The drug Stilnox, also known as Ambien, is used for the short-term treatment of insomnia. The problem is that Stilnox is more and more being linked to a variety of activities people are doing while asleep like walking, eating, making phone calls, cooking, driving and having sex. People afterwards have no memory or performing any of these events.

Many people have been involved in some bizarre situations. A lady in Forestville drove from a hotel with her headlights off and with a flat tire before being pulled over by the police. She was acquitted of all charges when the court believed she had no recollection the event as she was taking the anti-insomnia drug Stilnox and was hence was driving involuntarily as an automaton.

Some people taking Stilnox have fallen off balconies, been involved in car crashes and sleepwalking. One patient gained 23 kilograms over seven months after unknowingly eating from the refrigerator while asleep. One woman woke up with a paint brush in her hand to find she had painted her front door in her sleep and another young woman died after jumping off Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Some of the other side effects of Stilnox (Ambien) include:

• nightmares
• severe depression
• altered personality
• amnesia
• loss of concentration
• loss of sexual inhibitions
• weight loss
• confusion
• blackouts
• short-term memory loss
• nervousness
• paranoia
• delusions
• rage reactions
• psychotic episodes
• criminal behaviour
• fatigue
• daytime drowsiness and fogginess
• anxiety and panic attacks
• hallucinations
• depersonalization
• self-mutilation

These side effects didn’t slow down the manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis on bit. They also fought against the drug being listed as a drug of abuse because Stilnox (Ambien) was also being used for its hallucinogenic and other mind altering effects by recreational drug users who get high by fighting the effects of the drug. By resisting the sedative effects and staying awake the abusers can experience visual effects, euphoria and even hallucinations.

Sleep medications seem to come with a lot more problems and side effects that are worse than the condition they are trying to solve. Stilnox, or Ambien, seems to be another drug that is best to avoid if you are suffering from insomnia.