Ambien Lawsuit

Ambien, the nation's best-selling prescription sleeping pill, is showing up with regularity as a factor in traffic arrests, sometimes involving drivers who later say they were sleep-driving and have no memory of taking the wheel after taking the drug. In some state toxicology laboratories Ambien makes the top 10 list of drugs found in impaired drivers. However, Sanofi-Aventis, the maker of Ambien, says the drug's record after 13 years of use in this country shows it is safe when taken as directed.

About 100 people are already represented in one class-action Ambien lawsuit against Sanofi-Aventis, the maker of Ambien. Many law enforcement officials believe there to be a link between Ambien use and sleep-driving automobile accidents. Plaintiff's attorneys are working on Ambien lawsuits on behalf of victims of Ambien-induced sleepwalking, sleep-driving, sleep-eating and other parasomnias. The plaintiffs include one woman who was sexually assaulted after opening the door to an attacker in her sleep. Other stories in the class-action Ambien lawsuit include:

- Milton Shobe said his mother, Doris, 62, was taking Ambien. She was found dead in her yard in November. She froze to death, and her family believes she had been sleepwalking.

- Congressman Patrick Kennedy had a widely-publicized automobile accident at the U.S. Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C. on May 4, 2006. He said he had taken Ambien and an anti-nausea drug, and had no recollection of the accident. This closely matches the symptom set attributed to sleep-driving after taking Ambien.

- A Florida housewife ate everything in sight, including raw eggs, uncooked canned vegetables and loaves of bread in one evening, and she did this multiple times. Her husband would find her in the morning with her mouth gorged with food and shovel it out of her mouth.

- A woman from Texas took Ambien one night and woke up on a cement jail floor the next day only to discover she was arrested for driving her car in a zombie like state and crashing into other parked vehicles. She now faces criminal charges.

Despite these Ambien horror stories, Sanofi-Aventis defended the safety of Ambien. They said in a statement that they have put the drug under a battery of clinical tests and reviewed all the data from 70,000 users who say there is nothing wrong with the dosage instructions and warning label it carries. They say that it does specify in its warning label that one of its rare side effects is somnambulism and increased appetite.

If you or a loved one took Ambien and suffered memory loss, sleep walking, or other harmful side effects, contact us today so we can put you in touch with legal professionals who specialize in Ambien lawsuits.