About Ambien and Effexor

• Ambien is a prescription sleep aid that has become quite popular since its inception. Ambien is designed to treat cases of insomnia, acting as a sedative. Ambien causes relaxation, which leads to sleep.
  Effexor is an anti-depressant. It belongs to the class of drugs known as SSNRIs (selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors). Effexor is generally prescribed to treat disorders in mood, including depression, panic attacks and anxiety.
  
  

Ambien Side Effects

• When taken alone, Ambien carries with it a slew of potential side effects, including daytime dizziness, abnormal dreams, headache, blurry eyesight, reduction in coordination and amnesia. More serious side effects can include depression, decrease in inhibition coupled with an increase in risk-taking behavior, aggression, and a loss of one's personality.
  
  

Effexor Side Effects

• Effexor also has several potential side effects. Expected side effects include a decrease in sex drive, trouble attaining orgasm, impotence, weight changes, blurry eyesight and dizziness. If impotence was not serious enough, other potential effects include skin peeling, stiff muscles, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, seizures and hallucinations.
  
  

Side effects through interaction

• But when taken together, Ambien and Effexor become an entirely different beast. In addition to the side effects listed above, users might also experience heavy depression/retardation of the central nervous system, prompting the user to avoid any activity requiring mental concentration or advanced motor skills. As both drugs take their toll on the nervous system, when combined, the resultant effects are that much more potent.
  
  

Considerations

• Many drug combinations will often produce new and more troublesome side effects than either taken alone. This speaks to the necessity of patients understanding the potential risks weighed against the benefits of taking any one medication, let alone multiple medications. Although drug manufacturers make it a point to downplay potential side effects in favor of stressing the purported benefits of these medications, one should always view such claims dispassionately and skeptically, and should only resort to prescription drugs when all other prospective alternatives have proven fruitless. All too often, we medicate first and deal with the side effects later, when it should be the other way around.