Side-Effects of a Popular Sleeping Pill

Now this is freaking scary. Just imagine someone popping a pill in order to get some peaceful sleep but instead landing up doing things that they wouldn’t even dare to do when awake and fully conscious.

Sydney Morning Herald has a report on a popular insomnia pill called Stilnox and its dangerous side-effects.

In one report lodged with the Federal Government’s drug reaction committee, a patient put on 23 kilograms over seven months while taking the powerful medication.

“It was only when she was discovered eating in front of an open refrigerator while asleep that the problem was resolved,” the committee reported in its latest bulletin.

Another Stilnox user was discovered by a relative pulling food from the kitchen cupboards at night, explaining her mysterious weight gain.

Till date The Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee (ADRAC) has received 104 reports of hallucinations and 62 reports of amnesia since the drug was released somewhere in the Year 2000.

But of particular interest were 16 bizarre reports of sleep walking, described as “inappropriate or strange automatic behaviour while asleep”.

One woman reported waking up with a paintbrush in her hand after having painted the front door while asleep, while a man reported walking around the house like a “mad man” while asleep.

Two reports suggested patients had driven while asleep, while two described binge-eating and subsequent weight gain.

While the investigation is on ADRAC has advised all prescribers to pre-warn their patients of this drug’s ill-side effects especially if they are using it for the very first time.

This story reminds me of my sister’s friend who was addicted to a cough syrup. I mean, his addiction was equally bad as compared to someone hooked on dope. Even though this particular syrup was banned internationally, it was free and cheaply available at most Mumbai’s drug stores. Finally the guy’s parents had to get him admitted in some rehabilitation center in Pune.

Then there also a widely-used Indian headache tablet which is apparently banned by internationally but it continues to be manufactured and generate huge profits for its prescribers, chemists and its company’s shareholders.