People get addicted to sleeping pills in a number of different ways. As we mentioned earlier, it is possible to form an addiction to Ambien when a person has simply taken the drug too long.

Some people with prescriptions will increase their dosages over time, without consulting with their doctors first. They believe that it really is not a big deal because they are taking a prescription drug. But this is also called forming a tolerance, and it is often the first sign that a person has a drug problem.

Continuing to abuse a drug is the fastest route to addiction. It can happen at any time, whether it takes weeks, months or years. And once a person is addicted, it is very difficult to get off this drug.

Ambien can produce a really strong and euphoric high. But in order to experience it to the fullest, people have to fight through the compulsion to fall asleep after taking it. Once they do, they often explain feeling wobbly and goofy.

According to many recreational users, hallucinations can and do occur for some people who get high on Ambien. Some people describe it as “like being drunk, but more fun.” At higher doses, the drug acts more like a benzodiazepine. That is one reason why experts believe that there could be a risk of transitioning into benzos once someone gets addicted to Ambien.

Using Ambien recreationally is bound to lead to strange behaviors. Some Reddit users were eager to share their experiences, which included:

• Urinating on their computers.
• Starting a fire in their apartment.
• Grinding down their teeth.
• Experiencing the sensation of flying.
• Experiencing memory loss.

Once people experience the Ambien high, they are very likely to try the drug again. Eventually, they may mix it with alcohol or other drugs to enhance the high, and this is also a form of abuse.

As a parent, how can you tell whether or not your child is abusing Ambien? There are certain signs that can make it apparent, but only if you know what to look for.

Some of the more common signs of Ambien abuse include:

• Excessive drowsiness during the day.
• Nausea and vomiting that have no other explanation.
• Sleepwalking.
• Problems with coordination.
• Experiencing short-term memory loss.

Fortunately, if someone is abusing Ambien, but they are not yet addicted, they may be able to stop without serious consequences. But once their use has moved to being an addiction, they may need to consider professional treatment in order to stop successfully.

Also, it is really important to note that even Ambien abuse may need to be treated. People who use this drug recreationally are usually doing so because they are self-medicating away various symptoms. Counseling should be explored for these individuals because it could help them avoid becoming addicted in the future.

If a pattern of drug abuse is allowed to continue, it eventually will lead to addiction in most cases. This is because of the way that drugs change the way the brain works. Over time, it becomes harder and harder to stop. This is primarily because drugs like Ambien have a direct impact on the brain’s dopamine levels.

Dopamine is one of the chemicals in the brain that are responsible for a person’s happiness, security and sense of well-being. This chemical surges naturally several times a day, depending on a person’s activities. As humans, we tend to experience increased dopamine levels whenever we get good news, eat a good meal or spend time with a close friend.

Drugs like Ambien influence the brain’s dopamine levels, and it causes dramatic increases that can become addictive. That is what people are really experiencing when they say they have euphoria when they use the drug recreationally.

Over time, those higher dopamine levels become the brain’s new “normal.” It does not always take long before people find that unless they are using, they no longer feel happy, or even like their normal selves. That feeling alone is enough to drive people to continue to use Ambien to get high.

That is exactly how continuing to abuse Ambien can lead to an addiction. Unfortunately, so many people are unaware of the risks, and they get addicted without even realizing it is happening.

Both Ambien and alcohol have intoxicating effects on their own. But when they are combined, the results can be very serious, and even dangerous.

Some of the most common effects people report include:

• Sleepwalking
• Problems with concentration
• Impaired cognition
• Feeling confused
• Problems with judgment and making decisions
• Difficulty with physical coordination

Those who decide to take this combination of drugs have a very high chance of ending up needing emergency treatment. Many people need to be placed in intensive care because the combination can be so deadly. It is also possible for people to suffer from overdoses after taking both Ambien and alcohol together.

The FDA has made it abundantly clear that anyone taking Ambien should avoid also taking opioid pain relievers. This combination carries serious risks, and can even be fatal, depending on the circumstances.

