Zolpidem and Memory Loss: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Ken...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 4, 2019

For Insomnia "I take it and sleep in 20 minutes or so. I have a good night, I don't sleep too much, and the next day I'm not sleepy, so it works perfectly. The only side effect that I'm struggling with is amnesia, as I am starting to get to a weekend and notice I don't remember my week, and it gets even worse if you consume alcohol or take it and stay awake. With alcohol (even not drinking much), I came to forget that I went to bed and woke up believing I was going to sleep, and forgot the whole morning after. And once I took it as I thought I was going to sleep, and a friend called me to go out, and I didn't drink a drop, but I forgot the whole night and 'woke' the other day at lunch not remembering if I slept or what happened or what I did in the morning. I'm not sure if it's only because of the zolpidem or because I consumed alcohol at the beginning, but I felt very dizzy at first, during the day."

• Anonymous
• November 17, 2010

Zolpidem 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."

• now...
• May 17, 2009

Zolpidem for Insomnia "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."

• Anonymous
• March 8, 2009

Zolpidem 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."

• Anonymous
• November 14, 2012

For Insomnia "Best sleep ever. I have had insomnia for years, and this really works every time. I will admit that if I stay up for some time on it and it takes effect, I want to make and eat popcorn. Not the microwaved bag kind, but the old-fashioned on-the-stove kind. And sometimes I don't remember making the popcorn the next day. There is definitely that amnesia effect, sometimes I don't remember what I watched on T.V. after I have taken it or even getting ready for bed (shower, etc.). But I still give it a 10 because it does a great job of getting you to sleep and keeping you asleep. Also, it doesn't make you feel like crap the next day like any other sleep medication, especially the over-the-counter sleep meds. Highly recommend for sleep issues."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 1, 2021

For Insomnia "Was prescribed this after a bout of bad insomnia back in early Sept. 2021 after the loss of a loved one. The first few nights it seemed to work, but not too well. Then, after the 7th night, I woke up standing beside my bed from a dream. The 9th and final night I took a pill. The next day I was incredibly brain fogged, new depression, and feeling very unusual. The brain fog went away after a couple days. But I noticed memory problems, and depression still persists to this day, Nov. 1st. Before I took these, I took trazodone for sleep for 5 nights, and hydroxyzine for 16 nights. The insomnia has since gone away, but memory problems and depression are persistent. I think it's very dangerous, and if I were warned about the potential side effects, I would've never taken them."

• Dav...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 23, 2019

For Insomnia "[CAUTION! THIS DRUG IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR SOME PEOPLE!!] I am rating this drug really low because of its EXTREMELY DANGEROUS immediate and long-term side effects. I feel it really should be a controlled substance. I started Ambien in 1998 up until 2012. It made me do things while in a dream-like state of mind, and I wouldn't remember the next day, like: sex, driving, buying stuff online, eating too much, but the worst was I was such a danger to myself in so many ways. I took the medication then, while in that altered state of consciousness and depressed out of my mind, I swallowed the rest of the Ambien in the bottle. It is addictive. Long-term: I have worsening, but moderate problems with my long/short-term memory, problem-solving ability, creativity, concentration, and learning. My wife nearly divorced me because she hated my bizarre behavior and mood swings while under the influence of it."

• Mae...
• October 18, 2015

Zolpidem 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"

• old...
• March 8, 2009

Zolpidem for Insomnia "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."

• Anonymous
• February 22, 2012

For Insomnia "I have been taking this medicine for years. I started off with the CR, and that was a hot mess. I ended up doing things and not remembering how I got there. Then my doctor put me on the plain zolpidem, and that has worked out, but what a lot of people don't know is it works better on an empty stomach."

• Hun...
• May 1, 2011

For Insomnia "I took my Ambien, thought I went to sleep but instead talked on the phone to my boyfriend who told me I was acting crazy and making no sense. I told him I was going to cook and eat all the food in the fridge, which I actually did do with no knowledge of it. There weren't even any leftovers, however, all the dishes were washed and put away. This behavior caused me to gain weight as well as have amnesia for the entire event."

