Holly Ife and Jane Metlikovec
Herald Sunday
MORE reports of bizarre and disturbing side effects from a popular prescription sleeping pill have emerged.
On Friday, the Herald Sun revealed that the Federal Government's adverse drug reactions advisory committee had received reports of hallucinations and amnesia in users of Stilnox.Stilnox is a prescription sleep medication.
One ex-user, Simone Orkney, said yesterday she had a serious car accident last year after becoming addicted to the drug.
"I went on them about three years ago because I was doing shift work . . . I noticed that I would forget where I was when I was awake.
"I never said anything to my doctor because I thought the pills were doing what they were supposed to do.
"They made me feel good and I just kept taking them."
Ms Orkney said she had used the drug for several years -- far longer than the recommended four-week maximum.
Her car accident in April -- which she cannot remember -- and an ensuing three-month stay in hospital forced her to realise she was addicted to Stilnox.
"When I first started taking it, the doctor said it was non-addictive.
"But it is. Every drug is addictive for some people," Ms Orkney said.
Helen Loveless, 53, from Kaniva in the state's west, said she had been binge-eating and forgetting conversations since she began taking Stilnox four years ago.
"My husband would say to me: 'Were you a bit hungry last night?' And I wouldn't know what he was talking about," Ms Loveless said.
"He caught me many times eating toast and biscuits that I would not normally eat."
The grandmother also forgot conversations with family and friends after taking half a pill.
Maree, who asked that her surname not be used, originally had a similar reaction to the drug.
"In the morning, I would wake up and find dishes on the headboard. I worked out I had been up in the middle of night making snacks. At first I thought it was funny and pretty harmless.
"After about a week I got up during the night and got back into bed with an electric heater. I turned the electric heater on in bed with me."
Maree said she was lucky someone else in the house heard her and removed the heater.
"I have no objection to Stilnox. For the great majority of people there are no side effects and it is very effective."
But she warned those taking it for the first time to make sure someone was with them to monitor their behaviour.
A spokeswoman for the Therapeutic Goods Administration, to which the advisory committee reports, said adverse reactions for a range of drugs were looked at every day.
In the case of Stilnox, side effects were very rare, she said.
"We decided to remind doctors of the side effects that are already known to ensure they were monitoring their patients closely, and ensure that patients only stay on the drug for a maximum of four weeks," the spokeswoman said.
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