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Ambien Caused Horrible Heartburn

Q. I have suffered from acid reflux for about six months, and it kept getting worse and worse. Nothing that I tried was helping.

I read some comments on your Web site that Ambien might cause heartburn. The light bulb went off: seven months ago my mother died and my sister-in-law broke her hip. I was under great stress and couldn’t sleep, so my doctor prescribed Ambien. Soon after I started taking it, I had my first awful experience with acid reflux, but I didn’t make the connection.

The only way I could sleep was to take Ambien, but the reflux was unbelievable. As soon as I read about it, I made a doctor’s appointment, but I also skipped the Ambien that night. I didn’t sleep much, but the reflux wasn’t as bad. The next night I did not take Ambien, slept a bit better and had very little reflux. Last night I repeated the experiment and had NO reflux although I slept fairly well.

I am thrilled. I’d much rather cope with a sleepless night from time to time than the horrible pain. Is heartburn listed as a side effect?

A. The prescribing information lists “dyspepsia,” a general term for indigestion, as a side effect. Although there isn’t much research on this complication, dozens of visitors to our Web site have reported reflux linked to Ambien.

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About the Author
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist who has dedicated his career to making drug information understandable to consumers. His best-selling book, The People’s Pharmacy, was published in 1976 and led to a syndicated newspaper column, syndicated public radio show and web site. In 2006, Long Island University awarded him an honorary doctorate as “one of the country's leading drug experts for the consumer.”.
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