The following effects have been reported by those who combined these two drugs:

• Slowed or difficult breathing
• Heart rate fluctuations
• Blood pressure fluctuations
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
• Becoming unresponsive
• Death

The FDA has been careful to provide black box warnings for those who may be prescribed these two types of drugs together. While there may be some instances when doctors might prescribe them together, for the most part, it should be avoided.

Using them recreationally is certain to cause problems considering that both drugs will probably be used at higher dosages.

It is not unheard of for people to take Ambien and another benzodiazepine at the same time. Sometimes doctors will use sleeping pills to treat insomnia and anxiety, but there are some people who need additional medication. For these individuals, adding a drug like Xanax can be helpful. But that does not mean that there are no risks involved.

When people mix Ambien and benzos, the side effects of both types of drugs are likely to be enhanced. Because these medications have similar side effects, they tend to be amplified drastically when taken together.

It is very common for people to experience:

• Bouts of confusion
• Problems with concentration
• Feeling dizzy
• Extreme drowsiness
• Impaired judgment

This mixture is especially dangerous for elderly people who tend to be more susceptible to side effects. Not to mention that these drugs are both depressants. That means that combining them increases the risk of serious breathing problems and possibly even overdosing.

Combining Ambien with cocaine is a perfect example of how people use the effects of one drug to combat the effects of another. As far as what each of these drugs does and how it acts in the body, they are polar opposites. That in itself can make this combination a dangerous one.

When these drugs are combined, two different types of signals are sent to the brain. This can cause a lot of confusion because the body is not sure how to respond. Anything can happen, including organs shutting down and even malfunctioning.

Mixing cocaine and Ambien should never be attempted by anyone. It increases the chance of becoming addicted to both drugs, and it could be a fatal combination as well. 

Once a person becomes addicted to Ambien, they may not necessarily know that they are addicted. It can also be hard for parents to identify an addiction in their children if they do not know what to look for.

Some of the more common signs of a sleeping pill addiction include:

• Steadily increasing how much of the drug they are taking.
• Becoming isolated and avoiding interactions with others.
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when the person has not used the drug in a while.
• Failing to fulfill their responsibilities.
• Spending a lot of time either obtaining, using or recovering from their Ambien use.

In short, an addict’s life revolves around their drug of choice completely.

When people use Ambien short-term, they often equate its effects to feeling hungover. Some of the short-term effects of this drug are desirable, and they are why people start taking it in the first place. They include:

• Intense feelings of euphoria.
• Sensations of being very relaxed.
• Painful headaches.
• Memory loss or amnesia.
• Nausea or other stomach issues.
• Excessive and persistent feelings of drowsiness and sedation.

When a person has been using Ambien for a longer period of time, they put themselves at risk for serious issues as a result. As we mentioned earlier, this drug should never be used for a significant amount of time.

Some of the long-term effects of Ambien use include:

• Struggling with digestive problems.
• Persistent fatigue that does not go away.
• Chronic headaches.
• Problems with muscle control.
• Anxiety and even panic attacks.
• Nightmares.
• Severe depression, which may even lead to suicidal thoughts.

What is perhaps most interesting is the fact that another long-term effect of taking Ambien is often insomnia. After a while, this drug can cause the exact issue it is meant to treat.

Withdrawal is the body’s response to no longer being exposed to a particular drug. While most doctors would consider Ambien to be relatively non-addictive, when it is taken for longer than it should be, or in higher doses, it is. Stopping it will cause withdrawal symptoms.

The most common Ambien withdrawal symptoms that people experience include:

• Hand tremors
• Excessive sweating
• A racing heart rate
• Body aches and pains
• Feeling restless
• Headaches
• Hyperventilating
• Insomnia
• Anxiety and/or panic attacks
• Nausea and vomiting

Ambien withdrawal can be dangerous in some instances. For example, a person who experiences nausea and vomiting can become dehydrated, which is a potentially life threatening condition. But the biggest concern should really be in relapsing and overdosing.