• Iam...
• May 11, 2011

Zolpidem "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."

• Anonymous
• April 17, 2009

For Insomnia "I have been taking zolpidem for 5 months now. At first, I started out with making phone calls or sending emails and not remembering. Also, I would have a full pack of cigarettes, wake up the next morning, and only have a few left. Those effects lasted only the first month of taking it. I still occasionally go through the cigarettes without knowing it, but if you want a good, solid night of sleep, I would highly recommend it."

• Anonymous
• September 16, 2011

For Insomnia "Started zolpidem for insomnia due to anxiety from a cancer diagnosis. Prior to this time, I had no sleep problems. I started with 10 mg, two nights in a row, but it had no effect. The next night, I tried one and a half pills (15 mg), which worked great, but I could barely get out of bed after 8 hours of sleep. I figured out that I could take 10 mg about an hour before bedtime and a half pill at bedtime and get 9 hours of great sleep and no problems getting out of bed in the morning. However, after about 1 week, I discovered notable memory loss, particularly with occasionally searching for words. I once came home from work and saw a note I had apparently written to my wife that morning, but didn't remember writing. Decided to switch medicines."

• KJC...
• May 31, 2018

For Insomnia "I don’t know why this drug is on the market. At first, I was brushing off reports of sleepwalking and other issues because it hadn’t happened to me. About 6 months into taking zolpidem, I experienced sexual parasomnia and memory loss. Thought it was a one-off, it was helping me sleep, so I didn’t entirely mind. It just got worse and worse. At one point, I’d ripped up a bunch of homework (I’m in college) and destroyed other things. Then the hallucinations started. I was seeing bugs in my house, a dead mouse in my boyfriend’s shoe, an animal carcass (it was a blanket), etc. I actually called the police to report that there were people in my house that wouldn’t leave (I am extremely embarrassed by this), was trying to get a dog to come to me to see if it had a tag (it was a campaign sign), thought my dad had come over (haven’t spoken in 2 years). It was awful. My boyfriend flushed the pills down the toilet, but it took about 3 days for me to finally stop hallucinating."

• Al ...
• June 9, 2011

For Insomnia "Positive - Works 'as advertised' in 5 mg or 10 mg tablet form. Best used immediately before 'hopping into bed'. If used prior to this, you may/will experience some amnesia (short-term memory) loss or confusion. Things or actions taken may be perfectly normal, such as convenience store shopping, etc. I am, however, extremely grateful that I do not have access to a motor vehicle. Impaired judgment should be taken for granted."

• dol...
• April 13, 2011

For Insomnia "I have used zolpidem for several years without problem. However, I was very tired and also had a sinus infection that was very severe. I took the zolpidem to help me fall asleep, and it worked as usual, but after an hour or so, I got up (this was told to me because I have no memory of it). I got up, went to the bathroom, fell, I missed the toilet, I played in it and painted the floor and walls with it. My husband and daughter-in-law cleaned me up, and I resisted, but they got it done, and I was put back in bed. I got up again and fell. They put me back to bed, and the next morning I could not understand why I was in a different gown."

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

Zolpidem 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

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

• Anonymous
• October 25, 2019

Zolpidem 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

Zolpidem 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..."

• hsc...
• November 26, 2011

Zolpidem for Insomnia "Very consistent seven hours of sleep. However, if I don't go right to bed, I may do things I don't remember, like leaving a bunch of lights and the TV on. Had to discontinue due to high cost."

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

Zolpidem 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."

• Ste...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 16, 2021

For Insomnia "Causes major nighttime eating for me...4 or 5 times during the night with no memory of it the next day."

• RMa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 9, 2018

For Insomnia "Been using for several years. 12.5 mg XR. Some memory issues, but it's effective. The 5 mg and 10 mg don't keep me asleep all night."