Driving Under the Influence of Ambien

In the trial of Kerry Kennedy, she recently disclosed in testimony her belief that she mistakenly took Ambien instead of her thyroid medication and that his contributed to an accident in 2012 in which she swerved and hit a tractor trailer. This raises important concerns about the effects of Ambien on driving, both when taken accidentally in the day or when its effects last into the morning. Ambien is typically prescribed as a sleeping pill. It is sold under the generic name of zolpidem. It may come in an extended-release form called Ambien CR or as a lower dose to be taken in the middle of the night called Intermezzo. Once taken, users are advised to immediately go to bed. The reason for this becomes clear when considering how it affects the brain. Ambien is a hypnotic medication. It modestly increases total sleep time compared to baseline. It has profound effects on awareness and memory, however. Therefore, while the drug is in your system, consciousness may be clouded and memory absent. This can lead to one of the more common side effects: parasomnias. Parasomnias are sleep behaviors which might include sleepwalking, sleep eating, and, yes, even sleep driving. These elaborate behaviors are possible when the part of the brain that controls movement remains awake while the areas controlling memory and consciousness are turned off. This can clearly impact daytime function if the medication is taken unintentionally, as may have occurred in Ms. Kennedy's case. The nighttime e...
Source: About Sleep Disorders - Category: Sleep Medicine Source Type: news