Drawing from the night I hallucinated that my lamp was up to no good.
debating the French presidential election, I was studiously offering up my opinions on Ryan Gosling while struggling to stand on my chair. While these experiences seem relatively harmless, not all hallucinations are friendly ones. Numerous individuals who use sleep drugs have reported severe paranoia accompanying the hallucinations, so if you begin to experience these sensations, maybe it’s time to work with your doctor to find a drug that won’t make you feel like John Nash in A Beautiful Mind, except without the crazy math capabilities. Another phenomenon that many have come to experience while on Ambien is the sudden urge to be a sex kitten. A wave of openness overcomes you, instilling the desire to try everything from role-play as a chicken and a duck to doing the Slinky on a gazebo. Experiences such as these can be found on ambienoverdose.org, a site I find amusing, comforting, and disconcerting all at the same time, where many openly share their wildest Ambien stories. Most of the stories seem innocent enough: a wife finally opening up to the hidden desires of her husband or a spunky couple letting loose. However, there are others that are not quite as common, and I encourage you to check them out, should you for some reason wish to be left with a weird taste in your mouth. When reading up on my latest sleep drug, I realized that my personal experiences with Ambien were just the tip of the iceberg. It reported some rather strange side-effects including: sleep-driving, making and eating food, having sex, and sleepwalking. While these are all concerning in their own ways, the side effect that worries me the most is potential loss of consciousness and self-awareness. Many users report waking up the morning after taking the drug with no recollection of any of the crazy things they are told that they did the night before. This is scary, especially because it can quickly blur the lines of what constitutes consensual sex, thereby creating victims and
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predators. Similar to the risks of overdosing on alcohol, sleep drugs leave the user in a vulnerable state, and often result in complete amnesia the next morning. Because of these effects, there is an increasing number of predators out there using sleep drugs to take advantage of people in a new, less-noticed way. In fact, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, as of 2006, Ambien was already overtaking illicit sedatives, such as GHB and Rohypnol, as the most-common date-rape drug. Moreover, sleep drugs are easier than ever to obtain, since according to manufacturers, more prescriptions for them are being written every year. There is also growing concern for personal abuse of various sleep drugs. The allure of these drugs lies in the calming effect they produce, the hallucinations and crazy sex one might experience after taking them, and the simple fact that they give an almost guaranteed good night’s rest. This has led to an increasing trend of abuse, addiction and dependence on Ambien and other similar drugs. According to an article in The New York Times, “Are Sleeping Pills Addictive?” drugs like these can be psychologically habit-forming. Take, for example, my lovely grandmother; she began using sleep drugs in her older-age, and now cannot fall asleep without them. I don’t know if she has ever been formally diagnosed with insomnia or another sleep disorder, but I do know that her nurses are having a hell of a time prying the pills out of her hands. I have also heard stories from a dependable source that at least one group on campus has come to use Ambien recreationally. If not for hallucinatory effects, then for a fun little game they invented called “let’s see who can dance the longest without falling over while on Ambien.” While I question how fun that game is to begin with (with the exception of whoever gets to watch), it is even less amusing given the danger of prescription drugs. So please just stick to the booze, boys! (Drink responsibly.) An additional unsettling trend I have noticed is the combining of stimulants and depressants in order to alter study and sleep habits at the same time. I personally know and have heard of even more individuals at Cornell who have started taking psychostimulant drugs such as Ritalin or Adderall during the day, followed by drugs like Ambien and Oxycodone at night, without a prescription for either drug. Once again, the dangers of this practice are blaringly obvious for most: harmful drug combinations, overdose, addiction, dependence, and even death. It’s a dumb way to die, and I find it ironic that people take such risks in the name of getting better grades and creating more opportunities after graduation, all while jeopardizing their future. While there are significant dangers in regards to sleep drugs and their abusers, the generally harmless hallucinations continue to be a part of my life on nights I cannot sleep, and many other insomniacs share this experience. In these settings, as with any drug you are prescribed, you must be aware of the side effects. So picture yourself as an insomniac. Having carefully read the label, the prescription from your doctor for Ambien now sits nearby on your nightstand. But, as for what will ensue, well, that is totally up to you. ◊
the kitsch knome Studies Abroad! layout by Catherine Schrage photos by Meaghan McSorley and Catherine Schrage
WARNING: Do not try any of this at home without the permission of a doctor. May cause severe hallucinations, Ambibrain, embarrassment, an apparent sex drive, “freakiness,” and inability to make good decisions, which can only be rivaled in comparison by Lindsay Lohan in her later years.
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