There are a handful of common side effects, but how can Ambien affect your memory and causeamnesia?
Is there a risk of long-term memory problems like dementia or Alzheimer’s disease?
Does it lead to sleepwalking or sleep eating episodes?
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What are the other common side effects of Ambien use?
How might this work?
Discover some of the side effects associated with Ambien use and alternatives that might help to avoid these problems.
How Does Ambien Work?
Ambienis a useful medication that is available as a prescription sleep aid to treatinsomnia.
The Food and Drug Administration approves it for short-term use.
It is also known as zolpidem, Ambien CR, and Intermezzo.
Like most sleep aids, Ambien has only modest effects on the amount of measurable additional sleep it provides.
What does it do then?
It affects chemical messengers in the brain called neurotransmitters.
By affecting a neurotransmitter called GABA, it can calm the activity of specific parts of the brain.
One of the areas that may be affected is the hippocampus.
Along with other regions of the brain, the hippocampus is important in the formation of memory.
Does It Really Affect the Memory (Ambien Amnesia)?
If you take the medication and do not go to bed, this may be more likely to occur.
When you immediately go to bed, a loss of memory is typically inconsequential.
This possible association has not been proven by research to this point.
There are reports of complex sleep-related behaviors, similar to parasomnias, occurring while under the influence of Ambien.
Sometimes the benefits will outweigh the risks.
How to Avoid Side Effects
Use the medication as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
Take it and immediately get into bed.
Allow at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep to ensure avoidance of morning hangover effects.
Keep a regular sleep-wake schedule.
Do not use Ambien with alcohol or other drugs that affect the brain.
This may worsen the effects on memory and could even lead to dangerous problems, such as disrupted breathing.
Once the medication has cleared out of your system, it is unlikely to continue to affect your health.
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