Q. What do you know about the sleeping pill Ambien?
A friend of mine has been taking it occasionally for years. The other night she took one and when she awoke the next morning, she saw signs that she had done things during the night but had no recollection of doing them. She was so alarmed that she crushed her pills and threw them out.
A. We have heard from many others who report unusual behavior after taking Ambien. One woman wrote that her husband began sleepwalking after taking this sleep aid:
“He woke me saying there was something terribly wrong with the computer. I got up and found coffee spilled all over the desk and the cords to the keyboard and mouse cut with scissors. He did not remember doing this.
“On another occasion, he thought that someone had kidnapped his brother and put him in the trunk of a neighbor’s car. He’d gone out in his pajamas and jumped up and down on the car, screaming for someone to let his brother out. He had smeared chocolate pudding on his face like a commando. The neighbors called the police and we had to pay the damages, nearly $1,500.”
Many people use Ambien safely, but others don’t tolerate it. Anyone who would like to know more about this sleeping pill and other sleep aids, including non-drug approaches, may want our new Guide to Getting a Good Night’s Sleep.
