Why isn't anyone on here talking about this?

[bathroommonkey76]

Ambien is a very, very dangerous drug!?

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

My friend's aunt took half a pill of Ambien one night and ended up waking up at 3 am and flipping her Mercedes over a dozen times. To this day she still doesn't remember leaving the house or getting into her car.

[zipplewrath]

1. Low dose

There is a low dose Ambien that doesn't affect as long or as strong.

[Eliot Rosewater]

7. those drugs have affects regardless.

The affect can be lessened but people can have severely bad reactions regardless.

[Butterflylady]

28. Ambien is schedule 4

drug with morphine being a schedule 1 drug. Yes it is very dangerous. I believe it is actually classified as a narcotic. I take a schedule 4 drug called tramadol and have to have a drug screening every time I see the doctor each month. I'm 71 with chronic back pain.

[mcar]

2. I noted that too

As to why it's not being mentioned here, the presser only ended a short time ago and you just did.

[Mr.Bill]

3. I take Ambien occasionally, maybe once or twice a week.

Five mg, and I have experienced no bad side effects. I do sleep a full eight hours on it, though.

Some people do have problems with it, though. My wife stopped taking it because she would get up in the middle of the night and binge eat without remembering it.

There is no way I would take it if I had the 24 hr responsibilities of a job like POTUS.

[bathroommonkey76]

6. Why would anyone take Ambien if they experience

amnesia-like side effects? How is this drug on the market?

I referenced my friend's aunt b/c I was at his house the night that happened. And that was over 10 years ago! During that time I have seen numerous news articles about crazy Ambien stories.

No POTUS should be allowed to take that fuckin drug! WTF!

[SammyWinstonJack]

19. And yet pot is a dangerous drug according to the evil little

Keebler elf Sessions.

[PoorMonger]

4. Never taken ambien.

Nor have my parents now in the late 50’s. In fact no one I personally know has taken it or said anything about taking it.

[maxsolomon]

40. Thanks for your contribution to this post

Very illuminating.

[Wednesdays]

55. I think they were responding to the phrase,

"... like we all do," and rebutting that they didn't take the drug.

Indeed, I have never even heard of the drug until now, let alone taken it.

[maxsolomon]

56. It was all the rage in the Bush Admin

all the War Criminals were on it to let them live with themselves.

[Gabi Hayes]

60. I believe youre talking about halcion, the one that made 41 barf on the Japanese PM

Pre ambien, I think

[PoorMonger]

57. Lol

I was responding to the above assertion the doc allegedly made that ‘ He {Trump} takes Ambien, like all of us ‘.

[BigmanPigman]

5. The first time I took it at full strength

I got up at 3 AM and cooked a meal, ate it, and cleaned up (sort of) and didn't remember any of it. My neighbor was outside smoking and told me I also had a conversation with him. The second time I took it I wet my bed. After that I took only 1/4 and was fine the next morning and since then I haven't had any similar experiences with that amount.

[parkerMcDavis]

12. It seems it only affected your memory, you were probably fine while cooking and talking to your

neighbor.

[wishstar]

8. Colin Powell, Kerry Kennedy and Patrick Kennedy are some people who experienced bad episodes

I don't personally know anyone who uses it, but I have heard several news reports of famous people and politicians who have claimed to have had very bad side effects that would make me never want to risk taking it.

[DURHAM D]

9. A friend mine's husband started taking it and he

starting getting up at night, put on her clothes and left home.

Eventually he became a full time cross dresser so I guess in his case it freed him up to be all he could be.

[withoutapaddle]

13. ha!

Thanks for the laugh!

[mercuryblues]

10. A close friend

of mine took 1 and woke up in the bathtub 2 hours later. Then in the middle of the night woke up in her back yard naked hollering for the dog she doesn't have.

