Understanding Ambien Addiction and the Withdrawal Symptoms

Ambien is a prescription sleep medication that is one of the most popular in the country. It helps to reduce insomnia and help users get more sleep each night. Although it's effective, it's only meant to be used for a short amount of time. Most people are prescribed this so they can use it when they just need to get a good night's sleep. This works by reducing certain activities in the brain so sleep comes easier to the user. It actually targets a certain area in the brain cells instead of the entire brain, which many other sleeping prescriptions used to do.

This prescription is meant to be used no longer then 7 to 10 days or else major side effects could occur. The most common side effects include: dizziness, diarrhea and drowsiness. Some people experience no side effects while others experience one or all. Generally people wake up feeling refreshed and not drowsy, but there are a small number of people who feel the opposite.

Ambien Addiction

Although Ambien is not considered an addictive drug, there are still people who abuse it. This may start from just daily use to sleep or it can start after trying Ambien in an improper way. Individuals who have addictive personalities need to be in close contact with their physician while they are taking this. Once an addiction has developed, it can be very difficult to stop taking it. Many friends or family members won't even be able to tell that a loved one has an addiction because they use it when they are going to sleep at night. Some of the most common signs of addiction include:

• Anxiety relief while using
• Sleeping for long lengths of time
• Self confidence for no reason
• Mood swings
• Hallucinations
• Fear of running out of Ambien

When somebody stops taking Ambien or decreases the number of times they use it during the week, they will start to go through withdrawal. Unfortunately this can result in a number of different unpleasant symptoms that are difficult to overcome. These unpleasant feelings are big reasons why so many people turn back to Ambien and continue to abuse it. Some people even start to take other prescriptions in addition to Ambien so they feel the effects of both drugs. The withdrawal symptoms of Ambien generally last for one week, but can be up to two or more for some people.

Common Ambien Withdrawal Symptoms Include:

• Aggressive behavior
• Confusion
• Agitation
• Hallucinations
• Strange behavior
• Anxiety
• Suicidal thoughts
• Insomnia
• Sweating
• Vomiting
• Muscle cramps

Some withdrawal symptoms can be severe and even cause the user to have life-threatening seizures. Anyone who is experiencing severe pains in the body should go and see a doctor so they can be supervised during their withdrawal process. There are drugs that can be given to reduce the withdrawal symptoms and make getting off Ambien easier than it would be otherwise.

Rehab centers are also effective places to get help for Ambien abuse, just like they are with any other drug. When an Ambien addict goes into rehab they will be provided with the care they need to safely go through withdrawal. They will also gain the tools necessary to stop their addiction and work through mental issues. Without rehab most people are likely to start abusing this drug or others soon after feeling the withdrawal symptoms.

Ambien Overdose

Many users who take Ambien on a daily basis don't realize just how much they are taking. On the other hand, some do and are taking more because they are contemplating suicide. This abuse can easily lead to overdose, which can cause a number of permanent health issues as well as death. Symptoms that someone has overdosed on Ambien include:

• Clumsiness
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Sleepiness
• Slowed heart rate

Anyone that is showing these symptoms should receive medical care right away. Without the proper care someone could end up in the emergency room or possibly even dead. While death isn't as likely as most other health issues, it just depends on the health of the patient, other drugs they have taken and what their tolerance was at. Some addicts have survived doses of Ambien up to 40 times more than the recommended amounts.