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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

smh.com.au - 21.02.08 - Stilnox status unchanged

Mr Blonde

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The Therapeutic Goods Administration will not reclassify sleeping pill Stilnox as a "drug of abuse" it was decided at a meeting today.

The decision to leave zolpidem, marketed as Stilnox in Australia, comes on the back of a week of debate over the relative dangers of the controversial sleeping pill.

The decision by the TGA's drugs and poisons committee, the NDPSC, to leave Stilnox in its current classification schedule is sure to attract criticism by those who say Stilnox is dangerous and linked to a series of deaths and misadventures.

"While the NDPSC acknowledges the concerns that members of the public have raised regarding these adverse events, members of the committee concluded that the current Schedule 4 (Prescription Only) status of zolpidem is appropriate," a statement from the committee released this afternoon read.

"There was no compelling evidence presented to the NDPSC that the abuse potential of zolpidem requires it to be rescheduled."

It did, however, mention it would be keeping a "watching brief on the matter over the coming months".

At the same time the NDPSC released its statement, the TGA also announced it would, from today, be placing new warnings in the product information documents in boxes of drugs containing zolpidem.

"There is a need to reinforce information previously released by the TGA reminding health-care professionals and the public of the need for careful prescribing and use of zolpidem and any other form of sleeping tablets," the TGA release stated.

It also announced it had arranged an "urgent" meeting with the National Prescribing Service to discuss the creation of further educational materials for prescribers, emphasising the need to remind patients to use sleeping medicines for only short periods of time.

The new warning reads: "Zolpidem may be associated with potentially dangerous complex sleep-related behaviours which may include sleep walking, sleep driving and other bizarre behaviours.

"Zolpidem is not to be taken with alcohol. Caution is needed with other [central nervous system] depressant drugs. Limit to four weeks' maximum under close medical supervision."

This week's debate was only the latest in a series of calls for more attention to be paid to so-called z-class drugs.

Z-class drugs - zolpidem, zopiclone and zaleplon - are all non-benzodiazepine hypnotics that are used as an alternative to drugs such as valium and rohypnol. They take effect faster but allow for a quicker recovery.

The Herald wrote on Tuesday that Stilnox had again been implicated in the death of 30-year-old Mairead Costigan, a promising Sydney philosopher.

Stories from Herald readers describing their own experiences with Stilnox flooded in as a result of Ms Costigan's story, with some stating Stilnox had affected them similarly.

Others claimed it was a useful drug that was being unfairly criticised.

More than 60 emails, as well as numerous phone calls and letters, have been received by members of the public.

Link.

Personally, I think it's a good thing. The onus shouldn't be on re-scheduling substances; it should be on getting doctors to change their scripting habits.
 
I think its good that they didn't classify them as "drugs of abuse", since they have very little to offer for recreational purposes (stillnox at any rate, I haven't tried the others). But given the many reports of people behaving strangely while on it, to me it seems like more hassle than its worth. Especially when benzos work much better (for me anyway, but admittedly the shorter lasting effects of stilnox are probably more desirable to many).
 
i think its a good thing but at the same time i dont think stilnox is for everyone
 
I've tried Zopiclone, which is what the girl who died was on when she fell off that bridge. Snorted one, didn't get much effect.
 
yeh the way I see it is 2 different issues are being confused in all this stilnox fuss, namely:

1) addictive/abuse potential

2)acute adverse reaction of the sleep driving/walking/cooking or whatever

particularly the media is not isolating these issues which are distinct imo
 
thank fuck for that , was startin to think theyd be banned or have some bullshit restriction put on em . i have pretty bad sleeping troubles , and these r the only things that work every time . and are a shitload of fun if u got a six pack handy :D
 
I don't know how I missed this story a week ago. Fucking great news IMHO :)
 
yeh but packs made to 14 instead of 20 and pharmacists/doctors are getting info/emails about being more careful and shit with zolpidem tho, so I dunno but hopefully we can still get the buggers
 
lol a year and 2 months on and theyr stil floggin off the 20 packs
even got a double script for em last time
 
Bloke I know went to bed one night after taking some of this stuff.

Next thing he reckons he remembers was red and blue lights, upside down in his car, having rolled it, apparently after driving on and hitting a parked car, after having already hit a tree.
 
jesus lol

iv learned to hide my car keys wenever i need to take stilnox to sleep if iv been drinkin as well

one time i went to bed after havn 25mg , next day i was told i drove 30 mins to pick up a mate to go score buds for me at like midnight, then back home . no recollection whatsoever

woke up one mornin to a bunch of torn up street commodore car magazines with all the mag wheels cut off the cars and glued to pictures of other cars
 
Drinking and stilnox, imovane etc is a seriously BAD idea.

When I was living in Sydney I called my girlfriend at 3:00am telling her I was packing my bags and going to Thailand. Good thing she called my sister who I was luckily staying with at the time she put me back to bed, although it did take her a few times. I have no memory at all of this.

I have done some wacky stuff on stilnox. I would also warn against using it to get to sleep after a weekend out. Good chance you will turn into a zombie and start doing all manner of weird & potentially dangerous shit.
 
i also heavily recomend not drinking whilst consuming stilnox.. its a recipe for guranteed memory loss / blank. I am usually a very anti drink / anti drug driving person.. yet one occasion ive been told whilst on stilnox/alcohol i had driven my car.. totally out of character..
 
I'm in Sydney at the mo, can you buy this stuff over the counter or only on script? Do you think it could be used to help with anxiety instead of me having to go to the docs and try getting some diazepam..
 
Stilnox (zolpidem tartrate) is Schedule 4 (Prescription Only).

Diazepam would be a better option for anxiety IMO. :)
 
Damn, yeah but docs in the UK don't like scripting out benzo's because of the possible addiction and I feel more comfortable with my docs back home than trying to convince some randomer I want them.
 
am i the only who takes this stuff and actually gets to sleep with no sleep walking or doing silly things even if i have 3 and have been drinking ?
 
Damn, yeah but docs in the UK don't like scripting out benzo's because of the possible addiction and I feel more comfortable with my docs back home than trying to convince some randomer I want them.

Still, have you used the Z-drugs before? They are not like benzos, if you stay awake instead of falling asleep things get very, very strange. They aren't really conducive to keeping anxiety in check and being able to still function normally.
 
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