Dr. Leospace
Alpiniste Kundalini
- Inscrit
- 28/10/05
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- 686
Hundreds of Australians have reported bizarre behaviour, including one case of jumping off a high-rise balcony, after taking the popular sleeping pill Stilnox.
A national medical hotline for adverse drug reactions has been swamped with more than 400 calls from people taking the controversial prescription medication.
Callers have reported unusual behaviour such as smoking, driving, painting, cooking and stabbing themselves while they were asleep.
"We've had an unprecedented number of calls," said Dr Geraldine Moses, a pharmacist with the Adverse Medical Events Line.
The findings come after a spate of bizarre side-effects were made public last month, in which users reported gaining up to 20 kilograms from regular binge-eating during the night.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the national drugs regulator, is currently in discussions with sedative drug manufacturers about adding new warnings to packets.
Among the more recent complaints to the hotline, one Stilnox user reportedly drank half a bottle of whisky and plunged from a 12-storey balcony while asleep.
A middle-aged woman had to have her leg amputated after falling over in the bathroom while she was on the medication.
Dr Moses said she and other hotline workers had been shocked by both the volume of calls and the extent of the reactions.
"The drug has been around for almost 10 years and the reactions would have been happening the whole time but obviously people didn't know where to report them," she said.
Recent media coverage of the hotline raised its profile and contributed to the increased number of people calling with their concerns.
Dr Moses urged users to avoid taking the full 10mg dosage and instead just pop half a pill to limit side-effects.
Meanwhile, the Australian drug reactions committee has met and made several undisclosed recommendations regarding the drug, manufactured by pharmaceutical company Sanofi Aventis.
A TGA spokeswoman said these would be referred to a parent committee and then passed on to the TGA for final decision-making regarding any regulatory changes.
"It's a bit early to report any potential action by the TGA," she said.
"In the meantime, the TGA is currently in discussion with sponsors of sedative medicines regarding changes to the wording of their product information as a result of recent concerns regarding adverse reactions."
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
A national medical hotline for adverse drug reactions has been swamped with more than 400 calls from people taking the controversial prescription medication.
Callers have reported unusual behaviour such as smoking, driving, painting, cooking and stabbing themselves while they were asleep.
"We've had an unprecedented number of calls," said Dr Geraldine Moses, a pharmacist with the Adverse Medical Events Line.
The findings come after a spate of bizarre side-effects were made public last month, in which users reported gaining up to 20 kilograms from regular binge-eating during the night.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the national drugs regulator, is currently in discussions with sedative drug manufacturers about adding new warnings to packets.
Among the more recent complaints to the hotline, one Stilnox user reportedly drank half a bottle of whisky and plunged from a 12-storey balcony while asleep.
A middle-aged woman had to have her leg amputated after falling over in the bathroom while she was on the medication.
Dr Moses said she and other hotline workers had been shocked by both the volume of calls and the extent of the reactions.
"The drug has been around for almost 10 years and the reactions would have been happening the whole time but obviously people didn't know where to report them," she said.
Recent media coverage of the hotline raised its profile and contributed to the increased number of people calling with their concerns.
Dr Moses urged users to avoid taking the full 10mg dosage and instead just pop half a pill to limit side-effects.
Meanwhile, the Australian drug reactions committee has met and made several undisclosed recommendations regarding the drug, manufactured by pharmaceutical company Sanofi Aventis.
A TGA spokeswoman said these would be referred to a parent committee and then passed on to the TGA for final decision-making regarding any regulatory changes.
"It's a bit early to report any potential action by the TGA," she said.
"In the meantime, the TGA is currently in discussion with sponsors of sedative medicines regarding changes to the wording of their product information as a result of recent concerns regarding adverse reactions."
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
