I usually lock myself down, but it is a very helpful drug."

• Mik...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 29, 2020

For Insomnia "I've been taking Zolpidem daily or nightly (I'm a shift worker) for approximately fifteen years. Oddly, this is the only drug that I've never built a tolerance to. They work well. I avoid taking them on a full stomach as they don't seem to work or take ages to kick in. Make sure you don't accidentally exceed your normal dose. I have done that a few times, done things like drive to McDonald's in the middle of the night and grab some burgers but had no memory of the events at all. I had to rely on my wife to tell me what I did. I've also thought I can communicate with 'TV' people and weird things like that, so only take the prescribed dose and DO NOT mix with alcohol or other medicines such as benzodiazepines, or you could be one of the unlucky ones that experience dire consequences."

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

Zolpidem 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

Zolpidem 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

Zolpidem 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

Zolpidem 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

Zolpidem 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

Zolpidem 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!"

• cla...
• January 19, 2010

Zolpidem for Insomnia "My mother is 88 and has had a problem with Ambien for the four or so years she has been 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!"

• Jak...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 11, 2019

For Insomnia "Been taking zolpidem 10 mg on and off for a while. Personally, it is effective for insomnia, but one thing I've learned is to take it right before bed, or you may get amnesia. One night, I decided to read a chapter of a book after taking one, but I don't remember turning the light off or putting the book down ready to sleep. The next thing I remember is waking up. Luckily, I don't think I did anything else that night, but some people have driven miles in a car and not had any recollection until they woke up behind the wheel. So, like I say, take it right before turning the lights out."

• Amb...
• April 7, 2009

Zolpidem 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?'"

• ilo...
• May 1, 2009

Zolpidem for Insomnia "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 are: 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."

• Ell...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 22, 2020

For Insomnia "I have been taking Ambien for several years. At first, it helped a lot. I thought I would stop using it, but when I did, my sleeplessness became much worse. I also seemed to need larger amounts to be prescribed to me. I bought things online that I had no memory of ordering. I acted in very hurtful ways toward my loving and devoted husband. One night, I got out of bed to go to the bathroom. When I thought I was going to sit down on the toilet, I was actually sitting down in the middle of the room. My husband caught me and saved me from cracking my head on furniture. Now I understand that my negative personality changes, hallucinations, and Ambien-induced amnesia were central to the destruction of my marriage. This is a terrible drug. It may help you sleep, but the adverse effects are not worth the risk."

• Kir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 20, 2023

Zolpidem for Insomnia "Ambien CR is on my DO NOT PRESCRIBE list. It has caused me to do random things that I had no recollection of doing. The first night I took 10 mg as per my doctor's prescription. I woke up the next morning to find I had eaten all the desserts I had bought the day before - half a gallon of ice cream, a blueberry pie, and a bag of teriyaki-flavored rice cakes and didn't remember eating them. I kept taking it and a week later, I had a delivery of an expensive full-length black velvet evening gown. I contacted the company and reported that it had been sent to me in error. The customer service rep told me someone in my household must have ordered it for me as a gift. I said, 'My service dog is highly intelligent and trained as a scent dog. She could have scented out my credit card, but it is most improbable that she would have been unable to use my phone.' She checked their records and the order was placed at 2:33 a.m. I had no recollection of doing this. This medication is scary."

• Anonymous
• July 16, 2010

Zolpidem 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

Zolpidem 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."

• pur...
• September 27, 2007

Zolpidem for Insomnia "My father was taking Ambien CR and drinking alcohol with it. Falling down and not remembering things was an everyday problem. I tried telling his doctor this, but he did nothing but gave him more pills."

• Gaz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 10, 2018

For Insomnia "My experience of Zolpidem is like many on here. I take 10 mg every 3 nights, for example, if I take it on Monday night, I will have a break until Thursday and so on. That way, my body does not get addicted to it. For me, it starts to work in as little as 10 mins when relaxation kicks in, then the full effects begin around 20 mins. But if you are not in bed, you can begin to have balance issues when walking, similar to being drunk, and there have been times when I have had amnesia if I have not gotten in bed straight after taking this drug. There have been times when I have taken one and then been reading in the lounge before bed, and the next thing I remember is waking up 6 hours later in bed, not remembering how I got here or turning the lights off (thankfully, I did turn them off, I just don't remember!). It is a powerful drug, so always remember to take it as you get into bed or you will be at the risk of having amnesia. Overall, it works quickly and is the most effective sleeping medication I have taken."

• Mat...
• March 8, 2012

Zolpidem 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."

• Anonymous
• November 15, 2010

Zolpidem "I came here to post my experience over the years with Ambien and Ambien CR. They were bad for me. I had issues with memory, especially with my family having to remind me of what I said and did, even the morning after, really groggy, cloudy, fuzzy. Not good for raising kids. I was helped by sweetlemon on this website in her post here: I asked my doctor about Silenor, and she gave me 3 milligram tablets. She had no samples, but I figured I had already spent a fortune on Ambien, so why not. Got 7 hours of sleep without a problem. I haven't felt this good in a very, very long time. Thank you all on this website. I can sleep now!"

• Los...
• October 30, 2011

Zolpidem 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

Zolpidem 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

Zolpidem 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."