Ambien CR and Hallucinations: What Users Say

• OTC...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 27, 2018

For Insomnia "My doctor prescribed Zolpidem Tartrate 10 mg, and I gave it a real honest shot for a little over a week. It did a good job initially getting me to sleep, but after about an hour, I would wake up and be in a state of half sleep/half wake the rest of the night (totally exhausted the next day). I remember one day I was in a meeting with my manager talking about filing emails (super simple discussion), and suddenly numbers and formulas were flying around my head like you see in those TV shows (Numbers, or the Librarians) where a person is solving complex formulas in their head. Except we were just talking about filing emails, and I couldn't get rid of all these numbers & equations that were swimming in my vision! It was super distracting, and I feel like it was definitely a hallucination, but not necessarily a crazy one, just a bit out of place. I stopped taking it after that week. I occasionally switch between it and OTC if I need something, but I really don't find it helpful for restful sleep."

• Kri...
• July 7, 2016

For Insomnia "I was given two choices for my insomnia: melatonin or Ambien as a quick fix. Of course, I picked the quick fix and went with Ambien. I took it the first night, and for 20-30 minutes after taking it, I read reviews online. While reading, I noticed my phone screen seemed to move, and I lost focus over and over again. I thought maybe it was because I had been up for over 24 hours from the insomnia prior to getting the prescription, but upon the second time taking it, I realized that if you fight the window of time to fall asleep, you do get quite a high. Hallucinations do occur occasionally. However, I was given a two-week trial of this drug to see how well it worked for me, and as I continue to take it, I notice that I fall asleep quickly but wake up throughout the night."

• Anonymous
• April 8, 2010

For Insomnia "After having an accident at work a few years ago, I wasn't falling asleep until the sun came up because of chronic pain. My muscle relaxers and pain medicines were no longer giving me enough relief to sleep at night, so my doctor put me on Ambien CR. After about 2 weeks, I had to stop taking it because I was hallucinating, I was suffering from severe anxiety, I had tremors, I don't have enough room here to list everything. I am now on Restoril, and I don't have any side effects at all."