Official Ambien Web Site
Sanofi-Aventis, the company that owns Ambien, doesn't seem to be hiding anything from prospective prescribers on its Web site. Even with the slew of adverse effects, including risk of dependency, "complex behaviors" and temporary amnesia, the company lays it all out there for the public to see.Among the things mentioned in the Web site's important safety information are:
- Use caution when engaging in morning activities until you know how you'll react to Ambien.
- Memory problems can be avoided if you take Ambien only when you are able to devote seven to eight hours of sleep afterward.
- Sleepwalking, and eating or driving while not fully awake, with amnesia for the event, have been reported.
- Like most sleep medications, it has some risk of dependency.
Full Prescribing Information
It is only when you take a look at the pdf of its full prescribing information that you get a more in-depth explanation of what this all means.Here are some additional explanations found in the full prescribing information:
General Warnings and Precautions
- Because sleep disturbances may be the result of a psychiatric disorder, treatment of insomnia should only be initiated after a careful evaluation of the patient.
- The failure of insomnia to go away after seven to 10 days of treatment may indicate the presence of a psychiatric or medical illness.
- These findings have emerged during the course of treatment with sedative/hypnotic drugs, including Ambien.
Abnormal Thinking and Behavior Changes
- Changes in behavior include: more outgoing behavior than normal, loss of personal identity, confusion, strange behavior, agitation, hallucinations, worsening of depression and suicidal thoughts.
- Complex behaviors such as sleep-driving, with amnesia for the event, have been reported. Although sleep-driving may occur with Ambien alone, the use of alcohol appears to increase the risk of this behavior.
- Other complex behaviors include preparing and eating food, making phone calls or having sex. As with sleep-driving, patients usually do not remember these events.
Risk of Dependency
- Sleep medicines can cause dependence, or addiction, especially when these medicines are used regularly for longer than a few weeks or at high doses.
- If the medicine is suddenly stopped, the body is not able to function normally and unpleasant symptoms may occur.
- The reported symptons range from mild insomnia to a withdrawal syndrome that may include abdominal and muscle cramps, vomiting, sweating, tremors and convulsions.