[jberryhill]

15. Whoa. Everything turn out okay?

[mercuryblues]

22. Luckily

She took the pill at 7:30 PM. She knows she was out before 8. She woke up in the tub after 9 and the water was cold. Scared her is an understatement. Then later the same night her neighbor woke her up, while she was in the yard hollering for her dog that had died about 15 years before.

She never took one of them again.

[jberryhill]

32. That had to suck

One moment standing there in the hope your dog will come back, and the next one knowing it won't.

I mean, aside from the whole naked/backyard/neighbor part of it.

[procon]

11. Clearly, I've led a sheltered life. Tell me, should I retire my bong, pour out

all my fine sippin' whiskey and start taking Ambien?

[withoutapaddle]

14. as long as you don't

take the ambien with the whiskey!


(Bongs mix well with most anything though)

[bathroommonkey76]

25. Ambien is one of the worst drugs on the market

I'd stick with the whiskey and pot if I were you.

[lunasun]

31. Nah that's why you don't need pharmacy drugs.

[ailsagirl]

16. Yes it is

I'll never take it again-- it's crazy-making

[LongTomH]

17. Well, it's not like he was doing something complicated, like driving a car......

.....just running the country!!!!

Actually, I think his handlers are actually running the country; Donny just signs whatever is put before him and reads off the teleprompter.

[japple]

18. Melatonin works just fine for me--no side effects that I can tell. But then I don't

drink 7-9 12 oz bottles of die-t coke every day.

[0rganism]

20. Ambien: about as safe as DMT but not as enlightening

from what i've read & heard about it, i'd sooner eat a bale of jimsonweed
but AG Sessions wants to lock me up for using marijuana, since good people don't use it
sometimes this country seems like it might just be a shithole

[Tipperary]

21. Wait, seriously...

“We all do?” I have never taken Ambien.

[gratuitous]

27. Dr. Jackson's audience may not be the likes of you and me

There was a rumor during the Bush the Stupider years that everyone on the White House staff was taking Ambien, apparently as a neutralizer for their nagging consciences.

It would not surprise me to find out that any number of government officials (elected and staff) are on Ambien, as well as many of the bigger names in the media. I think those are the people Dr. Jackson is addressing with his "we all do" remark.

[Tipperary]

35. Funny, actually some years ago I remember Matt Lauer saying everyone on the Today show took it.

That, I actually understood.

[maxsolomon]

42. I remember during the Iraq War

It came out that nearly the entire * cabinet was taking it to deal with the long flights to the War Zones we'd created.

It's not illegal, so it's hunky-dory for Republicans to be on it. IOKIYAR.

[LisaM]

51. Oh, yeah, Colin Powell said everyone took it.

I also think Tiger Woods took it the night he crashed his car.

[Gabi Hayes]

62. Halcion

[TexasTowelie]

68. I took Halcion when I had my wisdom teeth extracted.

Other than a few brief periods when I woke up for a couple of minutes to get in my pre-arranged ride and stumbled up the stairs to my apartment it knocked me out for about 20 hours. I was in a fog the next day also.

[ananda]

23. Whoa!

We don't all take Ambien.

I've never touched the stuff, and neither have
a lot of people I know.

[Motley13]

24. Wow, I missed that one, that stuff is really bad

[George II]

26. I'm still trying to understand why he spelled his OWN name last week "Ronnie". Rachel caught that.

[grantcart]

63. I am guessing that he dictated a quick note over the phone and someone at the WH typed it up and

misspelled it.

[bettyellen]

29. My idiot ex manager walked out of her apartment into Times Square to buy ice cream....

Came back and ate it, while her husband watched and talked to her. She says she didn’t remember anything, and still takes it. LOL

[underpants]

30. I know someone who was full out addicted to it

She drug shopped at Doctor's offices (many never even took her vitals) paying full price for the office visit and full price to keep her then husband's insurance from seeing the trend. Completely ruined her and her husband's finances and eventually their marriage.

She had no indication prior to the birth of their son. Post-partum depression or trying to escape it.

