ZOLPIDEM tall tales and true make sad reading

THE CASE

Because of my recent articles highlighting the dangers of zolpidem (marketed by Sanofi as Stilnox, Stilnoct and Ambien), "Sleep drug zolpidem facing withdrawal?" "Heath Ledger - another victim of zolpidem?" "Further restrictions on zolpidem likely in Australia" and "Heath Ledgers cocktail - what happened to the zolpidem?" I have been invited to sign a petition titled "Ban Stilnox, Imovane and related sleep medications".

The case for the petition is well presented, and quite compelling. The petitioners have so far collected over three thousand signatures. Here are some unedited extracts from comments attached to the petition. Remember they are anecdotal only, they have not been tested for truthfulness, and the usual quota of "Big Pharma" haters are represented.

I had my one and only blackout after taking this awful drug- during the blackout I unknowingly took another 4 stilnox and had a fight with my then boyfriend.

He went home, took a Stilnox, then walked back past his friends home to the local railway line, waited in a tunnel and killed himself in front of the next train.

....went driving after taking Stilnox the other week and wrote off her car. Luckily she didn’t kill herself or anyone else, and woke up on the couch in the morning without remember a thing....

....sleep walking out of a hotel room - thank god it was into the corridor (albeit locking myself out of my room, in my pajamas), and not off a balcony....

I had one friend who 'came to' at his sink holding a pair of scissors and he had cut most of his hair off.

....my uncle died while using stilnox - sleep driving

My father was taking Stilnox at the time he died by jumping 83 metres to his death at Fitzroy falls, NSW. I would like his death not to have been in vain.

....my partner has been experiencing Stilnox-related parasomnia - manifesting as night-time wandering the streets, night-time bing eating and unknowingly slashing my throat.

He slept walked over his balcony plunging to his death!

MY FIRST ACCIDENTAL SUICIDE ATTEMPT I ALMOST DROVE OFF A BRIDGE WHILE DRIVING HAVING TAKEN ONLY 1 STILNOX.

As someone who has used stilnox in the past and experienced the 'sleep sex' side effect, I support the ban.

Ex-husband addicted to them. Takes then during the day, and is constantly falling, Hospitalized a week ago due to fall. He suffers memory lapses, abusive behaviour. Frightened what will happen next.

At first, the frantic ironing and making popcorn at 2 or 3am were quite funny; however he had no memory of any of this and he nearly burnt the house down when he melted a plastic comb on the popcorn maker!

I had a frightening reaction to taking this drug. Frightening because I did something that was out of character with my normal behaviour. Fortunately, I was with my family that evening who protected me from myself.

My mother was on stilnox for over 2 years culminating in a severe amnesia episode and permanent memory damage.

....Father died in car accident on the 18/12/07 as he was sleep driving due to Stilnox - Just got out of bed and went for a drive in his sleep at around 4am.

I lost my husband when he rode his motorbike under the effect of stilnox.

Last year we were prescribed Stilnox for a long international flight - 1 whole tablet for myself and husband and half each for our two teens. We had asked our doctor for a VERY MILD sleeping tablet. My husband and I were completely ''Knocked out" and were unable to be woken by cabin staff when our teens started to display unusual behaviour. Our son was crying uncontrollably whilst our daughter was hallusinating with abnesia and completely wet her pants- so much so that we had to throw out her shoes because of the stench!

I recently lost a brother to sleep-driving - he was taking Stilnox!

After taking the drug, my personality underwent a complete change where I ordered all sorts of advertised products late at night, believed I was going to join the fire brigade and more.

....i know someone who put a heater under her doona, only to be caught with her housemate finding her.

I couldn't remember what I've done. I was smsing people and could not recall.

....my body was parallaysed but I wanted to jump out of my bedroom window.

....i had server side effects amnesia, driving problems, unexplained brusing, waking up outside watering the garden....

....my brother's death in December '07 we strongly believe was due to 'sleep driving' while on the drug 'stilnox'

She suffered sleepwalking (smoking while doing so)....

My partner lost two days after taking stilnox on a thursday night.....To this day she still has no memory of the episode

My friend woke up and had lost three days; her car was parked erratically in her drive way and all of the car doors were open

If it wan't for my husband I would have been wandering the streets half naked. My husband stopped me from walking out. He also found me cooking in the middle of the night, naked on the trampoline in my back yard at 2am, stopped me driving off in our car

During taking Stilnox I binge ate at night--knew I was doing it but was unable to control it. Withdrawal was very difficult and I gained 6 kg while trying to withdraw

....Luckily my family were around and brought me inside where I began to have discussions with figures in tapestries that to me were alive.

....the family has fun repeating some of it though. like naked in front yard at 3am trying apparently to organise a party. had 3 baths overnight.

I took stilnox and walked out of my house in my pj's and drove my company car around the suburb and eventually crashed into a parked car. I still have no memory of this. I wrote of my company car and lost my job

....suddenly fell asleep while riding her bicycle. She received extensive injuries when she fell in front of a car....

....i have woken up half naked in the middle of the night km's away from my home. this itself has caused me trauma.shame and the feeling of being crazy.

....a fire started in her apartment due to sleep cooking on Stilnox.

What would you do if you received an email congratulating you on your purchase on EBAY of a motor vehicle which you had apparently successfully bid on several evenings ago, but again you have absolutely no idea of when and why you made such an online bid....

Once I found him outside in his jocks talking to the letterbox I can laugh now but at the time it was very very scary

My wife found me semi-conscious on the kitchen floor after taking it- God only knows how long l'd been there.

MY VERDICT

These comments make depressing reading, although not scientific, they do indicate a pattern. They can't all be due to a fervid imagination or from vested interests. Before I read these comments I was not in favour of banning zolpidem, just restricting its use. Now I am not so sure.

NOTES

Amongst the comments attached to the signatures there are a number of common misapprehenions that out of fairness need correcting:

Heath Ledger did not die of a Stilnox overdose, in fact the enquiry into his death found no Stilnox in his blood stream.

Stilnox has not been banned in the US or anywhere else (yet).

Stilnox is not a subsidised medicine on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and never has been.

Neither the Australian Government nor the TGA profit from the continued marketing of zolpidem (Stilnox). There is no official vested interest in it either way.

Doctors do not profit from prescribing Stilnox. There is no kickback scheme, any such scheme would contravene so many laws that it would be in neither the drug companies nor the doctors interests to be party to it.