Originally Posted by
JDFlyer
In addition to being addictive if used for longer than two weeks, here are some of the known side effects of Ambien:
• Hallucinations, through all physical senses, of varying intensity
• Delusions- A false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence, especially as a symptom of mental illness
• Euphoria and/or dysphoria (the opposite of euphoria)
• Impaired judgment and reasoning
• Uninhibited extroversion in social or interpersonal settings
• Increased impulsivity
• When stopped rebound insomnia may occur
• Ataxia or poor motor coordination, difficulty maintaining balance
• Decreased libido
• Increased appetite
• Anterograde amnesia- loss of memory for events immediately following a trauma; sometimes in effect for events during and for a long time following the trauma
I understand that Ambien isn't perfect, as you clearly laid out. However, ANY drug has side effects. Just googling the side effect of Aspirin is enough to make one reconsider popping the wonder drug.
I'm an Air Force guy who went thru the medical testing of fatigue management drugs. However, I *never* took them because I never felt fatigued enough.
With that being said, I find this discussion interesting but at the same time, irrelevant. Do we really need to be taking drugs? Are the rules really that bad?
Are pilots really not getting enough sleep? Or are they failing to be responsible/professional and aren't allowing themselves to get proper rest?