Relatives of Hard Rock Hotel (click here) executive Randy Kwasniewski, who committed suicide
in March 2010, filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday against the
company that manufactures the sleeping pill Ambien.
The lawsuit alleges sanofi-aventis U.S., a limited liability company based in Delaware, knew Ambien was defective "and had the propensity to cause severe injury, including death."
Unbeknownst to Kwasniewski, the complaint alleges, "Ambien may produce suicidal thoughts, ideations, strange bizarre behaviors and actions."
"Defendant was well-aware of numerous adverse reactions to Ambien which resulted in suicide or suicidal ideation," according to the document, which claims sanofi-aventis "deliberately underwarned about the possible reactions to Ambien."...
By Lisa Maria Garza
..."He was undergoing (click here) a variety of treatment and diagnoses for mental health conditions, ranging from depression to anxiety to some sleep disturbance. He was prescribed a number of drugs to address those, including Ambien," McHugh told a U.S. Senate committee hearing....
Posted
By Carri Geer Thevenot
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Relatives of a Hard Rock Hotel executive (click here) who killed himself two years ago have uncovered a 2006 memo from the Food and Drug Administration that examines possible links between sleep aids and suicide.
Lawyers representing the family of Randy Kwasniewski, who fatally shot himself in March 2010, recently filed the document as an exhibit in their wrongful death case against sanofi-aventis U.S. -- the company that makes the sleeping pill Ambien.
Also named as a defendant in the lawsuit is Nadine Leone, a marriage and family therapist who met with Kwasniewski five days before his death. The plaintiffs allege Leone knew Kwasniewski had been prescribed Ambien but failed to warn him about the possible mental and emotional effects of taking the drug....
The lawsuit alleges sanofi-aventis U.S., a limited liability company based in Delaware, knew Ambien was defective "and had the propensity to cause severe injury, including death."
Unbeknownst to Kwasniewski, the complaint alleges, "Ambien may produce suicidal thoughts, ideations, strange bizarre behaviors and actions."
"Defendant was well-aware of numerous adverse reactions to Ambien which resulted in suicide or suicidal ideation," according to the document, which claims sanofi-aventis "deliberately underwarned about the possible reactions to Ambien."...
By Lisa Maria Garza
FORT HOOD
Texas
Texas
..."He was undergoing (click here) a variety of treatment and diagnoses for mental health conditions, ranging from depression to anxiety to some sleep disturbance. He was prescribed a number of drugs to address those, including Ambien," McHugh told a U.S. Senate committee hearing....
Posted
By Carri Geer Thevenot
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Relatives of a Hard Rock Hotel executive (click here) who killed himself two years ago have uncovered a 2006 memo from the Food and Drug Administration that examines possible links between sleep aids and suicide.
Lawyers representing the family of Randy Kwasniewski, who fatally shot himself in March 2010, recently filed the document as an exhibit in their wrongful death case against sanofi-aventis U.S. -- the company that makes the sleeping pill Ambien.
Also named as a defendant in the lawsuit is Nadine Leone, a marriage and family therapist who met with Kwasniewski five days before his death. The plaintiffs allege Leone knew Kwasniewski had been prescribed Ambien but failed to warn him about the possible mental and emotional effects of taking the drug....
Ann Clin Psychiatry. 1996 Jun;8(2):89-91
Zolpidem-induced psychosis
Markowitz JS, Brewerton TD.
Zolpidem is
reported to be a safe and effective hypnotic agent for the short-term
treatment of insomnia. There are several case reports of zolpidem
causing psychotic reactions in patients with no history of psychosis. We
report two additional cases in which zolpidem was implicated in
psychotic reactions characterized by auditory and visual hallucinations
as well as delusional thinking. Both patient's symptoms resolved with
the discontinuation of zolpidem use. It appears that our cases share
several features in common with the other reported cases. All were
female, there appeared to be some dose dependency involved, and the
adverse event resolved fairly quickly upon zolpidem discontinuation.
Zolpidem should be used at the lowest effective dose for the least
amount of time as necessary. Female patients may possibly require
smaller doses. In patients manifesting new-onset or unexplained
psychotic symptoms, zolpidem use should be considered in the
differential diagnosis.
