Ambien Addiction

With what begins as an intention to get a good night’s sleep can graduate into something bigger and much more dangerous. Ambien is a sleep aid medication that is used to treat short-term insomnia in adults. Just like any other type of sleep aid, there is a chance a person can develop an Ambien addiction and become dependent on the drug.

An addiction to Ambien is more likely to develop if the user has taken the medication longer than prescribed or in higher doses. The risk of addiction is also much higher in people with a previous history of alcohol or drug addiction issues.

When a person is addicted to a drug, if the medication is discontinued the body is not able to function properly and the person will experience withdrawal symptoms. Some symptoms of Ambien withdrawal include, but are not limited to the following:

• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Sweating
• Insomnia
• Mood swings
• Stomach cramps and gastrointestinal upset
• Panic attacks and elevated anxiety

When withdrawal symptoms occur, a person likely has an Ambien addiction and feels like they need to keep taking the medication to prevent the symptoms from happening again. There are also less common, but more important side effects which can occur with Ambien abuse which include:

• Suicidal thoughts
• Mental confusion
• Aggressive behavior
• Being more outgoing than usual
• Strange, unexplainable behavior
• Depression
• Hallucinations
• Agitation/restlessness
• Feeling faint or lightheaded
• Slurry speech
• Problems with muscle coordination
• Vision changes

Another dangerous side effect of Ambien addiction is the drug is known to cause periods of amnesia when used in large amounts. Clinical studies have revealed that amnesia can occur in as many as 10% of subjects who abuse Ambien. When a person develops amnesia from a large dose of Ambien, it can last for a period of several hours after the initial dose.

With the abuse of Ambien, there are other serious consequences which can result. If a person takes an overdose of the medication, the symptoms will vary and can include, but are not limited to the following:

• Excessive tiredness (lethargy)
• Light coma
• Heart failure
• Lung failure
• Respiratory depression

While instances of overdose are common, loss of life while rare has also been reported. Most of the time when a person overdoses and suffers a fatality, it is because other drugs were taken in conjunction with Ambien.

The Food and Drug Administration has labeled Ambien as a Schedule IV drug, which means it is considered to have a low abuse potential, but addiction is possible. Currently, Ambien is the most commonly prescribed sleep aid in the United States, which leads directly to the ease of availability on the black market. Ambien has been used recently as a date-rape drug, which raises more concerns for the increasing risks and dangers that come from Ambien addiction.

If you or someone you love is facing an addiction to Ambien, please contact us today for further information.

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