Zolpidem

In the last few months an extremely popular sleeping pill has received a great deal of attention due to some unwanted side effects. Stilnox is a brand name for a substance called zolpidem. Many prescription sleeping agents are benzodiazepines, depressant drugs that slow down the central nervous system. Zolpidem is not a benzodiazepine and is not believed to be as addictive as many of the other sleeping agents available. However, it does appear that some people can become addicted if they use the drug for an extended period of time, due to their dependence on its ability to bring on sleep. In the US it is known as Ambien and anybody who has travelled to the States for a circuit party knows how big a part that drug plays over a big weekend of partying. It is fast-acting (usually within 15 minutes) and has a short half-life, meaning that when users wake up they are rarely groggy, making this drug very popular.

However, the pharmaceutical companies that distribute this product have run into some problems recently, particularly in Australia. Earlier this year, a man died after falling from a balcony, apparently sleepwalking after taking Stilnox. A number of media outlets then ran with this story and asked the public to report if they had had any adverse reactions to the drug. Many people responded and as a result a review of the drug was carried out by the Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee. A report from the Australian government Department of Health and Ageing earlier this year described 104 cases of hallucinations and 62 cases of amnesia experienced by people taking Stilnox since marketing of the drug began in 2000. There were also six cases of strange sleepwalking by people taking the medication. In one of these sleepwalking cases a patient woke with a paintbrush in her hand after painting the front door to her house. Another case involved a woman who gained 23 kilograms over seven months while taking Stilnox. Apparently she had been sleepwalking and eating through the night and only discovered what was happening when she found the fridge door open one morning.

Researchers are having difficulty explaining why this occurs. There does not seem to be any biological pathway that has been proven to connect zolpidem with these behaviours. The drug is a benzodiazepine-like hypnotic that promotes deep sleep by interacting with brain receptors for a chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid. It would appear that while parts of the brain become less active during deep sleep, the body can still move, making sleepwalking a possibility.

What this story quite clearly shows is that all drugs, whether they be legal, illegal or pharmaceutical, can affect different people in different ways. Even if you obtain a drug from a doctor, there is no guarantee that it will not have an adverse effect.

Remember: if you do not want any negative consequences, do not use the drug and, no matter how many times you have used a substance, never be blas?/p>