Republished November 1, 2024
Many of us have hectic schedules and we sometimes struggle to get a good night’s sleep. In fact, it is estimated that 40 million Americans suffer from chronic insomnia (sleeplessness) and an additional 20 million experience occasional insomnia. Therefore, some people turn to sleep medicines to help treat the problem.
There are some over-the-counter (OTC) remedies available but they make not work well for some people. Some people may need a prescription sleep medicine to help treat their insomnia. These medications can be useful; however, they must be used correctly and with extreme caution.
We have heard of several cases in which individuals accidentally took their sleep medicine during the day instead of another medicine. In one case, a 65-year old woman was admitted to a hospital after having sudden memory loss and strange behavior for two days. She acted confused and repeatedly asked the same questions over and over. After two hours she began acting normal but she could not remember what happened. While in the hospital, the woman was allowed to take her own medicines. About 30 minutes after taking her morning medicines, the woman became confused and began acting strange. A nurse decided to check the woman’s medicines and found that the woman took Ambien (zolpidem), a prescription sleep medicine, instead of Zetia (ezetimibe), a medicine used to lower cholesterol. The woman had been accidently taking Ambien in the morning instead of her Zetia. The powerful sleep medicine was causing her to be confused and act strange. Once the problem was pointed out, the woman was sent home without any further issues.
Another case involved a mother who mistakenly took her Ambien instead of her thyroid medicine. She was getting her children ready for school and without thinking, she grabbed the wrong container.
Unfortunately, taking sleep medicine during the day can be dangerous, especially if the person needs to drive somewhere. In yet another case, an 84-year-old women grabbed a bottle of sleep medicine and took one instead of an antibiotic she was supposed to take just before heading to her dentist’s office. After her appointment, she drove home and veered into oncoming traffic and hit three cars. Luckily, there were no injuries.
Sleep medicines are considered safe when used correctly. However, if you take other medicines, a mix-up can occur, so extra caution needs to be taken.
Here's what you can do:
