# Took Ambien and it didn't work **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 27, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047 "2012-10-27T14:25:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/41 "2012-10-29T11:42:13Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I HATE Ambien!! It has this weird atypical effect on me; I get _extremely_ drowsy and get to the verge of sleep but am unable to ever actually cross that final threshold into restful bliss. It is simply maddening! I feel drugged and half-conscious; sort of this weird ‘nether-world’ between wakefulness and sleep. Ugh. Truly awful. I get this with Lunesta. Ambien is unreliable for both my wife and me. Sometimes it works just fine, sometimes it does doodley squat. It tends to perpetuate sleeplessness in me (i.e., I need it again the next night), so I now avoid it. My wife doesn’t seem to have this problem. Also, we have had better luck with the regular pill than with the time release. I generally just use melatonin, although it only gives me 6 hours sleep, and I’m usually depressed the next day. That keeps me from leaning very hard on it, which is good. ---
**Author:** ![67java89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/aeb1de/32.png) [@67java89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/67java89)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/42 "2012-10-29T15:49:53Z")
I took the regular, not the extended release. I was really disappointed that it didn’t work. A friend of mine took it to help her sleep after her father died, and said the stuff was wonderful. I guess meds work differently on different people. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/43 "2012-10-29T16:28:55Z")
> [@67java89](#): > > I took the regular, not the extended release. I was really disappointed that it didn’t work. A friend of mine took it to help her sleep after her father died, and said the stuff was wonderful. I guess meds work differently on different people. Definitely. I’ve tried a ton of stuff, both prescription and OTC. My sister had me taking a sure fire OTC combination of herbs she guaranteed would help me sleep. Nada. Besides some of the older narcotic sleep aids that were pretty dangerous, Ambien and Lunestra (which is VERY expensive on my insurance, I guess because it didn’t have a generic version when I tried it) are the only things that consistently work for me. If you have given up on Ambien that’s cool, but you could take a suggestion from up thread. Take two of your 5 mg pills about an hour before bed, and just read or watch some TV after you take it…and see if that does anything for you. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/44 "2012-10-29T16:31:56Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I HATE Ambien!! It has this weird atypical effect on me; I get _extremely_ drowsy and get to the verge of sleep but am unable to ever actually cross that final threshold into restful bliss. It is simply maddening! I feel drugged and half-conscious; sort of this weird ‘nether-world’ between wakefulness and sleep. Ugh. Truly awful. Interestingly, Ambien worked for me for a while and what it did was to make me go from a fully awake state, to dreamland, and be aware of the transition. My dreams became very lucid because of this. I actually knew the exact moment when I had fallen asleep and I was completely aware that now I was asleep and dreaming. I had memory issues because of it too. I don’t remember watching Sweeney Todd, at all, and this was a full day after I’d taken the pill. I also developed an immunity to the dosage I had been given and gave up on it. Now it’s Benadryl or Advil PM (if I have a backache). Works perfectly fine and nonaddictive. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/45 "2012-10-29T16:38:33Z")
Why were you on a prescription sleep aide if OTC stuff works for you??? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/46 "2012-10-29T18:15:49Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > How old are you? The drug has only been around for a decade. > [@Ambivalid](#): > > Ambien has been on the market for [two decades](http://www.caring.com/questions/when-did-ambien-come-on-market). I had no idea it’s been around that long. I’m 23 so this was within 10 years ago anyway. ---
**Author:** ![mo50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@mo50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mo50)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/47 "2012-10-29T18:41:27Z")
You might try taking it sublingually and on an empty stomach if you want it to hit you faster. Ambien does some funny things to me after drinking. Gf’s mom & stepfather were visiting last week, and we gave them our bed while we slept on the sofa. Apparently, I got up in the middle of the night to pee and tried to get in bed w with them. Embarassing, but coulda been worse as I usually sleep naked, but at least I had pajamas on this time! Ouch!:o ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/48 "2012-10-29T20:26:58Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Why were you on a prescription sleep aide if OTC stuff works for you??? 😕 It was during a particularly stressful time in my life (dog was deteriorating with no diagnosis anyone could find), and then my boss laid me off 3 days after I put the dog to sleep (after having just spent $6,000 on him; all our savings), so the OTC stuff wasn’t working. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/49 "2012-10-29T20:38:31Z")
That makes sense…and that might have also factored into why it didn’t work. Possibly nothing would have worked for you (short of the drug nuclear options), with those levels of stress. And you just might be one of those people (like seemingly a lot in this thread) that Ambien doesn’t work for in any case. ETA: From my own experience with chronic sleeping issues, OTC does nothing for me. Not even Benadryl or other stuff that a lot of folks tell me make them sleepy help. I can take the PM variants of pain killers OTC without feeling sleepy in the least. Same with the OTC herbal remedy’s like Melatonin. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/50 "2012-10-29T23:46:29Z")
I love the stuff, personally. It works like a charm. I sleep more regularly than I have since I was a little kid. I do take it every day, but it fixed my insomnia beautifully. I switched to the extended release when I started to wake up in the middle of the night. Before switching, I tried Lunesta. Lunesta was the single worst drug of any kind I have ever taken. I felt like I had taken half a dozen benadryl and was too drugged to sleep. My mouth tasted like a tar & Listerine cocktail for about 36 hours. I’d seriously consider killing myself before taking it again. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/51 "2012-10-30T02:10:10Z")
> [@Maeglin](#): > > I love the stuff, personally. It works like a charm. I sleep more regularly than I have since I was a little kid. I do take it every day, but it fixed my insomnia beautifully. Don’t you worry about becoming dependent/addicted to it? It is an addictive medication. I remember when I left the rehabilitation hospital after my car-accident 12 years ago, I had HUGE 'scripts for _all kinds_ of drugs: vicodin, oxycodone, nerve pain medication, anti-anxiety medicine and one tiny 'script for ambien. The doctors didn’t seem to worry at all about giving me liberal amounts of certain narcotics but when it came to that sleeping pill, they were very frugal. I might be wrong, I haven’t read up on the medication in some time, but isn’t it meant for short-term use? As a treatment for short-term insomnia? I didn’t think it was advised to take it long-term. Have you experienced nights without it (or any hypnotic sleep aide) since you began this chronic use? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/52 "2012-10-30T02:13:59Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Don’t you worry about becoming dependent/addicted to it? It is an addictive medication. > > I remember when I left the rehabilitation hospital after my car-accident 12 years ago, I had HUGE 'scripts for _all kinds_ of drugs: vicodin, oxycodone, nerve pain medication, anti-anxiety medicine and one tiny 'script for ambien. The doctors didn’t seem to worry at all about giving me liberal amounts of certain narcotics but when it came to that sleeping pill, they were very frugal. > > I might be wrong, I haven’t read up on the medication in some time, but isn’t it meant for short-term use? As a treatment for short-term insomnia? I didn’t think it was advised to take it long-term. Have you experienced nights without it (or any hypnotic sleep aide) since you began this chronic use? Low-dosage Ambien is pretty safe when taken 3-5 times a week. It’s not a good idea to take it 7 nites a week. I take mine only on worknites. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/53 "2012-10-30T02:22:36Z")
Whoa…it’s not safe to take every night?? 😕 Do you have a cite for that? I’ve been taking it every night for years, and my doc says it’s one of the best and safest prescription sleep aids on the market. What’s considered a low dose btw? My prescription is 10 mg. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/54 "2012-10-30T02:27:25Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Whoa…it’s not safe to take every night?? 😕 Do you have a cite for that? I’ve been taking it every night for years, and my doc says it’s one of the best and safest prescription sleep aids on the market. What’s considered a low dose btw? My prescription is 10 mg. Yes, [right here.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zolpidem) Scroll down to the relevant “addiction/dependence” section and you will see that it is not recommended for use of more than a few days to a couple weeks time. The withdrawal symptoms for Ambien are similar to that of benzos. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/55 "2012-10-30T03:14:47Z")
Well, I see the part about addiction (I knew about that already…I’ve gone through withdrawal myself a couple of times), but I don’t see where it’s not safe to take every night. A lot of things are addictive, so in and of itself I don’t see that as a problem, unless there are other long term negative effects of using the drug. I was surprised it’s considered a date rape drug though. Definitely didn’t know that. I’ve never noticed the drug taking hold of me to the extent someone could rape me without my knowledge. I guess as with all things, it takes people in different ways. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/56 "2012-10-30T03:33:11Z")
I won’t touch it with a ten-foot poll after hearing stories of a business exec on overseas travel and watching a friend gain weight like crazy because he was unaware that he was stuffing his face during the night but was blaming the missing food on his young son. I take trazadone, it helps me get a good night’s sleep and curbs some of the anxiety. Not all of it, but enough that I can function. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/57 "2012-10-30T03:53:30Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Whoa…it’s not safe to take every night?? 😕 Do you have a cite for that? I’ve been taking it every night for years, and my doc says it’s one of the best and safest prescription sleep aids on the market. What’s considered a low dose btw? My prescription is 10 mg. 10Mg is safe. And yes it is definitely “one of the safest”. Still, talk to your MD. Most say to take it no more than 5 times a week. This also means that it continues to work, you don’t build up a tolerance. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/58 "2012-10-30T04:01:57Z")
Yeah I’ll definitely talk to him about it. But literally I’ve been taking the stuff for over 5 years, 7 days a week. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/59 "2012-10-30T04:05:05Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > I won’t touch it with a ten-foot poll after hearing stories of a business exec on overseas travel and watching a friend gain weight like crazy because he was unaware that he was stuffing his face during the night but was blaming the missing food on his young son. > > I take trazadone, it helps me get a good night’s sleep and curbs some of the anxiety. Not all of it, but enough that I can function. Now trazadone is definitely a problem for me. I tried it a few years ago and it made my heart race, and I broke out in a cold sweat. I had such a bad experience with it (and it didn’t help me sleep…probably the racing heart and cold sweat) I flushed it down the toilet and won’t touch it with that ten foot pole you mentioned. Weird how these drugs take people so differently. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047/60 "2012-10-30T04:06:41Z")
My problem is that when I dont fall asleep I start to worry about not getting enough sleep. So- I don’t fall asleep. But on the weekend, I am not worried about it. I take my tea as above, and then go to bed. Yes, sometime i don’t fall asleep at once, but since i have not set a time to wake up- no worries. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/took-ambien-and-it-didnt-work/639047.md?page=4)