Ambien and addiction

If you type the phrase “ambien addiction” into Google search, 1,710,000 items appear. Does this suggest the possibility that Ambien is an addictive drug?   Below are some prominent items on the web, that address this issue.

At www.allnurses.com, a discussion forum for nurses, one poster discusses how she just terminated a long-term friendship with someone who had been on Ambien for 3 years. She was taking it on a daily basis and began to add Valium to it. According to the poster, her friend was “addicted” to sleep. She was always in bed sleeping. Her friend denied that she was addicted to Ambien, and claimed she simply enjoys sleeping!

A YouTube video entitled, “Addicted to Ambien,” shows a young woman who claims that she took Ambien every day, sometimes 2 or 3 per night. She was prescribed this drug by her general practitioner, because she was anxious and couldn’t sleep. All her doctors told her it was alright to take Ambien.

Meanwhile, the official view of the Food and Drug Administration is promoted on a YouTube video showing a woman from AddictonBlog.org. She states clearly that Ambien is not a narcotic and that it is classified as a Class IV nonnarcotic drug that does not cause more than limited physical dependence.

Sources: YouTube, allnurses.com