Ambien CR and headaches

I have been taking Ambien CR for 2 months - almost nightly. I think it does help me sleep. Or at least if I don't sleep, I don't remember not sleeping. I do wake up the morning after with headaches. I have a lot of headaches anyway... so that is not that bothersome to me, unless they get to the migraine point. I feel like it affects my memory the next day. Also for about 2-3 hours after taking it, my husband and son say that I am very talkative (which I don't remember) I have had 15 min conversations with my son and not remember. I have sent text messages and not remember. I have not been told that I have done anything else. But that is concerning to me. If I didn't have any other options for sleep meds, I probably would stick to it, but I am going to try something else that has less side effects.

Significant hair loss has caused thinning around my face & entire hair line. Within weeks of taking Ambien CR... Woke up daily with headaches, mood changes, depression.....

I am a licensed NYS Cosmetologist. I know what is normal hair loss & what is not. It started with itching on my whole scalp, there was a lot of white greasy almost dandruff substance on my scalp. It didn't flake off like normal dandruff though. Then I noticed my hairline was not what it would normally be. Each time I brushed my hair the brush was filled with more hair daily... I stopped taking the Ambien CR, the itch went away almost immediately & so did the hair loss. I thought I'd give it one more try & took 1 pill one night. The next day the itch came back, so did the white greasy substance on my scalp & my hair started to fall out again.......... Went to my Dr told her what was going on & she didn't even blink, just asked if I wanted something else for sleep. I said no thank you not after this experience. Went back on Advil PM, not sleeping as well as I was, but at least my hair isn't falling out any more. Just keep hoping it will grow back in, has anyone had their hair grow back???

My wife started on 6.25 dosage for her inability to sleep properly. It helped her sleep. However, the 6.25 stopped being responsive and her MD prescribed her a higher dosage. Once she started taking the higher dosage, her thought process was impaired and had extreme pressure headaches along the head, face and neck. Her mind was so screwed up that she started to have suicidal thoughts and intense feelings of fear that she would start to have panic attacks. I do not know how these drugs get FDA approved. Went to a naturopath who did a hormone test and found that her hormones were unbalanced. Went on bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and she is herself again. She is also able to sleep properly.

I was taking Ambien CR for almost a year. Until I stopped taking it I didn't realize all the side effects I was suffering. I was taking almost every night. I started getting yeast infections about a month after I started taking it. They continued every single month for the next 7 months, sometimes twice in one month. It got to the point that OTC meds were not curing it. The doctor prescribed a med for it and it still didn't help. I have been trying to figure out excatly what behavior (eg:diet, laundry soap) I had changed in the last year when it dawned on me. They started around the time I started taking Ambien CR. I started researching side effects of Ambien CR and in the very very fine print it lists Vaginitis. There it is. Somewhere I read that only .01% of women suffer this side effect, figures it would be me. I stopped taking Ambien immediately, the yeast infection that I was getting started to go away on its own. I bought an OTC med to help it go away and I feel great! Haven't had another one since.

Other side effects that I noticed after I stopped taking it were headaches, short tempered, confusion, short-term memory loss, hair loss. I haven't had a headache since the last day I took Ambien CR. I had absolutely no patience while I was taking it. I would lose my temper in a flash. I haven't felt as angry since I stopped taking it. I didn't realize how crappy I was feeling every day until I stopped taking it.

I think Ambien might be okay for occasional use but not every night like I was taking it.