Combinations - Ambien/Zolpidem with Diphenhydramine?

[Swift Serenity]

SWIM was thinking about trying this, to see if he could have some extreme hallucinations.. anyone ever try this or know what would happen?

[Nahbus]

Not sure how safe or fun this sounds..

[D-termine]

Odd, SWIM was dreaming about this combo last night. SWIM would imagine 100-150mg of Benadryl and 10-20mg of Ambien would be fun, however higher doses of Benadryl have in the past been VERY uncomfortable for SWIM. A very low light setting would be nice, and perhaps some Ambient House music or the like would be wonderful for SWIY to give this combo a shot

[Swift Serenity]

yes, SWIM was thinking about doing it with a low amount of dosage.. like 100-150 like swiy said.. but right now he has no diphenhydramine.. wants to know what people think before

[Lobsang]

No. SWIM would be advised not to do this. Not enough is known about Ambien and it's actions. And nothing is known about combinations of these things. Anything could happen. SWIm could end up falling asleep at night and getting up still asleep and driving and such. It is too obscure a combination to mess around with. At low dises it is unlikely that anything would happen but at higher doses it would be gambling.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Sound advice.

[Expat98]

Aside from the safety factor, this just doesn't sound like a fun combo (as Nahbus said above).

Look for a thread here on Diphenhydramine experiences. My friend SWIM has never tried it, but the general consensus is that it SUCKS. I have posted a report here on SWIM's experience with zolpidem (Ambien), and he was none too impressed. Now put together two drugs that suck, and what do you think is going to happen, hmm?

EDIT: I have edited out what I said about mushrooms, as it could have been construed as encouraging illegal activity, which was not intended. But the general idea was that it's a tried-and-true natural drug, as RaverHippie mentions below.

[D-termine]

There's no need for harsh judgments on someones drug use choices, and citing that one would be better off taking mushrooms is hardly responsible advice. Mushrooms are in an ENTIRELY different ballpark than a low dose Diphenhydramine and Ambien trip. The odds of someone who is more than likely a drug user waking spontaneously and driving is far fetched at best. SWIM has experienced said combo, and it is neither dirty like a heavy benadryl trip, nor is it a waste of time. It is good for perhaps 30 mins of fun and a nice nights sleep. To each his own

[RaverHippie]

It's easier to recommend tried and true methods for getting fucked up then finding creative ways of abusing OTC products which could lead to unknown interactions, especially in this instance when BOTH drugs' known mechanisms for action aren't even the slightest bit conclusive. If the person came back and was like "WHY DIDN"T SWIYou WARN ME IT WOULD SenND Me TO ThE HosPITAL?!?!" It would be something we couldn't predict so it's always better to err on the side of safety.

[Swift Serenity]

well based on these comments swim said he isnt gonna do it anymore.. for one, dph barley does anything to him anymore so he doesnt think it would have that great of an effect, so its not worth the time..

[Lobsang]

The odds of someone who is more than likely a drug user waking spontaneously and driving is far fetched at best.

That's not what the literature says. Ambien alone has done this and more bazzarr things. And combining it is unwise. The SWIMMER asked for advice. And no "harshness" of spirit was meant and certainly was not given by anyone. Opinions were sought and given...

[RaverHippie]

Even Jack Nicholsen the american actor admitted to nearly driving off a cliff as a result of ambien...

[Swift Serenity]

wtf are you serious?

[RaverHippie]

completely here's the jack nicholsen quote ""I took Ambien (Stilnox) once. I fell asleep and then got a call and almost drove off a cliff 50 yards from my house," he told reporters on the red carpet."

check this out about side effects

"More serious side effects may include temporary amnesia, drug dependence, withdrawal symptoms when the drug is stopped after being used on a regular basis, excessively outgoing or aggressive behavior, confusion, agitation, strange behavior, hallucinations, depression, and suicidal thoughts."

User testimonies.

"I am a terrible insomniac and have never slept better than with Ambien. I had to stop taking it though because the side affects were life threatening. In the beginning, all I did was hallucinate with the lights on the cable box, but over the past few weeks my entire personality has changed. Last night I tried to hang myself from a 2nd floor window twice in the same night. When the life saving crew arrived, I had become rational so they did not take me. My bp was 180/100. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS DRUG TO ANYONE. We are all better off not sleeping. My family was extremely frightened."

