ONE MORE REASON DOCTORS MAKE ME CRAZY
The hypnotic drug, otherwise known as the little sleeping pill we call Ambien, has been making the news lately, though not as much as it probably should be. We have all heard stories of people who have eaten, cooked (as with fire) and even driven under the influence of Ambien, without remembering that these things happen. It might be rather harmless to wake up with an empty box of cookies beside your bed, but not so harmless to find your car keys there! How many of those taking this medication nightly have read the product information material that comes with the bottle? Ambien is for short-term use! It is not to be taken for longer than 4 or 5 weeks. It is supposed to be prescribed for critical situations, like the loss of a loved one, or for sleep when traveling out of one’s time zone. It is to be taken when you know you can get a full 8 hours of sleep and when you can be up at least 4 hours before driving —or anything that requires you to be awake and alert. It is not to be taken with alcohol. It may be habit forming and may cause withdrawal symptoms when stopped. Insomnia symptoms may return and could be worse than before….
We may look at a little pill and think how harmful could it possibly be? We all experience times in our lives when we might need a little help, but these pills are chemicals and in the case of Ambien the chemicals effect the brain! I am a big believer in the importance of sleep, but personally, I’ll take a little fatigue sometimes, rather than a drug hangover. Especially a drug that effects my brain like that. I’ll stick with the less addictive and less chemical choices. Every time I’ll take meditation over medication. That’s just me, though. Regardless of what you choose, please read the patient information and do your homework! And if you are a female taking Ambien, know that the prescribing dosage has been changed and you need to discuss this with your physician ASAP. Mostly, do your homework because unfortunately, too many doctors prescribe medications without doing there homework…or following up with their patients and too many are simply prescribing medications for their patients to keep them happy, and in my humble opinion that is borderline criminal.
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