The popular sleep aid, Ambien, may help some consumers get a good night’s sleep, but others have reported engaging in bizarre behavior after taking the drug. In fact, Ambien continues to make headlines as more and more consumers report doing things that they simply can’t remember in the morning.

What is Ambien?

Ambien, also known as Zolpidem, is a sleep aid that is manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1992 and is thought to be the best selling prescription sleep in the United States with approximately 50 million prescriptions written each year and annual sales of nearly $1 billion.

Ambien’s side effects

According to the drug’s website, www.ambiencr.com, Ambien’s side effects may include “next-day drowsiness, dizziness, and headache”. However, other side effects, such as confusion, depression and hallucinations have also been reported. In fact, the drug’s website acknowledges that, “sleepwalking, and eating or driving while not fully awake, with amnesia for the event, have been reported.” But, that’s just the beginning…

When side effects turn into bizarre behavior

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, several reports of extremely bizarre behavior have been linked to Ambien use, such as:

• starting fires in kitchens while trying to cook
• cursing out bosses on the phone
• crashing cars into trees

According to the article, one woman actually woke up with a paintbrush in her hand after having painted her front door in her sleep. What’s frightening is that all of the above activities occurred with the drug user having no memory of their late night antics the next day. Further fueling the controversy are headlines involving public figures such as:

• Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) who crashed his car into a security barricade in Washington, DC in 2006 after taking Ambien and another drug that treats gastroenteritis.
• Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Republican Party nominee for President in 2008 who admitted that he also takes Ambien.

FDA warnings

The FDA has received several reports of bizarre behavior, such as sleep driving, that have been linked to Ambien and similar drugs. In March 2007, it urged Sanofi-Aventis and other manufacturers to strengthen their products’ labels to warn consumers about the risks of sleep walking, sleep driving and other unusual behaviors that may result from use.