OT -- Warnings About Ambien Are True!!! (Long)
Had a reality check this weekend. Scared the snot out of me!!!
I've been on Ambien for a little over two years. Just can't fall asleep and then when I do, can't stay asleep more than 3 hours. So I take my ambien and sleep. I remember when the reports on the "eating" side affects came out. My response was "were you on ambien when you bought it" --- right. Then the Kennedy thing with the driving on ambien. WELL ---- since the surgery a few weird things have happened that I shrugged off -- t.v. was on when I knew I turned it off, front door open in the middle of the night (I must have forgotten to turn shut the front door for circulation), container of grapes in the living room, still cold, and hubby didn't take them out (since they were cold they hadn't been out too long), I seemed to remember a dream about smashing into a wall and really hurting my shoulder (no dream, still hurts!!). Then I woke up Saturday morning and thought a truck had hit me. Felt like crap -- shakey, nauseated, had "bathroom" problems during the night. Walked out to the kitchen with hubby to get coffee and notice a candy bar wrapper for his favorite candy bar "Milky Way" on the counter. Asked him if he had it for breakfast and he gave me a look and said "No". Then this flash of a dream I had the night before where I had been violently throwing up came to mind. With my sugar issues, I just laughed and said "I'd be dead if it was me" ~~ especially since I really don't like Milky Way and my beloved Hershey bars were right next to them (surely I would have just eaten one of them). He even went as far as to check to make sure the house was still locked up. Then reality hit!!! So I had to admit (after a few hours of denial) that I've been doing stuff in my sleep -- this is the first and LAST time I'll be doing sugar during the night. Since I can't do sugar, that would explain the violent throwing up and why I felt like crap on and off ALL weekend. Shakes, nausea, etc. Feel better but not 100% yet and it's been three days!!!! And soooooo tired -- I'm guessing from the sugar in my blood..... My main concern was harming someone else and not knowing it, or the reality that it gets cold in Minnesota and I would hope I wouldn't wonder outside and freeze to death, etc. What if I was driving? OMG!!!! I haven't noticed anything else out of order the past months -- thank goodness -- but I may never know either. I don't think I've been eating bad things cause I'm losing, and I guess I throw it up if its sugar based -- hell~~ I could have asperated and died!!!! So I'm telling you that if you take it (or any other med) and you think you are doing weird things -- get off of it!!! I was really skeptical and boy did I learn my lesson!!! I had noticed that it kicked in immediately after the surgery but I had no idea it could be this bad and SCAREY!!!!! My new question -- why can't I do laundry or work in my sleep? -- that would have helped me during busy season!!!! I switched meds and we'll be watching MUCH MORE closely for odd things... XXOO
Fitness is not about age or a size -- it's really about an attitude and life style!!!
Life is not measured by the number of breathes we take, but by the moments that take our breathe away~~
session at a time is all I can do, multitasking is a fine art that I am still trying to master. 
OMG! I started taking ambien about a month ago. And there were pockets of time that I could not remember. My husband and I had conversations that I could not remember. I stopped taking it. IF we had snacks in the house, I'm sure I would have been down eating them. DON'T TAKE AMBIEN!!!! It is the scariest thing I've ever had happen.
on 5/12/08 11:27 pm - MN
"When you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
