Can Ambien Cause Anxiety? Dangers Of Sleeping Drugs You Must Know

As a sleeping pill Ambien offers a lot of help when we find it difficult to go to bed at night. If so, why do some people remain anxious while trying to sleep calmly? Lack of sleep might explain why the person has anxiety. But having a mental health issue while being on medication does not add up. Well, strong medications like Ambien can have side effects and these can affect our sleep. Is anxiety one of these side effects? The article below will give us a proper understanding of issues faced from sleeping drugs and find out how can Ambien cause anxiety.

Ambien: What You Need to Know

Ambien is a hypnotic drug used for short term insomnia. This non benzodiazepine was first synthesised in 1984 by the then Synthélabo Recherche now known as French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Aventis. In 1992 the FDA approved Ambien for treating sleeping issues. It was always sold by its generic name Zolpidem but the brand Ambien is much more popular around the world. The sleeping pill is available in 5 mg immediate-release tablets and 10 mg tablets that are the extended version called Ambien CR. As the DEA finds Ambien can have a risk of abuse it labels it as a Schedule IV drug.

What Happens When You Use Ambien?

Using Ambien makes us feel relaxed and calm that helps us sleep. But there’s definitely more to it as Ambien has a very distinct mechanism than other drugs. The main function of this drug is to enhance the effects of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) receptors present in the brain. After binding to the alpha (ɑ) units present in the receptors it opens the calcium-gated chloride channels. Here, Ambien assists the GABAergic neurotransmitters in inhibiting the neuronal activity that causes excitability. Once the excitability is stopped, the dopamine release in the brain allows the activation of the reward system that provides relaxation. While this mechanism can induce a good 7-8 hours of sleep, Ambien has its share of problems.

Does Ambien Affect The Brain Negatively?

With that kind of a strong mechanism Ambien can definitely have some negative effects on the brain. One of the most common side effects that has been reported with Ambien use are the unusual sleep behaviors at night. Ambien often makes people wake up and do activities like walking or eating. The effect on the brain is that one does not remember anything about that episode that happened in the middle of the night. Misusing the sleeping pill worsens this even more. Ambien also affects the cognitive functions of the brain like movement and thinking which explains how can Ambien cause depression or anxiety.

Can Ambien Cause Anxiety?

Ambien can cause psychological issues like anxiety and it happens in many ways. It does not involve a single mechanism or a cause. From affecting brain chemistry in frequent use to withdrawals let’s understand how does Ambien cause anxiety.

Brain Chemistry Disruption

Ambien is an addictive drug and people can misuse it very easily. Overdosing on the medication can be extremely harsh on the brain. This disrupts the normal functioning of the brain and causes a change in its chemistry. People can become easily anxious if their brains do not work properly. This happens because an overdose of the drug stops the natural production of GABA in the brain. It makes the brain incapable of handling or controlling the stress caused by neuronal activity that GABA has to inhibit.

Paradoxical Reactions

There are many instances where Ambien can cause what they say are paradoxical reactions. In this case, the drug does not induce sleep but increases emotions like anger, nervousness and anxiousness. In this state the person may even find themselves in the middle of complex sleep behaviors like driving. As Ambien offers relief from stress on its use, paradoxical reactions may include intense anxiety.

Rebound Insomnia

Using Ambien can lead to another problem called rebound insomnia. People do not take drugs all the time. The problem is that when they do not take Ambien it causes some concerning withdrawals. One of them is the rebound effect of the drug where Ambien does exactly the opposite of how it normally works. In this particular case Ambien causes intense insomnia in rebound that makes it extremely difficult to sleep. A sleepless night can cause stress and anxiety.

Existing Anxiety

Besides these, Ambien can worsen already existing anxiety. Moreover it worsens when we are taking any medication for anxiety and we take Ambien to help us sleep. We normally take depressant drugs for anxiety, which means that the interaction between one CNS depressant and another can make both the sleep and the anxiety worse. One of the worst interactions of Ambien is with alcohol and opioids.

Why Is Ambien Unsafe?

Ambien can be very unsafe when misused because of its sedative nature. People abuse it without even thinking about the negative impacts. While Ambien’s dangers relating to anxiety are concerning here are some other problems one can face after using the sleeping pill.

• Waking up in the morning after an Ambien induced sleep might make a person feel drowsy and disoriented. In older people this can lead to injuries and falls. If one doesn’t sleep properly at night, it can leave the person feeling stressed. This is how can Ambien cause anxiety next day.
• Not just anxiety but Ambien can lead to many other mental health issues that are well documented in research. A study in the Primary Care Companion for CNS disorders found 82.4% of all the women they examined faced hallucinations after using Zolpidem. Extreme overdose of Ambien has even led to serious issues like suicidal thoughts and maintaining hostility.
• Heavy dependence on Ambien can cause dementia and amnesia. These two are the most common memory loss issues caused by the sleep medication. The same study mentioned above also states that people got affected with amnesia after taking Ambien in no time.

FAQs

Conclusion

Anxiety affecting our sleep is definitely a major concern. But more importantly, we need to address the reasons why a person is going through anxiety and depression. Individuals use Ambien to deal with stress, which creates room for dependence. But misusing certain medications for personal issues can actually amplify those problems. That is when therapies and treatments come in handy. If Ambien causes or worsens your anxiety, speak up and seek help from your peers and medical experts.