This is scaring me
 

Last night I apparently went into my closet, pushed my coats and shirts aside, and peed on my shoes.
Yep. :o
We've been under a lot of stress lately. I find myself driving along and forgetting how to get where I was intending to go. Sometimes I'll be out and I'll look around and have to stop and think about where I am and why I'm there. I've had huge problems sleeping - way more than normal. I regularly do the white noise/dark room prepare myself for sleep routine but it just isn't working.
Last night I took half of an Ambien at 8PM. By 10:00 I was still wide awake, so I took the other half. Woke up at 7AM feeling groggy. But the worst part was the look on Mrs WD's face when I first saw her. Five years ago I remodeled the house and turned what had been my bathroom for 18 years into a closet. Last night I apparently went into the closet, pushed my coats and shirts aside, and peed on my shoes. :o

You need to get a CT scan and blood tests.

10 years ago at Christmas my mom starts to do silly things. A month later she was diagnosed with 2 brain tumours.

HOLY .... YES, get to the doc ASAP. I HOPE it's stress related ONLY.

Not a doctor, so...

From what you've posted, it appears to be stress related and amplified by Ambien. Ambien has a well documented side-effect of "sleep-walking" or other activities done where the used has no recollection of the event--closet peeing seems to fit the pattern in your case. There are reported cases of people driving their cars while under the influence of Ambien, with no recollection.

As far as the other issues, they seem to be stress related as you suspect. At least, they can be explained by stress as one alternative. Forgetting where you are going or what task you were about to do is within the realm of normalcy and the forgetting gets intensified when you mind is burdened with thoughts/problems that are stressful.

IMO, what you are experiencing is not beyond normal, but if it troubles you, certainly see your doctor. If it were me, I would see a doctor even though I'm fairly certain it's due to stress.

Sorry to hear that WD. I really believe that sleeping pills are not the answer. If you can forgo the pills and try sleeping without them you will likely sleep poorly one night but catch up on sleep the next night. For myself I dislike the feeling of being drugged the morning after.

Caveat. I am not a med professional.

Stay away from Ambien!
A few years ago my wife was hospitalized and the nurse gave her Ambien. While hooked up to a drip she apparently got up on her own(wasn’t supposed to) and proceed to the bathroom. The nurse found her in bed the next morning with a whopper of a black eye! A little more than she had bargained for. Nurse ended up calling me to explain before I came to see her. She had gotten up and smacked her face probably on the sink and when back to bed. She clearly didn’t know what had happened. Ambien=bad effects.

Well you do need to get to the Doc asap but last nights incident probably had more to do with the Ambian than whatever else is going on, meaning it may be circumstantial and not incidental to the primary issue.

If it is stress Klonopin is a much better alternative to Ambien.

could have been worse if you DIDNT push the clothing aside

but seriously..go to a doctor!! please bud. go!

rule out all possible physical things..then work it from any other angle.

That Ambien stuff is bad news. My MIL started using it and she noticed she was gaining weight. And she kept noticing strange messes in the kitchen. She lived by herself and kept blaming it on guests and the lady that comes and cleans the house. Everyone but herself. Finally she saw she was out of Mayonnaise after buying some two days before.

We finally figured out that she was getting up in the night and sleep walking to the kitchen and making a mayonnaise sandwich. :eek::eek:

She was doing all sorts of weird things. We had to bring her to our house for a week to "detox" and she was having some real horrible nightmares. She was convinced one night we had locked her in the bedroom and left her there for days. We were down the hall and sleeping, we never left and it was just a few hours.

Get off that stuff ASAP. You will likely have some bad withdrawal and not sleep much, but you most likely will stop marking you shoes with pee.

And go see a medical doctor.

Well, the good thing is that anything you do during a black-out is none of your business.

Ambien....I have a story :(

Jesus, I just love how people casually drop "brain tumors" in the conversation and walk away whistling ;-(

Occam's razor much ? Yes, Ambien has a very well documented side effects like "sleep-walking" and if that closet used to be your bathroom, well then, problem solved.... You already have sleep issues, you don't need to worry about CT scans too... Find a way to relax and sleep that does not involve chemicals...

If I had a brain tumor for each time I sleep-walked when stressed out, I'd look like elephant man... I never peed in a closet though ;-) I think the book "the subtle art of not giving a F#$$" also helped a little

For me, zero caffeine after 2pm and 3mg melatonin does the trick. 10 years, and never had to increase the dose. Zero side effects.

Like others have said, get to a doc and let them sort it out.

I'll second the melatonin. I cut a 3mg into quarters and it's just enough to push me into sleep. I may be a little sluggish in the morning, but nothing like the side-effects of Ambien.

Oh man - that's interesting. i'd go drop the meds ASAP.

I would need medicine too if I went to bed at 8pm (!). What are the expectations here? You get up at 3 am to start your day? Because a geezer doesn't need more than 7h sleep.

If I was retired, bedtime would be midnight - get up at 7 or 8.

G

Doc's are the ones who prescribe Ambien...I'm just sayin'...

But what are you doing to alleviate the stress ??

Stress + sleep deprivation can lead to you doing major irrational things (this is from first hand experience a few years ago). Then Ambien on top of that?

