Popular drug sends your car crash risk through the roof
If you’ve ever been involved in a serious car accident, I’m sure it’s something you never want to go through again.
From buckling up to driving under the speed limit, we do plenty of things to make sure we’re safe on the road.
But believe it or not, millions of Americans will get behind the wheel this morning without ever realizing that they’ve boosted their chances of an accident by more than 100 percent.
And it’s all thanks to something they did the night before.
But it can also have you driving as if you just downed a quart of whiskey — even the next day.
Just ask Peggy, who rear-ended a car after taking Ambien — twice. Holly blacked out while driving, crossed the road, went through a ditch and landed in a field of cows.
And those are the lucky “I survived” stories. They get much more horrific than that.
Zolpidem was approved a long time and many, many ER visits ago. And there are millions of Americans — many of them seniors — taking the drug right now.
It’s been linked to numerous side effects, such as hallucinations and heart palpitations and is about as addictive as a med gets.
But what researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found should be the loudest warning sounded on these drugs to date.
They crunched the data for more than 2,000 drivers and found that people who take zolpidem are 50 percent more likely to get into car accidents. That’s because the drug creates a hangover effect that can stay with you for hours after you wake up.
But that’s just for openers.
Women who take this med are especially at risk, upping their rate of smashups by 65 percent. But the most shocking danger of zolpidem is for drivers over 80. They have a whopping 124 percent higher rate of crashing their cars.
Just consult the book-length prescribing information on Ambien CR, and you’ll find that patients are “cautioned against driving or engaging in other hazardous activities” the day after taking it.
And you thought those teens texting while they drive or speeding like they were in the Daytona 500 were bad! We’ve got millions of drivers on the road right now who are high on sleeping pills!
Now, believe me, I get it. When you can’t fall asleep at night it’s very upsetting, and can certainly ruin the next day for you. But then again, nothing spoils a day faster than being in a car crash.
So before you even think about going the pharma route for insomnia, why not try some of these remedies first?
- Turn off your computer, smart phone and TV for an hour or two before you go to bed, and keep your bedroom a device-free zone.
- Don’t give into caffeinated drinks after two or three in the afternoon.
- Try an herbal tea like chamomile, a natural sedative, before bedtime.
- Consider other natural solutions like melatonin and L-Theanine that can help you get your nightly zzz’s safely.
And remember, you don’t have to have an accident after taking one of these meds to get in trouble. If you’re stopped by the police and found to be impaired in any way, you can be in a lot of hot water.
Your best bet is to make sure you don’t touch zolpidem with a 20-foot pole — especially if you’re planning to drive the next day.
Sources:
“Some sleep aids may hike car accident risk” Charlotte Libov, February 18, 2016, NewsMax, newsmax.com
