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Ambien
Suffered from Ambien side effects?
On March 14, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demanded that Sanofi Aventis, the manufacturer of Ambien, a sedative-hypnotic drug toughen its product labeling to include harder language concerning potential risks. These risks include severe allergic reactions and complex sleep-related behaviors, which may include sleep driving. Sleep driving is defined as driving while not fully awake after ingestion of a sedative-hypnotic product, with no memory of the event.Along with the labeling revisions, the FDA requested that Sanofi Aventis send letters to health care providers to notify them about the new warnings. Other sedative-hypnotic medications that are the focus of the revised labeling include:
- Butisol Sodium (Medpointe Pharm HLC)
- Carbrital (Parke-Davis)
- Dalmane (Valeant Pharm)
- Doral (Questcor Pharms)
- Halcion (Pharmacia & Upjohn)
- Lunesta (Sepracor)
- Placidyl (Abbott)
- Prosom (Abbott)
- Restoril (Tyco Healthcare)
- Rozerem (Takeda)
- Seconal (Lilly)
- Sonata (King Pharmaceuticals)
Ambien Studies
Researchers in Minnesota are looking at instances where people taking Ambien for insomnia got up in the middle of the night and engaged in such behaviors as binge eating. The patients reportedly remembered nothing of the experience upon awakening. Dr. Michael Cramer Vornemann, a researcher at the University of Minnesota Medical School and the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, said it appears that those with a prior history of sleep walking and also women may be at higher risk for experiencing these side effects. The researchers believe that thousands of people taking Ambien experience sleep related eating disorders. The researchers looked at older sleep aids and found that these side effects are unique to Ambien, and possibly other newer medications such as Lunesta and Sonata. Mayo Clinic research conducted earlier on Ambien had similar findings. Consumer group Public Citizen has called for very limited use of Ambien because it causes temporary amnesia.
Sleep Medication Usage
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, an estimated 30 million people in the U.S. take sleep medications, which represents a huge increase in recent years. The increase is partly due to manufacturers of anti-insomnia drugs investing heavily in consumer advertising. Sleep-induced side effects may be rising because of the increasing use of Ambien and other anti-insomnia medications.
Legal Help for Ambien Side Effects Victims
If you or a loved one took Ambien and suffered memory loss, sleep walking, or other harmful side effects, contact us for a free case evaluation about your case today. Please fill out the short form at the right, or call our lawyers at 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).
AmbienRSS Feed
Ambien, Lunesta, Other 'New-Generation' Sleep Aids Linked to Bizarre Behavior
May 6, 2008 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
New generation sleeping pills, like Lunesta and Ambien, may be as likely to cause serious adverse reactions as older sleep aids. While older pills are much more likely to cause daytime sedation, addiction and withdrawal symptoms, drug classified as nonbenzodiazepines (NBZs), including Lunesta and Ambien, seem just as likely to cause amnesia and erratic behavior.Introduced in the 1990s, NBZs are all sedatives used for the treatment of insomnia. They have proved to be safer than both...
Ambien Linked to 6 UK Fatalities, Possible Suspect in Heath Ledger Death
Jan 28, 2008 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
Ambien—trade name Zolpidem in the United States—has been linked to six deaths in the United Kingdom and a large number of adverse reactions. Ambien is the sleeping drug which actor Heath Ledger admitted taking just weeks prior to his death. Ledger was found dead by his housekeeper at his New York apartment last Tuesday, and Ambien was among the prescriptions drugs found in his apartment. Results of a postmortem examination last week on the actor were inconclusive...
Woman blames 'sleep driving' on Ambien
Mar 16, 2007 | www.khou.com
You've heard of sleep walking, "sleep eating," other bizarre behaviors associated with the medication Ambien. On Wednesday, the FDA urged drug makers to add warnings about these side effects on their labels. But for one North Texas woman, the caution comes too late. She may be headed to jail because of what she did while she was sleeping. "Earrings, diamonds, pendants," says Phyllis Graham, were all the result of what she calls an "Ambient night." "I was...
New labels on sleep aids to specify odd effects
Mar 15, 2007 | Baltimore Sun
Under pressure from the federal government, drugmakers are revising the labels on Ambien, Lunesta and other popular sleep aids to warn that the pills may result in users driving, eating and even having sex while sleeping, health officials said Wednesday. The manufacturers of 13 popular medications, taken by millions of Americans, are preparing information bulletins for users that will highlight the possibility of bizarre nighttime side effects. The Food and Drug Administration requested the...
FDA wants pill labels to warn of `sleep-driving'
Mar 15, 2007 | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has told the manufacturers of 13 brands of sleeping pills, including Ambien, Lunesta and Rozerem, to change labels on the pills to warn consumers of possible adverse events such as severe allergic reactions, "sleep-driving" and preparing and eating food while asleep. The FDA defined sleep driving as "driving while not fully awake after ingestion of a sedative-hypnotic product, with no memory of the event." Dr. Steven Galson, director...
Ambien
Quick Facts
Ambien Reference Guide
Generic Name
Zolpidem tartrate
Date Approved
December 1, 1999
Manufacturer
Sanofi-Aventis
Status
On the market
3/14/07 FDA asks for tougher label
Defective Drugs
Zolpidem tartrate
Date Approved
December 1, 1999
Manufacturer
Sanofi-Aventis
Status
On the market
3/14/07 FDA asks for tougher label
Approved Uses
Insomnia
Serious Side Effects
Sleep driving
Sleepwalking
Memory loss
Amnesia
Binge eating
Sex while sleeping
Defective Drugs
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