Ambien

Ambien (generic name: zolpidem) is a sleep-inducing drug (i.e., hypnotic sleeping medication) taken by hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. each year. It's estimated that one in 10 American adults uses a sleeping pill at some point. Ambien is possibly the most popular of these drugs, and recent news about its potential sleeping pill death risk is alarming.

Ambien Sleeping Pill Deaths

Ambien first starting making news as celebrities' sleeping pill deaths were linked to Ambien-plus-alcohol or other drug use. Clearly, the regular use of a sleeping drug, mixed with other medications or alcohol, puts the user at risk of injury or death.

However, the results of a recent study indicate that the use of Ambien or a similar drug alone may be deadly, as sleeping pill use was found to be linked to a 5.3-fold higher risk of death compared to people who don't use such sleep medications.

The study, published in the respected medical journal BMJ, looked at the health records of over 10,500 sleeping pill (including Ambien) users, even those who did not take the drugs regularly or over a long term, and over 23,500 matched controls who never used sleeping pills.

The rate of death over a 2.5-year period among the people who did not use sleeping pills was 1.2 percent; among the sleeping pill users, the death rate was 6.1 percent. Even the people who used 18 or less sleeping pills a year had a 3.6-fold higher death risk.

Ambien Side Effects

The same study found that sleeping pills such as Ambien were associated with a 35 percent higher risk of developing cancer.

Other serious side effects of Ambien include (but aren't limited to):

• mental or mood changes (e.g., aggression, agitation, anxiety)
• new or worsening depression
• hallucinations
• fast or irregular heartbeat
• severe dizziness
• severe allergic reactions
• suicidal thoughts or actions

Contact a Sleeping Pill Lawyer

At the Flood Law Group, we're concerned about Ambien sleeping pill deaths. If you're concerned about your personal circumstances and the risk of a sleeping pill death or illness, contact our Ambien lawyers to get answers to all of your questions. You may be eligible to seek and recover monetary compensation if someone you love died from what you believe could be related to sleeping pills.