abdominal pains, aching, agoraphobia, anxiety, blurred vision, body vibrations, changes in perception, diarrhea, distended abdomen, feeling of unreality, flu-like symptoms, flatulence, food cravings, hair loss, heart palpitations, heavy limbs, increased allergies, increased sense of smell, insomnia, lethargy, loss of balance, metallic taste, muscle spasms, nightmares, panic attacks, paranoia, persistent & unpleasant memories, severe headaches, shaking, short term memory loss, sore mouth and tongue, sound & light sensitivity, speech difficulties, sweating, suicidal thoughts, tinnitus, unusually sensitive, fear

Ambien Side Effects May Include

allergy, daytime drowsiness, dizziness, drugged feeling, headache, indigestion, nausea, difficulty with coordination, memory loss, tolerance, dependency, changes in behavior and thinking, more outgoing, strange behavior, agitation, worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts, abdominal pain, abnormal dreams, abnormal vision, amnesia, anxiety, arthritis, back pain, bronchitis, burning sensation, chest pain, confusion, constipation, coughing, daytime sleeping, decreased mental alertness, depression, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, difficulty concentrating, difficulty swallowing, diminished sensitivity to touch, dizziness on standing, double vision, dry mouth, emotional instability, exaggerated feeling of well-being, eye irritation, falling, fatigue, fever, flu-like symptoms, gas, general discomfort, hallucination, hiccup, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, increased sweating, infection, insomnia, itching, joint pain, lack of bladder control, lack of coordination, lethargy, light-headedness, loss of appetite, menstrual disorder, migraine, muscle pain, nasal inflammation, nervousness, numbness, paleness, prickling or tingling sensation, rapid heartbeat, rash, ringing in the ears, sinus inflammation, sleep disorder, speech difficulties, swelling due to fluid retention, taste abnormalities, throat inflammation, throbbing heartbeat, tremor, unconsciousness, upper respiratory infection, urinary tract infection, vertigo, vomiting, weakness, abnormal tears or tearing, abscess, acne, aggravation of allergies, aggravation of high blood pressure, aggression, allergic reaction, altered production of saliva, anemia, belching, blisters, blood clot in lung, boils, breast pain, breast problems, breast tumors, bruising, chill with high temperature followed by heat and perspiration, decreased sex drive, delusion, difficulty urinating, excessive urine production, eye pain, facial swelling due to fluid retention, fainting, false perceptions, feeling intoxicated, feeling strange, flushing, frequent urination, glaucoma, gout, heart attack, hemorrhoids, herpes infection, high cholesterol, hives, hot flashes, impotence, inability to urinate, increased appetite, increased tolerance to the drug, intestinal blockage, irregular heartbeat, joint degeneration, kidney failure, kidney pain, laryngitis, leg cramps, loss of reality, low blood pressure, mental deterioration, muscle spasms in arms and legs, muscle weakness, nosebleed, pain, painful urination, panic attacks, paralysis, pneumonia, poor circulation, rectal bleeding, rigidity, sciatica (lower back pain), sensation of seeing flashes of lights or sparks, sensitivity to light, sleepwalking, speech difficulties, swelling of the eye, thinking abnormalities, thirst, tooth decay, uncontrolled leg movements, urge to go to the bathroom, varicose veins, weight loss, and yawning

Other names for Ambien are:(Zolpidem, Stilnox, Stilnoct, Hypnogen, Zolt, Zolfresh, Namadorm, Sanval, Myslee)

Ambien History & Information

Ambien (Zolpidem) was launched in 1992 for the treatment of insomnia and subsequently the DEA classified Ambien as safe compared to Halcion, which had demonstrated serious concerns. Sales hit $1.8 billion by 2005 and Ambien was prescribed 40 million times in 2011 alone. The patent expired and the FDA approved thirteen generic forms of Zolpidem.


 The danger of Ambien surfaced when reports of night driving or eating, strange behavior and addiction were reported at an alarming rate. The FDA subsequently added multiple warnings on Ambien's label stating that the drug did cause people to drive, have sex or eat food without remembering.

In 2013 the FDA lowered the dosage recommendations for women in half for Ambien and Zolpidem stating, "blood levels in some patients may be high enough the morning after use to impair activities that require alertness, including driving." The FDA did not mention tapering.

One in 20 active-dirty soldiers are on sleep medications, according to the Army Office of the Surgeon General. This was announced in the "Health of the Force" report released in December 2015.

Pharmaceutical companies spend more on advertising and marketing than research and development of a new drug. In November 2015 the AMA (American Medical Association) called for a ban on all direct-to-consumer advertising because it deflates demand when the drugs may not be appropriate.

Ambien is classified as a nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic however its effects are similar to those of benzodiazepines. And while Ambien showed effectiveness in initiating sleep, it did not adequately demonstrate effectiveness in maintaining sleep.


Ambien binds to a subtype of the GABA receptor. GABA is a neurotransmitter that primarily works to inhibit the activity of neurons and calm nerves. It basically counters too much stimulation on the nervous system. When Ambien binds to the GABA receptor, it slows and stops activity in certain parts of the brain thus its classification as a hypnotic. Ambien diminishes activity in parts of the brain that are responsible for processing thoughts. As tolerance to the drug occurs the nervous system become hyper-stimulated, increasing anxiety, insomnia, pain, cognitive impairment, and other symptoms.


Ambien and Zolpidem should only be used short term due to the risk of tolerance, drug dependence, rebound insomnia and central nervous system related adverse effects.



Once tolerance to the sleeping pill has occurred it is recommended to do a gradual dose reduction to minimize symptoms that resemble benzodiazepine withdrawal. For many, even a gradual dose reduction is too challenging due to the severity of the withdrawal symptoms.


This is why our nonprofit has an in-home program that utilizes slow titration schedules and calming nutraceuticals (all-natural) that will not interact with the medication but provide needed relief necessary to taper. We have helped people in 73 countries over the last 11 years and we can also help you.


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Disclaimer: *Because prescription medications can cause severe withdrawal reactions, do not stop taking any medication without first consulting your physician. The decision to taper any medication should be discussed with your doctor and done with their consent and support. More...

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