Am I Addicted to Ambien?

The drug known for bringing sleep to insomniacs can become an addiction. Ambien is the brand name for the drug zolpidem tartrate, known simply as zolpidem. The drug is a sedative and also a hallucinogenic. When used properly, the zolpidem/Ambien is a very effective way to relieve insomnia. Doctors also use Ambien as a sleep maintenance tool to help insomniacs build the healthy sleep habitats that the patient needs.

Ambien is only addictive when it is misused, abused or taken in any way other than that prescribed by your doctor. How addictive is Ambien? The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency list the Ambien on the Controlled Substance Schedules alongside hydrocodone, heroin and cocaine. However, the DEA places Ambien into the lowest category of controlled substances, which is Schedule IV. This category is reserved for drugs with low abuse potential compared to its medical benefit. Again, Ambien is only addictive when it is misused and abused.

Understanding Ambien Dependency and Tolerance

Ambien has powerful sedative properties that take place immediately. It is also a time released pill that holds back the full strength of the drug, letting it release in intervals over time. Taken as prescribed, the drug causes immediate and intense drowsiness. Doctors require the patient to take the medication only when seven to eight hours of sleep time are available. This allows the Ambien to take full affect before waking. In a few days to weeks, the patient should be patterned to fall asleep unaided by the Ambien.

Ambien dependence begins when the sedative is taken much longer than the physician prescribes or taking the Ambien irregularly. Skipping doses, using stimulants to counteract the Ambien before the seven to eight hour sleep period elapses are two irregular uses. The patient can't develop a pattern or sleep habits needed to fall asleep. The lengthy use builds a tolerance in the user as the body requires more Ambien over time in order to fall asleep as it would in the first few weeks of treatment. The tolerance builds over time as the physical dependence takes over, making the user take more and more pills in order to sleep. The psychological dependence sets in as the user increasingly believes that the Ambien use is the only way sleep will come. The higher than prescribed doses also produce a euphoria and hallucinogenic qualities that Ambien abusers experience and come to seek as an escape from the underlying problems addiction accompanies.

Are You Addicted?

At the point when the addiction is taking over the user, certain side effects of Ambien abuse will appear, depending on the addict. But, not everyone experiences the side effects right away or even notices them. So are you addicted? If you cannot sleep without the drug or find that you must use an increasing amount in order to function, you may have an addiction problem. Anyone with a question about addiction should contact their prescribing physician or family doctor.

References:

Ambien, Drugs.com.

Zolpidem Tartrate: Extended Use Can Lead to Drug Abuse and Addiction, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.

Controlled Substances, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.