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Acid reflux linked to Ambien

Q: I have suffered from acid reflux for about six months, and it kept getting worse and worse. Nothing I tried was helping. I read some comments on your Web site that Ambien might cause heartburn. The light bulb went off: Seven months ago, my mother died and my sister-in-law broke her hip. I was under great stress and couldn’t sleep, so my doctor prescribed Ambien. Soon after I started taking it, I had my first awful experience with acid reflux, but I didn’t make the connection. The only way I could sleep was to take Ambien, but the reflux was unbelievable. As soon as I read about it, I made a doctor’s appointment, but I also skipped the Ambien that night. I didn’t sleep much, but the reflux wasn’t as bad. The next night, I did not take Ambien, slept a bit better and had very little reflux. Last night, I repeated the experiment and had no reflux and I slept fairly well. I am thrilled. I’d much rather cope with a sleepless night from time to time than the horrible pain. Is heartburn listed as a side effect?

A: The prescribing information lists “dyspepsia,” a general term for indigestion, as a side effect. Although there isn’t much research on this complication, dozens of our readers have reported acid reflux linked to Ambien.

Source: Chicago Tribune, January 12, 2010

 

By Mortin - Copyright 2010
Last modification 05/02/2010