Zombies Among Us?

Confusion about identity, place, and time; shakiness and unsteady walk; unsteadiness, trembling, or other problems with muscle control or coordination; decreased awareness or responsiveness; depersonalization; seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there; Attack, assault, or force.  These are just some of the listed side effects of Ambien (Generic: Zolpidem). 

Zombies

In March of 2011, Lindsey Schweigert took one Ambien before getting into bed at 6pm. Hours later, she woke up in custody with no idea how she’d gotten there.

Julie Ann Bronson took a couple of Ambien to help her sleep. She awoke the following morning in jail, still in her pajamas, barefoot and terrified. When she was told that she had run over three people, including an 18-month-old girl who suffered severe brain damage as a result of the wreck, she was horrified.

The Fix


Kevin Robertson popped an Ambien recently to help him sleep. Next thing he knew, he woke up in jail -- facing criminal charges from a non-injury crash in Santa Clara, including driving under the influence of a drug and resisting arrest.

San Jose Mercury News

The Ambien Defense

The Lexis-Nexis search returned 28 relevant legal cases. The criminal cases by committing offense included: 7 violent crimes, 10 driving-related incidents, 1 sex offense, and 2 false reports. In these cases, the defendants argued that the use of zolpidem near the time of the offense reduced their criminal liability. JAAPL