The theme of this week appears to be creepy side effects of commonly used prescription medicine.  It’s been on my mind ever since I had to stop taking a prescription because I got head-splitting migraines with auras; it’s also something I like to think about because I think side effects are fascinating (say you’re the person who experiences hirsutism from Accutane — you once had acne, now you have a forehead-beard).

Ambien is one of the most fascinating side-effect-addled drugs on the market.  Unlike some other drugs with rare side effects you’ll rarely encounter, many people I’ve talked to who take Ambien have had some sort of weird experience with it.  The web is rife with examples:

“In the breaking New York Times article, “Some Sleeping Pill Users Range Far Beyond Bed,” reporter Stephanie Saul tells the story of a registered nurse who took Ambien before going to sleep one night in January 2003. Sometime after falling asleep, she went out into the Denver winter night wearing only a thin nightshirt, even though the temperature was only 20 degrees. She got into her car, caused an accident, urinated in the middle of the intersection and then got into a violent altercation with the police officers who came to arrest her. In the matter of one night and one sleeping pill, her traffic record went from exemplary to tarnished with a reduced charge of careless driving. Interestingly enough, she says she remembers nothing of what happened during that Ambien-influenced night.” (via here)

“DULUTH - After Hayward, Wis., electrician Timothy Brueggeman froze to death while sleepwalking barefoot in his underwear Monday night, authorities were initially baffled.

“How in the hell can a guy walk out in 20-below zero and not wake up?” Sawyer County Chief Deputy Tim Zeigle said he asked himself. Going through Brueggeman’s bedroom, investigators found a possible answer — a bottle of Ambien.” (via the star tribune)

” Some people don’t just walk in their sleep, they eat as well.

As sleep disorders go, it’s one of the more bizarre, observes CBS News Correspondent John Blackstone.

He says Dr. Mark Mahowald and other sleep researchers have discovered that nocturnal eating may be a side effect of the popular sleep medication, Ambien.

That comes on the heels of reports that some Ambien users may drive while sleeping.

Mahowald, who’s medical director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center in Minneapolis, tells Blackstone, “We’ve had people eat very inappropriate things that they would never eat while awake. Some example would be buttered cigarettes, salt sandwiches, raw bacon.”

And sleep-binging could leave its mark – on waistlines.

“I put on over 100 pounds since I’ve been on Ambien,” says Brenda Pobre, who couldn’t figure out why she was gaining so much weight.” (via CBS news)