Posted on 03/07/2006 8:06:19 PM PST by neverdem
With a tendency to stare zombie-like and run into stationary objects, a new species of impaired motorist is hitting the roads: the Ambien driver.
Ambien, the nation's best-selling prescription sleeping pill, is showing up with regularity as a factor in traffic arrests, sometimes involving drivers who later say they were sleep-driving and have no memory of taking the wheel after taking the drug.
In some state toxicology laboratories Ambien makes the top 10 list of drugs found in impaired drivers. Wisconsin officials identified Ambien in the bloodstreams of 187 arrested drivers from 1999 to 2004.
And as a more people are taking the drug — 26.5 million prescriptions in this country last year — there are signs that Ambien-related driving arrests are on the rise. In Washington State, for example, officials counted 78 impaired-driving arrests in which Ambien was a factor last year, up from 56 in 2004.
Ambien's maker, Sanofi-Aventis, says the drug's record after 13 years of use in this country shows it is safe when taken as directed. But a spokeswoman, Melissa Feltmann, wrote in an e-mail message, "We are aware of reports of people driving while sleepwalking, and those reports have been provided to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as part of our ongoing postmarketing evaluation about the safety of our products."
A spokeswoman for the F.D.A. said the drug's current label warnings, which say it should not be used with alcohol and in some cases could cause sleepwalking or hallucinations, were adequate. "People should be aware of that," said the spokeswoman, Susan Cruzan.
While alcohol and other drugs are sometimes also involved in the Ambien traffic cases, the drivers tend to stand out from other under-the-influence motorists. The behavior can include driving in the wrong direction or slamming into light poles or parked vehicles...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Taking more than the prescribed dosage and drinking -- what do they expect is going to happen?
Whoa!! Interesting story.
Talk about scary!
I have sometimes posted to Free Republic after taking ambien, then I click "abuse" and report myself to the mods.
I ended up needing only 1/2 the dose my doctor originally prescribed. Ask for the 5mg, not the 10mg. You can always take two if you really need more.
"Wisconsin officials identified Ambien in the bloodstreams of 187 arrested drivers from 1999 to 2004."
Duh, how many blood samples were taken during this period?
For a minute there I thought this was another blonde thread.
I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be snickety correcting you about the stuff. The only reason I knew about the pseudoephedrine is because I was talking to our undersheriff about cold medicines one time. We both weren't feeling very good so we were talking about over the counter medicines that worked for us. He was talking about how well Nyquil worked for him and I was telling him I couldn't take Nyquil because the pseudoephedrine would make me feel like I was about to jump out of my skin. One thing led to another and we started talking about the meth problem we had in our small town. Of course this was before our local state trooper was killed by a local firefighter because the trooper rolled up on the firefighter in his mobile meth lab. The meth heads were making the stuff in their cars because there's a really strong smell when meth is being cooked.
When Nyquil quit putting the pseudoenephedrine in their formula, the undersheriff called and let me know. Now I can take it because it works better than benadryl for me and it doesn't have the side effect it used to have. If you can tolerate benadryl, you probably would be able to use Nyquil now.
Thanks
Better yet, sometimes a 10 mg pill is the same price as a 5.
You can cut the pill in half and save money. You can check out the prices to see.
My husband does that for his sleeping pills.
Maybe the funny taste in your mouth from Lunesta is from that stupid glow-in-the-dark moth.
I've used Ambien post-surgery, and it worked like a charm, esp. when my incisions were still healing. Kept me still during the night and enabled me to heal more quickly.
Once in a while, I'll take some of the leftover Ambien if I'm trying to make the transition from late-night deadline work to sleep, but I'll only take half. That's usually enough.
I am taking 10 mg. and I do not have blood pressure issues or have in the past.
Aliens. Ornery little boogers generally.
Careful of their anal probes!
I take the AmbienCR a lot, I've also taken the Ambien too. I've found it doesn't work to good or at all on a full stomach, I pretty much take it on an empty stomach and or after eating a lite meal a few hours before.
I've also found drinking a beer before taking it is not a wise thing, I've suspected a few strange things have happen while I was suppose to be in bed sleeping.
I basically take the medicine and get right into bed now, my roommate says he has picked me up off the floor one time to put me in bed after I had taken it. I put my glasses on the dresser now away from the bed since several times I've had to look around for them around the bed area after getting up. Also I turn the volume down on the TV in case I'm just planning on watching a few minutes of TV but fall asleep before I turn it off. Several times I've fallen asleep while watching TV, and have woken up after the alarm goes off, around 7-8 hours later. I can just make out what is on the TV at the foot of the bed with out my glasses.
The drug really works good, most of the time. Some times it didn't do any thing for me. Don't like to take it any more then 2 maybe 3 times a week, the brain adapts itself to drugs like this, it will try to compensate for the effect of which it is made to have. That why it can be a dangerous drug, to be monitor by doctors. I work the grave yard shift, that is why I take it.
Also I do not take it with my other drugs, or even vitamins. This is an important advice to heed.
Most of been something in the sandwich, just kidding, see my posting on number 97
Whoops see posting 96
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