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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by cactus on June 5, 2007, at 4:39:54
This story aired in Australia last Sunday on a program called SUNDAY. It's quite long but worth it. Sorry dial-up users it would take forever. I found this very, very interesting and extremly disturbing. Make up your own minds. What do you think???????
http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/article_2217.asp
Posted by Justherself54 on June 5, 2007, at 8:25:19
In reply to Ambien/Stilnox ZOLDIPEM Feature Cover Story in OZ, posted by cactus on June 5, 2007, at 4:39:54
Just finished watching the videos..disturbing isn't a strong enough word..
I take zopiclone for sleep..reminder to self..if they ever make Ambien available in Canada not to ever take it..
My heart goes out to those poor people who's lives have been changed forever..I can't believe it hasn't been yanked off the market..
Posted by Jay_Bravest_Face on June 5, 2007, at 9:21:54
In reply to Re: Ambien/Stilnox ZOLDIPEM Feature Cover Story in OZ, posted by Justherself54 on June 5, 2007, at 8:25:19
I took Ambien when I was travelling in the U.S., because I didn't count right and left me short some Restoril. So I used my travel insurance for the Ambien. My Prozac, Seroquel, Zyprexa, and clonazepam leave me a bit nervous towards bed time, and the Ambien worked *excellent*. I took it for about a week and a half. Ambien and benzo drugs can 'disorient' you at first, but the docs should start low and then move up. You eventually lose any (if you have any) 'disorienting' thoughts. These drugs work MARVELS for me, and without them I doubt I'd be able to function and have a career. This is 'sensationalist journalism'. First off, you don't just pop a pill without making any consideration for the seriousness of it's side effects. Likely, this woman's sleeplessness was a symptom of something else, like depression or anxiety. Ambien does *not* treat these disorders.
Jay
Posted by Justherself54 on June 5, 2007, at 10:57:19
In reply to Re: Ambien/Stilnox..'Sensationalist Journalism', posted by Jay_Bravest_Face on June 5, 2007, at 9:21:54
I disagree..I don't feel it was sensationalist journalism at all..I found it very interesting the drug company sent completely different letters to doctors in the states as they did in Australia..
Any drug that can cause people, no matter how small a percentage, to drive in their sleep, cook and consume food and cause injury to themselves, is just dangerous..
Posted by Phillipa on June 5, 2007, at 11:18:31
In reply to Re: Ambien/Stilnox..'Sensationalist Journalism', posted by Justherself54 on June 5, 2007, at 10:57:19
Does lunesta do the same? I know of a lady who eats in her sleep and walks around the house on ambien. Love Phillipa
Posted by cactus on June 5, 2007, at 16:42:34
In reply to Re: Ambien/Stilnox..'Sensationalist Journalism', posted by Jay_Bravest_Face on June 5, 2007, at 9:21:54
I think you missed the point. The main crux of the story is about warnings, especially blackbox warnings and the information that was given to American doctors compared to Australian doctors. These are known and documented side effect from zoldipem. Not many people will suffer from these adverse reactions, but small majority that might, should be made aware of possible risks and that is what the story was trying to convey. This can and does happen to anyone, would you like to be made aware that it could happen to you? I don't think it's asking too much for a better warning. SSRI's can trigger suicide (black box warning) Zyprexa can cause diabetes(warning) etc....
Posted by Quintal on June 6, 2007, at 16:31:45
In reply to Re: Ambien/Stilnox.I disagree, I don't think it is » Jay_Bravest_Face, posted by cactus on June 5, 2007, at 16:42:34
I had some strange reactions to zolpidem. Most often I'd keep waking up and take another pill every hour or so and one time I ate my way through a whole blister strip of tablets in one night. I also had hypnogogic hallucinations, very vivid on two occasions. Apparently it's gaining a cult status with young people in some areas for being an anxiolytic hallucinogen. Some will take large doses and 'fight' the sedation to bring on these effects. I've noted its similarity to muscimol (one of the active ingredients in Amanita Muscarina 'magic mushrooms') elsewhere. I'm not sure how accurate that comparison is but it might explain why hallucinations and sleep-walking reactions are more of a problem with this drug than other sleeping pills.
