Ambien: Doctors and Patients Alerted
A recent series of articles in the New York Times reported strange new side effects in patients taking Ambien, one of the oldest and most prescribed sleep medications. "The articles cite recent studies by Carlos H. Schenck, MD, and colleagues at the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center. Schenck told the Times that he thinks thousands of U.S. Ambien users experience sleep-related eating disorders." Sleep eating disorders were first reported in 2002 by Michael H. Silber, MD, co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorder Center and president-elect of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. During these episodes, patients prepare and eat food, but have no memory of it the following day. Other less common reported side effects include sleepwalking and sleep driving. The complete summary appears in WebMD.
In response to these unusual events, the French manufacturer of Ambien released the following statement: "Sanofi-Aventis is committed to patient safety and treats matters of patient safety with the highest degree of importance. Rare adverse events of sleepwalking have been reported with patients treated with Ambien, and it is included in the US prescribing information as a possible rare event. It is important to emphasize that although sleepwalking may occur during treatment with Ambien, it may not necessarily be caused by it. When taken as prescribed, Ambien is a safe and effective treatment for insomnia. The safety and efficacy of zolpidem, the active ingredient in Ambien, has been supported by 17 years of real-world use."
Patients taking Ambien or any other sleeping medications are advised to keep a log of behavior while taking the medication and report any unusual activity to their doctor.