Ambien Dangers
An article on medicalnewstoday.com by Christian Nordqvist recently brought to light some startling facts regarding the pharmaceutical sleep drug Ambien. According to a report issued by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, USA), “The number of people taking Ambien (zolpidem) and ending up in hospital emergency departments increased by nearly 220% between 2005 and 2010, from 6,111 to 19,487 visits”.
It’s even worse for women.
The same report showed that 68% of all ER visits consisted of female patients. In 2010 alone, women experienced a 274% increase in Ambien-related emergency department visits while men experienced a 144% increase.
Ambien may be harmful!
Here’s a little background on zolpidem, which is considered “a prescription drug for the treatment of insomnia”.
• It’s the active ingredient in Ambien and other sleep drugs
• Was approved by the U.S. FDA in 2008
• Has been considered “safe” and “effective” for millions of Americans
• Reported side effects of Ambien sent to the FDA include agitation, daytime drowsiness, dizziness, hallucinations and sleep-walking
• More dangerous problems occur when Ambien is used with other drugs and narcotic pain relievers
The most startling fact of the whole report states, “Half of all emergency department visits in 2010 involved zolpidem usage in combination with other medications.” Half of all ER visits! How is it possible that the public isn’t informed of these dangers?
The drug may also be deadly. In a study comparing 10,000 users of sleeping pills like zolpidem to nonusers, pill takers were up to 35 percent more likely to develop some type of cancer, including lymphoma and lung cancer, and they were 4.56 times more likely to die of any cause. Though the reasons are still unclear, “the risk of death was substantial even in people taking just 18 pills a year—but it increased the more they took,” says study author Daniel Kripke, M.D., of the Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Center in San Diego. (Sanofi, Ambien’s maker, says this kind of analysis suggests association, not cause, and that the drug is safe when used as directed.)
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