Ambien and Alcohol: The Troubles of Insomnia and the Sleeping Pills

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder. People who have insomnia have trouble sleeping use Ambien. Typical symptoms of insomnia include low energy, depressed mood, and daytime sleepiness. 

Insomnia can occur due to a result of another problem like chronic pain, psychological stress, menopause, heart failure, heartburn, or restless leg syndrome. It can also happen independently as a result of taking too much caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. People can have short-term insomnia that usually lasts from a few days to weeks, or long-term insomnia can last for more than a month.

Doctors usually prescribe Ambien for the treatment of insomnia, and you can easily buy Ambien online with a prescription.

What are some types of insomnia?

Insomnia isn’t just a single sleeping disorder. A number of sleeping disorders are also referred to as insomnia. Lack of sleep quality and quantity is also a sleeping disorder and is a type of insomnia.

Commonly, insomnia is segregated into three main types:

• Transient Insomnia: It is when symptoms of insomnia are for three nights or more.
• Acute Insomnia: It is short-term insomnia. Symptoms may last for weeks.
• Chronic Insomnia: Chronic insomnia is the most terrible of all types of insomnias. This type of insomnia might last for months, and sometimes years.

Risk factors:

Insomnia is age-independent. It can happen to anyone of any age. Several studies have shown that insomnia is more usual in females in comparison to that of males. Insomnia can affect a person’s performance at school or work.

It can also contribute to other issues such as anxiety, problem in concentrating, memory trouble, obesity, etc.

Commonly, people who may experience insomnia:

• People who are traveling, especially when there is a change of time zones.
• People working in shifts, a quick switch of days and nights
• Those who take drugs get high.

How do sleeping pills help with insomnia?

Ambien is the most common medication that doctors prescribe to treat insomnia. It decreases the time for you to fall asleep by about 15 minutes and helps you sleep for a more extended period. Ambien is a sedative that helps calm the brain by affecting brain chemicals.

The immediate-release tablet helps you fall asleep faster, and the extended-release form has a second layer that dissolves slowly and enables you to stay asleep for longer.

Fact Check – Ambien Abuse

There are other drugs as well that help with sleeping disorders but by far in the USA, it is Ambien that has been widely prescribed by doctors and pharmacists alike for short-term treatment of insomnia. 

You can easily buy Ambien online with a prescription, but you should remain careful while taking Ambien because of the potential of Ambien’s addiction and Ambien’s abuse.

What are the dangers of mixing Ambien with alcohol?

Ambien is a drug that helps treat insomnia by putting the brain in a relaxed state, aiding the person in falling asleep. Though it is an effective medicine, there are some Ambien side effects that we should not ignore.

Taking Ambien and alcohol together can prove to be very dangerous as alcohol has the potential to amplify the side effects of Ambien.

What is Ambien?

If you mix Ambien and alcohol, you can experience the following effects.

• drowsiness
• confusion
• dizziness
• impaired judgment
• sleep apnea
• impaired cognition
• difficulty concentrating
• loss of coordination
• depressed breathing

Some serious problems can also occur if you mix alcohol and Ambien.

• stroke
• coma
• hallucination
• aggressive behavior
• cirrhosis
• liver cancer
• irregular heartbeat
• weakened heart
• respiratory arrest
• Death

How do you stay off alcohol when taking Ambien?

Mixing Alcohol and Ambien

Mixing Ambien and alcohol is very dangerous, as mentioned. It will help if you stay away from alcohol while taking Ambien. It is not an easy task for someone who is addicted to drinking, but there are treatments available for alcohol addictions. 

If it’s hard for you to stay away from alcohol, then talk to your doctor about it. The first step is self restrain, but if that’s not helpful, then you can ask your doctor for some medications.

Some common drugs helpful in alcohol detox include Acamprosate, Naltrexone, Vivitrol, Disulfiram.

It is not a good idea to take any of these drugs without consulting with your doctor, as your doctor may prescribe an alternative treatment that might prove to be more helpful in your particular case. Also, there’s the danger of taking these medicines while on prescribed Ambien because Ambien isn’t allowed to be taken with any other medicine. 

What precautions to follow while taking Ambien?

It is easy to buy Ambien online with a prescription, and often it comes with the dosage information, but you should take it as per your doctor’s instructions. Some serious Ambien side effects can occur if you don’t take caution. 

• There is a potential of Ambien addiction, so make sure you are not taking it for an extended period, and developing dependence.
• Ambien abuse is also a problem among its users. It would be best if you did not take more than the prescribed dose.
• The effects of Ambien last for more than 8 hours, which can cause you to feel dizzy, or you can experience blurred vision.
• Wait at least 8 hours before driving or operating any machinery.
• Do not take Ambien with marijuana or alcohol.
• People with conditions like kidney disease, liver disease, mental problems, or addictions should consult their physician before taking this drug.
• Children are more sensitive to this drug and can experience hallucinations.
• You might experience trouble sleeping for the first few nights after you stop taking this drug.

Even if you take precautions, the side effects of Ambien can still occur. 

Side effects of Ambien

Common Ambien side effects

• dizziness
• confusion
• clumsiness
• depression
• impaired cognition
• lack of coordination
• sleep apnea

Severe side effects of Ambien

• skin rash
• swelling of face
• difficulty breathing
• fast heartbeat
• hallucinations
• excitement or nervousness
• fainting

You should not ignore these symptoms and get in touch with your physician if you experience any of these symptoms. Though all of the side effects do not require immediate medical attention, it is still helpful to consult with your doctor about them.