Ambien and 12 other insomnia drugs can cause rare "complex sleep-related behaviors".

This is acknowledged recently by a US Court.

The Case:

A San Jose USA man was on parole (bail); when on June 20 he got himself involved in a non-injury crash. In the court, the man argued that at the time of crashing his truck on to a sidewalk; he was "sleep-driving" on Ambien (an insomia drug).

Justifying his Sleep driving assertion, the 45 year old man presented in the court, his medical reports, which showed him suffering from a number of serious health conditions -- including liver problems, a staph infection and hepatitis C -- for which he had been prescribed seven medications, including Ambien, Benadryl and morphine, some of which showed up in a blood test after the crash. The man told the court that on the day of the crash, he had planned to go to sleep early that night after an exhausting day in the hospital emergency room. The last thing he remembers is lying down about 8 p.m. with his dog Lily and popping the Ambien. His lawyer argued he fell asleep and remained unconscious while driving and crashing onto a sidewalk.

The Court found his argument worth believing and acquitted him.

What is Sleep-Driving?

Sleep-driving is same as Sleep-walking; where a person walks while still asleep, with no memory of events later on.

In 2007, the US Food and Drug Administration warned that Ambien and 12 other insomnia drugs can cause rare "complex sleep-related behaviors" including "sleep-driving, making phone calls and preparing and eating food (while asleep)" that leave patients with no memory of events.

Many drugs induce Sleep; and hence can result in decreased attentiveness while driving. Hence, it's not safe to drive, while on certain medications. Query your doctor about such drugs, whenever he puts you on medication. For example, Benadryl is seen as a normal cough syrup; but it induces sleep too.

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