Sleep medication linked to bizarre behaviour – health – 06 February 2007 – New Scientist — FYI.
New evidence has linked a commonly prescribed sleep medication with bizarre behaviours, including a case in which a woman painted her front door in her sleep.
UK and Australian health agencies have released information about 240 cases of odd occurrences, including sleepwalking, amnesia and hallucinations among people taking the drug zolpidem.
While doctors say that zolpidem can offer much-needed relief for people with sleep disorders, they caution that these newly reported cases should prompt a closer look at its possible side effects.
Zolpidem, sold under the brand names Ambien, Stilnoct and Stilnox..
side effect, or feature?
I’d definitely think twice before taking Ambien. A relative of mine with chronic insomnia would get up in the middle of the night and fixing a pretty large breakfast meal and then go back to sleep. And the only thing that would clue her in that she’d be sleep walking was having a sink full of dirty dishes – unusual because she’d always keep an immaculate house. That behaviour and others went on for about 3 weeks until she figured out it was the Ambien causing the sleepwalking. Once she stopped taking Ambien the sleepwalking stopped.
It could be worse, you could be attached by glowing green butterflies. Or dream of Abe Lincoln and a beaver.
Ha. Ive been known to do all sorts of crazy things while on Ambien. The worst part is that you have no idea what youve done because it wipes your short term memory, you have no memory from 10 minutes after taking it until you wake up the next morning. It deifinitely wont stop me from taking it though, sometimes I cant sleep without it.
So, Ambien will be the next ‘date rape’ drug?
J/P=?
From these reports it sounds like the name should be Zombien.
2. Its totally true. My wife would wake me in the morning and make remarks about a bear in the kitchen the night before. I never remembered any of it. The funny thing is the stuff works great otherwise, you dont wake up groggy at all. I guess the sleepwalking thing is a problem.
zzzzzZZZZZzzzzzZZZZzzzz I am an ambien user too, but I haven’t had the side effects I’ve read here. I have friends that use ambien too and haven’t heard of anything like this from them. !!!!!!!! wha? #@%$$^%what am I doing at my computer? How did I get to this Website???? I think I’ll go back to bed now……zzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzz……..
Yaaaaawn!!
This is the drug that Ted Kennedy’s son, the Congressman claimed he had taken the night the D.C. police found him crashed into a light post near the Capitol building in the middle of the night.
There have been some serious things happen to people while on this drug.
I HAVE TAKEN IT FOR A WHILE AND YES IT DOES DO EVERYTHING IT SAYS. I HAVE SLEEPWALKED AND EVEN DRIVEN AND NOT REMEMBER WHERE I HAD BEEN ONLY TO FIND MY TRUCK NOT WHERE I LEFT IT. IT DOES MAKE YOU FORGET THINGS AND IF I AM AWAKEN AFTER TAKING IT I WILL GET UP AND DO ALL OF THESE THINGS AND NOT REMEBER ANY OF THEM.
#12: It also seems to make you shout in blog comments.