My Two Cents

Turns out I'm not the only one. Both Wednesday's and Thursday's Fresno Bee included lengthy articles about people who "sleep-drive" after taking the prescription sleeping pill Ambien. These drivers "tend to stand out from other under-the-influence motorists. The behavior can include driving in the wrong direction or slamming into light poles or parked vehicles, as well as seeming oblivious to the arresting officers..."

A couple years back, I found a business card for a tow-truck company in my kitchen. Long story short, it turns out I had run over a speed-limit sign after jumping a curb. I have no memory of this whatsoever! (And yes, I was on Ambien at the time.) Apparently, I called my then-boyfriend to bring me my tool kit because, according to my interpretation of the situation, a sign was stuck under my car. Scary to think of what else could have happened when I was in that state; thank God no one was injured.

At least nothing like this happened to me (keep in mind this woman has no recollection of this incident):

"A registered nurse...got into her car wearing only a thin nightshirt in 20-degree weather, had a fender bender, urinated in the middle of an intersection, then became violent with police officers."

Or this:

"Jim Stewart says his wife began getting up in the night shortly after she began using the sleeping pill. He would find her doing strange things-- throwing a heavy toy at their dog while it slept, peeling ten pounds of potatoes, making sandwiches for imaginary Boy Scouts."

Or this (the scariest one of all, for those who know me):

"She quit taking Ambien three weeks ago on the morning she found McDonald's food wrappers in her bed."

All of this would be pretty funny if it wasn't a serious situation with such dangerous potential. And I would never laugh at a sleeping animal getting hit by flying objects.