Sleeping Pill Reviews > Ambien Reviews
Ambien Review & Ratings
Based on 350+ Actual User Experiences
What You Need To Know
THE GOOD: Ambien (Zolpidem) is at least moderately effective in the treatment of insomnia for the vast majority of people who take it.
THE BAD: Side effects are common, including but not limited to strange behavior and little or no memory of engaging in it. Addiction is also experienced by a significant number of users.
Ambien Effectiveness
Does Ambien work? Out of the 355 users included in the data, 311 commented on whether or not the sleeping pill is effective for them. Out of these 311 users, 201 indicated that the Ambien pill is effective; 78 said that it worked OK; and 32 said it was not effective. In other words, 65% of the 311 users said it was effective; 25% said it was OK; and 10% said it was not effective.
| Effective | 65% |
| Works OK | 25% |
| Not effective | 10% |
Glossary
Effective
Taking Ambien results in a full night's sleep, or at least
enough sleep so that the user can function reasonably well
the following day.
Works OK
Taking Ambien provides some relief from insomnia, but not
enough to allow for an adequate night's rest.
Not effective
The medication provides little or no relief from insomnia.
Ambien Side Effects
Nearly all of the 355 users included in our research commented on whether the sleeping pill causes side effects for them personally. 51% report that they experience one or more side effects or unwanted outcomes of taking the pill.
Top Side Effects
The top 19 Ambien side effects as reported by users are listed and described below.
| Sleepwalking | 80 Users |
| Amnesia | 64 Users |
| Sleep eating | 41 Users |
| Sleep talking | 41 Users |
| Hallucinations | 36 Users |
| Drowsy next day | 32 Users |
| Anxiety | 22 Users |
| Feel drugged | 20 Users |
| Sleep driving | 13 Users |
| Strange dreams | 12 Users |
| Nightmares | 11 Users |
| Sleep sex | 11 Users |
| Sleep Injury | 10 Users |
| Sleep DUI | 8 Users |
| Personality changes | 8 Users |
| Headache | 7 Users |
| Can't be woken | 7 Users |
| Nausea | 5 Users |
| Violent | 5 Users |
Glossary
Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking includes activities that are typically associated
with wakefulness but occur while the person is asleep or in
a sleep-like state. Ambien users report engaging in virtually
all kinds of activities while asleep, especially cleaning
and cooking. Also common is calling or emailing people while
sleepwalking, which at least sometimes results in an embarrassing
and / or rambling conversation or message.
Memory
loss / amnesia
Memory loss in this context refers to an inability of the
Ambien user to remember what has occurred after taking the
drug, including what one did and / or said. Other people,
such as family members, often inform Ambien users of the
actions they took and / or words they spoke while they were under the drug's influence.
In addition, diminished memory can also extend and apply to what one does and / or says during daytime or non-sleep hours. For example, Ambien users may be more likely to forget where they placed their keys or the details of a conversation they had with someone during the day.
Sleep eating
Eating binges occur while under the drug's influence, often
with no memory of it. Weight gain as a result of this activity
is fairly common.
Hallucinations
Hallucination of all kinds are reported, including both seeing
and hearing people or things that are not really there.
Hangover
On a day following taking the medication, these users report feeling
groggy, tired, drowsy or on edge.
Sleep talking
Under Ambien's influence, these users talk in their sleep or while
sleep walking. The talk can be nonsensical and profanity laced.
The talk can also be painfully truthful when directed toward
someone, resulting in some users to view the drug as a sort
of truth serum.
Anxiety / panic attacks
A racing heart / palpitations, sweating, paranoia, chest pain,
shortness of breath, trembling, shaking, tingling, numbness
and other anxiety related symptoms occur at least occasionally
and often regularly for these users.
Drugged feeling
Grogginess, feeling "out of it", and / or experiencing
a high are common as well as diminished mental and physical
capability.
Sleep driving
A vehicle is driven by the Ambien user while in a sleep-like
state, and later the user has little or no memory of doing
so.
Strange dreams
Vivid and bizarre dreams are experienced and are sometimes
long remembered.
Nightmares
Disturbing and sometimes violent nightmares or night terrors
are experienced, often with great distress to the person.
Sleep sex
Sex takes place under the influence of Ambien, often without
inhibition or memory of it the next day.
Sleep injury
Injury occurs from sleepwalking,
such as from falling down.
Sleep DUI
Being arrested because of being under the influence of Ambien
while driving occurred, often with no memory of the event
on the part of the user.
Personality changes
The user behaves noticeably different in many important ways
than he or she did before taking the drug.
Headaches
Headaches or migraines occur during the day and / or night.
Can't be woken
When under Ambien's influence and asleep, the user cannot
be awaken even when someone makes a strong attempt to do so.
Nausea
The user can experience queasiness or unease in the abdomen
with an urge to vomit.
Violent
Acts of harm to oneself or others are committed by the user
when under the medication's influence, even when the user
does not normally behave in such a way.
Ambien Addiction
39% of the users in our research reported having at least some level of addiction to the sleeping pill.
Addiction in this case can mean that no longer taking the pill results in withdrawal, including any or all of the following symptoms: headaches, muscle aches, body pains, irritability, inability to concentrate, depression, grogginess, ringing ears, twitches, sweats, rashes, and anxiety / panic attacks. (This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of symptoms.)
Addiction can also mean dependence in that one sleeps worse for sometime upon ending the use of the pill than he or she did before starting use. Finally, a strong desire to take the pill for the "high" or feeling it provides can also possibly be considered addiction.
Ambien Tolerance
19% of users in our research reported that they developed a tolerance to the sleeping pill.
This means that the pill would lose at least some of its effectiveness and that increasing the dosage would be needed to maintain its ability to help one sleep.
The vast majority of those who reported developing a tolerance
were those who took the sleeping pill regularly for at least
one month. However, a significant number of long-term users
of Ambien reported developing no tolerance to the drug.
About Our Unbiased Ambien Research
Sleep Like The Dead gathered reviews and comments about Ambien from 355 users of the sleep aid.
The sources of this data are over 25 online message boards in which Ambien users share with others their experiences regarding their use of the medication. All collected data was spontaneously volunteered by users and was not the result of any organized, scientific data gathering effort.
Our research has found that both user experiences with Ambien and Ambien CR are virtually the same. As a result, user data for both pills is grouped together in the research results.
Our research finding are organized into four sections: Effectiveness, Side Effects, Addiction and Tolerance.
Remember
– Sleeping pills / supplements may be appropriate to take if a person temporarily needs help sleeping during a time of stress or illness.
– People who are not stressed or ill and still can't sleep well, either occasionally or regularly, should practice proper sleep hygiene before resorting to sleeping pills.
– Stubborn cases of long-term sleeplessness or chronic insomnia is often best treated through the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT. (Read a CBT success story .)
– Ambien has about 65% user satisfaction. ()