• Hives
• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling of your face, lips, tongue or throat

Serious side effects include:

• Depressed mood (thoughts of hurting yourself)
• Unusual thoughts (risk-taking behavior, decreased inhibitions, no fear of danger)
• Anxiety
• Aggression
• Feeling restless or agitated
• Hallucinations (confusion, loss of personality or memory)
• Fast pounding heartbeat
• Chest pain

Less serious Ambien side effects may include:

• Daytime drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Feeling “drugged” or light-headed
• Lack of coordination
• Amnesia, forgetfulness
• Vivid or abnormal dreams
• Nausea and/or constipation
• Stuffy nose
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Blurred vision

Some of these rare yet possible Ambien side effects include, but are not limited to:

• Amnesia
• Sleepwalking
• Impotence (also known as erectile dysfunction, or ED)
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Constipation

Remember that a doctor can prescribed this medication because he or she has judged that the benefit to an individual is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.

Rarely, after taking this drug, people have gotten out of bed and driven vehicles while not fully awake (“sleep-driving”). People have also sleepwalked, prepared/eaten food, made phone calls, or had intercourse while not fully awake. Often, these people do not remember these events. This problem can be dangerous to them or to others. It’s important to notify a medical professional if any of these activities occur. The risk is increased if alcohol or other medications that can make you drowsy while taking zolpidem is consumed.

Management of Side Effects

To manage these side effects while you are taking this medicine keep the following things in mind:

• When someone first starts taking Ambien or any other sleep medicine, until he/she knows whether the medicine will still have some carryover effect the next day, they must use extreme care while doing anything that requires complete alertness, such as driving a car, operating machinery or piloting an aircraft.
• Drinking alcohol is prohibited while being treated with Ambien or any sleep medicine. Alcohol can increase the side effects of using sleep aid supplements.
• Do not take any other medicines without asking a healthcare professional first. This includes medicines that can be bought without a prescription. Some medicines can cause drowsiness and are best avoided while taking Ambien CR.
• Always take the exact dose of Ambien prescribed by the healthcare professional. Never change the dose without talking to a healthcare professional first. The tablet must be swallowed whole and not divided crushed or chewed.
• In two clinical studies of patients with insomnia, a rebound effect was only observed on the first night after an abrupt discontinuation of Ambien CR. On the second night, there was no worsening of insomnia.

Ambien Addiction Treatment

If you or someone you know is struggling with an Ambien addiction, we can help. Please call our toll free number at (888) 371-5716. We are available 24 hours a day to answer your questions on Ambien addiction and treatment.