"I've been taking the eruopean zolpidem (Stilnox)for 5 years. At first, I tokk one pill and got a pleasant nightsleep but then I started to encrese the dose and now I take a minimum of three pills per night and even 4, 5 or 6. It's a very strong addiction. I have to do the imposible to get prescriptions from several doctors avery week. I am desperate. The side effects are very strong and serious: blackouts, sleepwalking, euphoria, amnesia. I call my relatives and friends late at nght and tell them strange things that i forget the next morning and so on. I don't know what to do. I can't start any treatmet that would reduce the dose... ¿would anybody hel me?"

"I am currently taking ambien, and have been for about a year. when I first started taking it, I would stay up all night doing crazy things (like cheating on my boyfriend and going out with people met over the i-net the same night). I would wake up the next morning without an memory of any of it. It was like I was living 2 lives completely different, and really had no clue. My sister saw the problem and stopped me, thankfully! so I stopped taking it for a few monthes until I got to a point where I couldn't stand not sleeping anymore. so I started taking it again and have learned now to go straight to sleep after taking it. since I have realized that you have to stay in bed no matter what after taking this pill I have been very happy with it. only problem is about once a month I'll get up in the middle of the night and eat A LOT. it happens rarely so I don't worry too mujch about it. ambien isn't really the safest medicine out there, but it's better than not sleeping.
I am 19 years old."

It didn't take much googling to find many pages filled with similar testimonies dude.

[Lobsang]

As a side effect of Ambien, experts explain that it is possible for a person to be half asleep and half awake. This state causes people to do things that they would not do if they were awake, or to attempt to do things they are not alert enough to do.

Serious and catastrophic injuries have been reported as a result of:

• Sleepwalking
• Attempting to drive while asleep
• Sleep eating
• Memory loss
• AMBIEN SLEEPWALKING AND SLEEP DRIVING
  
  There have been several reports of injuries sustained by users of Ambien as a result of sleepwalking or attempting to drive while sleeping. Injuries sustained as a result of accidents while sleep driving are some of the most serious Ambien side effects. Researchers have indicated that the number of drivers who had Ambien in their blood following erratic driving behavior is alarmingly high. Otherwise safe drivers are causing serious accidents and injuries by driving the wrong way or crashing their vehicle.

[Swift Serenity]

yes.. SWIM is on it right now and almost went to drive while he was on the phone with a friend.. but he stopped himself and said f it. not worth the danger

[Expat98]

Originally Posted by Swift Serenity

yes.. SWIM is on it right now and almost went to drive while he was on the phone with a friend.. but he stopped himself and said f it. not worth the danger

Good thing SWIY realized this. Just to emphasize the point:

May 21, 2008

Orange County Driver Convicted on Vehicular Manslaughter Charges Based on Ambien, Xanax and Cough Syrup in System

The Daily Pilot reports on a vehicular manslaughter conviction that took place yesterday in a really tragic case: one based on a driver hitting a bicyclist while the driver was under the influence of Ambien, Xanax and Cough Syrup. That's intriguing to me because those are, of course, all legal drugs -- though certainly not the type of drugs that one would ordinarily ingest before getting behind the wheel.


This car belong to a motorist who crashed into a bicyclist, killing
her, after using Ambien and other prescription drugs in 2006.

Johns, 53, of Irvine was found guilty on all counts after hitting Tift with her Lexus Aug. 23, 2006 as Tift was riding her bike. Prosecutors said Johns was on a cocktail of prescription drugs Xanax, Ambien sleeping pills and cough medicine when the accident happened.

Johns was found guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence with injury. She faces up to 10 years in prison or a minimum of one year with probation. She is scheduled to be sentenced July 18.

“This was the most disappointing verdict I have ever had in my career,” defense attorney Gary Pohlson said.

Johns’ defense tried to argue that she was so grief-stricken by the death of her husband weeks before the accident that she was in an unconscious state when the accident happened, meaning she was not liable.

A very sad case, no matter how you slice it.

