However, while it generally takes users longer to develop an addiction to Ambien than to Benzos and withdrawal from Ambien is generally less severe and dangerous than Benzo withdrawal, Ambien is still an addictive substance.
In fact, it is now recognized that Ambien has a similar abuse potential to Benzos. A physical dependence to Ambien can form in as little as two weeks, whether the user is following a prescription or abusing the drug. Ambien dependence is characterized by tolerance, whereby the user requires larger amounts of the substance to feel the same effect, and withdrawal symptoms which appear if the user stops taking the drug or reduces their dosage.
Eventually, Ambien dependence may become a full-blown addiction; this is characterized by tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, impaired control over use, compulsive use, continued use despite harm, and cravings.
Most Ambien addictions begin with a simple case of short-term insomnia. Ambien becomes less and less effective after taking it for more than a couple of weeks. Before long I needed to take a pill every night.
Learn More. Ambien is a brand name of Zolpidem. It is primarily prescribed as a temporary treatment for insomnia. Ambien is taken by mouth as a small, oblong tablet or as an extended-release tablet. Some people may crush up the pills and snort them to get a stronger effect. Ambien was primarily marketed as an alternative to Benzodiazepines, like Halcion, which were coming under public scrutiny for their addictive potential and other side effects.
The makers of Ambien claimed their drug was safer and less addictive. Ambien had the good fortune to reach the market just as the reputation of Halcion, which had been promoted as safer than Barbiturates, collapsed.
In , addiction specialist Dr. Michael Weaver published a report on Sedative abuse in which he outlined the fact that many non-Benzodiazepine Sleeping Pills can be just as prone to abuse as Benzodiazepines.
Ambien is a Schedule IV controlled substance. Despite this, many users have abused the drug for its euphoric and hallucinatory effects. Make a Call Taking Ambien without a prescription or in any way not directed by a doctor is abuse. Even taking an extra pill for a little help sleeping is considered abuse. Once someone builds a tolerance to Ambien, they need larger doses to fall asleep.
This strengthens their dependence on the drug to sleep and causes many users to escalate their doses without medical guidance. Ambien is meant to be taken immediately before bed, but some people have been known to take the drug hours before going to sleep. This leads to a euphoria that washes away insecurity and self-conscious behavior. From a practical standpoint, it works. From a recreational one, it can get you high as hell.
I started to take my Ambien a little earlier each evening. In some ways, Ambien is a safer alternative to Benzodiazepine Sedatives because there is less potential to overdose on the drug. It may be hard to detect an Ambien overdose because the signs of overdose are similar to the effects of the drug. The result could be a fatal overdose. Unusually slow breathing or heartbeat is a strong indication that the user is in trouble.
One of the most common substances used with Ambien is alcohol. Some people with an Ambien tolerance take alcohol with their pill to amplify the Sedative effects of the drug. This is dangerous because both drugs depress the CNS. Some people have also combined Ambien with Benzos, like Valium. The medication can become habit-forming if taken too often—a possibility that is more likely in those who have a family history of addiction or are currently addicted to other drugs, Dr.
Ross says. Ambien can also be dangerous when taken recreationally, especially if mixed with alcohol or other drugs. A popular drug Ambien is by far the best-selling prescription sleep medicine in the U. And the popularity of Ambien and its generic version, zolpidem, has only grown in recent years. The use of zolpidem has exploded since it first became available in By , the number of prescriptions sold had more than doubled, to Sleep medications "are widely advertised, they have abuse liability, they are relatively easy to get," says Carol Boyd, PhD, a professor of nursing at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, who studies prescription-medication abuse among young people.
Doctors are increasingly prescribing sleep medications to adolescents, which heightens the chances that their friends and family will get access to these medications without a prescription, Boyd says. The misuse of Ambien and other sleep aids does not appear to be widespread now, Boyd says, but it has the potential to become a problem. Although its effect is milder, Ambien targets the same brain networks as drugs such as Xanax and Valium, potent anti-anxiety drugs known as benzodiazepines that can cause dependence when taken for long periods of time.
At standard doses, Ambien and similar medications are generally much less addictive than these benzodiazepines, Dr. Ambien has a relatively short half-life, meaning it's cleared from the body fairly quickly. The fact that it doesn't linger in the body and cause undue morning wooziness is one of the reasons it has become so popular as an insomnia drug. Still, people who take Ambien to get high or muffle their anxiety may experience a rebound effect as the drug wears off, and may take more pills to combat it.
Addicts are typically not a group that just goes seeking to have pleasure…. It's really people that are in pain or discomfort psychically, and drugs are very good self-treatments that then have the side effect of corrupting and reorganizing their reward and motivation circuits. In a statement, a spokesperson for the maker of Ambien, Sanofi-Aventis, said that people should take Ambien only as directed.
When taken as directed, it decreases the amount of time it takes for someone to fall asleep. The extended-release form of zolpidem enters the body more slowly, for people who have trouble staying asleep all night.
The standard form of Ambien comes as an oval white pill. Zolpidem may also be prescribed as an oral spray, called Zolpimist. Though zolpidem is only prescribed for a short time, someone may take more than the recommended dosage in order to sleep better and longer. They may keep taking it beyond the prescribed time frame as well. Using any medication outside of the prescription limitations is considered substance abuse.
We are here to help you through every aspect of recovery. Let us call you to learn more about our treatment options. The longer a person takes zolpidem and the higher the doses, the more likely they are to build a tolerance, meaning they need more of it in order to get the same effect. This can easily turn into a mental dependence addiction.
Someone who is addicted to using zolpidem as a sleep aid believes that they cannot sleep without it. People who abuse zolpidem in order to get high may begin to crave the drug and go to great lengths to obtain it.
Poor performance at work or school, financial difficulties, and secretive behavior may all be indicators of uncontrolled drug use. When any substance is taken in excess, the risk of negative consequences increases. The most common side effects of zolpidem are daytime drowsiness, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, and amnesia.
The drug label advises people against taking zolpidem if they have less than seven to eight hours to sleep, as the effects may not have worn off by morning. It also warns against driving and other activities that require complete focus. These cautions, however, do not prevent people from sleep activity.
People taking zolpidem have been reported to do strange things in their sleep, such as eat, drive, and have sex.
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