[DoctorJoJo]

33. I Wonder How It Interacts With The Cocaine?

[Chasstev365]

34. Pure Poison!

[NCTraveler]

36. Insignificant.

This whole thing has been one great big display of empassioned insignificance. It’s going to be nice come Thursday when this drops off DU’s radar.

[SCVDem]

37. Cut the crap!

I take an ambin and a Xanax half hour before my desired sleep time.
My reasons are personal but over more than
10 years I have had no problems!
Do not fear monger!

[bathroommonkey76]

46. Fear monger?

Ambien IS a dangerous drug:

Sleeping Pill Use Raises Car Crash Risk, Study Finds

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/sleeping-pills-raise-car-crash-risk-study-finds-n373891

The Disturbing Side Effect Of Ambien, The No. 1 Prescription Sleep Aid

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/15/ambien-side-effect-sleepwalking-sleep-aid_n_4589743.html

Popular Sleeping Pill Linked to Accidents and Violence

https://www.centerforhealthjournalism.org/2012/11/30/popular-sleeping-pill-linked-accidents-and-violence

Kennedy's Crash Highlights Dangers of Ambien

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1927026

[SCVDem]

59. Not to offend

Your refs are not related to me, sitting in my bedroom, watching MSNBC.
Welcome back Chris!

Show us the baby!!!

Hi Rachel.

[BadgerMom]

64. I agree.

I’ll give my reason. After my son’s death from cancer, I could not fall asleep naturally. I can’t take antihistamines because I am one of the people who have the odd reaction of feeling jumpy on antihistamines. So, to help me, my doctor prescribes 30 tablets a year. I cut them in half. Therefore, once a week I know I’ll have a full night’s sleep. I always allow for eight hours. I’ve never had a weird experience with Ambien.

I’ve heard these anecdotes about the drug. My thinking is that there are similar stories with other powerful drugs. Caution and individual experience are key. If it works for some people-as it does for me-it seems silly to attack the drug so vehemently.

That said, serving as President and failing to allot 8 hours to sleep after taking Ambien seems unwise.

[Pacifist Patriot]

70. The important thing to remember about pharmaceuticals...

is that they affect different people in different ways. Just because you have no problems with whatever your dosages may be, that does not translate to it being safe for everyone with the same results.

Dosage, unique physiology, and amount of sleep can have drastically different impact.

With this drug, a little fear mongering is probably appropriate. It may get people to ask more questions when it is prescribed.

"Do I really need that dosage?"
"What are the side effects?"
"What steps can I do to reduce the risk of side effects?"
"Is there a safer alternative medication we can try first?"

etc.

[snooper2]

72. well, we can't be sure are those bullet points or a single paragraph?

LOL

[7962]

38. The Dr stated that he prescribed "sleep aids" for everyone traveling to far away time zones.

So I imagine they're on the plane when they take it. Thats where the "like we all do" came from. Not that he takes it on a regular basis. I was watching when he made that statement and explained it.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

39. We all take Ambien?

Uhhhh. No. I don't take it. Never have. I've been hearing horror stories since it first came out, about ten years ago.

In related drug news, a nurse friend of mine recently said that people who take Xanax tend to invariably get Alzheimer's. Another drug I've never taken, but it's sufficiently common that no wonder we're experiencing an epidemic of Alzheimer's.

[PoliticAverse]

41. The doctor indicated Trump takes Ambien occasionally when on long trips, not regularly. n/t

[bathroommonkey76]

45. The good doctor also said

Trump weighs 239 lbs.

We all know that's a fuckin lie.

[Cha]

43. Side effects.. "Memory loss" and "Aggression" stand out..

from what we've witnessed. Oh, and "inability to concentrate"

I take natural remedies.. I can't handle drugs with side effects.

[Hamlette]

44. Dramatically increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

A new study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) reported that people who had used benzodiazepines for more than three months had almost a 50 percent higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease over the following six years, an association that has been reported previously.

https://www.alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/blog/can-some-sleep-medications-raise-the-risk-of-alzheimers-disease

[llmart]

47. If I remember correctly...

George Bush Senior took Ambien too.

