Experiences - Zolpidem Hallucinations

[helene]

SWIM has been prescibed zopiclone (UK version of Ambien? Or active ingredient?) before as part of a symptomatic detox as an attempt to get off heroin. She had been up for about 2 days without any sleep anyway (due to gear withdrawal), and munched a couple of blue valiums as per her prescription before she took her zopiclone pills in an attempt to get some shut-eye.

To cut a long story short, the detox attempt didn't work, and SWIM was up all night anyway, and when she finally gave up and went to score in the morning she could barely see her arm, let alone get a pin into a vein in it, her vision was so fucked from the zopies.

This is the only time SWIM has experienced this, and it's the only time she's taken zopiclone. It was awful, she couldn't see more than a foot in front of her nose, everything was blurry and bright lights hurt to look at...not nice.

H

[staples]

Originally Posted by helene

SWIM has been prescibed zopiclone (UK version of Ambien? Or active ingredient?)

Just to clarify: Zopiclone is the chemical name for brand name Lunesta or Zopinox, not Ambien, which would be Zolpidem.

[rocksmokinmachine]

Originally Posted by helene

SWIM has been prescibed zopiclone (UK version of Ambien? Or active ingredient?)

Zolpidem is not zopiclone though they are very similar. They belong to a group called the 'Z' drugs. Zaelpon, zolpidem (ambien), and zopiclone.

Zimmovane (zopiclone), causes satrnge hallucinations as do the other 'Z' drugs. They act on a sub-unit of the GABA receptor, which is ones main inhibitory neurotransmitter. They act on GABA-BZD, which is where benzodiazepines (diazepam [valium], temazepam [restoril], nitrazepam [mogadon]) act.

[Luposlipophobia]

SWIM gets minor visual distortions (i.e. striped wallpaper seemingly blends together if stared at) but nothing like a true hallucinogen.

[helene]

Maybe it was partly cos of the sleep-deprivation for swim, or the heroin withdrawal, or the combination with all the other stuff she was munching on... it was very odd though, the last thing she expected was to start tripping out, not when feeling fucking awful rattling. Very strange. And rather irritating the next morning, when trying to get a vein, and not being able to even focus on her arm...

Nope, not going near that stuff again. Least not whilst swim's rattlin. And what would be the point when she's not ill? It's not like she has problems sleeping then...

God, why can't someone invent a non-opiate based drug that actually knocks you out when you're clucking...? Something that really works, to enable you to sleep whilst dopesick. It'd take the vast majority of the pain out of the whole thing...so, can anyone guess why swim's up at 4:45am? Ha.

H

[Pumpkin]

One night SWIM ate 10-15 10 mg ambiens, drank half a bottle of tussin cough or DM(whichever one has just DXM), and ate 12 dramamines. DUMBEST THING EVER! DONT DO IT! He saw people who werent there, all kinds of bad shit. He started freaking out at 7:00 AM because he noticed that he had went from 25 pills(beginning of night) to 7. Thats when he ate the tussin and dramamine. He started throwing shit all around his room trying to find the pills he most likely ate. He found 3 throughout the house and ate them on the spot. His parents were around the whole time freaking out bad. he actually told his mom that his friend seth was laying on the bed. Nobody was there...
...ended up in the emergency room

hate them things

[ninjaned]

last night swim took his newly prescribed zolpidem(only 10 mgs) and thought he was writing great lyrics for his band practice today(swim is a guitar player/song writer in case anyone cares), looked at the paper this morning, and found he had drawn stick figures playing soccer. yet another productive night destroyed by zolpidem lol.

[TinfoilxTouch]

Even being a regular benzo user (as prescribed the same doc) ambien made me have audible hallucinations. I heard trains (which were 40 miles away from my new apt, but close to my old one) and other odd sounds.
Thankfully I recognized this as an effect of the drug and didn't totally freak out. Made it a bit harder to sleep the first few nights, but then they went away.
I'm not sure how it happens, but Ambien hits on something that anxiety benzos don't. There were a couple of times I really was confused by the typical 10mg dose, where up to 40mg daily of valium or 4mg daily of Xanax didn't bother me a bit.
Best advice I have is to wait it out. Most of the worse benzo problems (memory loss, sedation, hallucinations) tend to stop very, very soon after you start taking them.

[`ForlornSage`]

SWIM occasionally crushes up and insufflates up to 10mg of zolpidem to get to sleep fast. It's inconsistent though... whereas sometimes SWIM just blacks out and doesn't remember going to bed, and other times inanimate objects take on unique personalities. Either way, it knocks SWIM out.