Misc Ambien-induced hallucinations?!

[SomethingWitty123]

I've been struggling to sleep for a while after trying to wean off benzos and thought ambien would be a good short term fix. I took 10mg to start with, and expected it to work like a benzo in that it just knocks you out, but I just stayed awake. I took another 10mg and after a while, my coordination was wonky and I couldn't stand up. I had almost psychedelic visuals in that when I looked at my ipod screen, the letters seemed to pop in and out. Colours would fade and burn, and it almost seemed as if the screen was three dimensional. I heard different voices in my head doing a running commentary on what I was doing and it was just bizarre. Probably what it feels like to be psychotic. Weirder than any trip I've had even! I then decided to take a Xanax to finally sleep and it did the trick.

Am I ambien-ing wrong? Do you have to sort of make a conscious effort to get to sleep after taking it instead of just letting it do its job like benzos?
Cheers

 

[theGirlWithBlueHair]

I don't think so, but it's less selective that benzos and far more dopaminergic so it can be stimulating for some people, and GABA Aergic drugs can be hallucinogenic. Especially the z-drugs that are selective for the alpha-1 benzodiazepine modulatory site. They share similarities to a pseudo-psychedelic called muscimol that's in a mushroom call amanita muscaria. Muscimol is a full, direct agonist at the GABA A site that produces similar effects to ambien, zopiclone, etc. You're just experiencing typical effects of the drug. I read one report about triazolam - another short, acting potent hypnotic - which a doctor gave to a patient in a hospital, and she wondered whether or not the doctor gave her LSD.

 

[Znegative]

The thing is you have to lay down and try to sleep. Those side effects are pretty normal. Ambien is not really comparable to benzodiazepines, I've had many experiences on ambien where I'd find myself talking to a door knob or other comparable nonsense.

Don't up your dose, it sounds like it's working from what you describe, but you really have to shut your eyes and try to go to bed.

 

[morphine-dreams]

Ambien makes me trip balls, not mentally but visually. Its like dreaming while awake, definitely the farthest I've ever fallen from reality. On one ambien trip, I thought I was the line rider dude riding a giant digital line graph that was open on my phone and another time I tripped that the crevice between my wall and mattress lead to a narnia-like land. That was on 10 or 20mg for me, shit is crazy lol. These were all open eye visuals too.

 

[Picnic_Johnson]

Very common. I used to get open and closed eye visuals. It goes away with tolerance/use so enjoy it

 

[Znegative]

I've had so many ridiculous adventures on Ambien. Once my girlfriend and I stole about 15 x 30 count bottles of Zolpidem that some tweaker had found, so I was mixing the ambien with every shot of dope I did, and teaching all my little friends how to do it too. One night after blacking out I had some bizarre emotional break down and I stumbled over to this couples' tent that was across the way from mine. I guess their feet were sticking out of the entrance way, and apparently they were having sex, until I intervened, falling and grabbing at their toes, then proceeding to break down into tears, whining about how much of a fuck up I was and how alone in the world I had become, lol. That was a hard one to shake off the next day.

 

[theGirlWithBlueHair]

I've always got the feeling that everything came to life and there were people around when there weren't from ambien, and I would talk to objects as if they were alive and like they were people. Definitely trippy. Definitely caused a low-level, visual dissociative distortion reminiscent of dextromethorphan as well.

 

[Speed King]

Excellent question, OP. Pills are made to be swallowed. If this medication is still making you trip and it's bothersome, talk to your doctor about a new medication. There are plenty to choose from.