DOSE:	repeated	oral	Alcohol
	25 mg	oral	Pharms - Atenolol
	10 mg	oral	Pharms - Zolpidem

BODY WEIGHT:

118 lb

I've had insomnia my entire life, even as a very young child. My psychiatrist recently prescribed Ambien. It's very effective in getting me to sleep and stay asleep, but the side effects are not worth it.a

I also have a serious anxiety problem, and unfortunately I drink to cope with the anxiety quite often. I was feeling very anxious yesterday and started drinking beer around 430pm. By 11pm I had drank about 8 beers (much more than I intended) and decided it was time for bed once the movie me and my husband watched was done. I got ready for bed, laid down, took 25mg atenolol (for blood pressure) and 10mg zolpidem which I do every night. The last thing I remember was drifting off to sleep. Well, I didn't sleep.

Apparently I began babbling to my husband about cats, kittens, and seeing ships on the ocean with sails covered in plants with squash, pears, and all sorts of fruits and vegetables growing on them. I have absolutely no recollection of this. Then my husband said I took off my clothes, was laughing and rolling around in the bed and I guess having a great time. Then I proceeded to walk into the kitchen completely naked and grab the cooking Sherry and start drinking it. I hate liquor, so this is really strange behavior for me. Then I took another pill in front of him and continued to drink. That's when he hid my pills and the Sherry since he was worried I would seriously harm myself or overdose.

I continued to talk and hallucinate for awhile, and then I guess I got more and more uncoordinated and groggy, and was falling over whenever I went to the bathroom. Eventually I passed out and woke up around seven in the morning. The first thing I noticed was that I was soaking wet. I had spilled my glass of water all over me and slept in a puddle all night in my bed. I was stark naked and had my pack of cigarettes in my hand. I was completely oblivious to the night before, and I woke my husband up and asked what had happened. He told me everything I did, and thank God he was the only one to witness me acting like such a fool.

There are a few things that seriously bother me about this: one, I have absolutely no memory of this. Not a glimmer, not a flash - nothing. Two, I could have overdosed had my husband not been there. I could have just kept drinking and taking pills until I just didn't wake up. The final thing that really bothers me, is that this is the second time this has happened. The first time wasn't as bad, since I remember bits and pieces, and wasn't nearly as inebriated. I have come to the conclusion that insomnia is much more tolerable (and safer) than risking continuing with these pills. I can't believe that these pills are approved by the FDA and can be prescribed to people. I have taken cocaine, amphetamines, painkillers, benzos, ectasy, LSD, etc. and have NEVER had a complete blackout from any of them. This is serious stuff, I would proceed with caution, and DEFINITELY not drink with this stuff.

I have since flushed the pills down the toilet, and will never, ever be taking them again.

Exp Year: 2014	ExpID: 103411
Gender: Female
Age at time of experience: 31
Published: Jan 20, 2020	Views: 1,382
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Pharms - Zolpidem (143), Alcohol - Beer/Wine (199) : Difficult Experiences (5), Train Wrecks & Trip Disasters (7), Medical Use (47), Combinations (3), Small Group (2-9) (17)