A lot of people will try to get off Ambien on their own, without any type of professional treatment. When they do, they are taking a big risk. In many of these cases, the people will end up relapsing. They will go back to taking the same amount of Ambien they were previously using to get some relief from withdrawal. But that amount is too much for them because tolerance levels can change so quickly after quitting this drug. The result is an overdose, which can be a fatal condition unless proper medical help is obtained right away.

Quitting cold turkey is the most common way of stopping the use of Ambien, but that does not make it safe. This is what people typically do once they learn they are addicted, and they have been taking the drug via doctor’s prescription. They will simply stop using it.

What they do not realize is that this is going to throw them directly into withdrawal. Without any type of treatment to minimize the severity of their symptoms, they are very likely to relapse.

Going cold turkey rarely works. People need peer and professional support in most cases, if they want to recover from an addiction to Ambien successfully.

Doing a self-taper may seem like the more “responsible” way to get off Ambien. But again, it comes with a lot of caveats.

People often attempt to wean themselves off Ambien at home. They may skip a dose here and there, or cut their pills in half. But these methods do not always work the way people hope because there may still be significant withdrawal symptoms.

Tapering off Ambien can easily lead to a relapse. People tend to taper too quickly, or not quickly enough, and both can be problematic and – ultimately – lead to a failed quit attempt.

Drug detox kits may appear to be the solution for the most severe drug problems. People who are addicted to sleeping pills may gravitate toward them because they do not require any type of formal treatment. But the question is, do they work?

Some people may have success with them, but they put themselves at risk in the process. Drug detox kits often contain products like vitamins and minerals, various supplements and even detoxing drinks. The companies that sell them all claim that they work, but they are not FDA approved. That means that no formal testing has been done to indicate that they work.

The fact is that, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is a disease. Treating an addiction to Ambien professionally means addressing both the physical and psychological parts of the disease. This is exactly what professional addiction treatment does.

It is important for people to heal from the physical component of addiction through detox. Once they do that, they will be ready to work on the psychological component through rehab.

While there are many types of detox programs, inpatient medical detox is generally the most highly recommended. This is especially true for someone who is recovering from a powerful prescription drug like Ambien.

In an inpatient program, the patient is monitored heavily as they recover. If they experience any complications, they can be addressed immediately by the medical staff. This can eliminate the need for any type of emergency intervention, and it makes the recovery process much safer.

Medical detox allows the patient to take medications to help with their symptoms. For example, they may take an antidepressant if they experience depression or anxiety. If the doctor considers them at risk for seizures, they may be prescribed an anticonvulsant.

Most people will find their withdrawal from Ambien lasts about two weeks. The symptoms tend to peak in their severity between 3 and 5 days following the last dose of the drug. After that, symptoms should start to improve slowly as time goes on.

Of course, this is all subjective, and it is dependent upon several different factors, such as:

• How long the person took the drug.
• How strong their dose was.
• The type of Ambien the person was taking.
• Whether or not additional drugs or alcohol were taken.
• Various personal factors like gender, height weight and history of substance abuse.

This involves working with an addiction treatment therapist in a one-on-one environment. Individual therapy can be very healing because the therapist takes the time to get to know the person and what they need. Together, they can work on identifying what led to the substance abuse problem with Ambien.

Group therapy is also important because it helps to get various perspectives during recovery. This type of treatment demonstrates the truth that addicts are not alone in their struggles. It is very effective to learn that others are also facing the same challenges.

Families often need a lot of healing when a family member has battled an addiction. Relationships can quickly get damaged, and that is why family therapy is so important. With the right support, so many changes can take place and those relationships can be restored.

Many people who abuse or are addicted to Ambien suffer from co-occurring disorders like anxiety or depression. What they do not realize is that their drug use was nothing more than a way to self-medicate.

Dual diagnosis treatment ensures that both the addiction and the co-occurring disorder are treated at the same time. This type of treatment has a very good chance of helping the patient be successful in recovery long-term.