Ambien Sex: Is it Real?

Tiger Woods has added another addiction to his list of woes. According to an article by David K. Li in the New York Post, Woods has gone to Arizona to undergo treatment for his addiction to painkillers and sleeping pills. The drugs of this addiction are the pain killer Vicodin and the sleep medication Ambien. Woods is blaming his infidelities on these two drugs claiming that they impaired his thinking. According to the Post, Tiger's mistresses claim that Woods enjoyed what is now making headlines as "Ambien Sex." Will this be yet another reason for parents of teenagers to keep a lock on their medicine cabinets?

There are some who are claiming that Ambien can heighten sexual pleasure but that it also impairs the memory. According to blogs on the website The Daily Beast, some claim Ambien to be a memory eraser providing users with an excuse for their infidelity. David Schab, assistant professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University, also quoted on The Daily Beast, said, "The vast majority of people who use Ambien do not find that it promotes sex, and more often they find it interferes with sexual interest." So, in light of all the publicity Woods' new disclosure is causing, will Ambien become the next coveted drug among the young and famous?

Physicians prescribe Ambien for patients who are experiencing sleep problems. Insomnia is often a problem for talented, driven people. It was a serious problem for Michael Jackson and allegedly the treatment for it caused his death. Jackson was treated with more potent drugs than Ambien. If Ambien didn't help Tiger Woods' sleep problem, it, at least, provided him with another excuse for his infidelities. He claims it impaired his thinking. Some of the side effects of Ambien are abnormal thinking, behavior changes and complex behaviors. These are also some of the side effects of Vicodin, the painkiller that he was using. The most common side effects of both of these drugs, however, are drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and upset stomach. Any one of these side effects could impair one's thinking. Whether sexual pleasure would be heightened is another issue.

Along with the usual side effects of dizziness and nausea, Vicodin also has depressant effects on the central nervous system. Some of these effects can be enjoyable and even desirable such as a feeling of euphoria, drowsiness and the slowing of the pulse. For me, these side effects seem perfect for enjoying a good night's sleep.

Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson are just two of the fine, talented people we lost recently to drug overdoses. Fame certainly seems to have its downside causing some to deal with it artificially with drugs. Maybe Tiger Woods' treatment for his addiction will prevent the loss of yet another tortured talent. Or maybe he's just finding another reason to excuse his behavior. I hope not.

Sources: The New York Post

http://www.rxlist.com/ambien-drug.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicodin

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-06/is-ambien-sex-hotter/