My problem was not falling asleep, it was waking up with my mind/thoughts racing at warp speed after 2-3 hours of sleep and this went on night after night. This does a real number on you after a while.

You need to get yourself a dog who can go in the closet and pee on your shoes for you.

Problem solved!

Moving is one of the Top Five stress inducing events.

Get to the Doc, get the blood work done, start an exercise regime of some sort, get off the meds if possible and keep posting here.

I would miss your perspective so get thee to a medical professional!

thanks for the refresher!! this was great.

how old are you

could be the start of dementia.

sometimes when I am driving I have to think about where I am and how to get to where I want to go. I seem to get turned around a lot easier these days.

BTW, I am 50 and my mom had dementia. I am sure I am going to get it.

dont even say that bud.

Go back to the source: stress. Stress will whack out your mind and body in multiple ways.
I would get a visit with the doc to make sure that there isn't something that is happening. That would be one less thing to worry (stress) about. Then, deal with the stress and the sleep aid may not be needed.

p.s. PLEASE DON'T get medical advice from internet BBS opinions!!! Listen to the folks above and you've got dementia, brain tumors and sleep too much. :rolleyes:
https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/aging-and-sleep

One last thought:
Buy a new puppy immediately. This way you can blame the dog for the puddle in the closet.

Never tried Ambian but have heard too many stories, if it were me I would get to a doc and cut out the Ambian.

I have moved to herbal melatonin based sleep aid a few times a week.

A few years back my doc gave me a script for temazepam, worked great and no side effects in the morning. I only stopped taking it because it worked a little too well, my neighbor had a HUGE fireworks display on the 4th and I slept right through it.

My wife said if it had been your wife's shoes, you'd really be in bad straits. But seriously, I'd consult a doctor.

Easy solution.

Put a litter box in the closet, and put all your shoes up on a shelf.

Stop the Ambien. It affects people differently. I had outrageous recurring nightmares when I used it for a few months, until I figured out what was causing them. Bizarre dreaming, made me hesitant to sleep at all.

A happy place to go in your mind is hard to describe or explain. For me, a couple of monumental surf rides imprinted my memory at the time; one epic hang-ten that went on forever. I go back when having trouble falling asleep. It works. Memories of monumental salamander sex does not work.

If you're taking ambien regularly I'd be careful about stopping it cold turkey.

You need to go see a primary care doc immediately. At the least you need routine labs, and further testing. What you describe is not normal. Further tests depend on your risk factors, and brain imaging isn't out of the question.

Ambien should never, EVER, be taken regularly. Occasional use only. If you take it regularly you build up a tolerance and will not be able to sleep without it. 30 tabs should last you a year...

If you can't sleep, get tested for sleep apnea also...

PS: This is not medical advice, and should not be construed as such. This is random internet banter. Go, see your doctor.

I wish melatonin did something for me - has absolutely no effect, regardless of dosage, length of time I use it, etc.

Agreed.

I also would be scared. Good luck...

we cant stay awake.
we stop moving at night, sit down on the couch and 8 oclock we are falling asleep.

started another band with my brother, I am in trouble. last one I was in I use to come home and go to sleep so I could stay up and play. man its going to really be tough this time.


my wife has this problem and I know of other women that have this issue. they wake around 1am and are up for several hours a night. I think they are going thru the change though.
maybe that's your issue. it is called "men"apause

I should have posted get to a doc then stop the Ambian, as I said I have no personal experience but is is said to be a pretty powerful drug.


Funny how people are effected differently, when I played in a band I was hyped up and it took a few hours to wind down.

It actually not a problem. It how humans used to sleep until very recently.

Google 'pre modern sleep patterns'.

Our expectation of sleeping for 7-8 hours straight is unnatural.

Definitely see a doc!

Before I retired, I was a full time melatonin user; it worked ok, but not great. Thought I had chronic insomnia. Just before retiring, I had a sleep study done and found out I had sleep apnea...CPAP has made a world of difference. The short version is, see a doc, think about a sleep study to see if there's an underlying problem...doesn't and can't hurt.

Thank you all for the input. I love this place.

I used to take Ambien about 3 times a week when I was working. I never had any trouble falling asleep, but I would often wake up at 2 or 3 AM and be wide awake. When I had to work the next day I HAD to get some rest, so I would take half an Ambien. After I retired, if I woke up I didn't care, I knew I would eventually go back to sleep and if I slept 'til 9:00 - no problem. But today was the closing on the new house and I still had to finish lining up the purchase cash. (Long story and a VERY stressful mess) so I had to get some sleep and be at the bank at 9:00.

Like I said 3-4 times a week. I filled the prescription in August and still have 10 1/2 pills left. I have never before taken an whole pill in on night, and I'll sure as hell never do it again. :eek:

When you start doing that while you're awake... THEN start worrying. :D

Hey Patrick.......you have 2 options the way I see it.......

1. Ditch the Ambian

2. Get your arse back to work (this retirement gig is way overated}!

Onward.....;)

Could be worse

A neighbour got up still drunk, stumbled to the bathroom, opened the door, stepped in and extended one arm to brace himself against the back wall and ended up in the basement breaking said arm.


...wrong door.