Q
Posted by cactus on June 9, 2007, at 17:39:45
In reply to Re: Ambien/Stilnox. » cactus, posted by Quintal on June 6, 2007, at 16:31:45
Posted by cactus on June 9, 2007, at 17:41:27
In reply to Re: Ambien/Stilnox. Anyone else have an opinion??? (nm), posted by cactus on June 9, 2007, at 17:39:45
Posted by cactus on June 9, 2007, at 18:53:17
In reply to Re: Ambien/Stilnox.I'd love to here what you think (nm), posted by cactus on June 9, 2007, at 17:41:27
this is a reaction story to the huge response from the Australian public. Keep watching, it also shows some amazing results from South Africa coma patients waking up from zoldipem treatment. It's not all bad news.
http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/article_2222.asp
Posted by jerrypharmstudent on June 10, 2007, at 3:37:43
In reply to Ambien/Stilnox ZOLDIPEM Feature Cover Story in OZ, posted by cactus on June 5, 2007, at 4:39:54
> This story aired in Australia last Sunday on a program called SUNDAY. It's quite long but worth it. Sorry dial-up users it would take forever. I found this very, very interesting and extremly disturbing. Make up your own minds. What do you think???????
>
> http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/article_2217.aspI think if people are having odd reactions to Ambien - then they simply should be taken off of it ASAP. ALL medications can "go awry" and cause weird behavior problems. Where's the story about Prozac causing TD? Or the stories of Antipsychotics causing EPS?
Also, you have to take into account that MANY people regularily sleepwalk, eat in the middle of the night WHILE sleepwlking - some have night terrors, some even fall off blaconies and drive cars. If a patient has ANY sleep problem like that they shouldn't be put on a sleep medication without a complete sleep study done first. So, I'd have to point a finger at the doctor treating the person.
Also, sometimes people are stupid and will take Ambien only 4 hours before they have to go to work so they get up and feel out of it and get in their car and fall asleep in traffic. Yeah the drug caused them to fall asleep but THEY were at fault for not adhering to the STRICT instructions and precautions of the drug saying ONLY to take it when you can get 8 hours of sleep.
So I say they should quit doing a which hunt on Ambien when it's mostly the doctors and patients themselves who aren't monitoring themselves on these types of meds.
Posted by kaleidoscope on June 12, 2007, at 15:26:30
In reply to Re: Ambien/Stilnox..'Sensationalist Journalism', posted by Justherself54 on June 5, 2007, at 10:57:19
>Any drug that can cause people, no matter how small a percentage, to drive in their sleep, cook and consume food and cause injury to themselves, is just dangerous.....
Ambien and zopiclone are very similar drugs. All of these side effects have been associated with zopiclone as well as Ambien. In fact, all night sedatives can cause abnormal behaviour in some patients. Ambien is not in any way unique.
Posted by Quintal on June 12, 2007, at 16:27:33
In reply to Re: Ambien/Stilnox..'Sensationalist Journalism', posted by kaleidoscope on June 12, 2007, at 15:26:30
People don't seem to report having hallucinations and bizarre sleepwalking behaviour with zopiclone et al with anywhere the near the same frequency as zolpidem (although I'm aware of the role 'sensationalist journalism' may play in bringing the Ambien cases to my attention). Actually Ed, you know that zopiclone and zolpidem belong to a different chemical class (it's the only imidazopyridine in widespread use) and they have important differences in pharmacokinetics. I'm thinking the short half-life and rapid onset of action may have a role in this, as drugs with similar properties such as triazolam are known to be more problematic than other benzos (yes, I know it's 40 times more potent than zolpidem, but still). Also, zolpidem has been shown effective for waking people from persistent vegetative state - no other benzo has this effect AFAIK. In any case this suggests that zolpidem may be activating some parts of the brain (or switching off defective parts), and it's my feeling that this is a possible mechanism behind the unusually high rate of hypnagogic hallucinations and sleep walking phenomena.
I suppose I feel quite passionately about this one because I've experienced these effects myself (as has one other articulate babbler who is fluent in psychopharmacology), and had nothing remotely similar with any other benzo despite taking a broad selection (including the infamous Halcion). Not that I did anything terribly dangerous under the influence, rather interesting and slightly psychedelic in fact.
Q
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