And like Lobsang posted above, the risk of "sleep driving" on Ambien is real:

Sleep-aid drugs like Ambien don't simply pose a remote or speculative risk that some moron will use them and get behind the wheel: they pose the actual, empirically documented risk that people will use them and then, involuntarily, wake up in the middle of the night and "sleep drive" around town in a semi-stupor. This risk is so clear and so well established that the FDA issued a press release about this specific issue in March 2007, requesting a change to the labeling of sedative-hypnotic drugs such as Ambien to reflect the possibility of "complex sleep-related behaviors, which may include sleep-driving."

http://druglaw.typepad.com/drug_law_...ien/index.html

One can also find reports right here on Drugs Forum of people doing really bizarre things on Ambien. SWIM thinks it's a weird drug, and not in a good way.

[Swift Serenity]

man thats some crazy stuff.. SWIM called a friend who told him about a race meet.. SWIM actually got in his car put the location in the gps and was about to take off, untill he realized if he cant even walk straight then how is he gonna drive

[D-termine]

SWIM believes in personal freedom and responsibility for one's own actions. Perhaps a hardline Libertarian would describe SWIM best. At times SWIM forgets how he handles drugs so well, and others so poorly. In the heat of his defense of his beloved drugs he at times forgets that there are two sides to every coin. In fact SWIMs Mother "woke up" at a grocery store once on Ambien buying cookies. Another time she was irate and spewing hate at SWIM and announcing all her past drug use in disgusting fashion. All very odd for her personality indeed.

So of course, know yourself and your drug, and hide your keys if that shit worries you too much. Cheers

Reputation Comments on this post:

Fair enough. Thanks for weighing in with your experience.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Swims wildest ambien(zolpiderm) trips have always involved this combination.A high amount of diphenhydramine is not even needed to potentiate ambien(zolpiderm).Swim remembers years ago the first time he tried this combination he kept fading in and out of reallity at his computer desk,talking to amorphous shadow people that became everything from his mother to his bestfriend.

[Swift Serenity]

jeez these are all some crazy experiences.. especially with the mother thing.. can u really sleep walk that bad? to not even know what the hell you are doing?

he isnt gonna mix this with anything

[RaverHippie]

When the FDA forced the manufacturer to make specific warnings about sleep-driving, you know it's a big deal. There has to be a large number of occurrences to force the pharm companies to do anything.

[Lobsang]

Originally Posted by Swift Serenity

jeez these are all some crazy experiences.. especially with the mother thing.. can u really sleep walk that bad? to not even know what the hell you are doing?

he isnt gonna mix this with anything

Yes you can. SWIM's brother took some pills like 30 years ago. They were I think "Dalmaine". He was like 16. Well he got up in the middle of the night and took his Dad's AMC Pacer for a ride. He drove like 5 miles. The cops found him spun out on a median strip. SWIM's father was the police doctor so the cops just brought him home and nothing more was said. The cops knocked on SWIM's parants door at like 3 in the morning. There was SWIM's brother. He looked really starange and had peed his pants. The family put him to bed. IN the morning he had no memory of anything. Not the drive or the cops or him crashing the Pacer. So some sleep drugs can do some strange things. What ever happend to good old Quaaludes??Oh Yeah////There illegal.

[Matt The Funk]

I think ambien is getting a little OVER biased of a rep. SWIM has used a lot of different kinds of downers and sedative/hypnotics and personally doesn't seem to have this kind of problem with normal doses of zolpidem, even 2x dosages. Some people do enjoy zolpidem, some do enjoy diphenhydramine (SWIM doesn't know anyone personally though). SWIM would pretty much highly discourage this combo unless experienced with both substances at the particular dosage, and maybe even up to 2x the dose. The combo does sound dangerous and perhaps unenjoyable. SWIM would stick to 1 or the other. Preferably whichever is more effective for SWIY and with a trip-sitter.

[Jatelka]

Originally Posted by Swift Serenity

then he drove to his friends also... figured that out the next morning, but luckily didnt crash

So: Despite being told what an inappropriate combination this is AND the dangers of sleep-activities (such as driving) you went and did it any way?

Frankly, I'm getting rather tired of reading about people who know they shouldn't be driving after necking handfuls of downers, but do it anyway.

There's NO excuse for driving while altered

[Swift Serenity]

yes swim knows that, but he didnt atm.. next time he is hiding his keys like d-termine said.. all swim knows is his friend called him to say come pick his license plate up at his house (he left it there idk why), so when SWIM got to his friends house, he told him he was on ambien, and his friend drove him home