Ambien Dreams And A Futile Quest For Sleep

So I am supposed to trust this Ambien CR because Blue Cross wouldn’t pay for Rozerem, which in my experience was a much better drug. I had trouble years ago with regular Ambien — as soon as it wore off I would wake up. Luckily I was never doing anything weird.

Then Ambien CR came along… it’s supposed to keep you asleep longer. Although you still could find out the next morning what weird thing you did, hopefully not from the authorities. The Ambien CR keeps me asleep, sort of, more knocked-out than asleep. And I have had some terrible dreams, feeling caught between what is real and what isn’t.

I dream about body parts, people getting violent, attacking or chasing me, animals hung up by the neck, driving in a panic against traffic, and desperately looking for a place to stay because I know I am hiding from someone I fear. The violent images that pop into my head stay with me for several days. I don’t wake up rested… I wake up tired. Worse yet, I wake up disturbed. Not to mention the landfill taste in my mouth.

I also wake up with a residual zombie-like feeling. Not even two cups of coffee can cut through it. I have never had that kind of hangover from alcohol or over-the-counter sleeping pills. The other morning I got up around 8 o’clock and the fog didn’t lift until around noon.

I have been taking Ambien CR for a week, and I am already giving up. A good old sleeping pill, a cup of hot chocolate or glass of wine would help more … without hurting. Knowing that there is a better medication out there without these side effects pisses me off. Am I supposed to wait until I do something weird and then complain? The chance of weird behavior is listed right there in the side effects.

I’m sure that Blue Cross knows about the risks, side effects and addictive qualities of Ambien CR, although they recommend it over other, and possibly better drugs. That is because it is cheaper. And I’m sure an investigation into the matter would uncover a money trail straight from the pharmaceutical companies to Blue Cross. As a consumer, having Blue Cross tell me which pill I should take is insulting. It makes me feel as if my premiums would do me more good in the bank drawing interest. Then I could chose what to pay for.