A recent article in Jointogether.org draws attention to the ever growing number of adolescents who are using Ambien and other prescription sedatives for recreational use, often to induce hallucinations and blackouts. According to Drug-rehabs.org, “when abused, Ambien tablets are taken orally, crushed and then snorted, or dissolved in water and ‘cooked’ for intravenous injection.” What many fail to realize, is that when mixed with alcohol and other drugs, the results can be fatal.

Ambien, the name for the generic drug Zolpidem, effects the central nervous system by causing sedation and muscle relaxation. An overdose of the drug may depress the central nervous system to the point of death. The young women who experience blackouts while abusing the drug at a party or club, are also often targeting themselves as potential victims of rape.

My first experience with Ambien was six months ago, when my doctor wrote me a prescription to help remedy the only side effect (insomnia) of the antidepressant I was and still am taking, Effexor. I was hoping for either Xanax or Klonopin, two drugs in the benzodiazepine drug family, that are used to treat general anxiety disorder and panic attacks. They are known for taking the edge off without completely knocking you out. Not wanting to come across as a pharmaceutical junkie, however, I simply nodded a Thank You as my $200.00/hour psychopharmocologist called in the order, before racing over to my local Rite Aid for pick up.

After two refills, I made the conscious decision not to go for a third. While I wouldn’t say I was becoming dependent, and its use certainly does carry that risk, there was a morning or two where I couldn’t quite remember how or when I went to sleep. My own experience aside, I urge anyone with access to the drug - be it an "unorthodox" or medical connection - to do your homework before your first night of chemically altered sleep.