Side Effect of Ambien: Adultery

[llcooljabe]

http://www.slate.com/id/2216714

Dream LoverI cheated on my wife while sleepwalking. What do I do now?

Posted Thursday, April 23, 2009, at 7:09 AM ET


Dear Prudence:

I did something recently that concerns me on many levels. I am under a large amount of stress because I'm in an unhappy marriage (which we're trying to work out) and because my company laid me off. I am under treatment for depression. A week ago, my doctor doubled the dosage of my antidepressant and, because I'm not sleeping well, he prescribed Ambien. On Saturday morning, I confused the vials and took two Ambien. I told my wife what happened and that I would probably sleep all day and went to bed. At around 10 p.m., my wife commented on how productive I had been: mowing the lawn, cleaning up, grocery shopping. I remembered none of this and said so. She said her only concern was that I left for "errands" and returned two hours later with nothing in hand. I talked to my doctor Monday, and he told me Ambien can cause amnesia and that some people have reported walking, driving, and cooking in their sleep. I know now what filled the missing two hours. This afternoon, I got a call from a woman who called me "lover" and asked when I wanted to come back. She called me her f--k buddy. This is a woman I had talked to only twice before in social situations. I do not even know where she lives; maybe I phoned her for directions. I do find her attractive, but I am stunned that I did something like this. My wife is vindictive, and if I say anything to her, it will end our marriage. I do not want to continue a relationship with the other woman. What should I do?

—Scared Sleepless

Dear Scared,

It's hard to believe that the pharmaceutical industry has already solved two of our most vexing problems: How to get men to do weekend chores, and how to induce attractive strangers to have sex with you while being able to swear that you haven't cheated. If this gets around, soon we'll be living in a world where people are gobbling Ambien out of Pez containers. Driving, eating, even trying to cast congressional votes while under the influence of Ambien are all well-documented. Scroll around the Internet and you will also find individual accounts of Ambien-fueled sex—which the nondrugged participants claim is more creative and uninhibited than when their partner is awake. However good you may have been in bed, you need to keep the other woman from contacting you and asking for further services. Call her and try to explain. Tell her that, as hard as it is to believe, you have recently been prescribed several medications, you accidentally mixed them up, and as a result you have no memory of the events of the weekend. Say you're very sorry if you behaved irresponsibly but that you can't be in touch with her. Don't ask for details—you want to preserve your amnesiac deniability. And since you don't know what you did, you're hardly in a position to confess anything to your wife. From now on, when you have trouble drifting off, forget the Ambien and brew yourself a nice cup of chamomile tea.

—Prudie

[Gary Wright]

Doctor's phones just started ringing off the hook with people hoping to cheat with a coworker on the other end - trying to make up a reason they need to be on ambien so that they have an excuse.

[Rockhound]

I need more details--what dosage of pills should I order did he take.

[vividox]

Forget ecstasy parties, throw Ambien parties!

Wow, seriously, that is unbelievable.

[Chillax]

Originally Posted by vividox

Forget ecstasy parties, throw Ambien parties!

Wow, seriously, that is unbelievable, if it's true.

IFYP.

[Gary Wright]

So, he doesn't know where this lady lives, he hardly knows her, but he somehow has her phone number at hand to ask for directions in a sleepwalk situation?

After re-reading, the story stinks. I think the guy porked some lady, and he's looking for someone else to make a good excuse for him.

[douglan]

I'd probably do something boring if I were on Ambien...like the tax return for my condo association that I forgot to do.

[Loner]

Originally Posted by Gary Wright

So, he doesn't know where this lady lives, he hardly knows her, but he somehow has her phone number at hand to ask for directions in a sleepwalk situation?

After re-reading, the story stinks. I think the guy porked some lady, and he's looking for someone else to make a good excuse for him.

That was my thinking on the matter.

[Gary Wright]

Translation more along the lines of:

"There's this lady I've been fooling around flirting with a little (or a lot), but not below the belt / outside of work (or whatever), but I took some sleep drugs the other day, and I showed her my O-face, and now I don't know what to do".

Seems this isn't a lot different than someone looking to use alcohol as an excuse for losing their judgement.

[Kaia]

I am inclined to believe this story. My mom uses Ambien and she can have entire conversations that she doesn't remember later on. There'll be whole hours she doesn't recall happening.

It's kind of scary, really.