Bad advice

I found a blog today talking about sleep walking and Ambien. But instead of talking about the problem as a problem, the blog dismisses and belittles the problem. The writer, with considerable sarcasm, says that the scale of the problem is extremely small, that reports of sleep eating, sleep driving, and sleepwalking are overblown, that the FDA overreacted, and actually says "Personally, I'd blame the lawyers before I'd blame Ambien for sleep walking." Even worse for those who seek unbiased advice on health care and medications, this site suggests that they are there to help with sleep problems.  They are there to sell you Ambien on the Internet, at about 2.49 per pill, at sweetdreamsadvice.

First, the problem of doing things in your sleep after taking Ambien is NOT overblown. Most of us do not report our cases, so the WHO estimates are far to low. I would say that I see about one case every three months. The most recent lady was 50 years old and lived alone. She thought that she might be sleep eating because she would sometimes find food wrappers in her bedroom, and since starting Ambien about one year ago she had gained 20 pounds. Recently she went to a casino-hotel with some girlfriends for the weekend.

They had a great time sharing a room, especially taking picture of my patient. What was she doing? About one hour after going to sleep she got up, went over to the mini-bar area where there was a bowl of crackers. She took the bowl, sat down, and slouched over it shoveling crackers into her mouth. Then she went back to bed.

In the past I have told you about some of my other patients, including two who drove their car in the night, woke up in a parking lot, and did not remember it. And another who took Ambien on a plane and had to be arrested upon landing for acting out of line.

Second, Ambien is a fine drug. I have nothing against its proper use. It appears to be one of the safest sleeping pills ever, in terms of its low addictive potential, lack of morning hangover, and low interactions with other drugs. But it absolutely can cause things like sleep walking. And thus the decision to take it occasionally or regularly is a decision you should make with your doctor who can help you weigh the pro's and the con's.

When starting out, I do recommend that the person tell their bedpartner that they are taking a new medicine, just in case they do something weird. For those who live alone, I start with a super-low dose and slowly increase.

Third, don't buy your medicine on the internet unless you and your doctor agree to it. Enjoy your sleep.