[TNNurse]

48. I took Ambien for awhile.

I worked two different shifts. One was 3p-11p and the other 7a-7p. For the 12 hr shift I needed to go to bed before I usually got off work. It was awful. I took 5mg on the Friday night before I had to be up at 5am (because 7a is really 6:45). My husband would mae me go to bed right after I took it. I believe he said I was goofy.

Then I took again when I was taking chemo, I needed to sleep to tolerate the pain. The side effects of the after chemo medicine kept me awake and I asked for it again. The nurse practitioner ordered it and the pharmacy filled it. Then I got a call from the pharmacist essentially telling me (very politely) that at my age which was 66 at the time, that this was a dangerous drug. I loved sleeping through the night but I took only a couple of that last prescription. I never did any of the weird sleep eating or other behaviors.

By the way, Trump may have asked that doc to do some kind of mental exam but I would bet everything I own he did not use the word "cognitive" and we all have proof he is not "articulate".

[paleotn]

49. "So the pResident is governing our nation impaired"

Actually, he's like this naturally. The ambien effect is just background noise.

[LittleGirl]

50. this thread is scary

my 85 yr old mother is hooked on ambien. I had no idea the effects were so dramatic. yikes. I should do more research.
she has been taking it for at least a decade and has had to doctor shop in order to get more of it several times. wow.

[bathroommonkey76]

52. Check this article out

lol

You're going to love this one. hahah

https://thoughtcatalog.com/eric-redding/2016/01/44-people-share-their-crazy-and-dangerous-ambien-horror-stories/

[LittleGirl]

61. Yikes! n/t

[McCamy Taylor]

53. Every med has side effects. Patient with mini-stroke took 1 aspirin a day for 3 days

and had to be hospitalized with an upper GI bleed. Aspirin. OTC.

[Irish_Dem]

54. Ambien can have very serious side effects in mentally ill patients.

It is not uncommon for patients to have black outs on this drug.
Even low dose.

This would explain some of what we are seeing in Trump.
He may truly have no memory of what he does sometimes.

[RussBLib]

58. I've never taken it

neither has my wife

I thought that was odd that the doc said Trump takes Ambien "like we all do."

Say what, mofo?

That shit can be really bad in the wrong neural system.

[Texasgal]

65. Take ambien every night.

I am an RN that has had insomnia issues all of my life. I've tried everything from Yoga to Meditation. I've had this affliction since I was a child. It became more problematic when I was a college student. I graduated from nursing school in 1992. At the time there was only a few drugs available one was Trazadone. That is why I went the non-med route.

I'd go days without sleeping and finally seeked help when I fell asleep while driving to work. I talked to my physician at length about what would work for me.

To be honest Ambien has been a life saver for me. I take a small dose and I am able to function. Ambien does quite well for some people .... and just like any medication there CAN be side affects. I've been taking it for almost ten years now and have no adverse affects. It does what it exactly what it is supposed to do.

[mikeskar53]

66. ambien

Ambien is an addicting sleep medication. It causes all kinds of after effects. How can the doctor just mention it in passing? No wonder the strange early morning TWEETS! This is no small matter. The medication causes amnesia. Our President is having a sleeping pill hangover every day. And he has the nuclear football.

PLEASE, someone in authority address this!

[Rhiannon12866]

67. I know that.

My friend's husband got really messed up on Ambien.

[gopiscrap]

73. welcome to DU

[StarryNite]

69. Maybe it explains his crazy tweeting?

My neighbor takes Ambien from time to time. She's done things she didn't remember while on it. She had to be told what she did and she still had a difficult time believing she did those things. So maybe some of the people who say they take it and have never had weird experiences just don't remember what they've done.

[TexasBushwhacker]

71. When it first came out, police departments started to notice

A lot of "sleep drivers" who had taken Ambien. It happened so much they started calling them DUAs.