Drug Topics - March 2009 - (Page 25) COMPLEX SLEEP-RELATED BEHAVIOR Special Report Special Report: New drugs and treatments for sleep disorders INSOMNIA Mari Edlin I n the early hours of a May morning in 2006, Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy drove his car into a security barrier near the Capitol. U.S. Capitol Police witnessed him swerving into the wrong lane and striking a curb. Kennedy claimed he could not recall the accident, but did remember taking a sleep aid and another prescription drug that can cause drowsiness. Congressman Kennedy is not the only person who has exhibited strange behavior under the influence of sleep medication. Despite reports of individuals found sleepwalking, driving, eating, and even having sex — activities often forgotten due to temporary amnesia caused by sleep drugs — consumers don’t seem to be alarmed about employs four pharmacists these medications. As part of a new emphasis and dispenses about 150 on medication therapy man- prescriptions a day. If the prescription is new agement, Joel Zive, PharmD, is in the habit of answering a or the patient’s profile indicates the poslot of questions sibility of probabout drugs lems with the from patients, drug, Zive will but for some POWER POINTS offer counseling. reason, that’s In 2007, the FDA As a pharmacist, not his experirequested label he also takes reence with prechanges for all sponsibility for scription medisedative hypnotic drug products. dispensing the cations used most cost-efto help people Sales of fective yet apsleep. OTC sleep aids propriate medi“Most pareached cation and will tients picking up $604 million turn to generics their prescripin 2008. if a prescription tions for sleep does not desigmedications just don’t ask for much in- nate a brand and if patients formation; they know what are concerned about cost. “There is a fine line the drugs are for,” said Zive, who joined the fam- between counseling a paily pharmacy business in tient and reality,” Zive said. the Bronx. Zive Pharmacy “While I can tell them not to drive or operate heavy machinery if they take a sleeping pill, I can’t scare them by informing them they could experience sleep-driving [driving with no memory of the event] or allergic reactions with sedative hypnotics, such as zolpidem [Ambien].” The patient medication guide contains warnings on these possibilities, but there are not enough statistics for Zive to bring it up, he said. His major concern is that his customers take these drugs appropriately. No matter what the drug, he said his job is to provide solutions.” In March 2007, the FDA requested label changes for all sedative hypnotic drug products to highlight risks such as severe allergic reactions and complex sleeprelated behaviors. The FDA DRUG TOPICS COURTESY GETTY IMAGES / RUBBERBALL W W W.D R U GTO P I C S .C O M March 2009 25 http://WWW.DRUGTOPICS.COM
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